Tempus Machina

This is way too early for a closing post in the year 2012. But I'm going away for the end of the year so I'm not going to be in front of my laptop for New Year's Eve. 2012 is quite unforgettable for me. I learnt new things and for the first time in my life, I felt like I am actually growing up, becoming more mature (though people around me doesn't see it--may be I'm not maturing yet or maybe I'm just a damn good actor). I loved and laughed. I cried (quite a few times before I moved to Japan actually -- so much for maturing). And I graduataed from highschool finally. It was like dog years to be in high school but it really was dog years, I was so grateful that I was a dog. I have friends that trusted me. What more could you ask of them? It was the greatest thing in the world to have people trust you and in return, all I do was trust them back. I may disappoint some of them but do know, that you guys never disappoint me. Anyways, it was really an unforgettable and great year.

"you admit you're a dog. That's something."

I know this post isn't about movies anymore, I lied about the purpose of this blog but that's what blog is about right. I have the right to be vocal about my own thoughts. This is my blog, man. You are here to read only. I'd shove some sentences about movies right after this. It's a great year for movies too. A superhero film just ended but there's another one that just begun (and there's also a bad reboot who claimed itself successful). The movies this year was big. There were The Hunger Games, Looper, Prometheus, Skyfall, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises to name a few. There's still some of them coming up like Tarantino's Django Unchained and Les Miserables. If you're a filmgoer, you'd be so satisfied of 2012. And if the world really ends in two days, give me a heads up and I'll rob Zack Snyder's house for Man of Steel.

I lied again from my previous post that I would post my annual list. I guess that has to wait in January.

I still hope that I can post my next post (sneak peek, titled: Holiday Box) which I think will be my biggest post since Avenged (where I reviewed 4 films). I'm aiming to have also 4 films in my next post. Well, say good luck and see you laters.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Back to Middle-Earth

It's rare in Japan to have a big film playing at the same week as the rest of the world. As you may notice in my previous post, the newest Star Trek is not going to face the same fate as The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey which was released at the same day in the US, December 14. My anticipation for The Hobbit was kinda so so but I didn't realize how much I wanted to see this film until Howard Shore's sweeping Lord of the Rings score started to play or until Elijah Wood and Ian Holm pops up (which the very first minute of the film). It was a return to Middle Earth. Despite the troubles in pre-production (MGM funding, uncertain release date, and Del Toro's resignation from director's chair to name a few), the film was finally made and not only one film but three films.

The story is about a dwarf named Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) who wants to reclaim his homeland, Erebor that was devastated by a dragon called Smaug. It has been 60 years and Thorin with his 12 dwarves companions and Gandalf (McKellen) were looking for a 14th companion. Enter young Bilbo Baggins, a less adventure-minded one (Martin Freeman). They started the journey to Erebor and facing obstacles and creatures such as orcs, trolls, stone giants. And for Bilbo himself, he encountered Gollum who has the Ring that could change the course of the life in Middle-Earth.

The film was about 170 minutes in length but when I watched it it feels like 90 minutes. I was expecting more so I guess the film's pace was not a problem for me. It is like when you watch the Star Wars prequels because everything ties to the superb following trilogy. I loved Martin Freeman he's just so good in his role. The newcomer, Aragorn-like Richard Armitage's Thorin Oakenshield was just super cool like Aragorn. The LOTR reunion scene in Rivendell was one of the most exciting moments of the film with the most exciting one was the one when Bilbo meets Gollum. Definitely the best scene in the whole film. The film is packed with adventure and maybe too much of them. The pattern becomes a repetition with almost three times there would be (small spoilers) a person in danger and suddenly the rest of the gang shows up (or vice versa) with Howard Shore's stellar orchestra version of the Misty Mountain song playing. And while this film is so good, it doesn't reach the high standards set by The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The stakes are higher in LOTR and the adventure was kinda more serious. Here there was too much of humor and unimportant story on the road which makes me think that this film is actually a road movie. The action scenes were superbly executed. The Wargs chase scenes were nice, and also the Goblin lair escape was cool. Peter Jackson proves that he is the king of Middle Earth. He may not only be the king but he is the god of Middle Earth. However the visual effects are not as sharp as in the LOTR trilogy and some of the scenes have that extreme lighting that kinda makes it strange. But I am still looking forward to next year's second film in the series! I recommend the people who haven't seen the trilogy should see the trilogy prior to seeing this film. But if you haven't, make sure you watch them after you watch this. This ain't Star Wars where you can watch The Phantom Menace without watching the original movies. For the story, The Hobbit is the prequel to LOTR, but for the universe, LOTR is the prequel to The Hobbit. Also I'm so proud that I could find two Indonesian names that worked on this film during the credits! Hats off to Rini Sugianto and Eddy Purnomo. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: rated 3.5/4


