Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams, this movie adapted from a fairy tale is mainly for the kids, I felt. Having said that, I love the landscape, which was a magical setting with many magical and out of this world plants. I was thrilled by the amazing plants and forest creatures. That much I really enjoyed. There was the familiar yellow brick road but that was where the magical experience ended. There wasn't the familiar Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion and Doggy anywhere. Some movie critics commented that James Franco was the weakest link in the movie but I begged to differ. He was humourously funny and I thought he did well playing the self-centred magician turned hero. Rachel Weisz was as usual, looking ever so pretty as one of the wicked witches. Mila Kunis was alright. I personally didn't like Michelle William's portrayal of the good witch though. I wonder if there will be any sequels to introduce the original characters of the fairy tale although I seriously doubt so.
Like some of the other successful movie franchises, the Resident Evil series is one of those that produced sequel after sequel. This happens to be the fifth installment of the zombie movies adapted from a computer game.
This vehicle starring Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Li Bingbing and Johann Urb failed to live up to its expectations. I was kind of disappointed by the storyline and Li Bingbing who, after looking promising in the first few minutes of appearing in a red high slit dress, just did not deliver at all. The movie was not particularly entertaining and did nothing to lift me out of my boredom. It was the same old Alice leading everyone to escape from the clutches of the Umbrella Corporation. Somehow, Milla reminded me of Kate Beckinsale, who also made a series of movie sequels. The difference is, I somehow am not drawn towards Milla in the movies as I am towards Kate. Don't ask me why because I have no explanation to that.
I didn't have much high hopes of this movie but after watching it, I was pleasantly impressed. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this is the last of a 3-part trilogy on the DC comic superhero character Batman. The first two movies Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were released in 2005 and 2008 respectively. Hemmed by a cast which included Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne and Batman, Michael Caine as the butler Alfred, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, as well as new characters Selina cum Cat Burglar played by Anne Hathaway, Bane by Tom Hardy, John by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, other cameos included Cillian Murphy and Morgan Freeman. I am happy that this new installment wasn't a disappointment in the making and it was worth the wait for four whole years before it came to the big screen.
I shan't dwell on the storyline but I am very glad that the movie-makers introduced new twists or surprises to an otherwise mundane plot. One of my favourite character actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt really came a long way since his days on the TV series "Third Rock from the Sun". As John Blake, the audience was treated to a surprise at the end when it hinted that he could be the new Robin, who is the other half of the well-known Batman-Robin pairing portrayed in the comics. Interestingly, in one of the scenes, Joseph's police uniform spotted the familiar initial GC on his sleeves, which I suppose stood for Gotham City. Anne provided a different girlish portrayal of the Cat Burglar, which was a fresh take that bore absolutely no resemblance to the classic Cat Woman played by Michelle Pfeiffer in the late 80s. Then there was Tom Hardy, whom I last remembered as one of the characters in the movie "Inception" of recent years. Just take a look at the photos below on how much he bulked up in a matter of months to play the role of Bane. Sadly, he was almost unrecognizable with the mask on this face and there was only one blink and you will missed it scene of his actual face in the entire movie. Such ballooning in body weight must have a toll on a person's health, I guess? What a sacrifice actors have to make! And yes, I am looking forward to see the new movie "Man of Steel" on the most well-known DC comic superhero Superman in 2013, which is a year away, after watching the short trailer played before the movie started.
I have nothing against him but I am officially sick of Johnny Depp's antics. Whilst he breathed life and comedic acting to some of the characters he played, I just find the recent roles and his acting so lame and non-funny anymore.
This unusual movie is about vampires and witches but it is not the typical type of movies on this genre. I am unimpressed, so I am not even going to attempt to write anything meaningful about it other than it has a huge cast comprising Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Boham Carter, Johnny Lee Miller, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz.
Michelle Pfeiffer was quite funny though and after the movie "Let the Right One In", this is the second movie I watched that stars Chloe Grace Moretz and I still find her refreshingly interesting.
This movie has a strong star-studded cast including (not in alphabetical or appearance order) Halle Berry, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Katherine Heigl, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Josh Duhamel, Robert De Niro, Lea Michele, Zac Efron, Alyssa Milano and Ryan Seacrest, amongst others.
I love this feel good, light-hearted, romantic comedy following last year's "Valentine's Day", which I sorely missed,which is rolled out at this time of the year to capitalize on the festive occasion of Christmas and New Year's Day. Basically, it kind of trails the events for these characters as time approaches the ball drop countdown event at New York City's Times Square. I guess the message is regardless of how bad the past, or rather current, year is, we should forego the unpleasant events and things that we cannot change but should instead appreciate the good things that happened and look forward for a better upcoming year. We all live in hope.
I particularly like the public speech, shown below, made by Hilary Swank's character Claire Morgan, Vice-President of Times Squares Alliance, when there was a technical glitch during the ball drop event. How splendid and awe-inspiring!
"It's suspended there to remind us before we pop the champagne and celebrate the new year, to stop and reflect on the year that has gone by. To remember both our triumphs and our missteps, our promises made and broken. The times we opened ourselves up to great adventures or closed ourselves down for fear of getting hurt coz that is what new year is all about - getting another chance. A chance to forgive, to do better, to do more, to give more, to love more. And stop worrying about what if and start embracing what would be. So when that ball drops at midnight and it will drop, let's remember to be nice to each other, kind to each other. And not just tonight but all year long."
This is Michelle Chong's movie directing debut. Starring herself as the lead actress and Taiwan's singer Alien Huang (better known as 黄鸿升 or 小鬼) as the male lead, with guest appearances by various local artistes such as David Gan, Patricia Mok, Cynthia Koh, Irene Ang, Kumar, Chua Enlai,Li Teng, Pornsak, Nat Ho, Romeo Tan and Sylvester Sim to lend their support, the movie is actually quite entertaining for a local production although the pace could have been better.
The simple kampung girl from Yong Peng came to Singapore in pursuit of her dreams of becoming the next big tv actress, but her journey was not smooth-sailing and was fraught with lots of obstacles and discouragement. In the process, she met and found solace and encouragement in the neighbourhood coffee shop boy who finally became her hubby.
The movie is interesting in that most local chinese would be able to identify with the local dialect, singlish and slang and there were some rather catchy parts, like the song. I heard that Michelle sold her condominium to finance this movie and most artistes in the entertainment industry and locals turn out in droves to support her film. Frankly, I seldom watch local production movies because I find them very slapstick but I watched this and enjoyed it. This film is also screening in as far as Taiwan and Hong Kong but in comparison to the recent Taiwanese movie "You Are the Apple of My Eye" which I watched, there is still a lot of catching up to do. But for a start, I think it is good enough!
