jccwu Reviews

Captain Marvel (2019)

It's a fun MCU film, but very predictable.

[7/10 · 6 March 2019]

A perfect B movie, with a 3/5 rating.

I saw it on March 6th, 2019 in Italy! It was a lot of fun, but very predictable. Brie Larson plays a likable Carol Danvers and Samuel L. Jackson has a huge role in this movie. It also explains some questions in the previous MCU films.

The story really wasn't great, but there were a lot of characters that you liked, which made the film enjoyable. It was also felt like a 1995 time capsule, with a lot of memorable pop culture images and 90's songs. Action scenes were just okay. I'll be looking forward to see Captain Marvel's role in "Avengers: Endgame".

The Wandering Earth (2019)

It's a mashup of a bunch of Hollywood disaster films.

[6/10 · 13 February 2019]

This is China's 1st attempt at a big blockbuster sci-fi film. The IMAX 3D was very impressive, but the movie itself is very similar to all other Hollywood disaster films that has a gluttony of too much non-stop action scenes. This movie reminds me of a mashup between 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day and Armageddon.

Django Unchained (2012)

Leonardo DiCaprio & Samuel L. Jackson has the most memorable performances in this film.

[8/10 · 6 January 2013]

"Django Unchained" is Quentin Taratino's version of a spaghetti western. Leonardo DiCaprio & Samuel L. Jackson has the most memorable performances, as they portrayed characters that are very different from their previous roles in their filmography. Christoph Waltz plays the most likable character, as if it was Taratino's gift to repay him, after Waltz played the evil villain from his Oscar winning performance as a Nazi from "Inglorious Basterds".

Overall it's a good movie, but it pales in comparison to his 1994 film "Pulp Fiction" & 2009's "Inglorious Basterds". There are definitely a few brilliant scenes in this movie, but not as many as Taratino's better films, as it also drags with a running time of just under 3 hours.

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

An intense, realistic, uncomfortable, intelligent, emotional, suspenseful, dramatic & spectacular piece of work.

[10/10 · 5 January 2013]

It's easily my favorite movie of the 2012 year. This film reminded me a lot like the 2006 movie "United 93"; where it seems more like a documentary without the commentary, and where the audience is living & witnessing all the scenes with the actors. "Zero Dark Thirty" chronologies the events leading up to the location & death of Osama Bin Laden; a movie that very few people could've made, where it really shows the directing talents of Kathryn Bigelow. This is a much better film than "The Hurt Locker", which won he Academy Award for Best Picture of 2009. "Zero Dark Thirty" also showcase the incredible acting talents of Jessica Chastain, whereas the entire movie has excellent dialogs & amazing acting from the entire cast. "Zero Dark Thirty" is an intense, realistic, uncomfortable, intelligent, emotional, suspenseful, dramatic & spectacular piece of work. This isn't a gung-ho or a political film..; but instead, it shows the talents & intelligence it took for the men & women behind the CIA & military had to take, in order to catch the most wanted man in the world.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Watch it in IMAX only!!!

[9/10 · 20 July 2012]

To start my review, this movie is not as good as "The Dark Knight". I'm glad that I cleared that up, but for the record, it's still a really damn good film! It stays true to its previous films, as it continued to be very dark with more ties to "Batman Begins". As for the IMAX sequences, it's worth every penny of the extra surcharge.

Surprisingly, Batman has a lot less screen time than I originally thought, as it focuses more on Bruce Wane. It is unfair to compare Bane to the Joker, so I will not do that. In doing so, Bane is a terrifyingly, memorably well-written villain; as his presence & dialogs are performed nicely by Tom Hardy. Anne Hathaway does a good job as the sexy Selina Kyle, as she stays true to the comics as screwing over Batman, while equally being an ally.

This movie is very dark with even more dialog; as you're not sure what type of conclusion this film was heading to, or the type of fate the characters were going to have. Christopher Nolan continued to do an excellent job; misleading the audience with the villains' plot, just as confused as Gotham's heroes were. As the movie comes to an end, the conclusion is satisfying, leading you wanting more. That's the accomplishment Christopher Nolan achieved with his vision, in directing & writing a trilogy to a classic comic book story.

