koojaho13 Reviews

Sector 7 (2011)

Hopefully this movie doesn't effect your perception towards Korean films

[19 September 2011]

It's hard to give a movie a 10 out of 10. And it's even harder to give a movie a 1 out of 10. Why? Because even the worst of films have a tiny little element to praise. 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' is something I consider to be one of the worst films I've ever seen (and I've watched Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus!)...yet that movie had good CGI (too much of it but still good in terms of visuals).

But here comes 'Sector 7', the first 3-D movie to be released in South Korea. I am Korean and I assure you that Americans are more likely to like this movie...because English subtitles will definitely hide the terrible dialogue in this movie.

"Monster....monster...." says Ha Ji Won when she first sees this glob of CG. Then Sung Kee Ahn grabs a gun. First of all there would be no guns on an oil mine in Korea and second of all this reaction is stupid. Why would anyone believe there'd be a monster on board? What's worse is the doctor on the ship speculates that the gooey substance the monster leaves behind is semen. What kind of doctor is this?!

We don't see the monster until we get tired of this movie. What I mean by that is we get boring exposition we don't care about. None of the characters are interesting; they are just typical monster food. I am of course talking about the girl who won't shut up, the playful boyfriend who will become overprotective when the situation gets serious, the seemingly wise old man who knows how to use a gun, an obnoxious retard who's blamed for all the damage the monster is responsible for.

We finally see the monster about half way into this movie. A good movie like 'Alien' will use this technique by creating suspense. There is no suspense here. When the monster is finally revealed you will wish you hadn't seen it. Not because it's scary but because the CG is faker than fake. I'm not just talking about the looks (which is terrible), I'm also talking about its mechanical movement. But I should've known better when the opening CG sequence was pathetic. The 1980's flashback in Sector 7 should give you an idea of how poor the special effects are in this movie.

And why was this movie in 3D? Yeah I know we get one scene where the monster's tail shoots right out of the screen but that was like 0.3 seconds and this is a movie that is longer than it needs to be.

This movie tries to be everything. It tries to be 'Alien' (we'll get to that later). It tries to be a comedy (the audience laughed once in throughout this movie). It tries to be dramatic. None of the deaths are satisfying, none of them evoke any sort of emotion (whether sadness or fear or relief).

The worst part of the movie is the climax. Here we have the main lead girl fighting with the monster head to head in a factory. Sound familiar? I don't mind a movie imitating a classic in order to create cheap thrills but this just fails to entertain the slightest bit. And besides all I'm doing is looking at my watch.

And don't make me mention the motorcycle scenes because they were so random and so stupidly tied into the end. Even in the trailers; what was the girl planning to do with the motorcycle? Just ram it into the giant monster?

This could've been a legit monster movie. The setting was pretty good; it's an oil mine in the middle of a vast ocean. And also there are some moral issues incorporated into the monster (not spoiling anything). But the hollow characters and the actors who take themselves too seriously ruin this film completely. The action sucks, the CGI sucks. One of the WORST movies I've seen in my life.

Do not let this movie effect your perception towards Korean movies. Even we know it's bad.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Something is missing but the movie is definitely 'half-full' and not 'half empty'.

[7/10 · 22 November 2010]

I've seen countless of reviews just listing things that was not in this movie. The film and the book are separate. They work differently and have different ways to tell the same story. Do not expect everything in the book to be in this film. I think we said goodbye to that when the Goblet of Fire was over 500 pages long. A movie CAN stay loyal to its source material without leaving out everything. The Half Blood Prince works that way just like any other previous installments did.

This one starts out with a great opening. It's right where we had left off in the Order of the Phoenix. It's also like we're seeing something from the previous film that we had missed. Cameras flash, Bellatrix's voice echoes, sad choir music as the title comes forth; fantastic opening. It starts with a dark tone and is immediately followed by a disaster in London.

If you thought the previous two movies were dark, wait till you see this one. This one is so dark that it needs comedic breaks every once in a while. Yates smartly adds the comedy here and there. And it's good comedy. Teenage romance is a big part of this film and that's what causes sympathetic laughter. The well developed characters allows this to happen. We seem the students of Hogwarts constantly growing even in this installment. We get to see more school life in part six rather than building tension to a climax. Quidditch is back and some might dismiss it as a waste of time but to me this was a refresher.

