My Sassy Girl

Warning! Spoilers ahead.

I have not seen the Korean version of this movie so I don't have anything to compare it to. I think it did allow me to enjoy the movie better as I didn't have any expectations for it.

A romantic comedy with funny quips in between. The plot was simple but the characters were quirky enough that it was fun to watch.

The movie was directed by Yann Samuell who also directed one of my favorite movies, Love Me If You Dare.

Jesse Bradford is one of the main characters in the movie who kept on being pestered by Elisha Cuthbert. She would demand one thing or another and expect him to do it.

At one part of the movie, one of the characters said "Destiny is a bridge you build to the one you love." That part just gave me the chill. Not because I thought he made sense but because I thought it was just too cheesy! =)

But what the movie is trying to say is that you need to make a move if you want to get something. Like go answer the door, accept an invitation, go out with friends, etc. You cannot expect to find someone by waiting for fate to knock you silly and help you meet the right guy or gal.

There are again mixed reviews for this movie. Some love it while some thought it's common (i.e. plot and twists). I won't vote for it to receive an award but it was an enjoyable watch.

image from imdb.com

The Dark Knight

Imagine being the first one to watch this movie in Singapore in a GV Gold Class cinema for free! And that comes with free food too!

From the interviews made by the casts, one thing was common: Heath Ledger was fantastic as a Joker. So at the start of the movie, I was expecting something really good from him. And he didn't disappoint. He is definitely great as a villain and portrayed the Joker well.

Christian Bale was exceptional. This is one good looking Batman. You just want to continuously watch him in action. Great stunts, great coordination, great timing.

The movie has a lot of twists and turns but it definitely delivered. This is one movie that those waiting for it will savor watching.

Enjoy!

The Motorcycle Diaries

image from wikipedia.com

Surprise, surprise! It seems this great film about Che Guevarra is going to be shown here for a limited time at The Cathay on April 4, 6 and 7. This is a great film that I catched when I was in London last 2004. Definitely an interesting movie to watch! Try to catch it if you can.

Ensemble, c'est tout

image from unifrance.org

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

I chanced upon this movie on my way home to Manila on December. One of my habits upon boarding a plane is to scan the list of available movies to see if there is something interesting. There were a lot of really good and popular movies available at the time but when I saw this film I figured I’d rather watch this one. I love French films and a few of the ones I’ve watched before end up in my list of favorites.

Not a lot of people like watching foreign films because of the need to read the subtitles while watching. But I didn’t want my limited knowledge of the language to be a cause for me to miss a lot of great films. Just imagine missing Seven Samurai, Malena and Cinema Paradiso. It would have been a very big loss for me.

Anyhow, the main characters are played by Audrey Tautou and Guillaume Canet. Well, the former is known for her film Amelie and the latter was the main character in one of my favorite films Jeux d'enfants (Love me if you dare).

It’s a simple film. Girl meets boy. Boy hates girl. Boy falls in love with the girl but girl only wants sex. In the end, girl also falls in love with boy and they live happily ever after. Ho hum. Yeah right. It isn’t that simple. I think you should watch it and form your own opinion. It is definitely not going to be a waste of time.

Here's a few more information about this film: ensemble, c'est tout. Enjoy!

Cloverfield

Nauseous. That was my first impression. For a while we were confused trying to figure out if we entered the right movie house and watching the right movie. But as we sit there waiting for something different to come on or for the movie to stop the intro and proceed with the details, we realized that this is how the movie will be in its entirety!

I hated it. It was a waste of money and definitely something people should not bother about.

Enough said.


Anyhow, if you are still stubborn enough to try and watch the movie, here is the official movie website.

Fred Claus

image from apple movies

Warning! Spoilers ahead.

Santa's brother is coming to town.

It was a choice between Enchanted or Fred Claus. But with my niece with us, Fred Claus won hands down. I didn't expect much figuring it's one of those run-of-the-mills Christmas movies. It was that but it was more.

The movie plays around the usual movie formula: holidays + family + romance + comedy. It tells the story of Santa’s older brother. And how he ended up resenting the one person he originally promised to protect and help. Don’t we all sometimes feel a bit envious when your brother or sister gets more attention than you do? So the movie was easy for some people to relate to.

