Purely Movies Reviews

2012-01-13T21:32:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "Final Destination 5 Blu-ray review"

The 2D version is alright but still not as entertaining when watched in 3D in cinema. The picture is sharp and clear but not as vibrant as the 4th movie. It has a cold and hard look rather than being bright.

Blu-ray special features- 2.9/5

There is a short featurette (6 minutes) which involves interviews with cast and crew. It is interesting but brief. There are two useless alternative scenes (16 minutes) which only show slightly alternative death scenes. The alternative deaths are less than a minute. There are two visual effects featurette. One is the bridge collapsing (9 minutes) and the other is the plane crash ( 3 minutes). The screen is split into two; one shows the movie scenes and the other shows raw footage. Overall, the features are disappointing but at I should be thankful that there are some features. There are the 2D Blu-ray and the 2D and 3D combo Blu-ray.

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Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Conan the barbarian Blu-ray review"

Nothing much to say. It seems suited for small screen than big screen as the feeling is like in a direct-to-DVD movie only with bigger budget. The movie is dull and the colours are depressing. Not a very colourful movie but Blu-ray is clear.

Blu-ray special features- 3.4/5

There are almost 45 minutes of special features. There is the main meat (18 minutes) which shows the legacy of Conan where the cast and crew discuss about him. There is a featurette on the creator of Conan (10 minutes). There is a featurette on the action in the movie (9 minutes) which has the cast and crew discussing about the action and cherography. There is a test for the action cherography (5 minutes) where stunts men cherograph the action in the movie. Trailers round up the features. An okay Blu-ray which also includes the 3D version of the movie.

2012-01-03T21:08:00.005+08:00

Best and Worst movies of 2011
2011 is over! It sees many good movies so it was kind of tricky to list the best 4 movies of 2011. It had been a good year for movies. Let's see if 2012 is any better.

1.Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Rating: 4.5/5
It is one of the best 3D movie ever. It has cool action, great 3D and robots. It may be the final Transformers for Michael Bay. Only thing that can be improved is that rushed out ending. Other than that, it could be 2011 best action movie.

2.Sucker Punch
Rating: 4.5/5
It is sad to see the critics slamming this movie. I find its presentation kind of cool and unique. The action is not bad too. Zack Synder really has a sense of cool visual which the movie a more interesting view.

3.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Rating: 4.5/5
The end is finally here. Although it is the most action-packed movie in the franchise, I can't help but feel a little disappointed with the climax. I wanted a longer and more epic battle between Harry and Voldemort. Other than that, it is a good closure.

4.Gantz: Perfect Answer
Rating: 4.5/5
It was a tough choice but this makes the top 4 in the list. It is great Japanese movie. I have not seen a Japanese movie that could deliver the action in this. On top of the cool action scenes, the movie is intense throughout. It is a pity that there is no third part.

Although 2011 has many great movies, it also has some bad/boring movies which make me yawn.

1.The Dragon Pearl
Rating: 1.8/5
This is really boring. It does not have the excuse that it should be boring because it is a children fantasy movie. Most of time, the story is almost none as far as I can remember. Only the last half and hour, the kids search for the pearl and the dragon appears. The few fighting scenes are alright but they do not make up for the really boring story.

2.Age of the Dragons
Rating: 2/5
This is also another really boring movie where nothing much happen. The pace moves slowly. The action scenes are few and lame. The only thing good about it is the props and costumes. The rest of the movie is a real bore.

3.Skateland
Rating: 2/5
Ashley Greene can't even save the boring movie. The movie felt pointless and nothing interesting happen. I almost fell asleep watching this.

4.In the Name of the King: Two Worlds
Rating: 1.9/5
The first one directed by Uwe Boll is okay. But this is a really boring sequel directed by Uwe Boll. I don't know why a sequel exist and the story is really lame. A ex-soldier is being transported to medival time. It is also low-budget. The story is pointless just some boring talks between characters. Blah. The only thing good is the action scenes, it seems Uwe has improved on his action scenes.

2011-12-15T22:18:00.003+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol movie review"

The end of the year is nearing. Mission: Impossible 4 and hopefully Sherlock Holmes will be rounding up the great year of movies. This does not disappoint in terms of intense action. Brad Bird 's live-action debut is entertaining and thrilling. So hats off to the director who is also well-known as the director of Pixar movies like The Incredibles.

The story: It is straight-forward but it is filled with non-stop tense action. So you can't complain much. The movie is an action-packed ride which will keep you glued to your seat. Action wise is good. There are a lot of brutal fist-cuffs and chases. Mission: Impossible is not known for hugh explosions and whizz-bang action like in Transformers or even in G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra but is known for its intense hard-hitting and sometimes over-the-top action. And this one does not disappoint. One of the notable tense scenes is Ethan climbing the tallest building in Dubai. His gloves might not work any time and he might slip off. But one of the reason that it is tense is Tom Cruise really did that stunt. It is breath-taking intense by watching him do that stunt.

Another notable action scene is the extended chase in the sandstorm. Ethan had to chase a bad guy in a heavy sandstorm and he could not see things properly. The climax is also intense in a way where it also deals with height. The gadgets featured in the movie is a little over-the-top but it is easy to close one eye because it is in the spy genre. Acting wise is good. The villian is a little under-used. He actually does not appear in many scenes and he does not have that intense feeling that villians should have during their appearances. Like in Mission: Impossible 3. Music wise is good. It makes the action more tense.

Overall: It is solid entertainment. It could be used to whet fan of the spy genre and those who are anticipating for the new James Bond movie, Skyfall. It could be the best Mission: Impossible movie and it is better than the third in terms of tense action. This is another good movie for the great year of good movies. I am curious if next year is any better.

2011-12-02T20:19:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 1 movie review"

Interestingly, the movie title only shows Breaking Dawn part 1 so I feel that the posters should actually omit the words, "The Twilight Saga". Breaking Dawn follows in the same vein as Harry Potter and the deathly hallows where it is split into two parts. Harry Potter seems to be fine to be split into two parts but in this case, Breaking Dawn seems to want to rake in more cash. Part 1 seems almost pointless but in terms of entertainment, it is okay.

The story: The pace moves slowly when the movie starts. The wedding is finally happening and Bella is getting the jitters. I think about half and hour is delicated to the wedding with pointless dialouges during the wedding. After the wedding, Edward and Bella go for their honeymoon where they show off a little skin. And I think that is also almost half and hour. The exciting stuff happens when Bella realises she is pregnant with a monster baby. Troubles brew. Bella is growing weaker, Edward struggling to find a way to get the baby out of her stomach, Jacob solving his own family problems. Acting wise is okay, the usuals in the Twilight Saga. Effect wise has improved from the other movies. Music wise is not bad, the composer manages to do some intense music for the tense moments.

Overall: To say the truth, this could be actually the best in the saga. I didn't feel that bored while watching this. The first one was okay. New Moon was slow and a little unbearable to sit in the cinema. The third one is an improvement over the second one but some scenes are still kind of slow and never ending. This may seem kind of pointless for the saga but it is still serves its purpose- giving the fans more of Bella, Edward and Jacob.

2011-11-24T22:13:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "Immortals movie review"

By judging from the trailers, I knew this would be visually good. And it is. The colour saturation is brownish and has a certain visual to it. Even the action scenes are visually interesting to watch. This epic movie is often compared to Zack Synder's 300 and I can't see much similarities between both of them. Each has its own visual shots and different shots in action scenes etc. Both have interesting visuals.

About this movie, i can say this is more classified as an adventure drama. Though there are bits of action scattered in the movie, action is not a big part in the movie. It is more of a man's journey to stop the big bad guy from creating havoc on earth and his will to stop him. The gods are also back-characters which means they don't get much screentime. They mostly show their extraordinary skills in the action scenes. I was a little disappointed with the lack of the gods' appearances. Action wise is good. There are some cool slo-mo fights especially when the gods go busting humans' heads. But the duration of one fight scene is short, almost less than a minute. But there are many fight scenes scattered throughout the whole movie. The climax is thankfully longer which involves the gods' final cool fight and a war between humans. The blood and gore seems to be purposely exaggerated and that's fine. Acting is the usual, nothing bad but nothing fantastic. Music wise is fine for an epic movie.

Overall: It is an epic movie to whet general audience's appetite. As far as I remembered, the last epic fantastical movie is Clash of the Titans which was shown in cinema last year. So this year has Immortals. Next year will have Clash of the Titans' sequel, Wrath of the Titans in 3D. This is not a bad movie though the movie could be better with faster pace and longer action scenes.

2011-11-21T21:31:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.9/5

Review: "Green Lantern extended cut Blu-ray review"

The extended cut is about 9 minutes more than the cinema version. 9 minutes may seem a lot of footage but actually, most of the new footage is about the Hal's childhood. That's it. It shows how Hal saw his father died in a plane crash. Other that, the movie is still okay. Fortunately, the 9 minutes do not drag the pacing of the whole movie.

Blu-ray special features- 3.5/5

There is the main meat which is the maximum mode viewing which can be played seperately as focus points (47 minutes). They cover up basic stuff such as special effects and making of the costume and stunts etc. There is a featurette about Green Lantern's origins (20 minutes) which is interesting as I do not know a lot about Green Lantern. There is another featurette about Ryan discussing his role as Hal Jordan (6 minutes). There are deleted scenes (5 minutes) which are not particularly interesting. Special effects are rough. There is a digital comic book about the new Justic League issue 1 (9 minutes). It moves to every panel of the page slowly but the words are a bit small for me. Lastly, there is a preview of the upcoming Green lantern animated series (6 minutes) which does not interest me much. The animation seems a bit lazy. Overall: A not bad Blu-ray disc. Picture quality is sharp and clear. The 3D Blu-ray pack includes both 2D and 3D version.

2011-11-02T22:35:00.002+08:00

Rating: 4/5
Review: "X-Men:First Class Blu-Ray review"
It is the best X-Men movie in the franchise due to its brisk pacing, thrilling plot and some nifty action. Blu-Ray picture is sharp and clear. A good superhero Blu-Ray unlike Thor which is still dark for a Blu-Ray.
Blu-Ray special features- 3.6/5
The main meat is obviously the featurettes which can be played as one (69 minutes). They cover the usual like making of the costumes, sets, special effects and music. Nothing particularly new. The standard featurettes. There are deleted scenes (14 minutes) which add absolutely nothing to the movie. One of the rare notable scenes is where Erik forces a man with his power into putting a knife straight into his stomach. Other than that, the rest are blah. Nothing else interesting for special features. There is a feature which isolates the score in the movie. What the hell is that? I won't bother with that. There is an interactive tracker which allows you to track mutants. Once you click on a mutant, you get to watch short clips of him/her. Prettty useless actually. A good Blu-Ray. What more you want.

2011-10-28T22:19:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "The Three Musketeers 3D movie review"

From the director of Resident Evil, you would already expect this to be nonsense but a fun thrill ride. Well, it's almost what I expected. With the experience of shooting Resident Evil: Afterlife, Paul decided to shoot this in 3D. Without doubt, this looks good in 3D and it does have a scope of 3D. But unfortunately, it is not as fun as I thought it would be. Sadly, I would say I enjoyed his last movie, Resident Evil: Afterlife more than his latest movie.

The story: After a betrayal, the three musketeers are living normal lifes until a bash young teenager appears in front of them. A mission starts. It is not as action-packed as it is supposed to be. The first action scene starts after the main title. And the second one involving the three musketeers and the teenager begins not long from the first action scene. But then, the action scenes disappear in the middle section. It turns into some sappy romance where the King falls in love with a girl in the palace. Blah Blah. At least, there is a conspiracy going on amist. The last third of the movie shows a climax between two airships and moves on to a one-to-one sword duel which is not bad. But I was kind of disappointed with the lack of sword battles. I thought the three musketeers are usually involved in sword fights. Acting wise is okay. CGI effects wise is good; the airships scenes are believable and look realistic. Music wise is okay for an adventure movie. 3D is not bad but it actually brings nothing new to the table. It is about on the level of The Final Destination 5's 3D.

Overall: It is an okay 3D movie to catch it. It is disappointing yet still a fun entertainment. Had the movie had more action, I would have enjoyed it more. Because of its title, I expected more sword fights and action.

2011-10-19T22:21:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "The Thing 2011 movie review"

This is a rare remake/prequel/sequel where I have watched the original. I was interested in John Carpenter's version when I heard about the story of the prequel. The story intrigued me and therefore I decided to watch John's version before watching the 2011 version. One of the other reasons the prequel attracted me is Mary Elizabeth Winstead stars in this.

The story: I shall not compare this with John's version as this is meant to be a prequel. The movie starts with a retro Universial Studio logo and then moves on to the plain but stunning ice land. A group of men is finding for something and soon finds the spaceship (that's what they want to find). The title appears. Mary's character is asked to help unravel the mystery of the spaceship and the alien vistor. The story is plain simple but the movie is loaded with thrills and suspense. One notable suspense scene is where Mary's character checks every surviving characters' mouth to see if they are infected by the alien. The pace and the thrills are almost like in John's version though I think this emulates better suspense. I don't know why the critics reviews are negative (33% on rotton tomatoes). The music by Macro Beltrimi is surprisingly good. I can hear him paying homage to the original theme music in John's version. Effects wise is okay and there are plenty of CGI shots. Some monsters look fake with the over-the-top CGI. So John's version is slightly better than in terms of special effects.

Overall: It is a pretty good movie to catch in cinema. It serves a good prequel to John's version. But it seems that general movie-goers are not too amused or excited to catch this in cinema. In USA, it only opens with US$8 million. There are comments that there should be a sequel but I think the two versions are enough as it and John's version already bring a closure to The Thing.

2011-10-14T22:12:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Thor Blu-Ray review"
Nothing much to say as I have already written a review for it since its theaterical release. I do not really feel anything has changed during the second watch. It is still disappointing but I did not feel as disappointed as the first watch.
Blu-Ray special features- 3.4/5
There are seven featurettes (41 minutes) which cannot be played as a whole featurette. Standard featurettes include interviews and behind the scenes. The director, actors and actresses discuss the movie. The most disappointing featurette is the music featurette which only runs about 2 minutes. I would like to hear more about the composer's idea of composing the music. The next meat is the deleted scenes (24 minutes) which are useless. I am glad that they are being deleted. They are more like extended scenes and the gags in them will spoil the movie if they are put together with the movie. Marvel one-shot: The consultant (3 minutes) is useless too and I don't see it as funny. I have no idea what is happening. The road to the Avengers (3 minutes) is okay but it does not show any footage from the new Avengers movie which is coming out next year. It is just about the director discussing the movie. Trailers of the movie round up the special features. An okay Blu-Ray disc for a superhero movie. The video quality is definitely much better than the cinema's quality that I have seen but still it gets a little dark in some scenes.

2011-10-14T21:47:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Mysterious Island DVD review"

This seems like a low-budget movie from China ($2 million) but it has enough special effects and some decent locations. This is filled with twists and turns although some ideas do not seem plausible, I still had fun guessing what the outcome of the movie will be. Will it be a mysterious killer killing off characters or a ghost haunting the characters or a prank by the media company? This movie though has predictable kills is unpredictable when it comes to the climax; the revealation of the mystery.

The story: A group of people are chosen to survive in a mysterious island with a mysterious past. Unfortunately, their mission starts off wrong with the ship capsizing. The group of people has to deal with each other and survive the "haunted" island where people get killed off. It features pretty and hot babes and they are even shown in bikinis. There are even excuses to show them stripping into their bikinis. One scene where a woman takes off her shirt just to swat the bees. Anyway, I am glad that there are attractive females for eye-candy. The special effects though not many are not bad like the wild boars' attack. The bad thing about this movie is the extremely fast editing. It makes the movie more cheesy and sometimes, the scenes do not make sense because of the horrible editing. I think I would have enjoyed the movie more if not for the editing. The rest of the movie is okay. Acting is alright. Nothing much to say except for the story and hot babes.

Overall: It is worth the blind buy. I am a fan of guessing movies. I like to guess what the outcome will be. This is not a bad movie coming out from China and it may be the only entertaining China movie so far.

DVD special features- 0/5

Nothing. The video quality seems mixed. Sometimes, the quality will be okay but in some scenes, the video will be blurred. I don't know whether it is intentionally or what.

2011-10-11T20:14:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Shark Night movie review"

Unfortunately, the timing for the 3D version is horrible as it does not match my time so I have to make do with the 2D version. Maybe it's a warning that I should not waste my money on 3D. Reviews for 3D are mixed; some say bad and some say okay and no one says good. At least, the digital 2D version is sharp and clear and vibrant. Now to the movie review. It is definitely not as bad as what the critics (16% on rotton tomatoes) or the audiences (4.3 on IMDB) say. It is tense at times, it has a couple of sexy girls in bikini, it has a good score and it is funny at times whether intentionally or not. I enjoy this brisk fast paced movie.

The story: It is dead simple so I couldn't quite blame the critics for critising on its lack of story. A bunch of teenagers from college goes for a short break at some island. Upon reaching the island, they get excited and it's not long before they strip into bikini or underpants. And it is also not long before the shark attacks the gang. Tension and blood ensue. Adding to the problem, two suspicious guys appear and offer "help". I admit when the camera shoots the sea or water, the tension is raised up. Sharks may appear any time and gobble the gang. Acting wise is okay. The critics and audiences are harsh on their acting skills. Admitably, their acting is not very good but the actors and actresses are believable. I think most of the teenagers are first time movie actors and actresses. CGI for the sharks is not bad. Score is surprisingly okay/good for a monster/animals attack flicks.

Overall: I think if it were released straight to DVD, the reactions will not be that bad. Because this is a theatrical movie, many people were expecting more. This is actually above Direct-To-DVD movies because of its decent CGI and others. Although, this is a generic and predictable movie, it still entertains.

2011-09-22T21:20:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "Johnny English Reborn movie review"

The sequel of the 2003 comedy takes its own sweet time to enter the cinemas. At least, it is not disappointing. It may not be original but it still provides the laugh. Rowan is back as the idiotic but somehow smart Johnny English.

The story: Johnny is back for an impossible mission. Blah blah, it is like a series of gags being stringed up together but most of the gags are funny and entertaining so I can't really complain. This movie amps up the action by having a few chase scenes but most of them are light-hearted. One of the memerable chase scenes is Johnny calmly chasing an assassin and ends with a funny fight. Another one is the wheelchair chase scene where Johnny sits on a high-tech wheelchair and being chased by police. Surprisingly, this has some tense moments unlike the first one which is light throughout the movie. This has betrayal, people getting killed and more serious spy stuff.

Overall: It is a pretty good spy spoof. And of course, thanks to Rowan, this movie is more entertaining with him. Rowan still has what it takes to be funny. His priceless expressions like in one scene where he is shocked that he catches and hits the wrong person. Hopefully, there will be another sequel but it's up to the Box Office. Don't let me wait for 10 years more for another Johnny English movie.

2011-09-21T21:42:00.003+08:00

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: "Sucker Punch Blu-Ray review"

It is quite an enjoyable ride. I have no idea why it recieved poor reviews; 23% on rotton tomatoes and it didn't fare well with audience too with a rating of 6.2 on IMDB. And then it didn't do that well in Box Office, it got US$89 million. That's not good with a budget of US$82 million. Anyway, although there are many bad reviews, they didn't stop me from enjoying this fun romp. The story presentation is cool with idea dealing with the mind. It is like a movie that you have to pay attention in order to realise what's going on. Like Incpetion. Action scenes are cool too. With lots of fantasy in these scenes, it is kind of rare to see an action movie not being realistic.

Blu-Ray features-3.4/5

Sadly, the only making of is the Maximum mode which means I had to watch the movie just for the making of. Not very enjoyable as I had to sit down for two hours and watch the movie plus at the same time, see how they make the movie. I have no idea why Warner Bros. is pushing up this idea. The Green Lantern Blu-Ray also gets this treatment. There is no option of playing the featurettes seperately. Throughout the feature, you can access to picture galleries and storyboards. Zack, the director, plays the host as he explains how he makes the movies. There is a music featurette (2 minutes) which is so damn brief that it is almost nothing. It is just a promotional featurette with the music composer discussing briefly about the music. And then lastly, a series of motion comic (11 minutes) which is not too bad. They provide background knowledge about the movie. Overall: Not a bad Blu-Ray but would prefer the Maximum mode to be played seperate.

2011-08-31T22:12:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.8/5

Review: "Final Destination 5 3D movie review"

It is obvious that this is the fifth installment to the popular franchise but it seems the latest movie is getting tiresome. It didn't do exactly well in Box Office; its earnings is the last of the franchise but it may do better worldwide. Final Destination 5 can be considered the best installment though I have not watched 1 and 2. But it is a lot better than 3 and 4 in terms of suspense. It is almost as gory as them so there's no problem. The 4th one is not bad, there is a hot girl and some intense moments but that's about it. The 5th has a hot girl, more intense and suspenseful moments including near-death moments and heck, Brian Tyler scores some intense music especially in the opening credits.

The story: It is pretty routine for this series. The main character sees a premotion and warns everyone who dies. They escape but death comes after them. They die in horrible deaths. End. Nothing much. The Final Destination fanchise is only about how they die. Some deaths in this are suspenseful. Noteable ones are the first death (not the premotion one) and the intense climax. Others are okay, they die normally with not much suspense. Some of the deaths do play tricks on you until the causes of the deaths are revealed.

3D is not bad. It does not really bring anything new to the table. Nowadays, those movies filmed in 3D have the depth between the characters and backgrounds and show stuff in your face. Final Destination 5 is just about that. It actually has a few gimmick shots like blood splatters onto the screen when a character's head is smashed. With a few more, that's about it for gimmick shots. You can clearly see that is not what the director wants to achieve. He wants to show the manic deaths and squabbles in front of your face and it does work. At times, it does feel like you are just standing there witnessing the horrible deaths. So is it a great 3D movie? I would say no but it is close to being one.