To be honest the ending is disappointing. The Battle of Hogwarts is not there. But this was a great decision. Yates has saved that part for the seventh film and so you can think of the Half Blood Prince as a prelude. This is going to allow us to experience the great adventure that awaits us in the seventh film without feeling any repetition.

The Half Blood Prince, while it does disappoint in some ways, is a great refresher as a whole and leaves the audience wanting more; a true accomplishment. It's a matter of whether you see this film as 'half full' or 'half empty' and I saw it as 'half full'.

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

Less memorable than the first but still pretty scary.

[7/10 · 21 October 2010]

Paranormal Activity 2 stays true to the original. Everything that has scared us to death is back and larger in scale. Paranormal Activity 2 is actually a prequel. How else would they have both Katie and Micah back? However there's a strong connection to the first movie and it's all very smartly plotted.

There are scenes in the trailer that aren't in the actual movie. However unlike the first PA, the scariest parts are saved only for the movie by not having them in the trailer. Paranormal Activity 2 is full of shocks.

There's a lot of horror in this film. Some scares are repetitive in the beginning but as the movie progresses on, the movie releases everything it's got and once again the last fifteen minutes of the film are absolutely terrifying. Jump scares are well timed at unexpected moments and the night scenes are still thrilling and worth waiting for. There's certainly more action in this one; the characters roam around the house with their camera at night. The sequel is less memorable because the shots aren't as creepy. The first movie had a set location: the bedroom and it was terrifying because the characters were haunted in their sleep when they are most vulnerable. Overall, if you liked the first one, this one will please you for sure.

The characters are well chosen. All of them have a good purpose and play a different role. There's the frustrating character that will never believe, there's the terrified one and then there's the adventurous one who craves for more. The acting is done well most of the time but at others it bothered me because it felt like they were 'acting'. Another recurring problem I had was that I kept asking myself why the characters were filming certain parts. Yes, those scenes are needed to make the movie make sense but in real life people wouldn't film some of these scenes at their circumstance.

Paranormal Activity 2 is not the abysmal sequel people feared it to be. It's got strong relevance to the first movie and it's still definitely shocking. It's an expansion of the first movie which all sequels should be; it's like seeing a part of the first movie that we never got to see. Definitely see it in the theaters where you won't be tempted to skip the movie forward.

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

Yippie kay yay! Great addition to the series.

[7/10 · 2 October 2010]

First of all I've watched both the PG-13 and the Unrated versions. I have to say that there's very little difference yet a lot at the same time. Most of the difference is the dialog rather than the violence but this connects better with the previous installments.

This is one crazy action flick. The scale is larger than any of the previous Die Hard films and the action breaks the law of physics in every way. This is not a stealth movie. John McClane is hungry to kill and he announces his plan to the villains throughout the whole movie and still ends up accomplishing his goals in the most satisfying way. If there is one movie where one-liners don't bother me, it's this one.

The writers did insert a few dramatic moments here and there and adds more character to the John McClane we all knew and loved. It's a moment of reminiscing of the previous Die Hard films. The movie is a tribute as well as it's own stand alone film.

As crazy as the action is, the special effects support this. I've seen movies that use the silliest special effects (such as Transformers 2) to support the action. The fourth Die Hard has good special effects. It's not the effects that make the scenes unbelievable, it's the action. Yet it's all very good fun. This is a non-stop ride of explosions and some at-the-edge-of-the-seat stunts.

Justin Long is funny as well as likable. He makes a believable performance and is a great sidekick. He was worthy of Samuel L. Jackson's replacement. His character contributed some comedy and it was interesting to see such a different character interact with John McClane. McClane's daughter, Lucy is back in this sequel and is the perfect action star's daughter. She is spoiled and independent towards her father. Only, I do feel that something is missing in the transition of the change of her character. It feels a little rushed and if it was a little bit more rushed it would have been as if Lucy just wanted help from her father at troubled times.

Overall it's an enjoyable movie that you can watch at a weekend night. It leaves you feeling good, entertained and rested after work. It's over the top action scenes are something you've never seen before and you should definitely check it out.

As a last note, I know that there are some rumors floating around about a fifth Die Hard movie with it's supposed title to be "Die Hard 24/7". I would love to see another Die Hard but let's hope they just call it Die Hard 5, not Die Hard 5.0 but Die Hard 5.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

A movie that's both art and entertainment; absolutely terrific

[10/10 · 29 September 2010]

No Country for Old Men became my favorite movie of all time instantly. It is so close to being the perfect film with it's immense amount of suspense, solid dialog and it's meaningful characters that develop the movie's theme.