It has a few funny moments but these are moments that had me laughing out loud. And there were a lot of heart-tugging moments when I would discreetly try to wipe away my tears hoping my niece and the people seated behind would not notice.

I don’t watch a lot of movies nowadays but I sure am glad I watched this one. It was a feel good movie that will leave you feeling happy at the end. So, it was a perfect holiday movie for me. The movie was not perfect nor was it sensational. But it was definitely a good watch for me.



Here comes Santa Claus!
Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer
are pulling on the reins.
Bells are ringing, children singing;
All is merry and bright.
Hang your stockings and say your prayers,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

Ho Ho Ho Ho

Transformers

Imagine your cartoon superheroes coming to life in the wide screen. It was enough to give me goosebumps several times in the course of watching the movie.

I saw a review from the Weekend TODAY where the movie was gunned down with this review: Transformers got lots of bang, but rest of film is 'whatever'. Well, I have to disagree. Obviously the reviewer know nothing about the cartoon series and cannot relate. But for a fan like me, the movie delivered 150%.

It was filled with a lot of action and tinges of comedy that had me laughing several times. The transformation from vehicle to Autobots was great, it was almost flawless. Maybe it did help that I have a history with these machines as the movie turned out to be a wonder for me. I did see a few aunties going out of their seat and only returning almost at the end of the film. I guess it was difficult for them to relate and understand.

I love Transformers and the grand Optimus Prime and Bumblebee and the other Autobots. Although some might label this movie to be half as good as it is but it is a movie that I can watch over and over again.

Autobots Transform!


For a plot summary, click here.

Pirates of the Carribbean: At World's End

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

I watched the premier of the 3rd installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean last night. And captain Jack Sparrow is once again as entertaining as I expected him to be. Singapore is mentioned in the film as one of the Pirate Lords came from Singapore. Here, the story provides more information about Davy Jones and why he tore away his heart.

Jack Sparrow was trapped in Davy Jones’ Locker and his bunch of pirates set forth to rescue him. They needed Jack for the meeting of the 9 Pirate Lords who each own a piece of 8.

The Lord Pirates are meeting at Shipwreck Cove to try to free Calypso, Davy Jones’ goddess lover who is trapped in the body of a mortal. The story wasn’t very clear about her role and although there was a part of the movie dedicated to her, I was not able to get the point.

The movie is filled with the usual funny moments and it is sure to entertain. I didn’t think it is the best of the 3 installments but it is a good movie to watch. It sure had a lot of us laughing out loud several times last night.

Watch it and judge for yourself. Savvy?

Official Website of the movie
More on Davy Jones' Locker

A Good Year

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

I watched this movie on the way back from Manila. I was not overly interested in watching it but there was nothing else on so I figured, what the heck!

I'm glad I took the time to watch it though because it was definitely entertaining. I found myself laughing constantly over simple, subtle actions and dialogues. I don't think a lot of people got some of the jokes though because I can't hear that many people laughing. Oh well.

The story revolves around Max Skinner, a successful English investment banker. His uncle died recently and has left him a vineyard in Provence. As he try to renovate the vineyard to get a good price out of its sale, he reluctantly discovers a different kind of life from what he's used to. He gets flashes of memories of his childhood in the vineyard that reminded him how much he loved living in that place.

The movie has its misses but I enjoyed watching it.

Here are a few excerpts of the conversations in the movie:


Fanny: Are they good memories?
Max: No. They're grand!

Madame Duflot: What does sodomy means?
Monsieur Duflot: I'll show you tonight.


Watch it without any expectations and you just might like it. Enjoy!


For more information about this movie, click here.

Crank

To be honest, I bought the vcd of this movie because Jason Statham is in the movie. His movies are usually okay so I figured there should be no harm in trying. I don't think I heard any good reviews about it. But then there was also no negative vibes so I really have no idea on what to expect from the movie.

It's a crazy, funny movie. A lot of vulgar things within but they were not too much that would mark this movie sleazy. It was exactly the type of movie that you’d expect from Jason Statham so my initial thoughts were correct. I like it and I enjoyed watching it. Twice.

There are a lot of weird, funny and crazy characters in the movie. His girlfriend is a laugh.

Here’s a synopsis of the movie if you’re interested.
Crank