Overall: Is it worth the watch in 3D? For me, I would say it is alright. I felt the movie is a little too short for a 3D movie. Running at 1 hour 32 minutes minus the credits, it felt short. And by the time the last death happens, I was surprised that it ended quite fast. Perhaps it is due to the brisk pace. It shows I enjoyed it. I am not sure if there will be a 6th movie due to the disappointing Box Office but if there is, I will be supporting it.

PS. It says that it is edited for a M-18 rating but I could not see any scene being disjointed. Not like the Conan remake where they obviously cut the sex scene.

2011-08-24T22:45:00.002+08:00

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: "Gantz: Perfect Answer movie review"

I did not catch the first one in cinema therefore I decided to support the last movie. Gantz: Perfect Answer is indeed worth to watch in cinema although it is in only three cinemas. This can be compared to Daeth Note 2 which is also the last movie in the two-parter series (Not counting L changes the world). The suspense and thrills are maxed out like Death Note 2 does. This also features some cool action scenes.

The story: It continues where the first movie last stops. In the beginning, there is a quick recap for the first one and even features the names of the main characters. It is good for those who have forgotten what's happening as this took a long time to be released in cinema. The thrills and suspense makes the movie fast-paced. Action fans have to wait for a while for the real major action scene which involves a train. The other and last major action scene is a lenghtly chase and ends with a cool sword fight scene. Though this is not as action-packed as the first one, its action scenes have great chereography and stunts and lenghtly. I think most of the action scenes last about 10 minutes each. Music is surprisingly epic. Acting is alright. Some of the actors and actresses do not really express well but are still okay.

Overall: It is a great action japanese movie. The Gantz live-action series can be considered one of the best action movie in Japan. It is a good series following Death Note and the 20th Century Boys triology. I hope there will be more action japanese blockbusters series.

2011-08-23T22:21:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.6/5

Review: "Conan the barbarian movie review"

From the director of the remake Friday the 13th and Pathfinder, you will know that this will turn out to be a gore-feast. Well, that's true. Conan the barbarian is nothing but bloody and gory action and nudity. The story is just there for nothing; the story is just a straight-foward revengence story.

The story: Nothing you should know about it for it is almost none. The action scenes are the ones that string up the movie with some simple vengence story. It is really an action-packed movie. Reviewers who say that the action scenes start every less than five minutes are telling the truth. After a brief introduction about barbarians, the movie starts in the middle of a war where Conan is born. Then, we are getting frequent action scenes after some minutes of talking and unintentionally funny dialogues. The bad thing about those frequent action scenes is that they are uninspired action scenes; generic action scenes. I have seen nothing new about them except the brutality but even that's seen in violent war movies. The climax is rushed and noisy, with things being blown up and the camera work suddenly becomes too frenetic and shakey with fast editing. The best action scene is that Conan has to fight with sand monsters who easily flip in and out of the sand. Music by Tyler Bates is alright but at some points in the movie, he tries to do an epic score but it becomes laughable.

Overall: It tries too hard to be an epic movie even the music shows but it does not feel like an epic movie for some reasons. I guess one of the reasons is that the director tries to cram many action scenes into the movie and it turns out to be some noisy and loud fart-ass movie. Not to say I don't like action-packed movies but this one's action scenes do not even impress me. On the positive side, it is not too bad. At least it is action-packed instead of some dramatic and slow-paced movie. On the other hand, it is annoyingly edited in Singapore for the M-18 rating. The sex scene is cut. Wow. That may have made the movie better. Action and epic movie fans and gorehounds may catch this. And I am not sure whether anybody else is interested.

2011-08-14T20:07:00.002+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Cowboys and Aliens movie review"

Jon, the director of the two Iron Man movies, choose to step down from the director's chair of the Iron Man franchise and direct this western movie. The question is "Is it a wise choice?" I would say probably. Because of the second Iron Man movie, I felt that it is good to have another director for the franchise. Not to say Iron Man 2 is bad but Jon did not actually make the second movie better than the first. Iron Man 2 is still entertaining but it lacks the things the first Iron Man has. One of them is the intensity. So I was surprised that Cowboys and Aliens is intense, the first half and hour is breath-taking intense. Jon manages to make a comeback with this which is good for him.

The story: Daniel Crag plays a mysterious guy who wakes up in the middle of nowhere in the first scene of the movie. His mysterious past makes the first half and hour intense and filled with suspense as we have not known what his true character is like. The first aliens' attack is in the first half and hour too. Daniel's character along with other characters including a mysterious woman ride on horses to save their love ones who are being caught by aliens. It is a good fun adventure movie. Its action scenes are not too bad. The first one is good, filled with intensity and suspense and thrilling. But the others excluding the climax are brief and not very thrilling. But for a Jon's movie, it is good in terms of action. Jon's movies like the Iron Man movies are not that good in action wise. They even lack of the intensity so this movie surprises with the intense and thrilling action scenes. Music wise is good, like the western music. One of the rare blockbuster movies this year to feature great music. Acting wise is good. CGI effects wise is good too, aliens are believable.

Overall: This is a rare blockbuster this year that is intense and filled with suspense. Superheroes flick like Thor, Green Lantern are filled with just special effects and nothing else. Transformers and Harry Potter are loud and filled with action without much suspense. So far, for the blockbuster period, X-Men and Cowboys and Aliens prove to have the thrills and supense; the feeling of 'you want to know what will happen next'. Cowboys and Aliens rounds up the great blockbuster period this year. Hope next year will be equally as good as this year or may be even better.

2011-08-07T19:38:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.8/5

Review: "Drive Angry Blu-Ray review"

Nothing much to say as I have already written a review since its release in cinema. It is a fun movie. And I can't wait to watch it in 3D on TV. The edition I bought is the 3D Blu-Ray combo which consists of both 2D and 3D version of the movie.

Blu-Ray special features- 3.4/5

The only making of is the Access mode. This is my first time watching like a Maximum mode where you are given the option to watch behind the scenes, interviews while watching the movie. And I do not really like it. I feel that it is disruptive. When I want to watch the movie, I prefer to watch without any commentary or Maximum mode. And when I want to watch the special features like featurettes, I want to just watch them without watching the movie. Access mode is like a commentary but with pictures. The screen will split into half. The movie is shown on top of the TV screen while behind the scenes and interviews are shown below. Small screens for the movie and the featurettes. That's a bad thing. I want to watch the featurettes alone without having to watch the movie. I hope that this Maximum mode won't become a trend for Blu-Ray. There are two deleted scenes (1 minute) which are nothing. There is a commentary!!! You mean the access mode is not enough? Although the Access mode is equipped with engish subtitles, the deleted scenes are not. Picture wise is sharp and clear.

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Rating: 3.6/5

Review: "Kamen Rider Double: A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate DVD review"

This is one of the best recent Kamen Rider movie, it could be also the best Kamen Rider Double movie. The reason is the fight scenes. It is the few that actually feature wire-work. The other two movies are Kamen Rider The First and its sequel but they are not based on the TV series; they are remakes/reboot. This is decently paced with non-stop action. For a movie that runs about an hour, it is surprising that it features many action scenes. It has more action scenes than some action movies that last about two hours. It is also the first 3D Kamen Rider movie ever filmed. Sadly, the DVD release sees no conversion.

DVD special features-0/5

Nothing. The picture is alright but the whole movie looks laggy. Luckily, the problem does not ruin the cool action scenes. Unlike the other Kamen Rider movie DVD I recently reviewed, this does not seem cut. It seems the logos for the companies are cut.

2011-08-06T18:08:00.002+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Captain America: The First Avenger movie review"

This must be the superhero movie in this year to deliver solid action scenes. Thor's action scenes are disappointing and Green Lantern's are not really worth to mention. X-Men: First Class's are not too bad but they are few. But this, we get to see explosions, fistcuff fights and vehicle chase scenes. It may also be one of the best action superhero movie in Marvel. To tell the truth, Marvel's movies does not really deliver in terms of big-bang action except for some like Daredevil and The Incredible Hulk.

The story: It is a simple straight-forward movie with some moral meanings of course. But it is the action scenes that stands out from being classified as a generic superhero movie. This features real action like in a James Bond movie and not much of CGI effects. It involves with many explosions and fistcuff fight scenes which are highly engrossing. After being dissappointed with the few superhero movies released this year, I was glad that this turns out to be a better action superhero movie that features explosive action scenes. But of course, they are not as hard-core as other action movies but for a superhero movie, they are good. Music wise is not bad, could hear bits of the America's theme song if I am not wrong. Acting wise is quite okay. Evans did okay for Captain America, belivable acting. Effects wise is okay, some scenes do look fake but with a budget of US$140 million, can't really expect much. Thor and X-Men are not much different than this but have a higher budget.

Overall: It is not a bad superhero movie and summer movie. It has almost everything for a summer and superhero movie. Clearly, this has been a good year for Marvel. X-Men and Captain America and Thor are good entertainment. Sadly, DC Comic is not like Marvel. Green Lantern is still struggling in the box offfice. Anyway, with the teaser of The Avenger out next year, I can't wait to watch the superheroes assemble.

2011-07-27T19:16:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Predators DVD review"

This is the 2010 version of the classic, Predator. This is the first Predator movie I have watched, Aliens VS Predator not counted. The movie starts immediately when Adrien's character realises he is dropping down in mid-air to ground. As soon as he smacked on the ground, the big and bold title Predators appears. With other mysterious characters appearing and finding themselves on a different planet, Adrien's character must try and work together to escape from the Predators' traps. During the first watch, it is kind of intense as there is the suspense of what happens next. When will those vicious Predators appear? It is not a bad action adventure thriller movie. Only thing I don't understand is why is there a rock song during the credit, it totally spoils the mood of the movie.

DVD special features- 2/5

There is a making of (10 minutes) which briefly covers the important points of the movie like setting the location, filming the stunts etc. It is not too bad as it covers some points of the movie but I wish that it is longer. Unfortunately, the rest of the making is on Blu-Ray. There is a useless motion comic (2 minutes) which tells a background story. To be honest, I am not interested. There is a commentary which obviously I won't listen to. The dvd should have deleted scenes.

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Rating: 3.4

Review: "Kamen Rider: Movie War Core DVD review"

I was disappointed with the action scenes in this. Yes, the action scenes are usually packed with CGI but the fighting scenes are the usual Kamen Rider's fight. The previous movie has better fighting chereography. It has wire-work. But in this, it is back to the almost no wire-work fight scenes. But the climax is more interesting as it is filled with CGI effects when the monster Kamen Rider Core appears and two Kamen Rider, W and OOO battle against it. The story is nothing much but it is splitted into three parts. First story is about how Kamen Rider Skull forms. Second is about OOO and the birth of Kamen Rider Birth. The third act is the climax. The three stories act like three episodes from the series combined to become a movie. The titles appear in the three parts. Action could have been better and story could be more engaging. I am actually tired of seeing three different parts form one movie. I prefer seeing a full lenght movie with one Kamen Rider. Other Kamen Riders can act as cameros.

DVD special features- 0/5

Barebones. The movie seems to be cut. It is only 1 and an half hour long when it is supposed to be 1 hour and 40 minutes long. Other than that, english subtitles is alright. There are some mistakes in it but it is still understandable.

2011-07-17T12:01:00.002+08:00

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 movie review"

The long wait is finally over. The last movie of Harry Potter is finally here. Cue to emotions of fans who have been with the series over more than 10 years. So the verdict is? Is it worth the wait to see Voldemort and Harry clash? The answer is Yes. It may be worth the wait and the anticipation but it does feel a little underwhelming. Yes, it does feature the best action scenes ever seen in a Harry Potter movie but the climax clash is a little underwhelming for me. I would have been expecting a little more from it.

The story: It directly continues from the last movie, part 1. Voldemort smiling and the most powerful wand in his hand and then the Warner Bros. icon follows and soon the title follows after. Harry and his gang talk to a few people and soon, they are off to an adventure to the bank to steal another Horcruxe. You won't have to wait long before the gang returns Hogwarts and the battle between good and evil starts. There is a war scene where wizards battles in Hogwarts. Good scene but that is only one. This movie has roughly three major action scenes but they are all breath-taking. The escape with the dragon from the bank is cool. The war scene is good and shows that a Harry Potter movie can actually come up with a good action scene. Hogwarts is being blown into bits. The climax is good though underwhelming. But at least, we get to see some sense of threat from Voldemort. Harry and Voldemort whizz off to places in Hogwarts to battle and finally the last clash of the wands in a field. Music is surpisingly epic when the battles start. Acting is good, the stars have matured.

Overall: The end is finally here. The Harry Potter series is over and it seems movie companies struggle to find the next Harry Potter to introduce to the world. And soon Warner Bros. will be seeing Batman off next year. Is it the best Harry Potter movie? You can say so. It has the action, magic and the thrills that the other movies can't compete. No doubt it will make big in box office as fans will lap up the last movie.

2011-07-16T15:47:00.004+08:00

Rating: 3.3/5

Review: "Iris the movie DVD review"

This is actually not an original movie based on the hit korean drama, Iris instead it is just old footage from the drama with some new stuff added. And what do that mean? It means that the picture quality throughout the movie is inconsistant. Some shots are blurred and seem unfocused while other are sharp. I would find that distracting. I wish that they would have shot an original movie fully.

The story: From what I read, this compiled 20 episodes of the drama. With the runtime of 1 hour and 57 minutes, the movie feels rushed. Some things move on so quickly like you miss it when you blink your eyes. The story feels rushed too but I can basically understand the movie. The action is alright. Some action scenes like the car chase and explosions with bad CGI are distracting. But I wouldn't really find faults with the action as they are at least some in the movie. They could be improved.

Overall: It feels like a direct-to-DVD material not a movie made to be shown in cinema. There will be a part 2 Iris drama so hopefully, they can come up with a new and original movie to follow up the movie.

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DVD special features-1/5

The sadly barebones DVD has only trailers. There are three trailers from movies like Old cow eats tender grass. There is not even a trailer or preview for Iris the movie.

2011-07-09T18:02:00.004+08:00

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D movie review"

This is said to be Michael Bay's last installment to his Transformers trilogy. It is a good end to the franchise although the last minutes could have been extended to give a more closure to the final movie. As usual, this is filled with explosive action, epic music and a hot babe.

The story: The story lasts for one and an half hour before moving into an hour of action. The movie starts off with footage of the first people walking on the moon but they were not there just to start a new record, they were there for a special mission. The movie tries to be like a spy movie where things happen for an unknown reason. Sam and the Autobots have to uncover that mystery. Well, that doesn't actually do well for me but thankfully the pace is decent and packed with action. Carly, Sam's new girlfriend, replaces Megan Fox's character. She is just there to add in the eye-candy. Although she is not as tough as Megan, she still looks pretty and hot. The action scenes are done well. Lots of slow-motion too. The action is the best out of the three movies because it is longer and more thrilling. The last hour boasts cool action scenes filled with explosions.

The 3D is well-done too. Although two and an half hour is a bit too long for a 3D movie, I still could bear with it. People are comparing the 3D effects with Avatar and I would say this boasts better and more effective 3D effects. Some close-ups with the robots are amazing, it is like the robots are just in front of you. When it comes to the action, it is alright that you can at least see the depth between the action and the backgrounds. The action in 3D is better than the disappointing Pirates of the Carribbean. No wonder James Cameron praised Michael Bay regarding of the 3D effects.

Overall: Is it the best Transformers movie? I would say it comes pretty close. The first Transformers movie is the first movie that did the impossible thing; the stunning effects and action. I can't really choose the best. But this is better than the second movie. Michael Bay's Transformers has ended and is one of the best action trilogy out there. There are rumours that there will be a next trilogy without Michael. Bring it on!

2011-06-19T15:16:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.8/5

Review: "Green Lantern movie review"

Green Lantern is the latest DC Comic adaptation. DC Comic is kind of lacking of superhero movies, recent movie is Jonah Hex which was in cinema last year is a flop. Marvel is more superior by showing more noticable superheroes like recent Thor and X-Men: First Class. Each year will at least feature one Marvel Comic movie whereas DC superhero movies are rare. So hopefully, Green Lantern will encourage DC and Warner Bros. to make more superhero movies. There can't be always Superman and Batman saving the day.

The story: It is a straight-forward superhero movie. It starts off nicely with an introduction of the Green Lantern world and the epic title appears with epic music by James Newton Howard. The action starts pretty soon with a brief escape from the monster, Parallax. We are then introduced to the cocky Hal Jordan who will obviously be chosen to become Green Lantern. Though the story is straight-foward, the pace moves decently and packs some cool action. The action scenes are many but brief. There is an airplane action scene which is okay. The training of Green Lantern is not bad. The helicoptor scene is the most shortest action scene in the movie but it introduces Green Lantern to the people in the movie. The battle between Green Lantern and Hector is not too bad but a little short, there are tense moments during the battle. Following it is the climax between Green Lantern and Parallax which is filled with special effects.

The action scenes and special effects are a nice touch to the movie. Martin Campbell who is famous for rebooting James Bond twice did a nice job for the movie although I expected a lot better from him. I steered away from the 3D version as it is converted and from reviews, the 3D seems useless. The critics are really harsh on this movie; rotton tomatoes has a 24% rating. I don't know what they expect from the movie. The trailers already suggest that this will be a mindless action movie filled with huge special effects.

Overall: Though it isn't as good as I thought it would be but it still provides the thrills and entertainment. The action scenes may not be as cool as I thought (Martin knows how to direct some cool action in Casino Royale) but I was thankful for they are at least entertaining. Superhero movies like Ghost Rider and Iron Man 2 have disappointed me in the action department. Though critics tore it apart, I hope this will be the rise of DC superhero movies. The only other two DC movies coming are the reboot of Superman and the third movie for Nolan's Batman. Them AGAIN!!!

2011-06-15T23:22:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.6/5

Review: "I am number four Blu-Ray DVD review"

Nothing much to say here as I have already wrote a review since its cinema release. It is not bad to own it on Blu-Ray. The picture is sharp and the colours are vibrant. This combo set includes a standard DVD. I have compared both of them and the Blu-Ray is far more vibrant than the dull DVD which the colors seem to be washed out.

Blu-Ray special features- 3/5

There are deleted scenes (19 minutes) which are kind of useless in the movie but they do bring out the extra information for some of the characters. Each deleted scene is introduced by the director explaining why the scene got deleted. I find there are not many deleted scenes and the running time of each of them is short. But it is the director's introduction that makes the whole feature long running 19 minutes. There is only a single making of (12 minutes) and it is not for the movie. It is only focused on the making of number six. Standard making of includes behind the scenes and interviews. It would be nice to have another making of for the movie. The last feature is a gag reel (3 minutes) which involves actors and actresses laughing and goofing around. Lastly, two trailers for Reel Steel and Pirates of the carribean 4 round up.

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Raing: 3.5/5

Review: "Harry Potter and the goblet of fire DVD review"

Clocking at 2 hours and 37 minutes, the movie paces around decently with not much boring parts. The start of the movie already see the trio seeing a match and soon an attack by Voldemort. The movie other than dealing with the grand matches between the fittest also deals with teen romance. There is also arguing between the trio about love and jealousy. The action scenes including an intense climax during matches are fine.

DVD special features- 3.4/5

The second disc is filled with special features and lame games. The disc is splited into four sections like the three matches and the things related to them and the forth section is about the general features. The three special sections include games like running away from the dragon; lame stuffs which I can't even control. Te main features, first the Dragon Arena: There is a making of the dragon and how Harry escapes from it (6 minutes). There is another making of that introduces three other characters who are new to the movie (11 minutes). Up next is the Lake where there is a single making of (9 minutes) which shows the making of the lake scene and Daniel training to swim underwater. The maze includes two making of. One is the making of the maze and the intense climax (5 minutes). The other one is the making of Voldemort (9 minutes) which shows Ralph describing how scary he wants to play.

Move on to the general features. There are additional scenes (10 minutes) which are boring. There is one that is played like a music video. Conversation with the cast (30 minutes) is surprisingly long where the trio get interviewed and some lucky winners get to interview them too. Preparing for the yule ball (9 minutes) is about the making of the ball where actors and actresses prepare dancing. Lastly, there is the reflections on the fourth film (14 minutes) where the cast talking about fun stuff like how they play their roles. Lots of features in the second disc but I could finish it in a short time unlike others. Hint: Though there are a lot of features, each of the running time is considered short.

2011-06-05T13:56:00.004+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "X-Men: First Class movie review"

This is the fifth installment for the X-Men franchise and it is clearly not slowing down into making more X-Men movies. This is the prequel to Brian Singer's movies. And it is much better than his movies, X-Men 3 or the Origin: Wolverine though it lacks the action the franchise had. The thrilling story makes up of the lack of action. This movie makes the characters more intense actually, you are afraid of their powerful and focused minds of the mutants especially the villian- Shaw and vengeful Erik. I must say due to the intensity of the characters, this is a good and watchable installment. When Matthew Vaughn came aboard, I knew this movie will at least be entertaining. His movies are the entertaining ride, Kick-Ass and Stardust.

The story: It moves fast with thrills. Critics say the plot reminds them a bit of James Bond's. I could see the resemblance but this only takes James Bond's plot like a hint or even a homage. The characters' missions are different. To talk about the action scenes in this is like talking about a bonus in a drama thriller movie. Well, to say the truth, I was not impressed. The brief action scenes before the climax are too short but they still provide the thrills. The climax is okay considering the action surpasses the brief action scenes before it. The mutants clash with their full-blown powers and it is thrilling. Acting wise is good, nothing much to say. Music wise is not bad, I could heard that the composer keeping close to the X-Men franchise music.

Overall: It is a good blockbuster this year. This year seems a good year with good blockbusters coming out like Green Lantern, Transformers 3 etc. I have to say X-Men: First Class is a better Marvel comic movie than the disappointing Thor. It succeeded my low expectations of this movie. Now, let's hope the next and last Marvel comic movie for the year, Captain America will at least be equally entertaining with this.