The western background creates an excellent setting for this movie. The opening sequence is great as it shows all the landscape of Texas. A monologue takes place and sets up the western feel. And how can that southern accent be unlikable? It's appealing and contributes to the western atmosphere.

The characters work because they are very well portrayed by splendid actors with a screenplay of crisp dialog. The dialog is out of the everyday life. There are no punts, no one liners but good, short yet stylish dialog. The three main characters slightly remind me of the ones in the Good the Bad and the Ugly. The whole movie is a three man chase and from the movie we all know that they are all very intelligent characters. The characters are easy to be hooked on. Anton Chigurh is the perfect villain; fair yet homicidal. Moss can be a greedy man yet has a soft spot from time to time. And finally Ed Tom is a man who does not understand the cruelty of the present world. The trio create a perfect combination.

No Country for Old Men is an outstanding thriller and is a role model to future neo-western thrillers. It stays true to it's source material and shows it's true meaning that the book wanted to convey which makes this movie an excellent piece of art. While the movie is criticized for ending abruptly, again it's staying true to its source material.

This movie is crazy. It keeps you in suspense throughout and when it's over it makes a good transition into developing it's theme. There is almost no music and when it comes to an intense situation, it's completely silent, creating more suspense. There are not many violence depicted in the movie but the things that happen off screen are disturbing, creating a mental image. The Coen brothers do a fantastic job of keeping true to the thriller genre.

There's not much to say when it comes to the effects. I felt that everything was authentic. There are some bits of good gore that portray the necessary violence. Every violence in this film has a purpose unlike a bottom material action film. The violence contributes to the film's theme.

Because this is a Coen brothers film, it has some dark comedy. The hair of Anton Chigurh is one of the primary examples. You'll see a lot of this during the film yet the movie never loses it's seriousness.

This is the comeback of the western genre and a great adaptation of one of the greatest books on humanity. The movie is filled with philosophy, thought provoking questions. This is the classic film people will look back to in the future. No Country for Old Men is an upgrade from all the previous Coen brother movies; it's more modernly done in a positive way yet feels like their movie. The Coens have shown us an example of what cinema should be like: art.

Salt (2010)

A movie that can't make up it's mind

[4/10 · 28 September 2010]

Salt is half a movie. The first forty minutes have elements that work in an action film and the last fifty is an inadequate mess. The film starts out with energetic, upbeat action but goes down to the lowest form of entertainment.

The opening is good to introduce our main lead, Salt played by Jolie. The audience gets to learn quickly that she's a tough gal. Yet Jolie's character is not a significant figure as she is no different from any other female spy character. In other words Jolie plays Salt like she plays any other character such as the Tomb Raider or Fox.

There are a lot of plot twists in Salt that drove the movie to a mess. The plot twists are not predictable but it's not well thought out and at every turn, it leads to me caring less about the film altogether.

The action sequences are well done. The chase scene was the greatest part of the whole film and the stunts were done terrific. This is the only strong part of this film if any and is the most memorable. The movie quickly turns into a brutal kills that are rather unpleasant than entertaining. The scene where Salt uses handcuffs to strangle Winter is bloody in a bad sense and is bottom material. It makes the film look unprofessional.

The climax doesn't feel like a climax and I never knew it was until the movie was over. As far as the ending goes, I was actually surprised. It was a cliffhanger and I was torn and confused but slightly glad that it was all over.

The dialog is dumb especially in the ending because the characters seem to do different things from what they actually say, not in a character sense but in the sense that the screenplay is badly written.

Salt wasn't supposed to be art but it wasn't a great popcorn movie either. Inadequate entertainment is what you see if you watch Salt.

Rating:

★★☆☆☆

Despicable Me (2010)

An enjoyable comedy with an exception of small minor problems

[7/10 · 27 September 2010]

Despicable Me is an enjoyable comedy flick with minor problems. Some jokes are extremely funny while some are just repeatedly stupid. Most of the really funny jokes are in the trailer and luckily I did not see the trailer before watching this film.

