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Reviews
Poseidon (2006)
Poseidon exciting but all wet
It is evident from very early on in the film that the script writing team opted for action over substance. As a strict disaster/thriller/action film, Poseidon is definitely capable of getting the adrenaline of the audience going. Admittedly, there are few dull moments. That said, there is so much more that could have been possible. Character development is minimal thereby condemning a fairly decent cast to being nothing more than two dimensional stick figures. The few subplots behind the main characters are superficial and meaningless at best. Much of the budget has obviously been spent on the massive sets and special effects. If they could only have devoted a little more of it toward a better script, this mega-budget film might not have floundered as badly as it did in the box-office.
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Enjoyable film but...
The Day After Tomorrow is an enjoyable film with great special effects and a decent cast. I even enjoy the touches of irony like the scene where American refugees are denied entry into Mexico at the US/Mexico border. However, past that, the liberal environmentalist agenda behind this film is less than subtle. What's even more disturbing is the science behind the whole premise of the show. I find the whole scenario presented extremely implausible. The ending also leaves much of the issues unresolved. Is Mexico now part of the United States or vice versa? Maybe the moral of the story is:"Be good to the third world countries, because one day, we might wind up as their unintended permanent guests as a result of us not signing the Kyoto Accord!...Amen!"
Janghwa, Hongryeon (2003)
One Big Confusing Disappointment
It seems to me that opinions about this Korean horror flick are fairly polarized. You are either in the camp that thinks it is sheer brilliance or in the one that thinks it is pure confusion. I belong to the latter camp. The pacing of the film, especially in the early going, is painfully slow. Although it seems to generate a sense of foreboding, the resolution of the metaphoric "calm before the storm" is less than satisfying. As the show plods on, we are treated to a potpourri of the screenwriter's imitation of various great classics of the same genre, namely "The Sixth Sense", "The Others" and "Ringu". Not that the film is not without scary moments, but they are disjointed and seem to be there more for effects than for promoting the continuity of the storyline. The constant shifting between time periods also makes this film rather difficult to follow. Even though the last sequences toward the end of the film do manage to tie the storyline together, it still leaves much to be explained. For instance, what is the significance of the "bloody bag"? It only makes sense if you take most of the show to be in fact psychotic imaginations of the asylum bound older sister while the last part of the show explains why she ended up in the mental asylum. I must confess that I do not speak Korean and I watched a copy of this film with both English and Chinese subtitles. Maybe something was lost in the translation of the subtitles (which is inevitable in most cases) or maybe I was just not sensitive to the cultural cues within the movie, I have to say this film fell far short of what I would call a horror masterpiece. I give it a generous 5 out of 10!
Chik yeung tin si (2002)
Charlie's Angels, step aside!
If you are looking for a cerebral piece, you should look elsewhere. This screenplay is certainly not going to win any major writing accolades but within the context of this genre, the plot is believable, logical and fairly easy to follow. (***Spoiler's Alert***)In a way, Lynn's (Qi Shu) death which was indirectly caused by the action of her sister Sue (Zhao Wei) was a nice ironic twist which might have even caused a few tears to be shed. However, like the Tarantino hit "Kill Bill", it's not the plot that is the major strength of the show, it is the presentation. To call this show slick is an understatement. It's ultra chique and ultra slick. The sets, the ultra high tech special effects, the costumes, the direction and the action sequences give this film an anime quality. The pacing of the show is also superb as it kept me glued to the seat throughout the whole show. The two leading women Zhao and Qi are both drop dead gorgeous and yet they are not exploited in the film in any sexual manner. They just exude so much natural sex appeal. Insofar as the score, I am pleasantly surprised it is not filled with clicheish heavy metal sequences which seem to be prevalent in this genre of film. In fact, a lot of the music in the show is presented in a lush but sensitive way. I also thought the use of the old Carpenters hit "Close to You" in the early fighting sequence was a very special touch. The mood of the song is such an antithesis to the action on the screen that it gives the audience a sudden sense of surreal detachment. I have watched countless Hong Kong produced films but "So Close" is a definite quantum leap from previous efforts. I am so impressed and mesmerized by this delicious film that I have already ordered a DVD copy of this film for my video library. A definite 10!!!
El Cid (1961)
Indellible
I watched this on the big screen when I was very very young, but this epic film left an indellible impression on me. I have to consider this to be one of the best films I ever watched.
Heston and Loren made a beautiful pair in this epic. The transformation of Loren's hatred to love for Heston was a highlight of the show.
A few scenes that stood out in my mind was: 1. The jousting scene 2. The scene where Heston catapulted buns into the besieged city and won the heart of the people. 3. The epic fighting scene at the beach where arrows rained upon the shielded soldiers ...and who can forget the famous riding scene at the very end with the already dead Rodrigo tied to the mount riding out of the city that one last time. Combined with the underlying score, that was one of the most moving scenes of all times. Years later, when I happened upon the show on TV again, I still could not help but felt a little misty in my eyes when I watched that last scene.
Sunshine (1973)
A very touching show
It is hard to believe that it's been 30 years since I saw this show. I happened upon this movie one night while watching TV at home and was very glad that I did. I was seventeen at the time and have just lost my older brother to an accident. Having to face a death of someone so close in the first time in my life enabled me to really appreciate this movie. I still remember the female star hobbling around toward the latter part of the story. I remember secretly yearning for a miracle that this courageous woman would somehow make it and beat the cancer but finally came to realize that life does not always turn out the way one wants. The soundtrack really enhanced the mood of this film. "My Sweet Lady" was especially melancholic. I never had an opportunity to see it again but this touching film not only left a tear in my eye...it left an idellible memory in my heart.