2011-05-20T20:41:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "Pirates of the Carribean 4 3D movie review"

I enjoyed the big Gore's Pirates trilogy and was not sure how the franchise can still continue. When Rob Marshall came aboard on directing the fourth outing, I was not that interested. Even when I watched the trailers of it. But the fact that it is shot in 3D made me curious as to whether to see this in 3D. I seldom see action movies being shot in 3D, it is only the horror movies which get the treatment. I must say that it is fun and entertaining.

The story: Captain Jack is back. Of course, he must be back. He was one of the reasons that made the trilogy more watchable with his witty jokes. Characters wise is okay. But the mermaids are a bit of under-used. This is the first Disney movie which is rated for sensuality. Not that it should be a big fuss but it is almost clean except some almost revealing shots of the mermaids. That's it. There is not even a scene where characters kiss passionately like in the Twilight Saga. Action wise is not bad. Although Rob's action scenes are not as big as Gore's, they still prove to be entertaining and thrilling like sword fighting and the mermaids attack scenes. On the note of ships being wrecked apart, this has none. Han Zimmer is still top-notch with his famous Pirates music.

3D, I must say, is a little disappointing. As it is being shot in 3D, I expected more from it. It is not even as good as the recent 3D movie I have seen, Drive Angry. For scenery shots, it looks good. The depth between the characters and the backgrounds is okay but it can be better. The disappointing thing is the action. When it comes to the action, it lacks of the visual effects it is supposed to have. The first action scene involving a horse's carriage chase has the most effective 3D effects with fire burning near you. But the rest of the action scenes are not worth mentioning. Some scenes involving swords being pointed near the audience are not too bad but still lack of the dimension. I expect more from a movie which is shot in 3D.

Overall: It is a fun and entertaining blockbuster but I am not sure how it will start a new series/triology. I will have to wait and see.

2011-05-12T20:02:00.000+08:00

Rating: 3.9/5

Review: "Tron Legacy Blu-Ray DVD review"

Tron Legacy is released on Blu-Ray and 3-D Blu-Ray and unfortunately I do not have a 3-D TV and player so I can't watch it in 3-D. The 2-D version is also quite good, with the picture clear and sharp. The epic music on the other hand isn't what I have heard in cinema. Maybe because the TV speakers are not loud enough. The good thing about this Blu-Ray set is that it comes with a 3-D Blu-Ray disc so I may view it in future.

Blu-Ray DVD special features- 3.3/5

Sadly, it is not really packed with special features. There are only four featurettes that are related to the movie. Launching the Legacy (10 minutes) is the pre-production the movie and the crew discussing how to upgrade the movie. Visuallising Tron (11 minutes) and Installing the cast (12 minutes) are like the making of the movie where behind the scenes and interviews are shown. Disc roars (3 minutes) shows that the cheering and booing for the game in the movie are actually from the fans of Tron. There is a preview (1 minute) of the animated series based on the movie. There is music video, Derezzled by Daft Punk (3 minutes) which is one of the less impressive music from the movie. The next day: Flynn Lives Revealed is a not so interesting video, I had actually no idea what is it about until I read the description of it. The weird thing is that it has no running time shown. There is 3-D advertisement (4 minutes) by Timon and Pumbaa. The 2-D advertisement shows some laughable 3-D gimmicks. This combo set is a good set with Blu-Ray and 3-D Blu-Ray.

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Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Knight and Day DVD review"

Tom Cruise's latest action flick is generic but an entertaining ride. Cruise and Diaz go round the world in this action-packed movie. The action set pieces are not bad, the car chases are thrilling and fast. There are many explosions too with cars tumbling around. The decent pace adds to the entertainment value. Proves that Tom is still running around in action. He stars in the latest Mission Impossible movie.

DVD special features- 3/5

There are four featurettes (31 minutes in total) which are alright. There are the standard making of featurettes. One featurette shows Cruise and Diaz goofing around with a kick and soccer. Another featurette is about Cruise getting Black Eye Peas to sing the main theme for the movie. Not bad special features for a DVD. They also come with english subtitles.

2011-05-01T20:24:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "Thor movie review"

The first Marvel comic movie for this year. Captain America and X-Men: First Class will be the following Marvel comic movies for the year 2011. I didn't had much expectations for this although this is a superhero movie. When I watched the trailers, it seems like it is like another X-Men origin: Wolverine which is a loud movie full of action but with no real substance. It turns out I am right. The story is pretty straight-forward, the action though is less action-packed than Wolverine but the CGI and music are not bad.

The story: The first half and hour shows Thor in his fantastical planet, Asgard. For action fans, they won't have to wait long for the first major action scene which is in the first half and hour. Thor and his friends smashing some big bad guys and one impressive scene where Thor smashes the floor with his powerful hammer. After the first half and hour, Thor is sent to the human world. Blah blah, three people help Thor and he goes to find his powerful hammer which results violent fist-cuffs with S.H.I.E.L.D's people. Another action scene to whet the action fans ' appetite for the next half and hour. Meanwhile, things are going on in Asgard. Loki, Thor's brother, is jealous and wants to be the king of Asgard when Thor's father is in coma. After one hour has passed, some romance stuff moves on. The decent pace brings us closer to the climax.

Before the climax, another action scene take place. This time, Destroyer is sent by Loki to destroy Thor and his friends who come to earth to save him. Cue to the explosions. The time where sets and cars explode. After much struggle, Thor finally defeats him with his hammer and zooms off to Loki. Boom! The climax! It is okay which involves Thor and Loki bashing each other with their weapons. Yes, it is a bit short and I wish that it is longer. Basically, it is not that action-packed as what reviewers or critics have said. It only contains four decent length action scenes. I wish there would be more scenes of Thor bashing bad guys with his hammer. Acting wise is good. Music is not bad, it is kind of epic at times.

Overall: I wouldn't call it a good Marvel comic movie. Iron Man is better than this. But it does what it does at best. To entertain. The cinema's picture is unfocused so I think 3D would even dampen the effects. With Captain America the next Marvel comic movie, I hope it can even be better than a generic superhero movie.

2011-04-29T21:52:00.005+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Machete DVD review"

Machete is a bloody entertaining movie. Not sure whether this kind of things happen in Mexico but this manages to be a fun and entertaining ride without anything to be taken seriously. There is blood and there is nudity but no actual sex. The pace is decent with some short action scenes slotted in between. I am fine with the bloody action scenes but the climax is disappointing; the showdown between Danny and Steven. Some jiggling of the swords and one dies.

DVD special features- 2/5

There are only two features. One is the deleted scenes (11 minutes) is not bad. There is an extra story plot about Jessica Alba's character's twin sister. And the rest is something extra. The audience track is actually nothing much. I felt that the track is cheering at random scenes other than the killing scenes. When Machete kills some one in an extreme way, the "audience" cheer. Basically, it is useless. It is not even a laughing track. The "audience" cheer during the opening and ending credits. How lame. There are trailers (10 minutes) for upcoming DVDs and movies like Priest.

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Rating: 3.4/5

Review: "Faster Blu-ray DVD review"

The Rock is back in the action genre. Unfortunately, this movie can't be classified as an action movie because it actually contains little action. It is a disappointment in the action department but as a thriller, it is fine. The two shootouts are less than a minute of trading blows. The two car chases fare slightly better but still can be better than that. And that's it. Story wise is okay, it is a straight-forward revenge movie with a twist in the end.

DVD special features- 3/5

There is an alternative ending (12 minutes) which includes an action-packed climax and involves a death. The director explains that the audience want both characters to live and therefore has to change the sad ending. There are deleted scenes (11 minutes) which are background stories for the characters. A featurette on the making of the movie (12 minutes) which involve the cast and crew discussing about the roles and story. The last featurette is on the cars and guns in the movie (11 minutes). The director explains each character's choice of his the weapon/gun.

2011-04-28T22:09:00.008+08:00

Rating: 3.8/5

Review: "Drive Angry 3D movie review"

This is one of the rare action movies that is actually shot with 3D camera. And it shows the depth between the characters and the backgrounds. The action scenes are also good with most of the scenes almost in front of your face. Drive Angry 3D is pretty fun and 3D makes it a more entertaining ride.

The story: Nicolas Cage acts as an angry father chasing a madman who has kidnapped his daughter's baby. From the start, the movie does not really bother to explain in details of what has actually happened, it starts off with a short action scene. Soon, he gets the help of a tough and sexy and pretty waitress acted by hot Amber Heard. The downside is that she shows little skin unlike her other movies. But still she is a feast on the eye. Plus, she is in 3D so I can't really complain. The decent action scenes are cool with many explosions, gun fights and people being blown up. The climax is over-the-top with explosions and gun fights. The story moves decently without much dragging.

Overall: It is worth the watch in the cinema in 3D. Two reasons to watch it in 3D. One is the action scenes in your face and the second is sexy Amber Heard in 3D! No idea why this only takes in US$10 million. Maybe people are not really interested in Nicolas Cage 's movies after some recent bad movies. It is a pity that though this is an entertaining ride, it will be written as the biggest flop in wide released 3D movie. Until some other 3D movie take over.

2011-04-01T20:15:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.4/5

Review: "Man-Thing DVD review"

This is one of the rare Marvel comic adaptions that are violent and mature. The Punisher franchise is one of them too. Although Man-Thing is not as violent as The Punisher, it still has its fair share of gruesome and grisly scenes. Though it is a TV movie, it is not too bad and Man-Thing's CGI which only appears in the last half an hour is okay for a low-budget movie. So what's with the rest of the movie. It kills people but you don't get to see the monster doing the deed. The story is kind of simple, there is a sense of dread and suspense in the swamp. Overall: It is not bad for a TV movie based on the Marvel comic. To say the truth, I am only interested in it because it is based on the comic.

DVD special features-2.5/5

There are a handful of deleted scenes (15 minutes). Some of them are extended scenes. A particular extended scene is the cutting of the main characters having sex or tried to. It is weird for the scene to be cut. No idea why they cut that out when the first part of the movie has a couple having sex. There should be a director's commentary. There is a lame bloopers (1 minute) which is too damn short to show anything funny. And it seems to be cut.

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Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "The Tuxedo DVD review"

One of Jackie Chan's Hollywood blockbusters and it didn't get good review from critics and audience alike. But it is not bad, the only downside is there should be more fightings and stunts. The pace is fast and in a not-boring way, moving things briefly. The 1 hour and 38 minutes is a fun romp with its break-neck pace, some cool stunts and likeable characters. Seems that the critics and audience want a more realistic Jackie Chan's movie like what he did in Hong Kong; realistic Kung-Fu with no wires.

DVD special features- 3/5

There is the cutting room which includes deleted and extended scene and outtakes. The deleted scenes (12 minutes) are okay which make the movie more understandable. The extended scenes (5 minutes) do the same. The outtakes (7 minutes) are fun and enjoyable. People are laughing and goofing on and off set. There is a making of (13 minutes) which is actually brief to say the truth. During the short time, it runs through the main points of the movie like stunts and making of the tuxedo and dancing. But even that, the points it touches on is brief. I would like to know more about them. Lastly, there is the trailer of the movie.

2011-03-30T20:00:00.018+08:00

Rating: 3.2/5 Review: "The last exorcism DVD review"

This has pontential to be a scary and creepy movie but it never lives up to it. The reason is that there are stupid characters that make you not want to care what the hell will happen to them. The exorcism is actually a fraud made by some cheap-ass person who does it for the sake of doing it. When he revealed his plans, I could care less for him to die. He also didn't believe the demon possessing the girl. Until the end. And he finally does something good. The camera man is also annoying. He doesn't respect people's privacy. And for a 1 hour and 22 minutes, the start-up takes almost 30 minutes and the rest is blah. It is only intense for about 15 minutes in the last 30 minutes.

DVD special features- 0/5

Barebone DVD. Not even one feature is found. There are no trailers. There is not even a trailer for the movie.

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Rating: 3.6/5 Review: "The Town DVD review"

It is not a bad heist movie. In fact, it is one of the better ones. I remembered watching Takers, another heist movie and I found it not that good. Ben Affleck did an excellent job in playing the main character and also directing the movie. How many directors actually do that? The runtime of 2 hours and 5 minutes is fine, keeping things briskly. There are three action set pieces. They are not bad but a little too short. But climax is fine; a fine shootout between the police and the bank robbers.

DVD special features-2/5

The DVD contains only two short featurettes. One is about the people of charlestown (3 minutes) which tells more information of the location and the real-life people staying there. It is interesting but brief. The last one is about Ben Affleck (7 minutes) about how he juggles two important roles; an actor and a director. Not too bad.

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Rating: 3.4/5 Review: "The long distance DVD review"

It is not a bad comedy, it has some laughable jokes but in the end, the story still turns out generic; not much from the comedy category. Drew Barrymore and Justin Long play a couple who has to withstand long distance relationship. They have encountered problems, obviously. But there is still a happy ending, not really but they still manage to have the relationship. Yep, that's about all. The jokes are not bad, some make me laugh and some crude humour make me smile but that do not make up for the generic romance comedy plot.

DVD special features- 2/5

The standard Warner Bros' DVD. Deleted scenes (12 minutes) which are nothing much. The only interesting scenes are the different ideas the two buddies have when Justin's character is thought to be very depressed. One scene show them discussing if he were to die, what would they do. One of them mentions about taking his room. The other scene shows one of them calling a prostitute for him.

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Rating: 3.4/5 Review: "Paris Express DVD review"

This is a french movie. The start of the movie may be a bit confusing but as it progresses, the story seems more clearer. It is not really an action movie as the trailer states. There are some mild action including a gun fight and chases. It is also not really that intense considering that this is something like a chase movie. Overall, it is not really worth to watch it if you are familiar with chase movies, this is nothing new. Even in the action department, it offers nothing new.

DVD special features- 0.5/5

A trailer of the movie (2 minutes). At least, it is better than those DVDs with nothing.

2011-03-29T18:10:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.6/5

Review: "Red DVD review"

You may think the movie has nothing to do with red but RED actually stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous. Bruce Will is the main character running away from the attack of a mysterious group which is presumely the FBI. He takes a younger woman with him on the journey to stop the FBI and to find the truth why they are targeting on him and his old friends. Sounds like fun. Yep, they get to travel too.

Although the story is not as fast paced as I thought, it is still entertaining. I can't call it good as it is actually a simple-minded story. Well, as it is an action movie, it has to contain action scenes. It has a few. There are gun fights and a brutal fist fight between Bruce and Karl. The action scenes are not very impressive but they are good enough to make this an action movie. The runtime of 1 hour and 47 minutes is enough to entertain me but somehow, it feels it could have been a faster ride. The music is barely in the movie but when it is heard, it makes the movie have a lighter tone.

Overall: It is an action movie featuring old cast like Bruce Wills and Morgan Freeman doing their things. It is worth a watch as it is interesting to see the old cast do the action.

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DVD special features- Rating: 3.3/5

The main meat of the features is 14 short clips of interviews and behind the scenes (28 minutes). Though they are not bad, they can be improved. I felt that there are not many behind the scenes footage. One clip is about 2 minutes long and therefore is brief. There are deleted and extended scenes (8 minutes) which is pretty pointless. Most of them are just extended. Lastly, there are 5 featurettes on CIA exposed ( 5 minutes) which explain some CIA terms. THey could have been interesting but they are too brief to be informative. One featurette runs about 1 minute long and features graphics. Okay features for a single disc edition.

2011-03-25T19:55:00.002+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.3/5
Review: "Man of fire DVD review"
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I think this is the worst of Tony Scott's movies. It is not about the length of the movie I can't stand the annoying colouring and flashing. Although Tony is famous for the colouring and flashing in his movies and I could stand all of his except this one. This is kind of pure annoying and the flashing actually distracted me from enjoying the movie. Even the short action scenes like the shoot-out in the street are being ruined by non-stop flashing and slow-motion. The reason why this got a rating of above 3 is because this is actually not bad, the pace goes smoothly. I am fine with the 1 hour of bonding with Creasy and Pita. But the last 1 hour and 25 minutes starts to have flashy things that make my eyes tired.
DVD special features- 3.4/5
There are a handful of deleted scenes (32 minutes) which are blah. But there are some interesting scenes like Creasy having sex with Pita's mother. It is weird but it actually shows they have some sexual connections. On the second disc, there is a long making of (72 minutes) which covers the basic points like characters and filming the movie. Not bad, there are also some information about Mexico. There is a music video (3 minutes) which is okay. There is a behind the scenes photo gallery. Trailers and TV spots round up the features.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Post Grad DVD review"
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This is a short comedy about a student, Ryden, graduating from college struggling to find a job. It did an okay job for its short runtime, 1 hour and 28 minutes but I felt it can be extended further. With the short runtime, of course the movie needs to run briskly, skimming through potential points. In the end, I felt that this is more of showing how Ryden choose her love life not her career. More than half of the movie is about her deciding who to date or whatever she wants. It has the potential to be better than a generic rom-com.
DVD special features- 3.3/5
There are deleted scenes (12 minutes) which is okay but not worth a second look. There are featurettes (15 minutes) on about how to get a job and what not to do for a job (the movie 'scenes are shown) and the cast telling about their experiences of getting a job. Finally, there are two making of. One is like a promotional featurette (2 minutes). There is a longer making of (13 minutes) which is okay. There is a music video (3 minutes) to round off.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Easy A DVD review"
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Emma Stone plays a loner whose life suddenly takes for a turn by a sex rumour. Students look up to her as a whore. And she goes with it...by having pretend sex to those losers who pay her. Well, as a comedy, it is not that funny but I must admit that it is amusing with its wise crack lines and decent pace.
DVD special features- 1.5/5
There is a gag reel (5 minutes) which is slightly funny. There is a pointless audition by Emma (1 minute). There are trailers. One of the worst DVDs distributed by Sony. Only 6 minutes worth of features. At least, the standard Sony DVD has more than 10 minutes worth of features.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Life as we know it DVD review"
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It is not too bad but the movie felt lengthly. For a comedy movie, the runtime of 1 hour and 54 minutes seems long. And in this case, it felt like it is long. The story is about a man and a woman who hate each other are to take care of a baby whose parents passed away during a car crash. So blah blah, the "couple" tries their very best to take care of the baby even if it means by bringing her to his work place. The usual romance movie where the guy falls for the woman and then a happy ending.
DVD special features- 2.5/5
Deleted scenes (14 minutes) are okay, some mild jokes in them. But I have no idea how this bonus feature recieved a rating of M-18. I find nothing bad in them.

2011-03-17T19:50:00.002+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "The Social Network DVD review"
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This movie recieved very positive reviews from critics and audience alike. It has a high percentage of 96 on rotton tomatoes. I wouldn't say I don't like it but I wouldn't say I like it. I just enjoyed it. The drama about the creator of Facebook moves decently with the runtime of 2 hours. The movie switches from lawsuits scenes to how Mark deals with his Facebook to Mark argueing with his best friend. In the end, it is entertaining but I wouldn't say I like it. And Mark is speaking damn fast like a bullet train spewing smart-ass lines. After the movie, I think of him an ass. Not really an ass, but still an ass.
DVD special features- 3.5/5
The two-disc edition comes with loads of featurettes. I am surprised that I actually enjoyed watching the long making of (92 minutes) which I thought it would be boring. There are other feaurettes about the effects of the movie (7 minutes), the creation of the errie music (18 minutes) and post-production (17 minutes). Then there is music for you to listen, rough cut and finalised. I thought I would skimmed through the features but I am glad I did not.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "The Hole DVD review"
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The simple horror movie is entertaining at best. The director mentions that he intended to make this as a family movie. I am not sure how is this a family movie with shocking and one gruesome scenes. There are some creepy scenes too featuring a ghost child. But it wouldn't be that scary for older kids.
DVD special features- 3/5
There is the making of (22 minutes) which is splited into different parts. The making of is nothing interesting, there isn't much behind the scenes too. There are interviews with the cast and crew (12 minutes) which are not impressive. The audio is horrible and the interviews are edited badly. There are useless scenes from the movie (10 minutes)

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Devil DVD review"
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It is an intense movie about five people trapped in a lift in a high-rise building. The short runtime of 1 hour and 20 minutes sees the pace moving fast. Soon, people start dieing and the inevitable conclusion is that someone in the lift is the devil but who? There are twists coming out when things go amok in the confined lift where people suspect each other. The final twist is fine; something I didn't expect. The movie proves to be thrilling and intense till the final twist where the devil appears.
DVD special features- 2/5
There are three deleted scenes (3 minutes) which show background information of three of the people trapped in the lift. They are worth a watch. There are three short featurettes (6 minutes) which are disappointing as they are brief. They seem like promotional featurettes where clips of the movie are mixed with interviews. They are too brief; offer little insights of the movie. They did the worst crime of all. They show only a few seconds of behind the scene footage.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Spider-man DVD review"
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The 2002 version is not bad but it offers nothing much except romance and action. Even in the action department, it disappoints. Spider-man 2 and 3 prove to be better movies than the first one. Maybe at that time, it was considered the best superhero movies and a good movie. The reviews agree on that. I disagree on that, maybe that's because I watched this late when great superhero movies were already made like The Dark Knight.
DVD special features- 3/5
The second disc contains usuals like the HBO making of (25 minutes) which is blah and a long featurette on spider-man (40 minutes) which is okay but nothing great either. There are profiles of the director and composer (14 minutes) which are not bad as they are focused on Sam and the composer doing their stuff. There are gag reel (3 minutes) and costumes and auditions of the actors (3 minutes). Then lastly, there is a documentary on spider-man (25 minutes) where Stan Lee, the creator, explains how he created the legendary Marvel hero.