As for the IMAX sequences, there are a lot more scenes in "The Dark Knight Rises" that its predecessor. The POV shots are excellent! Be sure to go to a real IMAX theater, that will carry the 70mm print. Watching a regular format, will be greatly diminishing its full theater experience.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Your typical story about American family values, but NOT about your typical American family.

[8/10 · 30 January 2011]

This movie is your typical story about American family values, but it's NOT about your typical American family. This movie is unique and original in every single way because it concentrates on a family lifestyle that is rarely ever depicted on film.

This movie is a comedy, so there are a lot of funny scenarios and awkward situations between the characters; although the last half an hour does become a serious drama. This is a hard "R" rated film, so there are a lot of swearing and a handful of short visual sex scenes that contains nudity.

All the characters are likable and there are no villains, but every character goes through their dramatic emotions to the chain of events that occurs between their loved ones. The film never goes in a predictable manner, because this isn't a typical America family. The scenarios that occurs between the characters are situations that the audience are not familiar with, which makes the movie fresh and original.

You don't know where the film is going or how it will end, but the ending is satisfying. I wouldn't say it's a happy ending, but it concludes the way it does in defining what's best for this American family. In other words, the American family values are upheld in this film, even though the parents are a lesbian couple. At the end of all things, the kids are going to be all right. As for the adults, not so much; but they have to work hard to sustain their relationships with everyone they love.

The Green Hornet (2011)

Campy, corny, but visually entertaining.

[6/10 · 15 January 2011]

I've been keeping my expectations low for this film and I'm glad that I did. I was a big fan of the 60's television show, but I didn't watch any episodes until the mid 90's; so I've been waiting almost 15 years for a film adaptation on the Green Hornet.

The film is campy, the story is corny, the villain is wasted and Seth Rogen wrote the script. Based on the plot and the dialogs, it's not a well made movie; but it doesn't try to be. This movie could have been written more seriously and be on the same map as a Christopher Nolan's Batman film; but instead, it went on the road to be a comedic film with a lot of explosions. Some stuff didn't work, other stuff was clever & visually entertaining.

The stuff that I admired the most are the homage to the original television show. There were some criticism to the 60's show about how the Kato character was just a sidekick, butler, manservant, an aid or a chauffeur to the Green Hornet. Bruce Lee didn't have much dialogs and he didn't have much screen time. It was during the 60's and just having an Asian-American to be an everyday character on a show was a big deal, so I never saw that as an insult. In this movie, they make a HUGE deal about that subject as Seth Rogen & Jay Chou are constantly arguing about Kato's role throughout the whole film.

Other homage to the television show is a drawn image of Bruce Lee, Al Hirt's theme "Flight of the Bumblebee" tune, and there's even a scenario from my favorite episode that has been written into the movie. The Black Beauty is also a very awesome car! The funny thing is that in the TV show, the Black Beauty was a brand new & very recent 1966 Imperial Crown sedan. In the movie, it's the exact same vehicle; but it's now a classical vintage car.

I saw the 3D version and there were very few sequences where the 3D effects was worth the extra price of admission. I recommend saving your money and watch the 2D version instead.

To finally sum everything up; the movie isn't good, but it brought back my love for the characters inside the Green Hornet world. The film is visually entertaining for what it is. I hope there's a sequel, but that somebody else will write its screenplay.

The Karate Kid (2010)

It's a pretty cute movie, but it doesn't nearly have the type of impact the original had.

[6/10 · 23 June 2010]

This movie is more than just an updated version of the 1984 film "The Karate Kid", it's a remake! There are scenes, dialogs, editing and even facial expressions that are completely identical to the original. Sometimes it can even be a distraction, as you can't help but to compare the two films from one another.

This new version has nothing to do with Karate, as it focuses only on Kung Fu. The name of The Karate Kid is strictly to let the fans know that this is a remake, so that the audience doesn't feel that the story is unoriginal or as though this film is a rip-off. As an updated remake, it works; but it's way too long as there are numerous scenes that seems to put the movie to a halt. This film should garner new fans of the 1984 story & include more younger fans, especially the pre-teens.

Ralph Macchio was already 22 when he starred in the original film, but he was playing a teenager. Jaden Smith almost seems too adorable to be playing this role, as he's the new kid who is being bullied after moving to China. Even though Jaden Smith is supposed to be 12 in this film, he was actually 10/11 years old when he shot the movie. He's too young to be involved in this story, including his bullies and his love interest. Since his parents (Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith) are the producers and Jaden's youth would generate fans of his own age; are the main reasons for the characters being a lot younger in this remake. Even though I believe that Jaden Smith is too cute to play this role, I have to give him a lot of credit as I was very impressed with his performance in this film.