I may try to watch The Hobbit in IMAX HFR 3D, so wish me luck. It's kinda hard (and expensive) to watch that in Japan. And also I'm going to do my last post which is going to be the anticipated films in 2013 (this list was used to be posted on my facebook but maybe I'm still gonna posted on facebook too). For the sake of sneak peek, on the first post of 2013, I'm going to review Les Miserables or maybe with Twilight Breaking Dawn 2. Until then, see you later!

A Moment of Silence

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS IS GOING TO BE RELEASED IN JAPAN ON SEPTEMBER 2013, INSTEAD OF MAY 2013 LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. THAT IS THE EXAMPLE OF THE EXPRESSION 'MESSED UP'. 

PLEASE PARAMOUNT PICTURES & J.J. ABRAMS, WE NEED THAT MOVIE ON MAY 2013 TOO. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

a legit evidence:

Dear J.J. Abrams,

I am in enormous fury right now, so excuse my caps-locked post above. I hope they sort this out. I don't want any spoilers for Cumberbatch's character. Please please J.J. Abrams, Japanese people need your film too. We want to experience the movie at the same time with the world. We want to be at the IMAX 3D theater at the same time as people all over the world, watching Captain Kirk fight that-still-mysterious-villain. Do not isolate us please. Force those Japanese distributors to release this film on May 2013. Please please, I'm literally begging you. You don't want your film to be vigorously pirated and illegally downloaded right? And we don't want spoilers all over the internet that are going to be caused by crazy media exposure. I want to be in the theater, be shocked by who Cumberbatch's character really is. Not by accidentally reading it in random comments on YouTube or maybe reading it in 9GAG or maybe some reviewer's reviews that is too spoiling. So, the only solution is to release it on May, as it should be. You can see that The Avengers underperformed this year in Japan because we had it last, also The Hunger Games. Both are worldwide phenomenon of 2012, except in Japan, where we got it last. Please, you came to Tokyo a couple of days back and you showed us the first 9 minutes before anyone else but we get to see the film last? Also you gave extended footage for the Japanese trailer and in the end we got to see those last? That is not fair at all. Please, we need Star Trek Into Darkness on May 2013. I want to meet Captain Kirk, Spock and Benedict Cumberbatch on May, not on September.

Sincerely,
A young Trekkie who loves films greatly.




I really do hope someone from Paramount or J.J. Abrams himself read this. Spread the word!

Hold Your Breath and Count to Ten

"Skyfall."
"Done."

That's exactly what I want to say right after I walked out of the cinemas. After a full month of waiting, I finally got to see the latest Bond film in the cinemas, which required me to skip church on Sunday (sorry, God). I know I may be the last blogger that claims himself a movie blogger that blogged about the latest Bond film, but then to be the last isn't always a bad thing. I have an alibi for this, so to speak. I am now in Japan and watching Skyfall on December 2nd isn't considered a month late here; it's only a day late. The 23rd Bond film has already had my curiosity since it was announced, but now it has my full attention (credits to Quentin Tarantino for the pinked sentence). The story is not a continuation of the events in Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace, but the things referenced in this film requires a knowledge in the Bond universe as this film partly served as a homage to the 50-year-old spy.

The story started from the stolen harddrive containing the names of MI6 undercover agents. James Bond (Daniel Craig) was supposed to retrieve it but then due to a mission mishap, Bond was 'killed'. But then actually, the hard drive was only a small detail in the big picture. Enter Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) a cyber terrorist who's kinda peculiar in every way. Silva is presumably a homosexual yet also sort of a psychopath. Bond's bond (Bond pun!) with M is tested as more secrets and Silva's plan were unraveled.