Most of the characters are charming and cute. The main protagonist Gru is not a likable person in the film but as an audience we love him as a character. His accent is great; Steve Carell did a fantastic job. The orphans were a different story. Agnes was adorable of course but the other two weren't the great characters Gru and Agnes were. Edith is obnoxious and adds nothing to the story except some minor trouble that takes up a few seconds of screen time. She's really just there. Margo is actually important because she's the older sibling (the motherly figure). Therefore she conflicts with Gru a lot and it's about them resolving their differences. However I just didn't find her character as good as Agnes because Margo reminds me too much of my own mother. And in addition Agnes is the youngest but she seems like a better person than Margo. So what were they trying to do? Make Margo look mature while making the younger one the role model? I hated Vector, the antagonist. Not in a sense that he's a good character but in a sense I found him disgusting.

I found the minions cute first but they were used way too much. Their squeaky high pitched voice gets redundant. This is the biggest and one of the few flaws of this film.

The 3D is amazing. This isn't one of those movies that is released in 3D just for the sake of it. Despicable Me is a total eye candy. Objects will always pop out and there is a roller coaster scene as seen in the trailers and it is spectacular. This movie redefined the concept of 3D and is a perfect example of what a 3D movie should be like.

This one is definitely worth your time.

The Expendables (2010)

Something is working here but is shadowed by the disappointment

[6/10 · 27 September 2010]

Many critics are bashing this film but this film wasn't made to be an artistic masterpiece. It's supposed to be fun and it did it's job. Not particularly in a very good way but it's satisfying.

The problem with this movie is that it doesn't use it's good cast fully. While the hype surrounds the fact that Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger are in this film, they only stay in the film for about two minutes. The film centers around Stallone and Statham's characters and the rest we do not get to know well. The rest of the cast has great potential but they are only supplementary . Everyone gets their own spotlight at certain points and it's quite cool to see what each character is capable of however again I was waiting for this movie to really entertain me. Overall it feels like there's something missing.

The movie isn't boring but it's not particularly amazing like everyone would expect it to be. You would definitely expect more from a cast like this. There are better action films, although I'd think this one had the craziest last twenty minute action. There are some good scenes that make you stay at the edge of your seat.

The gore is quite good but it's so over the top that it doesn't make you cringe. That's a thumbs up for those who can't stand gore. It's still awesome though. It's not as violent as the last Rambo movie but it's quite up there. Nothing that's too disturbing though. The music does the job and the sound effects are great. The sound is over the top along with the gore. The blood spurt sound effects and each punch adds a great feeling for the ear.

The movie tries to give the characters a back story, therefore giving them something to work with. However the movie itself isn't very significant, and the plot is not interesting. It is an action film but the plot should be interesting enough for me to care. I can see that Stallone tried to give his and Statham's characters some drama but it still is not enough for me to give focus.

After all the problems that is mentioned, this movie might sound bad. But it's not. It's an okay movie to enjoy. Nothing "wow"-ing though.

Rating:

★★★☆☆ Satisfying

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

Suffers from what the previous movies had left for them to work with

[5/10 · 27 September 2010]

More action and fantasy is put into this installment than the previous ones and it helps the series go towards it's right direction however again, the romance outweighs the fantasy elements. It's not the romance that's the problem but the fantasy is uncreative and there are so many one-liners that I can nitpick.

The story vaguely progressed since the last film. It's plot is actually a combination of the first film's plot and the second film's plot. Jacob and Edward are still fighting over Bella and a vampire is after Bella again. To make it more interesting though, Victoria creates an army of new born vampires to eliminate Bella while Edward and Jacob form an alliance to protect Bella.

The acting is okay. The actors can't be criticized when they aren't given a lot to work with in the first place. The worst character in this film is undoubtedly Jasper. His character is supposed to be the veteran warrior who teaches other vampires to fight but he comes off so cheesy, I found to dislike him. Dialogue is the main problem here.

This film tries to make things overly dramatic all the time. There are too many unnecessary kissing scenes. It's probably more than Twilight and New Moon combined. Also this movie stretches scenes to take up screen time when it could be done quicker.

The action is definitely better. While the previous movies lacked a hell lot of action, this one doesn't. This one lacks just a bit. The action scale increased because it's actually a battle rather than a combat this time. However the fight between Edward and Victoria ends so abruptly and the battle is in favor of Edward most of the time and even when it's not, it's not that suspenseful. Overall it is an improvement so hats off to the director.