As for Jackie Chan (Mr. Han), this is a perfect role for his veteran status. He is getting up there in age and it's harder to believe in him as a martial arts hero in the leading role. This supporting role as a mentor works well for him, as he can act his age and still use his charm & humor to help carry this film. Even though he does a fine job as the new teacher to the new kid, nothing can compare to the impact that Pat Morita had with the Mr. Miyagi character.

There are similarities behind the two methods of how these teachers taught their apprentices, but the original was much better & more effective to its film. Jackie Chan started Smith's training by initially repeating the motion of picking up, putting on/off & hanging his jacket. This is similar to Mr. Miyagi's "Wax on, Wax off" method; although in the original version, Mr. Miyagi had his apprentice do A LOT more tedious work instead of just the jacket method that Jackie Chan demonstrated. The art of waxing Mr. Miyagi's cars, painting his house & fence were a lot more effective in the original film; which really seems lacking the new version. Also, the final tournament in the 1984 film seemed more realistic; as the remake seemed more like a video game.

The major character dilemma that is lacking in the new version that the original had, were the stereotype, prejudice & racism that Mr. Miyagi had to endure; which is something that Jackie Chan never has to face since he lives in his native country. That dilemma now faces Jaden Smith's character; which in reality, causes a dilemma for the producers of this film if they ever want to make a sequel. Since this movie is now successful, it will be difficult to do a remake of "The Karate Kid part II", which takes place in Mr. Miyagi's native country; which is already occurring in this remake.

If you grew up or loved the original 1984 version of "The Karate Kid", you will be doing a lot of these side-by-side comparisons. It's inevitable! For anyone who've never seen the original movie, it's a refreshing & updated story for a new generation. It's a pretty cute movie, but it doesn't nearly have the type of impact the original had.

The Karate Kid (1984)

An 80's classic for anyone who was bullied.

[8/10 · 23 June 2010]

For anyone who was bullied in school, this is the ultimate movie where you will root for the underdog and wish for the villains to get their asses kicked! Most importantly, it made Pat Morita's character "Mr. Miyagi" into a household name! This is a classic 80's movie that will forever be famous for its generation. It was refreshing to see this movie again as it has been released on Blu-ray this year (2010). It makes you feel like a kid again! There are some scenes where it seems outdated; but the universal story of the underdog standing up to his bullies, still holds up strong after all these years.

After watching this movie again, I really appreciate & admire Pat Morita's character even more! It's the classic bond of an everyday ordinary old man who becomes more than just a sensei to Ralpha Macchio; but also a teacher, a mentor, but most importantly, a dear friend.

I saw the remake version of the new Karate Kid and they pay multiple homage to this original film. So even though the new version is for today's generation, the 1984 version will always be the film that is remembered. You know a movie is a classic when you can say "Wax On, Wax Off!" and people know EXACTLY what you're talking about!

Toy Story 3 (2010)

What it lacks in originality, it makes it up entirely in its ending.

[10/10 · 15 June 2010]

After 11 years later, we finally get to see another Toy Story movie! Even though it wouldn't be realistic to expect this sequel to be as good as Toy Story 2, you can always believe that Pixar will deliver another entertaining film.

It was so refreshing to see all the Toy Story characters again. Surprisingly, the only speaking toy character that was in the first two films that was absent in Toy Story 3 was Bo Peep. Other than her, the rest of Andy's toys have returned and all of them get a good amount of screen time. As for the new toys, Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear (Ned Beatty) & Ken (Michael Keaton) have the largest roles.

If there is something negative about this movie is that it lacks originality, but the ending is golden! As for the generic portion of the film; you will notice that the formula for this movie is very similar to Toy Story 2, such as the villain and the toys' rescue mission. As for the conclusion of this movie, it is so good that I hope they do NOT make a 4th film. It feels so fitting to have this movie end the trilogy, as the moral & theme of the story represents the entire Toy Story films.