2011-03-05T17:50:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.9/5

Review: "Unknown movie review"

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This thriller does not disappoint with its fast pace and brutal fistcuffs. The movie opens straight to the point; Dr Martin Harris and his wife have just arrived in Berlin and take a taxi. After they arrive at the hotel, Martin realised his suitcase is missing and he takes another taxi and have it follow the taxi they were in. Soon, the taxi he is in crashed into a river. He goes into coma. He wakes up after a few days and finds that his wife does not recognise him. Another man says that he is Martin Harris. He goes out on a hunt on his stolen identity. Basically, the story goes straight to the point, leaving little time for Martin to actually cry or think properely. The whole movie is intense throughout with twists coming into the way. The final twist may be a bit ridiculous to some.

The movie does not actually feature many action scenes. There are only two major action scenes. First is the brutal fist fight with Martin and a guy. And it moves into an intense car chase scene. The second action scene is obviously the climax with another fist fight. Though there is little action, the brutal and realistic scenes deliver. The music by John Ottman is generic for a thriller.

Overall: With its fast pace, it is hard to be bored and it makes you want to know what kind of twists they can come up with. Warner Bros' thrillers are actually not bad. The Losers and Whiteout come into mind.

2011-03-01T16:00:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.6/5

Review: "I am number four movie review"

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From the director of eagle eye brings you a new action thriller and guess what. It is not as thrilling as the trailer seems to be. I am number four is more of a romance drama with sci-fi and a bit of action. Even the action scenes are few. But still, it makes a entertaining ride with its decently paced story.

From start of the movie, the aliens are hunting for number three. After he dies, the next scene shifts to number four who is known as John Smith. Quickly, after an incident, he and his protector are on the run and move into a new city. From there, John meets a girl who happens to be the bully's ex-girlfriend. So many events happen from aliens hunting him, the bully devises a plan for him and John falling in love. And the cool CGI action scenes do not happen until the climax. Throughout the movie, there are very short action scenes which end when you blink. Those action fans will be restless after 45 minutes into the movie because they still have not seen any cool CGI action scenes. Only the last 20 minutes, it features non-stop frantic CGI action scenes set in a school. Things get crushed, monsters beating the shit out of each other and CGI laser beam fights. And the whole school almost gets smashed. The climax is good and makes the whole movie a better one. Acting wise is okay. Music is okay.

Overall: It is not a bad movie. It is better than Twilight, the boys may say so. But do not expect an action-packed or a thrill ride movie, expect an entertaining movie which mixes romance, sci-fi and action. Hopefully, there will be sequels for the movie as it is just the starting of everything.

2011-02-18T20:23:00.002+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "House of Wax 2005 DVD review"
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The remake is an okay slasher movie, actually, it is suspenseful of times but I feel that the story took a bit of time to get into the main point. I guess almost horror movies do that, spending at least half and hour with the young and sexy characters doing stuffs before going to the main point/story. House of Wax is not too bad, the pace is decent and bearable. The Singapore edition is somehow edited; the Paris Hilton's death appears to be cut for a NC-16 rating. I think some other things are cut too.
DVD special features-3.5/5
There is a long bloopers with cast commentary (27 minutes) which is pretty interesting to watch. The cast comment and laugh on the funny things they did while filming. Some stuff are amusing. You get a gag reel (4 minutes) which is almost like a summary version of the bloopers. There is one making of (7 minutes) which shows behind the scenes of the filming and building and discussing about the sets; the wax house. A pointless featurette on Joel, the producer, talking about the other movies he produced (1 minute). A pointless deleted scene (2 minutes) which shows the first kill in the movie. Finally, a trailer of the movie.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Taxi 2004 DVD review"
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Another remake. One of the few remakes which I have also watched the original. The remake is not so bad as what people are blasting about. True, some of the CGI like the red car spinning in the alley is disturbingly fake but in the end, it entertains. I don't actually find it the least funny; Jimmy Fallon is trying too hard to get some laughters let alone giggles. The action is not bad, the female model criminals are hot and the pace is zippy. That is all what this movie can offer. A senseless entertainment.
DVD special features-3.3/5
There is a making of (20 minutes), the usual one with the usual behind the scenes and interviews. There is a special show, Reel Comedy (20 minutes) where two men interviews the main actor and actresses in a taxi??!!! Those men knows how to keep a straight face while Jimmy is always bursting into laughter. There is a short featurette on using the blue screen. Another is about Fallon taking the camera man around the set. He seems more funnier in real life than in the movie. Deleted scenes (4 minutes) which are pointless. The last featurette is pointless; about the women models (2 minutes). It is not even a real behind the scene stuff.

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Rating: 3.8/5
Review: "Eagle Eye Blu-ray DVD review"
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It is somehow still thrilling to watch this though I have watched it before in cinema. The action is cool; cars smashing into cars, the pace is speedy and the music is rocking. No idea why many critics dislike this saying that it is a bit over-the-top. Of course, it is. It is a sci-fi fictional action thriller. D.J Caruso is one of the promising new director. His next action flick is I am number four which will be out in 24 Feb 2011.
Blu-ray DVD special features-3.5/5
There are deleted scenes (4 minutes). The only notable one is the alternative ending. That's all. There is the main making of (25 minutes) which is the usual. There are three short featurettes (15 minutes). The notable featurette is 'Is my cellphone spying on me?'. The producers discussing that they wanted to keep the story as realistic as possible and it could happen now or in future. A interview between the director and his mentor (9 minutes). Both of them interview each other, asking about how they film stuff. An amusing gag reel (7 minutes) where actors and actresses fumbles with their lines and action. A pointless photo gallery. A trailer of the movie.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Into the blue Blu-ray DVD review"
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Paul Walker and Jessica Alba star in this sexy movie. The movie does not really have much of a plot except finding the treasures but the cast makes the movie more bearable. The great sea with the sharks filming is also worth mentioning.
Blu-ray DVD special features-3/5
There is a simple making of (20 minutes) which is the usual. There are deleted scenes (18 minutes) which are blah. Both of them are in standard version; the screen is small.

2011-01-29T13:51:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "The Green Hornet movie review"

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It is not a bad movie to start on January, a month which okay movie are out. The Green Hornet is a special hero with cool gadgets and cars but the movie turns him into a generic superhero. It is entertaining at best but if you look for a complex plot with a lot of characters' development, this will not sastify. Reid aka The Green Hornet at first in the movie acts like an asshole and making out with girls. Then his father's death hit him hard, but not hard enough. He meets kato and they become The Green Hornet and Kato fighting the bad guys as bad guys.

The action scenes are many and loud with explosions. The fight scenes are often played in slow motion. The climax features a cool car chase, a gun fight and a fight in the office. Boom! The climax is loud and explosive and even tearing down the whole office. And it is cool. Who doesn't want that. The music is okay but generic. Seth Rogen acts okay, he did a good job in protraying an asshole who can't shut up. Jay chou's acting is an improvement, his acting is considered dull in other movies.

Overall: It is wacky fun and the humour may a little off but still funny and entertaining. I hope for a sequal and hopefully may feature a better villian. The villian in this is corny (it may be intentional) and plain. He just wants to be scary. This movie is a start for the year.

2011-01-23T19:51:00.006+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Batman: Gotham Knight DVD review"
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The 2D animated movie has six different stories which are interesting on their own. The stories are fast-paced and some of them are action-packed due to the short runtime. The whole movie is only 1 hour and 16 minutes. Some of the famous villians are featured like Scarecrow and the Lizard. The six different stories also have their different styles, Batman seems like a fat monster in one of the story and he is a sleak man in black in another. Overall: It is a good watch even for those who are not a Batman fan but are into the recent live-action Batman movies.
DVD special features-3.7/5
The second disc features two good and informative featurettes. One is about the villans of Batman (36 minutes). The writers and producers explain some of the famous villians like Joker and Scarecrow. The interesting facts are that they even explain how the villians come about. The other interesting featurette is about Bob Kane, the creator of Batman (38 minutes). It shows footage of him and talks about how he came about reaching fame by creating Batman. Stan Lee, his friend, even talks about him. Lastly, there are four episodes from the Batman animated series (1 hour and 26 minutes) which are okay.

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Rating: 3.1/5
Review: "The love guru DVD review"
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This movie is stupid funny but even that, it can't get much chuckles from me. Mikes Myers plays the love guru who is quite successful. But he is not the top love guru and wants to be. He accepts the request of bringing the lover back to a famous hockey player who is distracted by the loss of his lover. Slapsticks and dirty jokes like people fighting with mops soaked with urine or elephants humping each other. They are not funny but are gross. Mikes Myers is quite entertaining as a love guru. Jessica Alba looks good in screen too. Both of them are barely able to outweight the typical story filled with lame jokes.
DVD special features- 3/5
There are three featurettes. One is about the making of the movie (9 minutes) where Mikes Myers disturbingly says that he has been thinking of the idea long time ago. There is a featurette on playing ice hockey (6 minutes) which looks into the actors trainning to play ice hockey. The last featurette is on creating the prosthetic elephant (5 minutes) which is interesting because in the movie, it looks like the two elephants are really humping each other. There are deleted scenes (13 minutes) which is a bore, only the last one about Mikes Myers and Jessica Alba are in bed and she says "Damn!". A pointless outtakes (10 minutes) which acts almost like deleted scenes or alternative scenes. Another outtakes by the two hosts (5 minutes) in the game which is slightly amusing.

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Rating: 3/5
Review: "Old cow eat tender grass DVD review"
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This is an okay local movie which is actually quite pointless. With the short running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes, it is impossible to care for the characters and whether they get together. The movie focuses on two characters who are taxi drivers falling in love with younger women. Since it is focused on the two characters, the running time seems to be shorten and in the end, there is not much of characters' development and you won't care if they end up together. The local humor is slightly funny and that broken english/singlish is used often as a joke.
DVD special features- 2.5/5
There is a sole making of (23 minutes) and yeah, it does show how the dog managed to lick the actor's tongue. During the movie, I thought it was gross and wanted to know how did they do that. Then the rest of the making of is standard, the director surprisingly spoke cantonese in it. There is a trailer (2 minutes) which is already shown in the making of.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Bruce Lee, my brother DVD review"
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First of all, this should be known as a drama and not as an action flick like the Ip Man movies. The director showed Bruce Lee's younger life before he went to USA. The 2 hours and 4 minutes movie moves briskly, thankfully. You will get to see the romance and the triangle love between Bruce, his friend and a girl. Blah Blah. Typical. The last half an hour features some brutal fight scenes, the boxing match and the rematch. Then the climax has a slightly intense chase scene between Bruce and a gang. Overall: It is an interesting movie with unknown Bruce Lee facts; I don't know Bruce Lee well.
DVD special features-3/5
There is a sole making of (19 minutes) which covers some topic like doing the fight scenes and some goofy moments with the cast. It also comes with english subtitles and I could understand it better. There is also trailers of the movie.

2011-01-03T19:35:00.002+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Kidnapper DVD review"
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This is a rare Singaporean movie that goes into the genre thriller. Most of the local movies are comedy or horror comedy. The director who is famous for local horror movie The maid and Rule #1 is behind the thriller which sees an average man finding his kidnapped son. Watching the trailer may give you the impression that Singapore actually tries to make a fast-paced thriller. Though the pace is not as fast as it should be because it is dragged down by too much emotions and this becomes more of a melodrama. Kelvin Tong, the director, intends to see this as a melodrama thriller which he is not wrong.
DVD special features-2.5/5
There is a sole making of (22 minutes) which Kelvin talks in english about the movie and the ideal cast role. On the other hand, the cast talk about their experiences. Thankfully, the making of is subbed in english. There is a trailer (2 minutes) for the movie which is useless as the making of has already featured a trailer.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Phobia DVD review"
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One of the best thai horror movies I have seen. The movie is made up of four stories under the runtime of 1 hour and 56 minutes which means it is fast-paced. The third story is not that intense or thrilling but the other three make up for it by their fast-paced plot and thrills. Since there is a second movie, there should be a third one following up but I guess there won't be any since now more of this kind of horror movies are coming out.
DVD special features- 3.5/5
There is a featurette (2 minutes) on how the whole idea of coming out with four different stories put together into one movie. There is the making of (9 minutes) which is seperated into four parts. One part for one story. The directors and cast talk about the hard part of filming the stories. There are deleted scenes (23 minutes) which are also seperated into four parts. They are disappointing as they are not much, they are just extending the scenes. Not much of characters' development too. There is a rocking music video (4 minutes) and finally a trailer (2 minutes) for the movie.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Kung Fu Wing Chun DVD review"
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With the Ip man movies getting popular, it is obvious a movie about the origins of wing chun will come out. The sad thing is that it isn't as fast paced as the other Ip man movie but still has its own watchable values. The fighting scenes are not as top-notch as the Ip man movies even the third one but still watchable. The story is a little slow but still bearable. Overall, it is okay for a watch but I am not sure if I will bother for a second viewing as the story is a little slow and the fighting scenes are few.
DVD special features- 2/5
There is a generic making of (11 minutes) which shows behind the scenes. There is a trailer (2 minutes) for the movie.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "300 DVD review"
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It has a cool comic book style with slo-mo action scenes which should be great. The plot is simple enough to understand. 300 spartan soldiers going off to protect Sparta by defeating loads of bad guys. Filled with blood and half-naked macho guys.
DVD special features- 1.5/5
There is a easter egg which is a short featurette (6 minutes) about bringing the graphic novel into life. The director discusses about it. There is even a shoot which the director have to be convinced that the style would be right for the movie.

2011-01-02T22:18:00.002+08:00

--------Top movies of 2010-------

Scott Pilgrim Vs the world-Rating: 4.5/5
It is visually cool with some of the best visual effects ever seen. Every scene is not boring as it move like a comic book panel with sound and wording effects. The action scenes though short pack some punch too.

Inception-Rating: 4.5/5
This year Chris Nolan's movie is something new. Dreams within dreams. Heck, it needs a bit of thinking skill but it still entertains. The last hour is intense and packed with action.

Tron Legacy-Rating: 4.5/5
Disney's movie is surprisingly cool. The music by Daft Punk is epic. The 3D effects are something like Avatar, nothing new though. And it runs in a zippy pace.

Harry Potter and the deathly hallows-Rating: 4/5
I was surprised that a Harry Potter could entertain me a lot. This is the best harry potter movie. The pace runs smoothly with the middle dragging a little. But the whole movie is intense as you would never know when the dark side hits unless you read the book.

------------Worst movies of 2010-------------

The spy next door-Rating: 2.5/5
Jackie Chan's most boring movie I have ever seen. I mean it is not even action-packed. It just features Chan running around taking care of children. The stunts are not even impressive, they are just average. Childish at times too. I had to often check the time, hoping it would end soon.

Repo Man-Rating: 3/5
Actually not so bad but it is disappointing. People saying that this is an action movie are wrong. People who go in and expect some hard action will be disappointed. With the genre as action, this fails to deliver the high-octane action. The story is a bit muddled but still passable. Barely passable.

Marmaduke-Rating: 2/5
It is so damn boring. Who the hell actually want to see a dog's life. Even all the animal characters look common, no special looks. It is just boring as the story is typical animal- talking movies. Even the Garfield live-action movie has some interesting things about it.

Shoot the hero-Rating: 2.4/5
I was yawning while watching the direct-to-DVD movie. The story is confusing, I actually did not know that there are three seperated story linked. Until the climax, I was yawning and did not care about the characters who just appear and disappear in the movie. Luckily, this is only 80 minutes.

2010-12-30T21:56:00.002+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Austin Powers: International man of mystery DVD review"
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It is the first movie of Austin Powers which is a triology though there are rumours of a forth one. It's funny and entertaining. The jokes are funny and crude (most of the jokes are about sex). This movie is also random at most, with spoofs with mostly the spy genre. The plot is simple and moves briskly along with jokes and gags.
DVD special features-2/5
There are deleted scenes (10 minutes) including two alternative endings which are worth a watch. There are star highlights which show the actors and actresses's other movies highlights (6 minutes). They are alright. Surprisingly there are no Mike Myers' highlights. There is a music video of the original animated sequence which plays like a menu. Then there is a trailer of the movie (2 minutes). Other special features are the cast bio and the origins of some other spies I don't know.

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Rating: 3.8/5
Review: "Hellboy DVD review"
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Both of the Hellboy are entertaining and fun. The first one is action-packed with great special effects and good music. I have no idea how the movie coped with its budget of US$ 66 millon. The sets are big plus the special effects are realistic. I want a third adventure with Hellboy! When the hell will that be?
DVD special features-3/5
There are something like production diaries (18 minutes) which highlight the behind the scenes of some sets like the first and last action scenes. They are the only thing that is related to the making of the movie. There is a number of short cartoons recommended by Hellboy (28 minutes). Three short cartoons are mildly amusing but the last one is weird and boring. There is DVD comics which is like seeing a comic animated. Then there is story track which you will need to play with the movie.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "The crazies DVD review"
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One of the rare remakes that critics and audience enjoy. Usually horror remakes fall beyond the bad line according to critics. Surprisingly, this recieve a fresh 71% from rotton tomatoes. And this is not bad. It is not bad and it is quite tense at times.
DVD special features-3.4/5
There is a making of with the director (10 minutes). Another featurette related to the making of the movie (9 minutes). There is a George A Romero template (9 minutes) which showcases some of his zombie movies. There is make-up session with the Rob Hall who designs the zombies' looks (11 minutes). There are two motion comics (26 minutes) which serves as a background story of the first two crazies in the movie. They are slightly interesting as they show how the two of them resist the evil temptation of killing people. There is a featurette (3 minutes) on putting the special effects into the real footage. There are trailers for the movie and motion comic. There is also a gallery of behind the scenes.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Legend of the fist: The return of Chen Zhen DVD review"
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Donnie Yen is back in action. This time he plays Chen Zhen who is known to be dead. He also puts on a costume and fights crimes basically the japanese's evil deeds. It is tense at times when the chinese and japanese look at each other and anything could happen. The fight scenes are cool and brutal but a little short especially the climax between Chen Zhen and the japanese general.
DVD special features-3.5/5
There is a making of (15 minutes) and behind the scenes (47 minutes). There are also deleted scenes (11 minutes) which will only slow down the movie. Then there are trailers for the movie (3 minutes). They are equipped with english subtitles which have some mistakes but overall understandable.

2010-12-23T20:01:00.002+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "King of Fighters DVD review"
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Gordon Chan's live-action version of the game gets bashed seriously by fans saying it is a disgrace to the game. Well, true to that, the movie's characters actually do not look like the game's characters. I am not a game fan so I watched this without knowing the world of King of Fighters and I got entertained by its fight scenes mashed with CGI effects. However, the $12 million movie does look a bit cheap with its simple plot.
DVD special features-2.5/5
It features some interviews and brief behind the scenes. There are interviews with Ray Park and Sean Faris (4 minutes) which are brief, they talk about how they play the role. Then there is a three part behind the scenes (7 minutes) which is really brief. Each part touches on one thing like the stunts. Gordon Chan and the producers discuss how they bring the game into life. Finally, there is a free football game played by sexy babes (1 hour and 9 minutes) which I didn't bother to watch it because it is boring and has nothing to do with the movie.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Constantine DVD review"
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Without knowing the world of Constantine, I thought this would be a action-packed supernatural movie but I was wrong. Yes, it does contain some neat action scenes but they are few. The climax has no action, just Constantine talking to demons face-to-face. Not sweet. The story is engrossing though, with Contantine willing to help a female cop who has lost her twin sister in a mystery suicide.
DVD special features-3.5/5
The special two-disc edition is packed with extra features. There are deleted scenes (18 minutes) which are boring. Conjuring Constantine (17 minutes) is about the director talking about the comic. The production from hell (15 minutes) is okay. One of the most interesting part is about the weapons used in the movie. Imagining the underworld (28 minutes) is a making of the movie which is standard interviews with cast and crew with behind the scenes. The boring previsuallization (13 minutes) is really pointless. Not bad.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Altitude DVD review"
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This is not bad as it is pretty intense. A group of young people are trapped in the air with a mysterious force lurking in the darkness. From there, tension started to build as they argue with each other and getting killed off.
DVD special features-3.5/5
It contains one major making of (49 minutes) which is broken down into different parts. It is the standard making of and at least it is not brief. There is a featurette on the special effects (10 minutes) which is pointless. It is like watching the movie fast-forwarding with special effects being added on. There is a picture gallery which is extensive. Alternative ending is also being shown in there. Lastly, there is a trailer (2 minutes) of the movie.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Sin City DVD review"
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This is the violent world of the comic book where people are killed of tortured for no reason. Many characters die. Yup, that's all. There is no message in the movie. Just bullocks and entertainment. Jessica Alba dancing. Woo.
DVD special features-2/5
There is only one featurette (8 minutes) with Robert and Frank Miller talking about how they bring the comic book style to live-action. Cast also talk about the movie. It is brief though. It comes with english subtitles.

2010-12-22T22:12:00.002+08:00

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: "Tron: Legacy 3D movie review"

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This is probably the last movie I will watch in cinema for the year. Tron Legacy is massively entertaining and is worth to watch it in cinema for its 3D and rocking soundtrack. It is good to see that the last blockbuster I watched for the year turns out to be one of the best movie this year following Inception and Scott Pilgrim Vs the world.

The story: It is pretty simple, well, disney's live-action movies usually have simple plot. The 3D, well, is expected to be good. It is almost like the 3D of Avatar, with almost none of the cheap gimicks of things coming straight for you. It has the depth between the characters and the background and shows the action in your face. One of the best thing in this movie is the soundtrack. It is kind of amazing, it matches the movie a lot. It is epic and just amazing. It makes the movie more epic and cool. The action scenes may not be many but they impress with the intensity like the battles with the flying discs and the kill-people-in-a-race scene and the climax-the airplane battle.

Overall: It is visually cool with the amazing soundtrack by Daft Punk. And its 3D is considered top-notch. What other reason is there not to see the movie. Those who thought Avatar is too long to watch in 3D, this one is perfect-the running time is 2 hours and 7 minutes-which is not too long. This is the 3D movie event of this year.