So far, Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond. I was born in the Brosnan era, so there was a time that recognize Pierce Brosnan in some magazine or his non-Bond films and called him James Bond. But as I get older and I have more knowledge about this matter, Daniel Craig steps in as 007 and I have to say he's my Bond. I loved Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace is like wine, it gets better with time (and multiple viewings). As I have mentioned, Skyfall is partly a homage to the franchise and it was shown all over the film: the vintage Goldfinger Aston Martin, Walther PPK, an eccentric villain, the big and brassy theme song, the new Q, the new Moneypenny (perhaps that's a spoiler but then again, the film is already a month old) even James Bond himself said, "the old ways are the best". Also the setting is mainly in London, again, serving as a homage to country and franchise. The action sets are amazing, I couldn't complain about anything. The score by Thomas Newman, a newcomer to the franchise but a pro in the business, is above satisfactory; it's a different color to the usual David Arnold score and it's a great thing. The theme song opening scene is amazing, courtesy of Daniel Kleinman. It's kinda incomparable with the one in Casino or Quantum as the three of them are equally awesome. Daniel Craig is getting better with Bond and he could put his happy face more here than in QoS. Judi Dench's M played a bigger role here and Judi Dench is so good in her role. Javier Bardem is crazily amazing as always. Although Silva here isn't as menacing as Anton Chigurh, Bardem's Silva has mostly great moments in the film. The third act of the film doesn't really feel Bond-y but we get something in return: Bond's backstory, which was already briefly mentioned by Vesper Lynd in their first meeting in the train. Sam Mendes handles the film skillfully without forgetting the story in favor of the actions scenes and the action scenes did not disappoint too. However, I feel that Casino Royale is more superior in its action scenes. One of the few things that bugged me was the love scene with Severine that is quite morally inappropriate and Silva's death scene that seems too...easy. But then again, no masterpiece is without flaws. Skyfall is a satisfactory film in all levels and I look forward to the next Bond films which will going to feature a lot of great actors that are already hinted to return. Skyfall: rated 4/4.

Still related to Skyfall, I recommend you to watch Graham Norton's show on Bond special with guest stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Javier Bardem. It's available on YouTube and it's interesting (for me, when I'm still in Bond fever mode)

This bonus material is included since I haven't posted a lot in November:
1. the newest Man of Steel poster is superb. see it here!
2. Star Trek Into Darkness poster is also superb. Cumberbitches! see this one here!
3. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has become The Social Network of superhero films. With Dane Dehaan joining as Harry Osborn, it has the best young cast you could assemble. But then, the new Spidey sucks.
4. And when you checked out the new trailer for Django Unchained, this is the best comment you can see on YouTube.

See you for in the next two weeks for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey!
(An unimportant trivia: Line sticker for The Hobbit is out for free!)
I'll let you guys know that I made a promise to myself to watch The Hobbit in HFR3D, so wish me luck or I'm going to do something equally exciting as watching in HFR3D.
And if any of you wonder why I am not reviewing Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, it's not that I hated the film because how can I hate the film when it's not even released yet in Japan :| It's going to be open on December 28.

See you on December 16 for another post!

Late Summer

Quick reviews on three films from the summer, Ted, Savages and The Campaign. Like really brief and quick review. Bonus, two films from September.

Ted
The highest grossing R-rated comedy to date certainly has a unique premise, also a cute, irresistible teddy bear named Ted who happens to be alive because of John Bennett's wish. The movie is a nice one, although not that funny. I'd prefer The Hangover over Ted. However Ted's visual effects is quite good; better than Twilight or G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra. Seth McFarlane is truly a genius and Mila Kunis is difficult to resist. When you finished the movie, you might wonder, which one is cuter, Mila Kunis or Ted? The film has some good moments and funny moments, including an extended cameo by Flash Gordon himself. The ending is also touching. Ted: rated 2.5/4


Savages

Oliver Stone's new film marked his departure from the 'more serious' genre of movies, y'know, the political ones like his latest W. This is one is adapted from a book and has an ensemble cast which are led by John Carter, Kick-Ass and Serena Van Der Woodsen. The story is about a large cartel who wants to deal with independent weed growers but apparently failed in the negotiation. Therefore they kidnapped the growers' shared girlfriend and those growers tried to do anything to get her back. The one performance that was disturbingly good was Benicio Del Toro's. However, the rest of the cast did a great job too. The twist in the end was annoying because it doesn't improve the story at all (I can't talk much here to avoid spoilers). There's another thing that I was annoyed by which was the way Indonesia was associated with the words 'jungle' and 'savages'. You guys may be sadistic savages, but us in Indonesia, we are not savages who live in the jungle and doesn't have a Chanel shop. Thank you. Savages is worth a watch for the raw feel and the uniquely normal-but-strange story and its twist though. Savages: rated 2.5/4