I was surprised at how emotional the final scene was; but then again, Pixar is great at adding the human elements into their stories & characters. As for the main theme song "You got a Friend in Me", it's a universal message throughout the entire Toy Story films, to the very last sequence of this movie. As for the moral of the story (including the whole trilogy), it is learning to let go when the time is right; whether you are a toy, a child or a parent. I loved how this film ends! What it lacks in originality, it makes it up entirely in its conclusion.

The Hurt Locker (2008)

A war movie unlike any war film that you've ever seen!

[8/10 · 17 January 2010]

The Hurt Locker is a war movie unlike any war film that you've ever seen! Just like the current Iraq War; this film shows the intensity, craziness, despair, paranoia, the dangers and hopelessness of this war. This is no end in their battle. The Hurt Locker doesn't have much of a story but instead, it concentrates on giving you the realism of this actual Iraq War.

Unlike any other war film, there isn't a body count or taking over any property or land that determines the winner of this war. Instead, the priority of this war focuses on defusing bombs. The Hurt Locker only follows three main characters in this film, as they are members of a United States Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit in Iraq. We travel their tour together as they contend with defusing bombs, the threat of insurgency, and the tension that develops among them.

The Hurt Locker is perfect for what it is; but it doesn't have any re-watch value as this is a very uneasy movie to watch, similar to the film United 93. The only plot is for the characters to stay alive. What works in the film is the directing, photography and its cinematography. With how this film is shot gives you the experiences of how the soldiers are exactly feeling as they are in constant dangers. This film ends perfectly, as it takes one sentence to explain your respect & sympathy for the American soldiers; including our awareness of their fight within an unwinnable war.

Avatar (2009)

The story is unoriginal, the dialogs are flat, and the premise is clichéd; but the visuals and special effects are absolutely stunning!

[8/10 · 22 December 2009]

My review on this film is purely based on watching the IMAX 3-D screening. If you are planning on watching "Avatar", spend the extra money and watch it in IMAX 3-D! The regular format would be a waste of the pure creative efforts that was dedicated to this film.

Even though the story is unoriginal, the dialogs are flat, and the premise is cliché; the visuals and special effects are absolutely stunning! The imagination to create the colorful extraterrestrial jungle is amazing and the action sequences are incredible. Raising the bar on special effects & action sequences are what James Cameron does best. He dazzled movie goers with "Aliens (1986)", then "The Abyss (1989)", then "Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)", and then "Titanic (1997)". "Avatar" cost nearly $300 million to make and like all James Cameron films, you can see every single penny that was spent on this film. The movie had the best 3-D effects than any other films that I've ever seen. It was very rare that anything ever jumped out at you, but the 3-demensional look throughout the entire movie was extraordinary.

As for the story, it was a generic tale where the main character's mission is to assimilate with a foreign civilization with an intended agenda; but he falls in love with a native and begins to appreciate their culture that he becomes torn between their society and his own. It's like a futuristic version of "Dances with Wolves" where the Na'vi culture and language are similar to Native Americans; including a lot of current political metaphors that are tied in with messages that are portrayed in the film. Even the final battle scene is very similar to the Battle of Endor in "Return of the Jedi". The dialogs are just as bland as James Cameron's previous film "Titanic", but watching the creative world that he produced with the images of the special effects & action sequences are the types of experiences that all movie goers are hoping for when they are expecting to see a highly action packed movie where the visuals will astound them.

I have to stress that if you decide to watch this film in a regular format or wait till home video, you will NOT be able to fully appreciate or enjoy the spectacular experience of watching this film the way it was intended for us. I wish the story was better & more original, but I really enjoyed the refreshing movie experience that I always get whenever I watch a highly over-budget film by James Cameron. I can always rely on him for putting the extra effort into dazzling us with his creative & imaginative action sequences.

Up in the Air (I) (2009)

An intelligent, well-written adult story

[9/10 · 12 December 2009]

"Up in the Air" is an intelligent, well-written adult story. This film has no special effects and it relies solely on the shoulders of their characters, as they are humorous & realistic.

The screenplay and all the performances are great! The dialogs are clever and the scenarios were funny & sometimes emotional. The entire movie is entertaining and it's a comedy throughout most of the film, but it slowly becomes more of a drama near the end. Just as you think you know exactly how the movie is going to end, the conclusion of the film catches you by surprise; but the payoff is perfect as it clearly defines the whole movie for what it is, which is about Ryan Bingham's (George Clooney) character.