2010-11-19T19:37:00.005+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Harry Potter and the deathly hallows: part 1 Blu-Ray DVD review"

It is the best Harry Potter movie yet. It is a solid harry potter movie. It is more action-packed and intense than the previous ones which is a surprise as the harry potter movies are not famous for action scenes and this delivers though the action scenes are short.

The story: I find it intense from the start of the movie to the credits rolling. The characters seem suspicious and they are capable of doing anything which make the movie more intense. Harry and his friends are on the run from Vodemort and his evil helpers. Every where they hide, troubles find them. And that is where the director crafts his intense action scenes like harry on his narrow escape from the bad guys. The action scene set in the forest is frenetic and intense but it is too shakey to see the action properely. The acting is good, the trio has believable reationships and emotions. The music is good and epic.

Overall: I can't wait to see the epic showdown of Harry and Vodemort. Part 2 might even be better than this one. It is not a disappointment as I was disappointed with the last movie, the half-blooded prince with its lack of action and intensity.

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Blu-Ray DVD special features- 3.5/5

The first disc of the 2 disc edition Blu-Ray DVD features focus points which are small featurettes which can be played all at one (19 minutes). The other feature is a maximum mode which I do not bother watching because the movie needs to be played with it. The second disc has about 1 hour worth of bonus features. There are deleted scenes which are not that good. The worthy feature is the sneak peak behind the second part of the movie which is about 3 minutes of new footage of it. The rest of the runtime is the featurettes; making of. The usual stuff. They touch on some of the important scenes in the movie like the multiple Harry Potters and the forest chase scene. There is a slightly interesting featurette on some of the cast members playing golf...which has nothing to do with the movie. There is the making of the music. Not bad stuff.

2010-11-18T21:54:00.005+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.8/5
Review: "Scooby Doo: Monsters unleashed DVD review"
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This is the sequel to the 2002 live-action movie and is it better? Maybe. Scooby Doo 2 seems to have a bigger budget therefore more CGI is seen. This is actually more action packed than the first one featuring set pieces with CGI monsters. The mystery is entertaining with some lame but funny jokes. And of course, Scooby still acts cute with his cartoonish expressions. Sadly, a third movie is not made. However, there are two more scooby doo movies made for TV in 2009 and 2010. Hopefully, we still get to see more live-action scooby doo movies.
DVD special features-3/5
The special features are actually disappointing. The first and the second have not feature any docu on scooby doo which I would want. I want to know more about the origins of scooby. There is a main making of (10 minutes) which shows Scooby walking around the sets. This shows how the special effects and stunts are made. It is brief. There are deleted scenes (7 minutes). They are just worth to watch once. The second featurette is the making of Scooby dancing (5 minutes) which is also another brief making of. Near the end of it, there is a guide of how to dance like him. It shows the clips in the movie of him dancing in slo-mo...which is lame. There is useless featurette about the monsters talking about their origins (5 minutes) and wants to the audience to feel pity for them. This is for the kids who think that the monsters in the movie are real. Lastly, there are two music videos (8 minutes). The simple plan's song is not bad but the rapping of Big Brovaz is blah...

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Pandamen TV series DVD review"
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There are a total of 29 episodes. Pandamen is not bad but it seems out of focus at times. In the first ten episodes, the pandamen do not actually have a lot of screen time. And even the bad guys are out being replace by drama and comedy and romance. The characters are goofy and only get serious in the last five episodes. Action-wise is okay; there are not many fight scenes or action scenes. The fight scenes feature wire work and are not bad but there are not many. The story is alright, it is pretty engrossing at times but it is also a bit silly at time. It is an alright superhero series and unique in the sense that China has not featured any superhero movie/series. Sometimes, the action scenes seem cut but I am not sure if they are really cut.
DVD special features-2/5
Aside from the behind the scenes featured after an episode has ended, there are a making of and another behind the scenes. The making of (45 minutes) is boring without english subtitle. I think it is a TV special aired. It features the cast and crew intereview and does not have many behind the scenes. More than half of the making of features interviews of the cast and crew. The behind the scenes (4 minutes) is alright showing behind the scenes of the TV series.

2010-11-12T19:03:00.007+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Scooby Doo DVD review"
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I may be a fan of Scooby Doo; I have seen many episodes and cartoon movies on it. I think this is actually not bad; no idea why the rating is low. Those who say that Scooby Doo is filled with childish humour or simple plot, Scooby Doo's target is for kids and that is why the live-action movie tries not to be too scary or creepy. Actors and actresses for the famous mystery-solving gang are good, they play them well. And Scooby is just cute; waving dramatically when a ghost/monster approaches. Overall, this is fun.
DVD special features-3/5
There is a standard making of (22 minutes) which shows you behind the scenes of the movie. Nothing special but it is interesting in hearing the director, producers and actors taking about the original cartoon. There is deleted scenes (13 minutes) which are as usual some background information but there is one scene that stands out-the possessed Velma dancing in a bikini and becomes creepy when Daphne disturbs her. One scene I am glad that is deleted is Velma being high and singing some crap song. Disturbing to see her doing that. There are two featurettes. One is about the making of the sets (3 minutes) which tells us that more than 20 sets were built. Another is the making of the van (1 minute) which is brief. There is a hidden featurette (1 minute) when you complete a game and it tells about the celebrity in the movie, Pam. Lastly, there is an annoying music video about rapping (3 minutes)

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Rating: 3.3/5
Review: "Divergence DVD review"
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It is one of Benny Chan's movie that is not that good. His movies like New Police Story, Invisible Target prove to be entertaining with good action scenes. This, however, lacks of action scenes and even the story does not really engage. There is maybe about two action scenes. The notable action scene is the chase between Aaron Kwok and Daniel Wu and then proceed to fighting each other. The climax is short and it does feel like a climax. The story is a little slow and it is not very intense. And the characters are blah. But it still somewhat entertaining if you don't have anything to do.
DVD special features-3/5
It is a two-disc edition DVD and the special features' runtime in total is around half and hour. There is the standard making of without english subtitles (15 minutes). There is a music video (4 minutes) which is not very appealing. There is short gala (2 minutes). There are trailer and teaser for the movie (3 minutes). Then there are some trailers of other Hong Kong movies. That is all. Disappointing for a two-disc editon.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Resident Evil: Apocalypse DVD review"
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This is the second installment of the Resident Evil franchise. The whole franchise is not bad including the recent Resident Evil: Afterlife. They all have their good and weak points. This one has the most action as far as I remember but that means the story is just straight-forward (Anyway the franchise is known for a simple plot). And the action is the best out of the four movies with lots of stunts and shooting. That is what a zombie action movie should have.
DVD special features-3.5/5
There is a long making of (49 minutes) which covers some points of the movie like stunts, building of the city and the guns. Milla is kind of funny with her expressions. There are two featurettes. Corporate malfeasance (2 minutes) and Game babes (8 minutes) -the actresses talking about playing their sexy roles. There are deleted scenes (11 minutes) which are nothing worth mentioning about. Symphony of evil (7 minutes) is some footage of how the special effects are meshed into real life. Lastly, there is outtakes (2 minutes) which is a little funny. The actors and actresses goofing around or bursting out in laughter.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Blood: The last vampire DVD review"
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The action is the main high-light of this movie. The fighting scenes are expected to good as Cory Yuen is the one behind the fight scenes. The best fight scene lasts for 8 minutes and it shows the ramage of the vampires/monsters and Saya killing them. The CGI blood is bearable though looks fake and cartoonish. The worst fight scene has to be the climax. It does not even feel like a climax. I guess that is because of the trailers and TV spots over-hyping the climax and in the end, it is short with no real threat. Other than that, the story is okay and CGI though not good but still bearable.
DVD special features-3.5/5
The making of is split into two parts. The first part (15 minutes) covers the basic things of the movie like the stunts and Giana with her okay but monotone english telling how painful and tiring to do those stunts. Then the second part (20 minutes) goes deeper and covers the cast and crew like the director and Cory Yuen. Unfortunately, there is no eng subs when Cory and the japanese guy are speaking in their own languages. Overall, the whole making of is interesting and shows behind the scenes footage. There is a trailer (2 minutes) to the movie.

2010-09-24T17:33:00.002+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "The Phantom 2010"
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This is actually a mini-series but it is edited into a movie which means there are some bad points like some important parts are cut out (No reason). The length of the mini-series is around 2 hours and 40 minutes and it is being cut into a 1 hour and 43 minutes movie which does not make much sense. I have seen the whole mini-series so i do know which parts are cut out like the important introduction of the Phantom Cave, I can't believe it is cut out. On the other hand, all the action scenes are still kept (Phew). The edited movie is not a bad job but it could have been so much better, the length should be 2 hours.
DVD special features-Rating: 1/5
There are only trailers and previews (11 minutes) which include a featurette on District 9. Other than that, I didn't really expect anything.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Domino DVD review"
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A movie by Tony Scott. I have no idea why I am attracted to his movies. Perhaps, his movies have styles and big-bang action scenes. Domino does not have big-bang action scenes but it has an interesting story and exploding vehicles. Domino is actually based on the real life bounty hunter, Domino. And I am not sure if it actually follows the real Domino's life, it is pretty interesting how a bounty hunter works. Keira is hot too.
DVD special features-Rating: 3.5/5
There are two featurettes. One interesting featurette is on the real Domino (20 minutes) which is pretty intereting to see how the Domino's life is like. It has interviews with her and her friend, Choco. Another featurette is about how Tony get the colouring of the movie (9 minutes). It shows how hard it is to get the right colour of the movie. It also shows behind the scenes. There are deleted scenes which as usual add nothing to the story line, there is an alternate sex scene??? Lastly, there are two trailers on Domino (3 minutes) to round up the special features.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Cirque du Freak DVD review"
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Nothing much to say. I have already wrote a review on it in Jan.
DVD special features-Rating: 3/5
There is a featurette on the making of the movie (19 minutes) which is not bad. The cast and director share information on the making of the movie and adapting it from the book. There is another featurette which tours around the home of the freaks (19 minutes) which shows some information of the characters in the movie. It is okay...not very interesting as it is repeative. There are also deleted scenes (10 minutes) which are the usual which add nothing to the story.

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Rating: 3.9/5
Review: "Prince of Persia: Sand of Time DVD review"
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I have already wrote the review on it in june. The DVD is surprisingly not bad, I could see most of the cool action which I thought I wouldn't on DVD.
DVD special features-2/5
There is only one featurette on the making of the movie (15 minutes) which is standard. It covers stunts ,the story and the locations. Nothing much, just some behind the scenes of the movie. Lastly, there are previews on Disney's upcoming DVDs.

2010-09-11T16:37:00.003+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Resident Evil Afterlife 3D movie review"

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Another cool 3D movie which has the depth of the 3D. The last 3D movie I have seen is Step Up 3D and it makes full use of the 3D. Afterlife also makes full use of the technology but it does not have many things that pop out like Step Up. The 3D also helps to create a bleak atmosphere in the movie and exciting during the action scenes. This is actually almost the same as the other three live-action movies; they basically have the same plotline except that they have different survivors in different locations. This also amp up the special effects like slow-motion scenes.

The story: Alice is still surviving after the big hit against the umbrella corps in Japan. She goes around and sees if there are any survivors. Most of the story takes place in a huge building surrounding with zombies. Alice and Claire are trapped in the building with some survivors. Alice finds that not every body can fit in her airplane which can carry two people...and Alice going to find a way to save them all. The action scenes are not bad, they are like in your face. But the short climax is disappointing. There are some annoying and really cheap shock scenes which involve zombies suddenly appearing behind someone's back. Music is cool though the pop music is sometimes not needed.

Overall: It is worth the money to watch it in 3D. This does give me a sense of 3D and bring me to the terrible and rotten world the characters are in. Though there are not much stuff popping out of the screen, the 3D shows the action and zombies right in your face. The next movie that is filmed in 3D this year is Tron Legacy. Can't wait for it.

2010-08-23T21:25:00.003+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Alice in Wonderland DVD review"
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When I had watched this in cinema with 3D, I gave it 4 because the 3D is kind of cool and is a plus point for the movie. But when the movie comes out on DVD, the feeling of being blown away is not there maybe because of the 3D effect. Still, it is entertaining for 2D.
DVD special features-Rating: 3/5
There are three brief featurettes. One is about on The Mad hatter (6 minutes) on about Johnny and the director/producers discussing his role. Another one is about creating the Wonderland with CGI (6 minutes). The last one is on finding Alice (6 minutes) on about the actress and director talking about how Alice should be played in the movie.

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Rating: 3.8/5
Review: "Clash of the Titans DVD review"
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This is a movie where the 3D does not look good. When I watched this in cinema, there were barely any 3D effects. The chinese subtitles which are in 3D are distracting and cover some of the action; they are like in the middle of the screen. It comes out on 2D DVD and I am not surprised. Anyway, unlike Alice in Wonderland, this one still has the thrills and is replayable.
DVD special features-Rating: 3.5/5
There are deleted scenes (18 minutes) which are long but add nothing to the story. They will only slow down the story. Focus points which are small featurettes (36 minutes total) are not bad but a little too brief. One featurette lasts around 2-3 minutes. They focus on some stuff in the movie like creating Kraken and the other monsters in this movie. There is a featurette on creating the hero (8 minutes) which talks about the main star talking about getting into the role of the main hero. Lastly, another featurette which is a TV special (24 minutes) is almost like the focus points with a bit more footage.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Ninja Assassin DVD review"
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Rain acts as the lean-muscled ninja who runs away from his clan and is surviving not so well with other ninjas coming to kill him. Blood is spilled and there is a lot of blood and it is CGI. The fight scenes are cool but are few. The first hour has no impressive fight scenes and only tells background information of where Rain is from and how he is trained. Then there is a girl, I don't know what is her true purpose, helping Rain and screaming. Overall: It could have done without the subplot of the girl helping him. I would want more ninjas fighting. Plus this is edited for a M-18 rating...
DVD special features-Rating: 3/5
There are deleted scenes (7 minutes) which are pointless to the movie. There is a featurette on training Rain to get him fit for the role (9 minutes) which is interesting as you can see how hard he train to get his abs.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review; "14 Blades DVD review"
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When I saw the trailer, I was impressed thinking it could be great. Alas when I finished watching the movie, I couldn't help to be disappointed. The fighting scenes are okay, they are not what I expected when watching the trailer. I thought Donnie could do some impressive stunts but he didn't really show them here. The story is a bit muddle-headed but still okay. At least, it didn't turn out to be boring. Still, the fight scenes are better than in some movies.
DVD special features-Rating: 2.5/5
A making of (17 minutes) with no english subtitles. It is basically the usual making of. It has interviews with cast and crew and behind the scenes. That is all. Nothing much. There is a trailer of the movie (2 minutes).

2010-08-22T20:16:00.003+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Step Up 3D movie review"

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Step Up 3D's story isn't amazing but its dance moves and cool 3D contribute to the rating of 4. It've been a long time since I have watched a 3D movie; last watched 3D movie was How to train a dragon in March. There have been other 3D movies like recent The Last Airbender but the reviews for the 3D are horrible and convinced me not to watch it in 3D. The critics approve of this 3D. And yes, it is good as what they say.

With quotes like "...the 3D is the best since Avatar", you can never go wrong with this. With limbs swinging towards you, the 3D is awesome. It is so much better than Clash of the Titans 3D which barely shows you the dept of the 3D. Cool 3D aside, the story isn't anything new. The dance moves are cool and sleek that makes you wonder whether they really did them without any wires work. Some of the songs are good and the rest alright. Though the downside is that there are only three main dance battles though they are awesome. The cliche' romance plot may be slow to those who are so used to it. Plus there is a very mild twist which is predictable.

Overall: For 3D, it is worth a watch in cinema. For 2D, not so. Basically, the 3D is the one that amp the decision of watching this in cinema. The 3D is real and you do get to see dancers going near you unlike those post-production 3D movies like Clash of the Titans and The Last Airbender. Without the good 3D, I wouldn't have watched it in cinema...

2010-08-06T22:16:00.003+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "The Uninvited DVD review"
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This is a remake of the korean horror movie, A Tale of two sisters which I have not watched. But this 1 hour 27 minutes movie move around briskly so I did not feel bored. Yes, there is drama and the intensity between the two sisters. Yes, it is also Cliche' in some ways. As usual, there are some twists here and there but I fell for the final twist in the ending. I did not expect it.
DVD special features-3/5
There is one featurette (19 minutes) which basically covers the filming and the scripting of the movie. The director shares some interesting tidbits about the movie. The producers talk about changing the story. The actors/actresses talk about the experiences in the filming. Slightly interesting featurette. There are deleted scenes (4 minutes) which are worthless but worth a watch for one time. They are just the things happening offscreen. The different ending (1 minute) is just plain useless.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "The Stepfather DVD review"
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Another remake of the original. The thing different is the hot cast in the remake. And everything probably stay the same. A stepfather who is slasher who hide in families. And blah blah...he is suspected and then he is stopped...the usual slasher movie. Except this has no blood and gore. The bloodhounds will find this boring. The kills are bloodless so I have no idea why this is rated NC-16 and more surprisingly, this was not released in cinema in singapore.
DVD special features-Rating: 3/5
There are two featurettes. The main making of (20 minutes) covers the usual; director and actors/actresses sharing their experiences in filming. The second one (8 minutes) covers the stunts in the movie like falling off from the roof of the house. The featurette somehow focuses on this particular stunt. The gag reel (5 minutes) is not particularly funny but interesting to watch.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Pandorum DVD review"
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It is pretty intense. Two men find themselves trapped in a dark spaceship and they have to race against time to find a way to restore the ship's power. There is not much of a story. It is just like an event with some twists. That's it. The dark spaceship heightens the fear feeling.
DVD special features-Rating: 3/5
A short featurette (14 minutes) covers on the filming in the spaceship. With the director explaining some stuffs. The deleted/alternate scenes (27 minutes) are worth a watch as they provide some background knowlegde but they are useless and will only slow down the pace.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "The taking of Pelham 1 2 3 DVD review"
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It has the potential to be quite intense but somehow it is not. I am a little disappointed. But that was because I have read the book before watching the movie so i would actually ancitipate some scenes in the movie which reduce the intensity of the movie. Tony Scott's flashy camera work is a bit annoying with all the flash...this may be his movie that has the least action. But he still manages to make the movie entertaining. His latest movie is about trains too. Wow...it seems he has a liking for trains???
DVD special features-Rating: 3.4/5
The main making of (30 minutes) is long and does contain some entertainment value. The interesting feature (16 minutes) is on about the train system in New York. It gives you more information about the train system in New York. Good for those who have not been to New York. The director and producers comment on how hectic the trains are and the different rail tracks. Good featurette. Lastly, there are several trailers on this movie strung up together (7 minutes). There are other previews of other movies like Angel and Demon, Terminator Salvation etc.

2010-07-20T21:20:00.003+08:00

Rating: 4.5/5
Review: "Inception movie review"
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This is the first blockbuster this year that I have rated higher than 4. And it derserves its rating. Not any lower nor higher. Inception is Chris Nolan's latest movie. I have seen three of his movies. His movies are pretty good. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are solid. Prestige, though, wasn't that good, I found it boring. Inception is neither the batman movies nor prestige. It is intense throughout and holds an interesting premise.
The story: Some specialised people can go inside people's dreams/mind and steal information from them. The premise is interesting and it is carried out interestingly. With the movie starts with a bang, you know you will be in for a ride. It is intense because you don't know whether the characters are in a dream. Yes, this movie will make you care for the characters, you would want them all to survive through the whole movie. It then turns into the slightly complex story line where they can go into different layers of a dream. Action is alright, not exactly big. Music by Hans Zimmer is top-notch. And this has non-stop music even during in the talking scenes.
Overall: It is a pretty good movie not to be missed. This is something new for this year's blockbusters. The blockbusters this year are generic with big action scenes. This may not deliver on the action but it certainly delivers on the storyline.

2010-06-30T21:31:00.003+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating:3.5/5
Review: "Street Fighter the Legend of Chun Li DVD review"
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Well, it is based on the popular game. Video-game movies seldom have many good reviews. It is just the fans critizing them for not staying close to the games, this one is no different. Luckily, I am not a hard-core gamer, I don't even play video games. This Street Fighter movie is okay. Its fight scenes are the one that stand out in the movie. Other than that, there is hardly anything to speak of. The acting by Chris Klein is horrible. One of the worst acting I ever saw. When he appears, the movie becomes a comedy. What the hell! It is supposed to be serious but when this dude appears with bored over-acting, I started smiling. Overall, it is good if Chris is not in the movie.
DVD special features-Rating: 3.5/5
It has some cool features. It features deleted scenes (15 minutes) which are nothing much except the last scene with Rose with superpower. There is a preview on the upcoming game (2 minutes). Then comes the featurettes. One is on creating the movie (17 minutes) which is kind of interesting to heard the crew's past with the game. One is on creating Chun-Li (6 minutes), Kris is not bad but lack the shape. Finally, the last one is on creating a scene (9 minutes), the making of the back alley fight. Interesting featurettes.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Johnny English DVD review"
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Rowan is funny...his Mr Bean role is funny. His Johnny English is an idiot but funny. With the short runtime of 1 hour and 27 minutes, it moves briskly with gags added into it. I am glad that they have decided to make a sequel.
DVD special features-Rating: 3/5
There are only two things, one is a making of and another is deleted/extended scenes. The making clocks around less than half and hour but it is pretty good. Rowan discussing on how he wanted to play his character. The deleted scenes are boring, I can see why they are deleted. They will only slow down the pace.