Now about the creativity. It's a shame how an uncreative book has to bring down the movie based upon it but it happens. Eclipse is a primary example. Hell, the whole Twilight series is an example. None of the creatures in the Twilight series offer fantasy elements. All their powers are randomly put together without explanation. There's no explanation to why the Vampires have special powers. They're just there to fulfill the genre of fantasy. Which I guess it does but it's so uncreative.

The CG for the werewolves are terrible once again. They look like they're from video games. The rest are good. I liked how this film depicts Vampires' death. They break apart into ice and that was cool to look at.

Eclipse improved since the last two but there are so many problems in the previous entries that the movie is still a bunch of flaws.

Rating:

★★☆☆☆ Insufficient

Predators (2010)

Fortified with improved special effects and greater suspense

[8/10 · 27 September 2010]

A simple story about people being hunted by alien species combined with awesome special effects and suspense works fantastic in the new Predators movie.

Everything from the first Predator film is back: the game, the hunters, the jungle and the suspense. Nothing is new but everything is upgraded to a high quality standard which makes this the best film of this summer.

The opening of this movie is epic and is easily one of the best openings in a movie. It helps the plot go right to the point with a momentum of energy.

The story is nothing new except it's in bigger scale. Instead of the Predators hunting on earth, they abduct worthy opponents to their planet for game. Adrian Brody portrays Royce, the protagonist who meets other people he must survive with. You will see everything you saw in the first Predator film. There are many references and tie-ins it's almost like a remake.

The acting in Predators is solid and it goes really well with the timing of music and action. There are well executed jump scare scenes throughout the film. Adrian Brody is great; he buffed up and is a totally new character. Don't let his past films get in the way. Also you might see a little less of Lawrence Fishburne than you'd expect which I found his character unnecessary except for the fact that he provides information about the Predators. That could have been done in another way.

There was one scene of character development which was unnecessarily long. Some of this film could have been cut down.

There have been statements that say this movie is predictable. This is only partly true. Predators is an action survival flick that has been fortified. Everything is better since the last installments. The acting and the special effects.

The effects for the Predators are what you would like to see. Some great CG was used in this film and it improves in a visual manner. However some scenes had very bright colors and it was disturbing to the eye. They used the original Predator theme and some of the new soundtracks were effective in increasing the suspense.

Predators is one hell of a film. It's suspense level is extreme; your heart will beat fast throughout the two hours and you don't get many breaks. It's got steady action and a great balance of sound. The sound is never too ear piercing or quiet and adds greatly to the setting. A great edition to the franchise. If you've seen 'Alien vs. Predator 2', have 'Predators' wash that bad taste out of your mouth!

Rating:

★★★★☆ Great

The Chaser (2008)

Neat acting and great atmosphere sadly amount to a lame dog fight

[5/10 · 24 September 2010]

When I heard that this movie was going to be remade by the crew that brought us The Departed, I decided to check it out. The movie was critically acclaimed everywhere; even internationally. Oh boy are we in for some surprises.

The movie has a very dark tone and it instantly sucks the audience into the plot. The whole plot is simplistic while disturbing and sets up a good exposition. The Chaser starts out well paced and engaging but it starts to lose focus during the second act. A lot of the suspense is dropped and it becomes a flat investigation plot that runs in circles.

Rather than external anxiety, the majority of the suspense comes from the atmosphere itself. The movie is very suspenseful and horrific when it's supposed to be but it doesn't occur as often as it should. This is the reason why the climax didn't do it for me. The movie doesn't keep building and by the end it's just a violent dog fight.

Most of the violence is not directly shown and is edited so that the audience can use their imagination. Points for that.

The audience can relate to the characters and feel sympathetic throughout the film. The movie can be funny when it wants to be from time to time; there are some cute moments here and there especially with the child actor accompanying the protagonist. But I just hate s*** like that (when Korean movies try to add humor to a serious movie).

All the characters are distinguishable at a first glimpse. The characters have a lot to work with which is why the actors do a pretty good job.

The main problem with this movie is that the protagonist and the antagonist don't conflict throughout the movie as much they should. The antagonist doesn't propose much of a threat except in the exposition and the climax. He is rather a spectator and I felt that the interaction between the two was missing.

The ending was subjectively bad for me. It's somewhat of a surprise and I like how it's cliché free. However it all comes down to the point where I just don't care about anything anymore.

It's not a bad film but it's certainly overrated. Hopefully the remake is better.