The character of Ryan Bingham seemed to have been written for George Clooney. It's a perfect role for the actor as he believably portrays a hard working bachelor who spends the majority of his life in airports, hotels, and in a different city every day. His philosophy, profession and lifestyle are the movie; but the supporting characters that he meets & encounters throughout the film are slowly changing him & challenges everything about his life.

There are two important things that I learned in my life. You can never tell somebody on how they should feel, and everybody wants to be loved by somebody. A way a person feels is programmed throughout an individual's entire life, based on the people they meet and their own unique & personal experiences. As for the character of Ryan Bingham, he believes that he lives a perfect life for himself as a bachelor who doesn't need anyone; but you get to see his transition throughout this film, as he eventually falls into the same category as everyone else. The difference for him is that his entire life…, is up in the air.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

Refreshing to see a brand new 2-D animated film again on the big screen!

[7/10 · 11 December 2009]

It's extremely refreshing to see a brand new 2-D animated film again on the big screen! After a 5-year hiatus and the determinations of John Lasseter & Ed Catmull, they have brought back traditional hand-drawn animation; making "The Princess & the Frog" as the 45th hand-drawn feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics.

The story of "The Princess & the Frog" goes back to the familiar Broadway style musical, with all the characters spontaneously breaking out into songs. I like all the songs and they're catchy, but most of them seemed out of place and breaks the flow of the story. The 2nd half of the film was better than the 1st half, as it starts kind of messy and jumps too quickly before completely defining & establishing their supporting characters; although the ending was unique and satisfying.

I was expecting more out of this film, but it's nice to see a movie like this again. This is a style of film making that you just don't see anymore in your computer animated movies. Even though "The Princess & the Frog" doesn't compare to The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King; the Walt Disney Animation Department is moving back into the right direction.

This Is It (2009)

If you're a fan of MJ's songs & videos, you'll appreciate this film.

[8/10 · 15 November 2009]

If you're a fan of Michael Jackson's songs & music videos, you'll appreciate this film. It's a collection of his preparation for his concert "This Is It" that was suppose to start 18 days after Michael Jackson's untimely passing.

In these footage, you get to see the absolute talent & skills that Michael Jackson had in performing his songs, music, dance and choreography. Watching this film is like sitting in the arena, watching a musical artist's rehearsal just before their big concert. You'll appreciate the natural talent in Michael Jackson's musical abilities and all of his hard work, including his own love & appreciation for all of his co-workers. It's also refreshing to actually see the personalities, skills & talent of the back-up singers and dancers that we initially saw (but did not recognize), during Michael Jackson's funeral.

As you watch Michael Jackson's very last musical performance, "This Is It" could have been a truly awesome concert.

Up (2009)

Pixar's most humanitarian film!

[10/10 · 15 November 2009]

This may be Pixar's most humanitarian film yet! All of Pixar's movies has a universal message for adults & children. This film has a message to the elderly that there is still "Life & Adventures" when you're old and have lost your significant other. The floating house may seem unrealistic; but then again, it's just a metaphor. It represents NOT the achievement of your goals, but it's the adventure & moral you experience on the way.

UP is now available on Blu-ray and I was able to appreciate this film even more after watching their hours of supplements & extra features. Even their animated shorts on this disc are entertaining and hilarious! Pixar has another masterpiece in their hands.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

One major flaw that hurts the entire film!

[6/10 · 12 November 2009]

Paranormal Activity could have been more than just a very scary movie, but due to a specific major flaw, the entire film falls into being unbelievable & absurd; wasting every realistic aspect to the movie that it tried so hard to be.

There are two main characters in the movie. You have the female/girlfriend character (Katie) and the male/boyfriend character (Micah); where the ghost/demon/entity is haunting the young couple. Now, the major flaw that lies in this movie is the Micah character. The personality and actions by the boyfriend is so idiotic, unrealistic, selfish and illogical. Micah is absolutely STUPID and his character literally ruins the whole movie, where I actually started to root for the demon! As I watched the beginning of this film, I was very intrigued in where the story was taking me; but as the movie progresses, the Micah character is very distracting, by all his ridiculous personality & actions. After numerous paranormal activities that Micah had already captured on his own camera, I officially lost interest to the film after the boyfriend said "What the f**k was that!" for the 20th time! The actress who portrays Katie did a fantastic job and had a believable performance; but due to the distractions of Micah's unrealistic behaviors, his performance even begins to hurt Katie's role by the time the film nears its conclusion.