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Rating:3.5/5
Review: "The Eye DVD review"
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Jessica Alba stars in the remake of the chinese horror movie. I haven't watched the original but the remake is not bad. Although there are not much tense scenes, the pace moves reasonably and does not dwell on the emotions. As usual, some of the shock scenes are over-used. For god's sake, those scare scenes are cheap. Jessica's acting is okay, overall, the acting is not bad. The music is surprisingly good. One of the better remakes I have seen even though I don't watch the original movies.
DVD special features-Rating: 0/5
Nothing and nothing...but at least, the movie is sharp and clear.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Friday the 13th DVD review"
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Again, this is another remake of the slasher movie. It is nothing new actually. The kills are kind of boring, nothing new. The suspense is mild. The only thing this stands out from the usual remakes is the sex scenes, there are two of them and they are graphic for a remake. That is all. But I am interested on seeing whether the main leads will survive or will they perish. The usual cheap scare scenes are annoying as well. Overall: It is okay to watch on a boring day.
DVD special features-Rating: 3.5/5
The deleted/extended scenes (8 minutes) are nothing but it is interesting to see the scenes that are shot differently. The two featurettes (22 minutes) are interesting. The cast and crew talk on how the reboot came about and making of the movie. But the most interesting thing is on the cast and crew sharing their experiences when watching the original. All the special features have english subtitles.

2010-06-21T20:03:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "The Karate Kid 2010 movie review"

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First of all, this is the remake of an old movie, also named as The Karate Kid. I felt that this is predictable yet entertaining. Well, can't expect that much from a movie which is labeled as a kids movie. But the fighting scenes are surprisingly brutal for a kids movie with lots of bone-crushing. Jackie Chan's fans should not expect him doing Kung-Fu throughout the movie, in fact, he only has one fighting scene which is cool though. As this movie is focused on Jaden's character, most of the fighting scenes feature him and his opponent who is a bully.

The story: It is predictable and straight-forward with some messages. Jaden's acting is not that bad, he manages on his emotions. At least, he is not as annoying as in When the day stood still. Jackie's acting is standard. Nothing new. James Horner's music is cool as usual as I expected. While they are not many fighting scenes, they are cool. There are about three fighting scenes. The chase scene between Jaden and the chinese guys is thrilling. Jackie doing some cool martial arts in one fight scene. The climax is a little short but still delivers.

Overall: It isn't as boring as I thought. With the runtime of 2 hours and 20 minutes, I thought I could be bored. But surprisingly, the pace goes smoothly and brisk. Although, I feel that it could have been shorten, it still manages to entertain me.

2010-06-16T20:42:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.8/5

Review: "The A-Team movie review"

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It almost like The Losers which was in cinema in May. The A-Team just has a bigger budget and over the top action scenes. I have not seen the original TV series but by looking at the pictures, I can tell the director kept its original look. There is almost no story to speak of just some wacky action scenes. There are basically four major action scenes. The first action scene almost starts immediately when the movie starts which sets the introduction of the four characters. That has a helicopter flying like an airplane. The second action scene has a tank "flying" in the air. Unbelievable. The more unbelievable part when they can escape unhurt. Next third action scene shows a heist scene. Nothing special. Then the final action scene which is the climax is a little disappointing as it is short and not any bigger than the other action scenes.

Overall: I can only comment on the action. Acting-wise is okay, nothing special nor bad. Music is cool as expected from Alan. CGI is okay, there isn't much so I can't say anything. The thrill is also okay, there are predictable moments. The action scenes are mostly the highlight of this movie as expected. If there is a sequel, I will give it a shot.

2010-06-16T19:42:00.003+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.8/5
Review: "Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End DVD review"
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The third installment for the Pirates of the Carribean franchise. There is even a forth movie coming. I wouldn't blame them as the movies were big money grabbers. As usual, this contains huge fantasy sets, especially the last battle scene. The pace moves reasonably for a movie with a runtime of almost 3 hours. Han Zimmer's music is epic too.
DVD special features-Rating: 2/5
This one disc edition only contains bloopers (5 minutes) which is at least worth to watch and some previews (3 minutes). Other than those, nothing else. All the featurettes are packed into the special edition.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "The lovely bones DVD review"
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Peter Jackson returns with a fantasy drama. And it receives negative reviews from both critics and audience. This usually happen for a movie based on a book. For me, it is rather okay for me, I didn't read the book. Critics say that this relies more on special effects than the story. The story is rather simple. Emotions are focused in this. With people....showing emotions...Mark Walberg is a father who finds out her daughter's killer. All the emotional stuff happen.
DVD special features-Rating: 0/5
Nothing. Not even trailers. The almost 3 hours bonus features are on Blu-Ray DVD. Not fair.

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Rating: 3.2/5
Review: "Superhero movie DVD review"
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This spoof obviously spoofs superhero flicks. Basically, it spoofs Spider-man. It is one of the better spoof movie. Some of the jokes are lame like the farting jokes but there are some which is kind of funny. Overall, it has its hit and miss. Some jokes work but some do not. Now, the spoof movies seem to cease...who know when the next will come. But I wouldn't mind a second Superhero movie.
DVD special features-0/5
None again. The quality of the video seems be a little darkened. Not the best nor the worst quality. It is somehow disappointing. And it is also cut. My god, cut version. Not good.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "The Wolfman Extended Cut DVD review"
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I have seen The Wolfman in cinema and now on DVD. The Extended Cut adds another 17 minutes into the movie. It does not really add any gore but it does add in background information. Those who says that the cinema version is disjointed and does not have much character development, the extended cut may please. Most of the added 17 minutes are in beginning of the movie which means the wolfman transformation is pushed back. Those eager to see the wolfman transformation may just want to stick to the cinema version. For me, the Extended Cut is just worth seeing once. I would stick to the cinema version. The extended cut includes notable footage of Lawence being asked for help to find out what has happened to his brother.
DVD special features-Rating: 2/5
It only contains deleted/extended scenes (11 minutes) and previews (5 minutes). The deleted/extended scenes are worth a watch. It seems that those are just to dispose of and not being added to the extended cut. They offer nothing much just some extended action scenes which are really extended and background story of the servant. As usual, the featurettes are on Blu-Ray DVD.

2010-06-11T20:19:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.9/5

Review: "Prince of Persia movie review"

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It is the first blockbuster movie I have seen in June and it is just the start. Prince of Persia may not have a solid or creative story line but its action scenes alone make the whole movie watchable. It is action-packed filled with special effects and huge sets.

The story: After watching this movie, I feel like buying the game from the store...but it is too expensive. The story is nothing much, it is like a rest for the action scenes. The action scenes alone are worth to watch. The particular thing that makes the action interesting to watch is parkour. Characters jump from one point to another while dodging attacks. It is cool. It is the sole reason to watch it on big screen. Some of the action may move quite fast and therefore easier to see on big screen. The runtime is good, the 116 minutes movie run fast. The music is also top-notch with epic score.

Overall: I don't mind a sequel. Prince of Persia's action scenes make it worth watching. Without the cool action scenes, I don't even think I would catch it in cinema. It has what a blockbuster need to have; cool action scenes, fast-paced story etc.

2010-06-01T18:36:00.003+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.1/5
Review: "Alvin and The Chipmunks 2 DVD review"
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Seeing it widely panned by critic and audience is wow. Don't you know this is meant for kids. When the kids enjoy it, it means this has done its job. For me, it is not too bad. The chipmunks are cute. But the songs are....well, too rocking. I am not saying that the songs are horrible to the ears but they are definitely not as good as the songs in the first movie. Other the songs, everything else is alright. It is alright to watch on DVD and i don't think I would catch it again.
DVD special features-Rating: 3.5/5
The special features are not bad. There are many music videos (20 minutes) which I did not hear all of them and would not hear them again. Then come the featurettes on the second disc. They are good in letting me know the chipmunks' past. There is a featurette(9 minutes) on how it has progressed from the many years since they were created. The interesting featurette (8 minutes) is on about the Chipettes, the female chipmunks. Then the rest are the usual, covering on the special effects on the chipmunks (5 minutes) and music stars in the movie (16 minutes) and finally a dance tutorial video on how to dance the moves in the movie (8 minutes) which is lame. I don't know whether the dance moves are geared toward kids or teenagers.

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Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Push DVD review"
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The movie is kind of thrilling when I first watched it. The last half of the movie is intense and is filled with suspension and twists. Push is about two people with superpowers on the run from the bad guys. Yeah, the story may seem simple but there are suspense and twists that kept me watching it till the credits.
DVD special features-Rating: 2/5
The special features are disappointing somewhat. There are trailers (10 minutes). There are deleted scenes (4 minutes) which belong to the deleted scenes. Finally there is a featurette (9 minutes) which is sadly not about the making of the movie, it is just about the director researching on the humans with powers.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Where Wild Things Are DVD review"
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I was interested in this movie as the reviews of this are mostly positive and I was interested in how the boy, Max, deals with his sad life. I understand the positive reviews. It is emotionally touching and gloomy. But I can't stand the annoying brat, Max, who is always throwing tantrum and even bite his mother. What the hell? Though the boy is around 10 years old, he does not know how to contain his freaking anger and goes around smashing things up. Sad life. Other than the boy, there is not much of a story but it shows the emotions of the characters and how they deal with it. This is gloomy for kids and I am not sure if kids even feel like seeing this.
DVD special features-Rating: 2.5/5
There are some short featurettes (13 minutes). One interesting featurette is on how they filmed the dog running and barking at the same time. Surprisingly, they encountered a lot of troubles.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "The Conspiracy DVD review"
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Not so bad. There are twists and thrills in this. It may not be that predictable if you have not seen Eagle Eye. I find Eagle Eye better but still this is enjoyable and make time pass.
DVD special features-Rating:0/5
Obviously none when the USA edition does not have any special features.

2010-05-16T17:03:00.006+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "I Robot DVD review"
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This is kind of intense in some ways. It has non-stop thrills but I would not say that this is action-packed. As far as I can remember this only has three-four major action scenes. And the action scenes are loaded with CGI robots and stunts. Well, this was in 2004 so I found those scenes slightly cheap. The story is ot bad, it has the thrills to keep me watching until the credit. Good popcorn flick.
DVD special features-4/5
Wow, this 2-Disc DVD has extensive featurettes and making of. There is a long making of/video production diaries (91 minutes) which can be viewed in chapters. It is basically behind the scenes on some scenes. Yeah, not a bad making of as it is quite detailed and covers up those major scenes. Moving on is a featurette on the CGI of the movie (35 minutes). It is just an extension of the behind the scenes with more talking about the CGI. There is a featurette on robot behaviour (35 minutes) which is not bad but a little boring. The last featurette (31 minutes) is about the 3 laws of robots. It is kind of boring. I could not sit still while watching this one. Lastly, there are deleted scenes (6 minutes) which add up to nothing and more behind the scenes with CGI (12 minutes). I took a while watching this extensive special features.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "G-Force DVD review"
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Not a bad kid flick. Too bad that the DVD does not contain the 3D version of the movie. The 2D is still as interesting as the 3D version anyway.
DVD special features-3/5
This is kind of disappointing. There is almost no making of/behind the scenes. There are two featurettes. One is about the weapons and stuffs they used in the movie (5 minutes) which is lame. This featurette is only for kids. Another one is about a kid talking about the idea of this movie (4 minutes) which is mildly interesting. There is bloopers (2 minutes) which is not bad but it is a little too short. There are three music video (9 minutes) which are also not bad. The last one is....not that rocking. Deleted scenes (6 minutes) which are just extended scenes and are also mildly interesting. Lastly, the advertisement of Blu-ray (4 minutes) which makes me want to buy. Disappointing special features.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Yoga DVD review"
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It is one of the latest korean horror movie. It isn't that bad as it does not actually feature ghosts, there are only creepy women who smile like some retards. It also shows the ugly side of people when they are obsessed. In this movie, they are obsessed with their faces! Bunch of retards. They are mostly pretty women who want to even make themselves more prettier. Like how? By doing yoga but when they break the rules meant not to be broken, serious ass things happen. Yap-Yap, the usual korean horror movie. At least it is better than Cinderella, another korean horror movie which is crap dull.
DVD special features-0.5/5
Nothing. There are two trailers (3 minutes) which cannot be skipped. Even the quality of the movie sucks, it is not even sharp.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Austin Powers in Goldmember DVD review"
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It is quite funny. Mike did a perfect job in playing all of his roles, Austin, Dr Evil etc. He is quite funny. This latest movie which is made in 2002 may not the funniest or the best Austin Powers movie but it makes full use of its entertainment. I find it a little random though.
DVD special features-Rating: 3.5/5
They are quite extensive for a one-disc edition. They are divided into two major sections, Beyond the movie and All-Access pass. Beyond the movie has four short featurettes (12 minutes) which are pretty interesting with the background information. All-Access pass has numberous of featurettes and stuff. There are deleted scenes (22 minutes) which is basically useless, they are only funny and add nothing to the story. There are four featurettes (15 minutes) covering on the characters in Austin Powers in one section. There are another few featurettes (20 minutes) on the behind the scenes, anotomy of three scenes and cars featured. There is featurette on visual effects (4 minutes). Then there are some music videos (12 minutes) which are not that good, I wouldn't listen to them again. Lastly, there are trailers (6 minutes) which are wacky. Phew, pretty good for a one-disc editon.

2010-05-07T18:23:00.002+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Ip Man 2 movie review"

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After watching the underwhelming Iron Man 2, I saw this and unlike Iron Man 2, this is better than the first movie. The fighting scenes are cooler than the first one. The fight between Donnie and Sammo is cool though a little short, I would like to see them fight longer. Surprisingly, this is more action-packed than the first one, I thought this would be a little melodrama as Ip Man is having a hard time in Hong Kong.

The story: It takes place after the first movie, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong and finds it hard to make a living. He wants to teach Wing Chun but he has to defeat several masters from Wushu schools. That is the first half of the 1 hour and 48 minutes movie. The last half is about Ip Man and his chinese people trying to defeat an English boxer. Yeah, the story may seem generic but the fighting scenes are worth the watch. I feel that the fight scenes help to enhance this movie better.

Overall: It is worth to watch this cinema as it is good to see the fast fight scenes on big screen. Ip Man fans will catch this. Action fans who don't know about Ip Man should also watch the series. Hopefully this will do well to get a sequel. If there is another sequel, Bruce Lee will definitely be inside.

2010-05-07T18:03:00.005+08:00

Rating: 3.9/5

Review: "Iron Man 2 DVD review"

Well, for me, it is kind of disappointing. Seeing the lack of action and three short action scenes disappoints me as this movie has been reported to have a higher budget than the first one. Another thing disappointing is the pace. The pace in the first Iron Man movie is intense, it is filled with intense moments and quirky humour. This one's pace is slower with all the melodrama of Tony trying to live his "broken" life as he thinks he will soon die. And he starts being an ass, some drunk ass, and blah blah....

The story: The first third of the movie is not bad, still holding up some interesting moments like the villian, Ivan in a car race scene. The second third is where the story slows down, luckily it is bearable, when Tony behaves like an ass, drinking and dancing like some nut monkey. Then there is an action scene with Tony and his best friend in armour. The last third is the climax between Tony and Ivan which is underwhelming. Wow, just seeing the short climax between a large monster and Tony makes disappointed. There is no threat. The music is still good, different from the first one which has a different composer.

Overall: It isn't bad but it is just underwhelming. I had expectations of this movie, I thought Jon will able to create another fast pace plot like the first one but he choose to stick to the drama of Tony. Aside the letdowns, this still did entertain me. It was still worth to watch it in cinema. I can't wait for the Thor movie which is hinted in the final scene of Iron Man 2 after the credits.

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DVD special features-Rating: 3.7/5

There is a full length making of (1 hour and 27 minutes) which is not bad. It is a detailed making of, it covers some days of the filming and the pressure of making this better than the first one. There are some small featurettes (30 minutes). They cover some characters in the movie like Nick Fury, Black Widow and War Machine. They are good as they are only briefly mentioned in the long making of. There are deleted scenes (16 minutes) which are pretty pointless except the alternative opening scene. There is the theme song and trailers to round up.

2010-04-09T20:37:00.003+08:00

Quick DVD reviews

Rating: 4/5
Review: "Sherlock Holmes DVD review"
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It is quite good with the blend of action, suspense, thriller with the touch of humor.
DVD special features-3.5/5
In USA, it only gets the one disc edition which means there is only a featurette as special features. In Singapore, we get lucky. There is the 2-disc edition available. It features a long featurette about creating the new Sherlock Holmes (14 minutes). The rest are small featurettes (29 minutes) which touch on some areas of the movie. They are pretty informative. Though they are not as detailed as they should be, it is fine. At least better than the USA edition.

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Rating: 4/5
Review: "Phobia 2 DVD review"
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The five stories are quite entertaining. They cut short to the suspense and leave out characters' development which means that this movie is at a fast pace.
DVD special features-3.2/5
At least, some behind the scenes (13 minutes) are added into this DVD. It is made up of short behind the scenes. Around two-three short behind the scenes focus on the making of one stories. There are 15 short behind the scenes. They are quite good, there is even english subtitles. The behind the scenes may be a little short but at least it is something.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "The International DVD review"
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Well, the best part of this is the only and one shoot-out where the main characters run round shooting the bad guys. Actually, the plot isn't that bad. But it is not as intense or thrilling as I thought it would be. Some parts are slow. Fortunately, the plot still has enough thrills and suspense to hold it from falling. Though it runs under less than 2 hours, i felt that it is more than 2 hours. In the end, it is still entertaining but the worst part is that there is no climax. It just ends without anything big.
DVD special features-3.6/5
There is a long making of (30 minutes) which cover on the finding and filming of places. The interesting featurette is the one on the building the museum for the shoot-out (6 minutes). I was surprised that they entirely built the whole place. Another featurette is about the finding of the places (6 minutes), it is just a brief featurette. The last one is also about the filming of a location (5 minutes). Is that all they can cover on? There is also a long boring but slightly informative extended scene (11 minutes). Yawn. Overall, the DVD has some good special features.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Surrogates DVD review"
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When I first watched it, i am disappointed in the lack of action. I thought it would at least have some cool action scenes instead the two action scenes are brief and not impressive. I guess that is because of the runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes, the director wanted to focus on the story more. The story is also not that impressive. Though with the short runtime, it is still packed with emotional and dramatic scenes. The story without them can be actually engaging. The pace still moves reasonably and soon it reveal the mystery.
DVD special features-1/5
Basically, it has nothing except a commentary which i don't bother to listen to it and a rocking music video. The rocking song (4 minutes) is kinda cool. That is the one star. In addition, there is preview (2 minutes) on When In Rome. The featurettes are on Blu-Ray. Damn...

2010-03-21T19:32:00.004+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "How to Train Your Dragon movie review"

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I am surprised I would enjoy this more than I thought I would. The 3D is also quite good. DreamWork movies keep improving. I like this better than its last movie, Monsters Vs Aliens. With an epic score by John Power, cute dragons and cool 3D, nothing can go wrong. Well, the plot does engage me too. I am surprised by its little time on dwelling with emotions as what Pixar/DreamWork movies usually do, instead it goes for the action-packed adventure with slapstick.

The 3D are at my standards. It is not very mind-blowing but it is cool. With 3D action in front of your face. Wow, is that amazing? Why should it not? 3D movies are the trend. There are more 3D movies releasing like Clash of Titans, Tron Legacy etc. obviously there are many more.

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DVD special features-3/5

There are two featurettes. One is about the cast of the movie (11 minutes) which the cast discuss about their roles and the directors commenting about their performances. The other one is about the making of the dragons (10 minutes). There are some interesting facts like how the directors wanted the dragons to breathe out fire and other stuff like mastering the lighting of the movie to make it as realistic as possible. There are a commentary and trailers of Megamind and Shrek 4.

2010-03-21T18:52:00.003+08:00

Quick DVD Reviews

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Transporter 2 DVD review"
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It is fast-paced with some cool action scenes.
DVD special features-3.4/5
It has long deleted and extended scenes (20 minutes) which show some background information, small details and more action. It is worth a watch. The making of (4 minutes) is a short one with the usual interviews and behind the scenes. Nothing special and it is short for any interesting information. Surprisingly, the featurette on the music (10 minutes) is longer than the making of. I have no idea what the eng dub version is talking about. The over-lapping of the english dub on the original french version is horrible. It does not follow the mouths. Lastly, there are previews (3 minutes), one is on Night Watch.

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Rating: 3.3/5
Review: "Universial Soldiers Regeneration DVD review"
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It is a decent straight-to-DVD movie. I have not watched the other movies but I can roughly understand the story. The Universial Soldiers are like cyborgs. They cannot feel anything and only follow orders by their owners. And they will do whatever way to complete their missions. What happens when two Universial Soldiers fight each other? The fight scenes are brutal and the action is decent which make the movie decent. As this is just a non-stop action movie.
DVD special features-0/5
The hell with this DVD. The USA has special features but the local DVD does not. It does not even include previews of other movies.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "The Box DVD review"
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The Box has an interesting plot. A couple receive a box from a mysterious man. Once the button on the box is pushed, two things happen. Some one in the world they don't know will die. Second, they will receive a million dollars. There are some meanings behind this like the greed of humans. There are some mild twists. The movie is intense at times and sometimes, it turns to the weird direction where nothing make sense. But the plot engages me with its twists and turns.
DVD special features-0/5
Again, no special features. The distributor, Scorpio East sucks. It does not even bother to have trailers included in bare-bones DVDs. It also distributes the bare-bones Universial Soldiers DVD. How disappointing.

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Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Law Abiding Citizen DVD review"
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It is intense and has suspense but when it comes to the ending, it is disappointing. The ending is the bad part of the movie. The ending is so common, it is nothing special and that is why it is disappointing. The acting is convincing. The characters are a bit wack but in the end, they got what they derserve.
DVD special features-0/5
Nothing. Nothing and Nothing. Crap DVD.

2010-03-15T19:29:00.003+08:00

Rating: 4.1/5

Review: "Alice In Wonderland 3D movie review"

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I am kind of surprised I enjoyed this 3D movie. I actually did not expect much from Tim Burton's movie. I may the only one who is not very interested in his movies. This just pipe my interest as I am interested in seeing how his version of Alice will be like. I went to see it with low expectations and instead I enjoyed it. The 3D effect has helped to enhance the movie by giving the feeling of places in the movie.

The story: It is sort of a sequel but Tim said it is not. So whether it is sequel or not, I look at it as a stand-alone movie. I like his version of Alice, the pace is brisk and I did not feel bored (The 3D helps). I find this more engaging than the cartoon by Disney too and one of the TV apdatation. The characters here are more likable. As the usual Tim's movies, this movie is a little dark with some intense scenes. The truth is I enjoyed this more than Avatar. Avatar may be ground-breaking for people but it is not for me. Because of its long runtime, Avatar spends time talking about some mushy contents, they are not even interesting. But staying throughout the film pays off, you will be treated to a war scene in 3D. But the thing is it is too long, my eyes got a little tired wearing the glasses. The time of Alice is just nice, 1 hour and 48 minutes. Danny Elfman has done it again by composing some striking music.

Overall: This may be the first Tim's movie I like. The 3D may not be popping out at you but it is enough to gain the realistic yet cartoonish tone of the movie. The 3D version may also be too intense for kids, 2D would be fine anyway. Half way in the movie, a kid was crying for no reason...

2010-03-15T18:43:00.005+08:00

Quick DVD Reviews

Rating: 3.3/5
Review: "Amalfi DVD review"
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The first half of the 2 hours and 4 minutes movie is a little slow which was kind of disappointing, I expected a fast-paced thriller from reading the summary. Luckily, the last half moves in fast pace and is exciting. Overall: Because of the first half, the plot kind of drags which makes it less enjoyable but still entertains.
DVD special features-0/5
As usual from a Japanese movie DVD, it features nothing. That I don't mind but even the quality is not very good. It is like the standard of a VCD. The english subtitles are embedded onto the movie...This is definitely not a good effort made.

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Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Zombieland DVD review"
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I feel the movie is over-rated. It is not the best horror/comedy movie. The fact is it entertains with amusing jokes (some are lame) and there are action with zombies. With its short runtime (thankfully, it is short or it will become boring), the pace moves briskly along with four characters finding a place in the world of zombies.
DVD special features-3.5/5
There are two featurettes. One featurette is about the casting of the stars (15 minutes). The actors/actresses tell about their experiences in making the movie. Kind of interesting. The second featurette is more of the making of the movie (11 minutes). There are boring deleted scenes (5 minutes) which are not very amusing. There is a short behind the scenes (4 minutes). For some of the scenes, surprisingly, they used green screen. Boring Promo trailers which is used to advertise the movie. Lastly, the trailers (12 minutes)

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Rating: 3.3/5
Review: "The Covenant DVD review"
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The supernatural thriller is interesting. It has a mix of thriller, supernatural and action. The final showdown is cool with the two main characters blasting at each others. It starts with the thrills (although it is not very thrilling) and supernatural and ends off with an epic showdown. I need a sequel.
DVD special features-3/5
There is a featurette (18 minutes) which is interesting as it covers interviews with the cast and crew and at the same time shows some behind the scenes. It also covers on the special effects. Two trailers (2 minutes) including its own trailer round off the special features. The special features may not be many but it is informative.

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Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Devilman DVD review"
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This live-action movie has been attacked by fans who say it does not resemble its original source. It is considered one of the worst movie in Japan but I don't think so. I may find it entertaining as I am not a Devilman fan. I must agree with the fans who say that the acting is shit. I laughed at the characters screaming, so fake and no emotions. The special effects are not bad considered it is a Japanese movie made in 2004.
DVD special features-0/5
The Hong Kong edition does not even contain its own trailer. Special features aside, the quality of the movie is sharp and clear. The USA has special features, what a pity.

2010-02-20T20:45:00.004+08:00

Rating: 3.6/5

Review: "The Wolfman movie review"

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To be frank, I had had not much expectations of The Wolfman and I have only gain a bit of interest about it this year when it was nearing the release date. I am not much of a werewolf fan. I walked into the movie without any high expectations, I just knew it was going to entertain me no matter what. I was right...but it exceeded my low expectations. There is a balance of action, drama and thrills. It is good fun.

The story: It is quite simple actually. The first scene has a man running away from the wolfman. Cue to the title. And then we soon find out that the man killed is Lawrence Talbot's brother. Obviously, Talbot will be bitten by the wolfman and becomes one himself. There is some action here and there, it is not action-packed though. Surely there is carnage. There is blood when the wolfman appears. There is a little twist which will lead to the final showdown. One thing that is not good is the over-use of shock scenes. I feel that the director kept adding shock scenes non-stop until when he thought that shock scene was effective, he slowed down the adding. The shock scenes did not really shock or scare me but somehow when one hour passed of the one hour and forty minutes movie, the shock scenes suddenly got slightly effective which had shook me out from the seat a little. Still, the shock scenes are over-used and the movie does not really depend on the intensity to keep us on the edge of the seats. One thing that is bravo is the music by Danny Elfman. He manages to compose thrilling and melodrama music. It matches the movie well.

Overall: It may not considered an oscar-winning movie but it does its best to engage you in what is happening. This is the best movie of director Joe Johnston as his Jurassic Park 3 is just okay. I can't wait to see what Joe will do with Captain America.

2010-02-14T11:51:00.005+08:00

Rating: 3.9/5

Review: "The Final Destination 3D DVD review"

Rating: 3.8/5

Review: "My Bloody Valentine 3D DVD review"

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The Final Destination DVD is awesome. It includes both the 2D and 3D versions. 2D should not be a problem to watch. The 3D is quite cool. It is better than the old 3D movies like Spy Kid 3D. Though it is DVD, the 3D effects stand out. It does really give me a sense of 3D in the movie. It is like the characters stand out from the background. It is quite cool.

DVD special features-Rating: 3/5

Having both 2D and 3D versions is good enough. There are some 3D movies that don't get the same treatment, they are 3D in cinema but on DVD, they are not. There are previews (7 minutes) of movies like WhiteOut, Halo Legends and advertisements. There are also deleted scenes (7 minutes). The deleted scenes are not bad, some of them show more bloody deaths and some show more talking. The best thing is that the scenes are completed, not a rough reel. Overall, a good DVD for collection.

My Bloody Valentine 3D is also quite good. I think the 3D effects are better than The Final Destination. It really gives me a sense of 3D, the characters really stand out from the background. Though the good 3D, it is a bit long, runtime of 1 hour and 41 minutes. Luckily The Final Destination is only 1 hour and 22 minutes so I get the fun of wearing the 3D glasses and see the special effects. My Bloody Valentine means you need to wear the glasses long which may be a little uncomfortable. But overall, it is still good for a 3D movie on DVD.

DVD special features-Rating: 2/5

It also has both the 2D and 3D versions which is awesome. But the real special features are meagre. The one-disc edition only contains a commentary by the director which I don't bother to listen and previews of movies such as crank 2 and some straight-to-DVD movies. It also contains the trailer of My Bloody Valentine (2 minutes). If you want special features, get the 2-disc edition.

2010-02-07T09:47:00.005+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "20th Century Boys 3 DVD review"

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Before the movie, you will be given a flashback of what has happened so far until the third movie. As the last and concluding movie, it is expected to be fast-paced and to have lots of twists revealed. Yeah, it is fast-paced for a runtime of 2 hours and 32 minutes with some twists lurk in the dark, waiting to be revealed. At the same time, the director manages to pack in dramatic and emotional scenes.

The story: It starts off 2 years after the second movie ends, it is the year of 2017. Friend is still destroying the world and the heroes are to stop his evil plan. Reasonably, I felt the pace fast due to the fact I was urging to know who the hell Friend is. There are more clues of who Friend is but i did not bother to rack my brain, I just had to sit back and watch the story progress in the final climax. There is not much a mystery to this unlike the previous ones, this is more straight to the point. The special effects are realistic considering the fact it is a Japanese movie.

Overall: 20th Century Boys is one of the best trilogy and one of the best japanese movie I have seen. It made full use of its big budget. It is also one of the few trilogies in Japan. Unfortunately, Japan is not a fan of trilogy. I hope there are more big budget trilogies coming in Japan. I am not worried about Hollywood.

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DVD special features-Rating: 1.5/5

Nothing much included. Just a simple interview (5 minutes). The questions asked are simple. There is not even a question on about the filming. Its own trailer (2 minutes) is included with some other japanese movies previews. Kind of disappointing considering that this is the last DVD of the 20th Century Boys triology.

2010-01-29T18:59:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.3/5

Review: "The Treasure Hunter DVD review"

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There are good and bad news. The good new is that this is better than the director's previous movie, Kung Fu Dunk. The bad new is that this is just an average generic movie. The Treasure Hunter has received horrible reviews, naming it one of the worst movie ever. But I don't think so, at least this tries to be fun. But because of the reviews, I did not watch it in cinema instead I waited for the DVD which came out quite fast-less than a month after it was off from the cinemas. I rented it. I finally watched "one of the worst movie" and didn't think it is that bad.

The story: I don't have to explain the generic plot. It is just a mix of The Mummy and other adventure movies. Though its generic plot, I am still entertained by its cheesy wired fight scenes and non-stop action. The fight scenes lack the impact but they are entertaining though a bit dull. Jay Chou is still as lazy as ever. I don't know how he gets into movies with his only one expression. I find that it is an improvement from Kung Fu Dunk which I didn't really enjoy it due to disappointment. Kung Fu Dunk has some good ideas but in the end, I don't see them.

Overall: It isn't the worst movie ever nor it isn't the best movie ever. It just falls into the line of average action movies which feature cheap but entertaining action scenes. I enjoyed it maybe due to the fact I lowered all my expectations because of the poorly received reviews.

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DVD special features-Rating: 1/5

It has only one special feature and that is an interview by the boring Jay Chou (7 minutes). The thing is there is no english subtitles so I found it boring and skip to the end. Only his fans will lap it up. There is no making of, not even a music video. Disappointing!

2010-01-09T19:02:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Ben 10 Alien Swarm DVD review"

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2007 saw Ben 10's first live action movie, Race against Time, which was enjoyable. Though enjoyable, it also has its weak points. One has a low budget so the special effects is not that good but still interesting to see. Acting by the kids is not especially good and if you think the adults in that can do any better, you are wrong. Grandpa Max looks like he is on drug. Then 2009 saw its sequel, Alien Swarm. This is so much better than the first one. Special effects look realistic and even acting is so much better although not great.

The story: It is pretty much simple. It sees three major action scenes including three aliens and a car chase scenes. They are good to see but yeah, for its budget, are short. But still overall, they are interesting to see. Yep, nothing much to say about the story. It is just like an average action movie plot that is simple for kids to understand. The music is somehow disappointing considering that the guy behind the music also scored Punisher War Zone.

Overall: It is worth the watch. This is more darker than the first. There are also improvements. I hope there will be another movie.

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DVD special features-Rating: 2/5

It is disappointing that the DVD only comes with a short behind the scenes (2 minutes) and a music video (3 minutes). There is nothing much in the behind the scenes just some short interviews with the cast and crew and short sniplets of behind the scenes. The music video is awesome though.

2010-01-08T19:12:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Cirque du freak: The Vampire's Assistant movie review"

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It is the first movie I have watched in 2010 and luckily, it isn't that bad to start off the new year. I am actually surprised that it is fast-paced compared to other movies that are adapted from books. I went into this movie with low expectations as the previews and reviews I have seen did not impress me. From the start of the movie, the pace is brisk...but not overwhelming. A good movie to start with the year.

The story: From the start, the story reveals Darren and his best friend, Steve. They go to a circus filled with so-called freaks. Darren sees something he so much desires, a colourful spider which is belonged to a vampire named Larten. He steals it and run off but it creates trouble by biting his best friend. Darren finds Larten and tells him that he wants to save his best friend. Larten agrees to help him under a condition...Darren is to be his assistant. As the story unfolds, it becomes darker and soon leads to betrayal between to best friends. The action/fight scenes are filmed in a nice way. It is somewhat refreshing to see the action. The special effects is not bad with a budget of US$40 million.

Overall: It actually surprised me. I thought it would be slow..showing how Darren deals with his powers and all the drama but it decides to be a fast-paced fantasy movie that does not dwell on the melodrama like what most movies based on book do.

2010-01-02T16:42:00.005+08:00

---------Top movies of 2009------------

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen-Rating: 4.5/5
Action-packed and special effects. The CGI is convincing enough. Big explosions. Big movie in summer. Enough said. Action and special effects, though it can cut down on the lame sexual humour.

Sherlock Holmes-Rating: 4/5
Quite the thriller but not as much as I expected. There is a nice mix of action, mystery, thriller with a touch of humour. This is more of a quiet blockbuster as summer has the big blockbuster filled with explosions etc. Transformers, G.I Joe

Phobia 2-Rating: 4/5
One of the best horror movies I have seen. Even it is one of the best thai movies. It tells five different stories with a runtime of around 2 hours. So that means the pace in each story is fast and straight to the point. Yep, it is also quite thrilling.

Whiteout-Rating: 3.6/5
This is an odd choice but I enjoyed its thrills and mystery although there is not much. Kate also did a pretty convincing job in acting. The action is blend well with the story too. I don't know why this is panned by almost all of the critics. There are far worse movies out there.

-------------Worst movies of 2009------------

Public Enemies-Rating: 3/5
This is not bad but it disappoints me. I thought it would be a thriller and show me the cat and mouse chase but instead it is more of a boring drama about John, the famous criminal of that time. It mostly revovles around him and his life. He is like the over-rated character in the movie. And the FBI who are chasing him are the under-rated characters. They only appear in around half of the movie whereas John appears throughout the whole movie.

Dance movie-Rating: 2.9/5
Not that it is not funny or whatever but it bores me. This is like Date movie, another spoof, which spoofs some boring movies and turns out more boring. Heck, even Meet the spartans, Disaster movie, Epic movie have some interesting things to see. But this has none. It got its 2.9 rating because of its so-called smart ways of spoofing.

The last house on the left-Rating: 2/5
This is a remake and I have not watched the original so I don't know how it can be compared. But this senseless movie has nothing to excite you. This is the type of movie which has no plot but also has nothing else to see. It is not even thrilling. It bores me...and I have nothing else to say to this senseless movie with characters killing for the sake of killing.

Overheard-Rating: 2.5/5
This chinese movie is disappointing as it is helmed by the directers of Infernal Affairs trilogy which is pretty good movie. This has no suspense, no thrills and all about the descisions of three men which can be a bit boring. They should have warned me that this is more of a drama than a thriller which the directers are famous for. The good thing is it is less than two hours.

2010-01-01T19:33:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.9/5
Review: "Bodyguards and Assassins movie review"
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A pretty good chinese movie which has an interesting and thrilling plot. Bodyguards and Assassins had me on the edge of the seat especially the last hour where the thrilling action is shown. Teddy Chan, the director, has shown some improvement from his last movie which was in 2001. His previous movie featured Jackie Chan in the main role and did not interest me as much as his new movie.
The story: It starts off at a reasonably well pace with almost no action in the first one hour. An important person (I don't remember his name) is coming to China. His controversial coming creates a lot of troubles in China. Assassins want to assassinate him due to some reasons. Bodyguards are recruited to protect him. As they get ready for the preparations, the last hour comes in. The fast paced chase thrilled me and the fast decisions made it more intense. Though it is fast paced, there is still time for some drama.
Overall: This is not a movie that jumps straight into the action, it is a movie that takes time to develop its plot and characters. It was a break for me as I had seen Storm Warrior, also a recent chinese movie, which is full of action with no characters' development and plot. Donnie Yen is still doing great in his fighting, can't wait for his new movie-14 Blades.

2009-12-23T21:14:00.004+08:00

Rating: 4/5

Review: "Avatar 3D movie review"

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The reason why Avatar has a rating of 4 is because it is entertaining and its 3D effects are cool. Avatar's 3D is not the usual 3D which has things popping out from the screen instead its 3D effects make you feel like you are in the movie. There is actually nothing that pops out from the screen. The effects also show characters in front of the background. The 3D manages to cover up the simple story but entertaining story.

The story: Those who said that the story is not very original are right. The story isn't any original but it has thrills and entertainment. In the future world, characters are able to control avatars hence the title. Jake is an eager man who can't wait to control his avatar. His avatar then develops a realationship with the other blue aliens and soon needs to make a decision to join whose side as man and aliens are at war. The music is epic but it is not the best of James Horner. It sounds like an usual war music with choir singing in the background.

Overall: It is quite a cool movie especially with 3D. With its 3D, it is more watchable as it will keep you enage with its stunning visual effects and entertaining plot and the exploding climax with man and aliens.

2009-12-18T22:32:00.004+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "Terminator Salvation DVD review"

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This is not bad. It is not the worst terminator movie, I actually thought Terminator 1 is just okay. Terminator 2 and 3 are quite entertaining followed by also entertaining Salvation. MCG, the director of Charlies' Angels, takes the directing seat and turned terminator into a dark and gritty world. As what he said, he did not want the future to be a shiny world but a dark and gritty world. He is considered to have done a great job in that and creating the realistic and cool action. But his story pretty much stays the same as his other movies, a simple mindless thrill ride.

The story: The future is here and the year is 2018...John Conner is a daring man who will be willing to save people from Skynet, a evil organisation which creates Terminators. A mysterious man who is supposed to be dead suddenly finds himself in the year of 2018. He wants to seek for the truth. And obviously there will be some mild twists. Bring on the action. Explosions...huge ones and real too followed by cool but not yet epic music by Danny Elfman.

Overall: It is an entertaining flick. Whether it is worthy to be the Terminator franchise is another point. And whether it is bad, it will still be considered part of the franchise. I enjoy its mindless thrill ride filled with action and CGI.

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DVD special features-Rating: 3.9/5

They are quite interesting to watch. Region 3 gets the 2-Disc edition which is lucky as Region 1 has no special features hence the 1-disc edition. There are two featurettes. One is on creating the world of 2018 Terminator (19 minutes) which is interesting to hear how the production team wants it to look like. Another one is on the motor-terminators, terminators mixed with motocycles (9 minutes). It is a short featurette and shows how they create the motor-terminators. The last special feature is 11 mini-focus featurettes (24 minutes). As the title states, the 11 mini featurettes focus on something like creating the terminators, the world and filming the huge explosions etc. I like it though brief, they go behind scenes. Rounding the special features up is a trailer of the taking of Pelham 123 (2 minutes).

2009-12-14T19:30:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.9/5

Review: "The Storm Warriors movie review"

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This is the long-awaited sequel to The Storm Riders which was made ten years ago. Can you believe it? After ten years, the Pang Brothers decide to helm the sequel. They made it into an action-packed movie filled with incredible special effects not seen in chinese movies. It is obviously filmed with green/blue screen. The special effects are not to be compared with high budget Hollywood movies'.

The story: The action with special effects starts straight from the first scene. Wind and Cloud, the main characters, cannot defeat the powerful bad assholes so they flee the scene. They then both are trained in different ways. Wind takes the evil way which may endanger him and Cloud being taught by Nameless, a teacher. With its fast pace, the movie took me from one action scene to another in a short time and soon I forgot the time and was being sucked into the fantasy world. At the end of the movie, I realised 2 hours and 8 minutes had passed. Not only it is filled with non-stop action and special effects, the epic music is also non-stop.

Overall: It is pretty awesome in ways. Action, special effects and music are good. There is a downside since this is filled with non-stop action. The story is kept simple. The good guys vs the bad guys. I am not very surprised as the the first live-action and animated movies do not really have a much detailed plot. If you are willing to let go the simple story and enjoy the special effects and fight scenes, it will be please you. There should be a part three and I hope there will be.

2009-12-10T19:27:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.3/5

Review: "Fast and Furious DVD review"

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Kingdom of Heaven DVD review"

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Fast and Furious is the forth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise. I have seen all of the movies. This is not much different than the others just that this has some new sleek cars. The story is simple enough and the action/racing is the thrills. That is all I want from the franchise. Thrilling and action-packed plot and cool action scenes. Yep, this pretty much delivers.

DVD special features-Rating: 3/5

The features are not bad on a 1 disc DVD. There is a gag reel (5 minutes) which is not exactly funny but has some entertainment values like Paul Walker keeps laughing for no reason. There are numberous of featurettes (24 minutes). Two featurettes focusing on cars and casts. One is Vin's driving test and the other is making of the movie.

Kingdom of Heaven is a good piece of epic movie. Though there is only one major war scene, the rest of the runtime thrills me. Though its long runtime, 2 hours and 25 minutes, the pace is considerably fast and seldom drags. The music is epic too. Acting is convincing enough. Its DVD cover and poster made me think that this has non-stop action and I was wrong. But in the end, I was massively entertained.

DVD special features-Rating: 4/5

The features are good and detailed. There are two featurettes about the history (1 hours and 30 minutes) which is awesome. It is good to know the history of this story. There is a detailed making of (1 hours and 32 minutes) which is good too. There are some small things like a net featurette (9 minutes) and trailer (2 minutes). Good DVD.

2009-12-06T18:55:00.005+08:00

Rating: 3.1/5

Review: "New Moon movie review"

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I am not the crazy-ass fan who will scream when seeing Edward or a fan of the books. I watch this for pure entertainment and as to see how bad this movie can be. This is not bad, in fact, it is actually interesting to see how the main character, Bella, copes with her vampire lover, Edward, plus a new guy's love. The thing is it is a little slow. The way the director, the one behind Golden Compass, bring up the story isn't there. The pacing also seems a bit off. From a starting slow pace shoots into a slightly faster pace and then shoots right back into the slow pace. So it is a little hard not to feel bored at times. Other than that, it is quite okay.

The story: It continues after Twilight, which is also okay, and goes in a melodrama pace. Bella is still in very love with the vampire hunk, Edward. Hooooo.....undying love. The way it is shown in this movie is slightly annoying. Anyway, Edward leaves her for a purpose and Bella becomes emo. Sigh! The pace goes back to slow...when Bella turns to a new hunk, Jacob. La! La! So happy. I am not going spoil the whole story but...it is predictable.