The major reason why Micah's character seems absolutely disjointed is his lack of concern for his girlfriend. In the beginning of the film, it's brought to our attention that the two are a young couple who are "engaged to be engaged", so we're assuming that they absolutely love each other. Maybe Micah isn't the brightest guy in the world, or maybe he was very interested in seeing ghostly activities; but nevertheless, there is no way a loving boyfriend would ever put his girlfriend through so much grief & agony for his own selfish indulgences.

Other than the flaws in the boyfriend's character, the visuals in this amateur film were excellently done! All the bedroom scenes gave you chills and most importantly, you thought about those sequences after the movie ended; especially when you got home to your own bedroom. This film was creepy and I give the filmmakers absolute kudos for accomplishing that with a minimal budget.

I may seem highly critical & harsh on this amateur film, but this movie had so much potential and I really wanted this film to work. "Character Writing" is the most important ingredient to a story, and when the audience starts to loose sympathy for the victims in peril, then there is something seriously wrong with the main characters. If only the writer/director Oren Peli decided to rewrite & restructure the boyfriend character, Paranormal Activity could have been a brilliant horror film.

Tyson (2008)

This is a unique documentary where every single line of words are spoken only through his own words.

[7/10 · 12 November 2009]

This film reminds all of us on how dominant Mike Tyson really was in the ring during his prime! (Tyson) is a unique documentary that doesn't have a narrator. Every single line of words are spoken only through Mike Tyson; which makes it original & intriguing, but also disorientated at times.

Without using a narrator, allows the audience to personally experience what Mike Tyson was going through. You become extremely shock & mesmerized at how open he is and the details he is publicly sharing with the film's audience.

With the unique style of having the only spoken line of dialogs through Mike Tyson does create the problem by lacking a consistent flow to the time-line and his biography. Since everything we hear is what Tyson is delivering to us, I felt as though the filmmakers was throwing his line of interesting dialogs into the documentary, even though it seemed out of place or irrelevant within the film.

Do we truly believe everything Tyson says? Not really, but we do believe that Tyson himself believes in everything he says; which allows us to better understand him as an individual and the reasons behind his mind & actions. This film won't make you change the way you felt about him, but it will make you feel differently for who he is now; which is probably the attempt that the filmmakers wanted us to feel. At the end of all things, Mike Tyson is still human.

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

An action-packed, highly violent, bloody, comical & unpredictable film!

[10/10 · 12 November 2009]

If you like Quentin Tarantino films, you'll love "Inglourious Basterds"! What makes this movie great is that I had no idea what was going to happen next! There were many scenes that were suspenseful, unpredictable & caught me completely by surprise. The villain Col. Hans Landa (played by Christoph Waltz) is one of the best on-screen villains that I've seen in a long time. He's evil, memorable & intelligent. As for Brad Pitt, even though his name is credited first, he has a very small supporting role in this film.

Like most Quentin Taratino films, there are a bunch of characters with chatty dialogs, but what make this movie unique & ingenious is that the characters are speaking in their native languages. There are more German & French in this movie than English, so expect to read a lot of subtitles.

The movie is directed very much like the "Kill Bill" series, but with a historical presentation to the film. It doesn't even pretend to be historically accurate, so that you can just enjoy the movie for what it is; which is another action-packed, highly violent, bloody, comical, & unpredictable film. It's a roller coaster type film, so enjoy the ride!

The Dark Knight (2008)

My favorite Batman movie of all time!

[9/10 · 22 August 2009]

Simply an incredible movie! This film is much better than "Batman Begins" and it's easily my favorite Batman movie of all time. Even though this film is over two and a half hours, I found myself eagerly anticipating every scene in this film!

This movie is very dark, brave and bold. It's refreshing NOT to see your generic CGI special effects, making all the action sequences sensational and authentic! The IMAX sequences were breathtaking and I was privileged to have seen this film on the giant screen. I even had to catch a 6:20am performance just to watch it in IMAX on opening day, which BTW was a sell-out! As for the late Hedge Ledger; he has a haunting, yet brilliant & unforgettable performance as the Joker. Watching this film on IMAX was one of my favorite movie experiences I've ever had, and it's easily the BEST summer movie of 2008!