Overall: Alright, it is not bad. CGI is quite good except for some times. The little action is intense. The love between Bella and Edward is undying and on it goes. For entertainment, it may deliver. For other things, it may not. Obviously it delivers on the wide spread of hunks and romance. Watching it one time is good enough for me and I won't be buying the DVD.

2009-11-26T20:14:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "Halloween 2007 DVD review"

Rating: 3.6/5
Review: "Crow Zero DVD review"
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Halloween 2007 is a remake of the original. I have not watched the original but I will watch it. Anyway, this movie is a remake and a prequel to the original so no harm not watching the original before this. It is entertaining to see how the killer, Michael became a cold-blooded killer. Yes, there is violence and blood and sex and nudity and language. But it does not really have the one thing that most slasher movies try to have and that is the suspense. Though there is not much suspense, it has thrills.
DVD special features-Rating: 3/5
It has trailers including its own trailer for the movie and for The Mist (2 minutes). The DVD also includes interviews (25 minutes) and behind the scenes (18 minutes). The interviews are not bad as it is interesting to hear the cast and crew's views on the movie. The behind the scenes' editing is quite choppy. After one scene ends, there is a sudden blackout before moving to the next scene. It is basically straight behind the scenes with no interviews in between. Though the extras are not put well, I should be thankful as it at least contains extras.

Crow Zero is based on the popular comic book/manga. Its action is not bad but do not expect it to be martial arts' fights. The fighting scenes are like ugly brawling of gangs only they seem to have super strenght. The story seems rather simple. Obviously, the best fight scene is the climax of the movie where two gangs clash together. Crow Zero 2 is also on DVD but that will have to wait.
DVD special features-Rating: 2/5
It only includes an interview (12 minutes) and its trailer (2 minutes). The interview is interesting as the cast get some absurd questions and do their best to answer them. The only thing bad is that the english subtitles are somehow gone in between the interview and come back toward the end of it. Can't it at least have a simple behind the scenes?

2009-11-19T21:37:00.005+08:00

Rating: 3.4/5

Review: "The Spiderwick Chronicles DVD review"

Rating: 2.9/5

Review: "Shaolin Girl DVD review"

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The spiderwick Chronicles is a fun and entertaining movie. You get to see monsters, magical creatures etc. Special effects are good, the story is simple but entertaining. The 1 hour and 35 minutes movie manages to entertain with its magical creatures, intense action scenes and evil monsters. It is worth the watch.

DVD special features-Rating: 2/5

Yuck! Why did this entertaining movie get such crap extras? Can't the extra even be decent? The extras include a simple making of (8 minutes) and a featurette of Spiderwick Chronicles' world (7 minutes). The rest is yuck! You get to explore the creatures' design and bio. And these are all. The making of is okay and simple. I am surprised that it did not cover on the special effects. The featurette is boring and it is only for kids who can't get enough of this fantasy world. All we get is 15 minutes of extras. Disappointing.

Shaolin Girl is *yawn* but it is not that boring. It is disappointing, no real action until the last part of the movie. And even that, the fight is not good. The motion and way they fight are slow until you lose patience and say "What the hell! The story is slow and even the action is slow!" and you throw the DVD cover at the screen. "F the director! He can't even create a decent fight scene." It spends a lot of time on girl's sport and obviously the comedy is weird. There is a fat ass who likes eggs so much that he...sucks the egg yolk when the egg is cracked. Overall, it is bearable but disappointing. It cannot even deliver the action scenes.

DVD special features-Rating: 0/5

The DVD is shit! No special features! Not only the movie is disappointing, the DVD is also disappointing. F this DVD. This thing is an outrage!

2009-11-16T19:43:00.004+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "State of play DVD review"

Rating: 3.4/5

Review: "Bangkok Dangerous DVD review"

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State of play is actually an entertaining thriller. I feel that at some point, it feels a little slow but in end, it is fine as the pace is actually fast and the twists will come one by one. Soon, as the movie ends, the biggest twist is revealed. I was not expecting that. 2 hours and 7 minutes is a fine runtime for a thriller like this.

DVD special features-Rating: 3/5

The DVD features a making of/featurette (18 minutes) and deleted scenes (9 minutes). The featurette is interesting and shows you behind the scenes and how they design the office. They also talk about how they adapt from the original series that this is based on. Deleted scenes are blah but they provide some detailed things.

Bangkok Dangerous is a remake of a thai movie. The thing is it is also directed by the same guys who brought you the original one. The remake is not so bad, at least we get some great music. The action and gunplays are alright but not great. Other than that, the romance subplot seems to drag the story and becomes a slower paced movie. The worst part is that this is cut in Singapore! What the hell!

DVD special features-Rating: 2.5/5

There are a featurette (13 minutes) and alternate ending (8 minutes). The featurette is not very interesting, not much behind the scenes, and there are interviews of the pang brothers... The alternate ending is just another way of how the ending should be.

2009-11-15T12:03:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5

Review: "2012 movie review"

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2012 is a thrilling and emotional ride. The CGI is the one that stands out. The detruction scenes are quite realistic, destroying everything in sight and leaving nothing spared. Acting including the children's is also quite good. 2012 is 2 and an half hour of pure destruction and I enjoyed seeing it.

The story: It starts off a little slow but when it comes to the second destruction/disaster, the pace becomes faster due to the thrilling escapes from the disasters. It is a about a family struggling to survive from the natural and huge desturctions. They meet some other characters. The usual plot in a disaster movie. Though the CGI of the destructions are good, some of the emotional scenes are good as well. The music goes well especially during the emotional scenes. Enjoy seeing countries being smashed up! HA HA! Bring out the little kid in you...

Overall: Yep, it is thrilling and emotional. Even if you don't like the lame plot, you would at least enjoy the fantastic and amazing destructions. If you like emotional and great CGI scenes, you are in for a big treat. If you like disaster movies, you would enjoy this too. If you hate lame plot including big goofs or mistakes, you may not enjoy this mindless CGI feast. Well, that is 2012 for you. Sleep in fear.

2009-11-08T17:14:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.1/5

Review: "Prom Night DVD review"

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This is just as good as renting it. The remake has nothing new to look at except the suspense but even that, it is still pretty weak. It is a little intense with many shock scenes (obviously in a horror/thriller movie) and it has its fair share of suspense. Surprisingly, there are some light moments considering that has a serious story and killer. It is definitely not for the gore hounds, if gore is the only thing they want to watch this, even the unrated edition features little blood.

The story: Moving on to thrills and suspense, it does deliver these but they are not very heavy. There is little thrills: you see the killer's face clearly and at most of the time, the camera will show what the killer will do next. Blah. That kills the suspense. There are shock scenes which are predictable, in fact, most of them are predictable.

Overall: It is an okay slasher flick with no heavy suspense or thrills. It is just an average thriller. The problem with this is that it reveals everything too fast, there are not much suspense and thrills to anticipate. Even When Stranger calls is better than this. When Stranger calls at least deal with heavy suspense.

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DVD special features-Rating: 3/5

The unrated edition contains one minute more than the theatrical cut but obviously I don't know what is added except some more blood. Uncut runtime is 1 hour 29 minutes. There are a few featurettes which includes making of (12 minutes), a featurette of creating the killer (5 minutes) and location (4 minutes) and real prom night experiences by the cast and crew (6 minutes). All of them are not bad but lack of behind the scenes. They are mainly interviews of cast and crew. There are deleted scenes and a different ending (5 minutes), they are meaningless...no point. There is a slightly funny gag reel (2 minutes) and finally a some sort of preview of how a yearbook is like (5 minutes), yawn. Boring trailers for boring movies are added too.

2009-11-06T19:13:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.4/5
Review: "Kamen Rider Cho Den-O and Decade movie review"
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Den-O is a really popular character in Kamen Rider, after his third movie, a forth one appears. I feel that he is too over-rated but whatever it is, his new movie still entertains. The new movie is not as good as his past movies and that is because I am a little sick in seeing him taking the spotlight. As the title states," Cho Den-O and Decade" I thought I would see Decade in some kick-ass action but no, he is just a background character-he appears for less than 15 minutes! To see some real action of Decade, I should wait for his real movie that came later this year.

The story: It has nothing special...the only thing exciting is the CGI battle between the Den liner and a battleship. This time, the action is not very exciting. I could say that this is not a very good Kamen Rider movie. Yes, it has non-stop action but I have seen everything in this movie before. The story is the usual superhero/Kamen Rider type, the action is just alright with no great stunts, CGI is okay and music could have been better. All this summarise into a typical and average kids action movie.

Overall: Though it is a bit disappointing, the fun value is still there. Kamen Rider beating the shit out of each other and bad guys. The 1 hour and 20 minutes movie still entertains me but not as much as other Kamen Rider movies. Enough with Den-O and move on. Den-O is getting old.

2009-10-20T12:30:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3.7/5
Review: "Pandorum movie review"
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As it is from the producers of Resident Evil, you can see some similiar things between them. Pandorum's story plot may not be very original but it does its intensity and suspense good. I had fun with this intense non-stop action movie with its suspense.

The story: It starts straight to the action. Bower wakes up from his pod and found that he may be alone. But sooner, he knows he is not alone. Yep, he is definitely not alone in the big ship. Things unwanted starts to appear. What is it? The adventure around the ship will start seeing some mild twists. Action and chase scenes are intense with its unusual soundtrack. It choose not to be the creepy soundtrack that most horror movies are using. It is filled with non-stop shock scenes and sometimes that gets annoying. Bower walks, BOOM! What the hell! He turns around. Five minutes later, he walks and see something and BOOM! What the hell! I was not that shocked but more of being annoyed. They are cheap scare scenes.

Overall: It is a pretty good intense thriller that is worth to watch it in cinema as you feel the darkness around you but obviously, it does not really have the claustrophobia feeling. "This is an order, motherfucker!"

2009-10-10T14:52:00.007+08:00

Rating: 3.1/5

Review: "Kung Fu Cyborg: Metallic attraction DVD review"

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Warning: This is not action-packed either does it contain amazing action like Transformers. Named as the chinese's Transformers, it is obviously no match for Michael Bay's Transformers. Transfomers has a massive budget of US$150 million and Kung Fu Cyborg only has a budget of around US$14 million. There is a big difference. In Transformers, you get to see realistic CGI robots. In this, you get to see cheap CGI robots. Even its story, this is not match for Transfomers. Transformers has a fun story line with some humerous jokes and is action-packed. This is a slow romance story with robots as its sub plot. So don't expect this to be as explosive as Transfomers.

The story: It is a slow-paced romance story with love and love...yawn. If you cant sit still for at least half an hour, you will be rewarded and get to see cheap-ass CGI robots fighting. They have to make use of the title, Kung Fu. There are three main action scenes, first not very good and the second is okay-robots are fighting. The third is the last battle between good and evil which is just okay and not very outstanding. La-la-la...love is everywhere...why does this have to be romance. Can't it be a comedy? At least, i will get a bit amused. Yeah, this does contain some slap-your-ass jokes but I am not even amused. Put in more effort!

Overall: Yep, it is not so bad but it is disappointing and a little boring. At least, the chinese tried to make a robot movie on their own. The best part of this is the action scenes. Other than that, you skip it. I did not quite enjoy it but at least, I was the slight entertained. Korea is coming up its robot movie too. Awesome!

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DVD special features-Rating: 2.9/5

The Hong Kong DVD edition features a making of (30 minutes) and trailers. The making of is entertaining, it makes the movie seems like an action movie. Nice to see some goofing around and some deleted scenes which I have not seen in the movie. Trailers include its trailer and two other previews (3 minutes). So sad that they are not equipped with english subtitles.

2009-10-09T14:59:00.006+08:00

Rating: 3/5

Review: "Year One movie review"

Rating: 2.9/5

Review:"Dance Flick movie review"

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I watched two comedies named Year One and Dance Flick which are not very funny. They contain the usual sex and punching- people jokes. They are getting boring and it is not funny anymore especially seeing people getting hit in the balls or in any body parts.

Year One is a Jack Black movie which I thought it would be as funny as School Of Rock. Jack is a funny guy but sometimes he is annoying with his fat-ass face making some ass looks. Yeah, the movie is slightly funny with Jack and that is about it. There are many ballsy jokes which I get tired of. Although the jokes are not very amusing, it is actually quite entertaining. Jack plays an fat asshole who eats a fruit that is not supposed to be eaten. He is then kicked out from his so-called group with his best friend. They venture outside their world and that is where all the balls jokes come into.It is not so bad. It is better than that senseless Jck Black's Nacho...whatever the name is.

Dance Flick is a spoof of dancing and musical movies. The title says so. It is just funny but not that funny. Heck, even Superhero Movie is funnier than this racist movie. Whatever about the story...but it has some of the most no-sense jokes. Like a pregnant woman dancing with her baby coming out...my eye popped out. Nothing much to say about this no-sense movie. So whatever, Superhero Movie is better.

2009-10-04T12:26:00.006+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Wolverine DVD review"

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The latest X-men movie and the first origin movie, Wolverine. Wolverine is one of the most popular X-men so I am definitely not surprised that they have made a film about him. It is entertaining at most, a straight-forward story packed with action. It is not the best X-men movie. Though it is action-packed, it just feel bloated. It is like stuffing your stomach more food when it is full. The action is not that breath-taking, it is just filled with explosion and destruction. Even X-men 3 which present the action better seems to be better than this bloated action-packed movie.

The story: The origin of Wolverine. What else do you need to know? It features scenes of Wolverine screaming or roaring like some pissed-off animal which is true. The whole time, he is pissed off with mutants like Gambit and Victor known as Sabertooth. He goes on a killing spree and so does Victor. They hack and slash and without the blood and gore, this is only a PG-13 movie. Blah blah, everything is squeezed into the 1 hour and 47 minutes runtime. Guess what? It is just bloated.

Overall: It is not bad and also not the better Marvel comic movies I have seen. It is just entertainment and that is all about it. I enjoyed X-men 3 better than this. One thing to look out for, Wolverine crying like a pussy. Now that is entertainment.

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DVD special features- Rating: 2.5/5

The one-disc edition only contains two special features. One is a short docu-making of (12 minutes), it is just briefly tells about how they get about making this movie and some behind the scenes. The second and last one is some boring deleted scenes (9 minutes). They are meaningless and do not really contribute to the story and hence got deleted.

2009-09-26T16:52:00.005+08:00

Rating: 3.6/5

Review: "Whiteout movie review"

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It is not so bad as what the critics have critise about it. With the harsh rating of 6% in Rotten Tomatoes, it is not so bad and even manages to entertain. Whitout manages to thrill me with its suspense and mystery. Though I have seen better intense thrillers like Fracture, one of the best thrillers I have seen, the suspense still is intense. With the runtime of 1 hour and 41 minutes, the pace moves at a not very fast or slow speed, the pace is just alright. It is an interesting mystery thriller with some well-designed action.

The story: Kate Beckinsale dons some heavy winter clothes after the tight suit from Underworld. Her acting is convicing enough as an U.S. Marshal. Gabriel Macht, from The Spirit, does not deliver his best performance, his acting is dull and does not follow with much expressions. Kate's character, Carrie, discovers a dead body at Antarctica and goes to investigate the mystery murder. A killer appears. More dead bodies. More mystery. And then a twist. The movie is more intense with its thrilling but unoriginal music. How many times I have heard the same tone of music before? There is not much action. There are two major action sets, the gun play at the airplane at the beginning of the movie and the stormy fight scenes at almost the end of the movie.

Overall: I had good fun. It may be one of the best thrillers but at least I had entertainment. This is not the type of mystery that makes you think, you just wait for the story to unfold. Simple. Based on the graphic comic I have not seen. Note: It is edited for a PG rating but I have no idea what is cut.

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DVD special features-Rating: 1/5

This DVD is almost bare bone. There are only deleted scenes (4 minutes) which are background information for the movie. Nothing interesting but worth a watch. Warner Bros. is throwing DVD out of the window, the DVDs usually get nothing except one special feature like deleted scenes or one featurette and Blu-Ray gets a whole lot of special features.

2009-09-21T17:19:00.008+08:00

Quick reviews

Rating: 3/5

Review: "Samurai Girl TV review"(6 episodes)(2009)

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With 6 episodes, do not expect everything to move at a fast pace. For me, the pace does not really work. Romance and action have been added into it in order to make more interesting. The fight scenes are okay for a TV show. But other than that, nothing really stand out.

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Rating: 3.2/5

Review:"Death note TV review"(37 episodes)(2007)

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I have read the manga so seeing this is nothing special. The TV series is just basically copying everything from the managa, from scenes to scenes. In no time, it will be boring. The music is the only thing that stands out. Those who have not read the manga, it is a good thriller. Otherwise, see it if you want.

2009-09-19T22:09:00.007+08:00

Rating: 2.9/5
Review:"Opapatika movie review"
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This thai supernatural actioner is a little disappointing on the action but the story is pretty engrossing. As it is called an action film, I would have expected seeing some proper action. There is action and gun fights but it is not properly styled. It is messy with shaky camera. The fights are lame with almost no stunts. The gun plays are dull and boring at times. The interesting story is marred by horrible action. So not good. In action movies, action turns out better than the story. In this, the story turns out better than the action.
The story: It is about 4 Opapatika dealing with their ass lives. Each of them has a different power like being able to read people's mind, summoning a monster and speed. How to become an Opapatika? Kill youself. In this story, people believe in afterlife. After they kill themselves, they become Opapatika with different skills. It is action-packed with with blood and a little gore, fight scenes are mixed with blood and gore. The 109 minutes movie deals with how four lives and are fated to meet each other leading to the dull final showdown and twist.
Overall: It is not bad but it is disappointing. Especially that the story is engrossing but is marred by messy action. If you watch this thinking it will be like an thai action flick with cool stunts, you will be disappointed. If you watch this, leaving out all expectations, it is passable. It is not one of the better thai movies I have seen.

2009-09-06T10:06:00.002+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5
Review: "G-Force movie review"
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It is not all that bad, at least it tries its to be an enjoyable family movie flick. But as usual, Disney movies now are getting haters around the world due to its popular teens and live-action animals-talking movies. So now, when they see a live-action Disney movie whether it has teenagers singing or animals yapping away, they would be put off immediately. Whatever it is, G-force is fun with 3-D. Kids would like the cute animals coming near them.
The story: G-Force has a simple story which is also not creative. But that it is not what kids want, they would want to see action blazing through their ways. As this being a Jerry Bruckheimer production, you can expect at least a car chase and some explosion but only more mild. Trevor Rabin did a good work in creating epic music. Though a kid movie, expect some rude humour but also at the same time, some lessons to teach your kids.
Overall: Definitely not as bad as what haters say. In the end, it is just meant to be an enjoyable fun romp. You don't like animals talking, this is not for you. A good movie for the holiday. Just leave your brain at home if you want to enjoy this.

2009-08-21T19:23:00.005+08:00

Rating: 3.5/5

Review: "Up DVD review"

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First, I don't care how critics or fans lap this up with extremely positive reviews. I am just going to say what I have to say. Up is Pixar's latest animation and first 3-D movie featuring polished animation. Honestly, I did not watch a lot of Pixar's movies and could not remember much about them. 2005's The Incredibles caught my eyes and that is all and until now, Up. Up is an interesting adventure movie that will appeal to all ages. It got cute talking dogs and a weird bird, an usual thing for animation movies, it gets cute written everywhere.

The story: The first ten minutes of this 1 hour 36 minutes is just an introduction of Carl Fredricksen and his wife. After the surprising death of his wife, he becomes grumpy and serious. He gets annoyed with people who surround him and decides to fly his house as what his wife would like. He is stuck with Russell, an asshole at first. They soon meet some weird bird that likes chocolates. Yum! Come to the last half of the movie, a villian is introduced with some wild mutt talking dogs. As usual, Pixar never fail with its humourous jokes that do not make you laugh but smile. The animation is Pixar's speciality so it is top-notch. The story is entertaining yet simple. The meaning and moral is there. What I dislike about it is its short-running time and lacks of proper development of the villian.

Overall: This heart-warming story should not be missed whether old or young. This PG movie manages to earn a whopping $400 million worldwide. Tell me why you should miss this?

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DVD special features-Rating: 3.4/5

The one thing that stands out are the short movies (9 minutes), one is a cute short about a cloud who produces fierce animals and the other one is like a prequel to the movie- it shows you how Dug comes into the movie. There is a long featurette (22 minutes) about how they come about the locations in the movie. Honestly, I am not very interested. It is not very interesting, they flew to places and explain how they design the locations in the movie. The last feature is also a featurette about the different endings of the villian. They have to change the ending due that this is a kid movie and other reasons.

2009-08-21T18:36:00.003+08:00

Rating: 3/5

Review: "Fireball movie review"

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Hong Kong has its own kung Fu basketball movie, Kung Fu dunk by Jay Chou. Now, Thailand has its own Kung Fu basketball movie, Fireball. The good news is that it is better than the empty Kung Fu dunk which has nothing to do with Kung Fu or basketball. Though, it is better, it is not very good...when it comes to the action/fight scenes, the camera work becomes frentic and I could not take a proper look at how they are fighting. The camera work is shaky and it shakes like a mad dog itching to get close to the action but could not so as it avoids being hit by the actors doing some manic stunts.

The story: It starts up with some confusing story line. You see someone goes out of jail and later sees him visiting someone whom is his brother. Blah, he joins a violent basketball game where the players are supposed to knock the others holding the basketball. I see that the game basketball is misused, why not let them fight without playing basketball. They are just holding it like something like shit and it is liked being forced to hold it. The M-18 rated movie shows brutal and violent fight scenes, the usual thai fighting movies and tries to mix them with drama. I am not saying the drama does not work but it is just better if they went straight to the point in this 1 hour and 32 minutes movie.

Overall: It is not bad but it can get a bit dull, even the actors' expressions are dull. This low-budget movie may not match up to superior movies like Ong Bak, Tony Jaa's movies etc. but at least it proves itself to be entertaining. That is all what you can ask from this.