District 9 (2009)

A metaphor of our society that represents the immorality of humans.

[7/10 · 15 August 2009]

This movie is a metaphor of our society that represents the immorality of humans with their prejudice, racism, concentration camps & inhumane experiments. Since the film has no stars, it's based entirely in South Africa, it contains a huge amount of graphic violence and it's shot in a documentary style; I find only a very selective audience will actually enjoy this movie.

The visual effects were mind-boggling with its seamless interactions between the aliens & humans. The movie has some similarities to the 1986's film "The Fly" and your generic plot line of that specific lone humanistic alien that the audiences are rooting for. His son adds the sympathetic role so that we can easily relate to them.

This film has parts that are unique & brilliant, but within a metaphorical story that we're all too familiar with; which at sometimes, runs as being unoriginal. The 2nd half of the movie is flooded with action sequences, where the visuals are very similar to watching a live-action video game; that at times, becomes a little too disoriented and messy.

Even though I enjoyed this film and I was in awe in specific scenes, I don't find myself eager to be watching this movie again on home video. "District 9" is one of those films that has forms of being an artistic masterpiece, but it falls a little short and it can be very disturbing for some people.

Funny People (2009)

Judd Apatow's most serious film.

[8/10 · 15 August 2009]

I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this movie quite a bit. This is a unique Judd Apatow film; where the first half contains your typical fowl mouthed jokes & immature/raunchy humor, while the second half take a more serious tone and turns into a drama.

Even though Adam Sandler is the main star, the movie revolves around Seth Rogen who plays my favorite character in the Judd Apatow films and Jonan Hill plays another great supporting role. As I mentioned before, this film seems like two different movies. The first half; Adam Sandler plays his typical type of character in his previous films, while the second half I felt that he played one of his best dramatic roles.

It's important to know that this is Judd Apatow's most serious film; where we get to see these comedians try and make a living, while also battling their personal issues. I really like how the movie does not have a happy ending; but instead, it has a very satisfactory ending. We may not always get what we want, but it's what we learn that's important. That seems to be the moral of the story.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

It's mostly just a bridge towards the final film.

[7/10 · 15 August 2009]

The 6th installment of the Harry Potter film reminded me a lot like its previous movie, except that this story heavily focuses on the background of Tom Riddle (Lord Voldemort) and the sexual tension that our three main characters are experiencing in their mid-adolescence.

I was shocked that this film is only rated PG, especially since the two previous movies were PG-13. There are some frightening images for younger viewers, including characters in peril and death.

Like "Order of the Phoenix", this film doesn't have a conclusion. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered and it's a bridge towards the final book "The Deathly Hallows". Like most of the Harry Potter films, this movie is visually entertaining and it's refreshing to see the main characters growing into their emerging romantic relationships, emotional confusions and conflict resolutions of their teenage characteristic years. Although this film may get lost for being the 6th within a total of 8 Harry Potter movies.

Star Trek (2009)

This film reminds us how fun & cool the original crew really were!

[8/10 · 9 May 2009]

Even though this new Star Trek movie is a prequel; its an updated look into its universe as it also pays a lot of respect to the original television series and its characters. You'll recognize a lot of the famous quotes and mannerisms from the famous crew. Some of the events in the film may even seem familiar, as they are mentioned in the original series and its earlier movies.

The problem that I did have with this film is that it deals with some of its characters that are not in the same time-line, which means that certain Star Trek history has been altered. In other words, there are now continuity errors that involves with the original series and movies. I felt that it was just an excuse to gather all the original crew together for this particular film and it gives the filmmakers the freedom to alter the Star Trek history for their future sequels.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable Star Trek film that reminds us how fun & cool the original crew really were. This is the movie that will regenerate the popularity of Star Trek again for the 21st Century.

He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

Would have been better as a television show instead

[6/10 · 14 February 2009]

This movie is a combination between "When Harry Met Sally" and "Love Actually", which were BOTH better films.

There are a lot of characters in this movie that it seemed a little rushed & messy because they had to fit all their stories in a 2 hour film; although it was nice to see all these stars in a movie together. The plot, story and concept would have been better as a television show instead. We're all familiar with the scenarios that occurs within these characters because either we or our friends have been in these situations before. Unfortunately, it's nothing new or original that makes this film stand out. I enjoyed it, but it didn't really work too well as a movie.