The Campaign
For me this film is funnier than Ted because the jokes are more unpredictable and kinda random. While on Ted, you can expect dirty jokes from a teddy bear. The film's story is about two candidates Cam Brady and Marty Huggins who fights for the title congressman of North Carolina. While Cam Brady is always elected as congressman, Marty Huggins came out of nowhere because he's funded by businessmen who have a secret plan. Will Ferrell is playing in good comedy films, like Talladega Nights or Anchorman, and this one is another his of good ones too. Zach G is playing a different character albeit similar traits (dumb and stuff), he's already a typecast. One thing that the film lacks is bigger role on Jason Sudeikis bcos like in Horrible Bosses, he could be extremely funny too. While the jokes sometimes aren't that funny because it's already everywhere in the trailer, the film is smart in criticizing some of the politics routine and it makes the film interestingly funny. The Campaign: rated 3/4


End of Watch
A Chronicle-style buddy cop drama? With Jake Gyllenhaal? Count me in. The story is about two police officers who got tangled in cartel business while doing their daily job. The film makes use of the 'self-taping' thing and sometimes from the police cam while also infusing traditional cameraworks but mostly handheld. This method proves to be effective, not only because we get the gritty feel but also the dangerous and raw atmosphere of the film. Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena here is so good, their relationship is like very real. I enjoyed this film very very much. Although the one setback is that the opening is too slow to make way for the real conflict. Great film nonetheless. End of Watch: rated 3.5/4



Looper
My God I finally watched Looper. This film and Dredd are my most anticipated film of September. The story is about an assassin called Looper who have to kill his future version of himself. (please bear with me cos I'm about to have an outburst) JGL IS AMAZING. He doesn't look like JGL at all. I watched 50/50 trailer after I watched this and it's like I'm looking at a different person. Bruce Willis is also good here, which I didn't expect. The film is sooooo cooool, sooooo tense. I lost adjective to describe how cool this film is. The effects are just amazingly badass. Definitely the coolest film of the year. I also liked Paul Dano's brief appearance. But this film is Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's show. I can not complain about anything. Looper: rated 4/4.

See you December 2nd (or 3rd) for Skyfall.

Homecoming

You have to know. You gotta know. You gotta acknowledge this. I just watched a film in the cinemas today! After 6 weeks of not going to the cinemas, I finally got to go to the cinemassss. so happy man. I traveled all the way from my small town Beppu to a much bigger city Oita by train, taxi and bus. The mall that has this movie theater is located quite far from the actual city itself, but the location and the building kinda reminds me of Mall of Asia in Philippines. The mall is called Tokiwa Oita Wasada Town or idk, something similar to that. I wish there are better films for my going-again-to-the-cinemas event, but actually Paranormal Activity 4 would do just fine. Through this, I learned that may be patience is really a virtue because that feeling of comfort in the cinemas is unbeatable even by the most expensive sofa or sound system in some ridiculously enormous mansion. Anyway, in this post I would like to review PA4 but also include a quick review of one of the nicest films I've seen, Ruby Sparks.

Main event: Paranormal Activity 4
I have to admit that Paranormal Activity series is my favorite horror franchise, although calling it a horror film may be an insult to some of the real horror films. If you've read my last post, you'd understand why I chose this particular film to watch in the cinemas. I watched the film alone, since my friends isn't that interested in watching this film. Paranormal Activity 3 is quite thrilling albeit its lack of footage that was shown in the trailers and also its (kinda) disappointing ending so I was quite intrigued about where does this fourth installment going to take us. The story have sort of moved from Katie's family to a neighbor's family 5 years later after Katie took Hunter from Kristi's house. Apparently this family adopted Hunter and that creepy guy Toby was tagged along. And someone in the family taped this whole affair and the paranormal activity started to happen, as always.

To be honest, the film is disappointing. The film is a bit boring unlike the other three films and the 'activities' isn't memorable or really scary. It's just random objects moving without anything happening. Sometimes something really good comes up and was kinda scary but it ended up being nothing. Everyone would remember that the most memorable 'activity' in PA2 is the afternoon bit where suddenly the kitchen just blowwssss. and the one in PA3 is the levitating kitchen. And in PA4......nothing. And they make surveillance cameras out of laptops and Kinect, which, to me, is amazingly ridiculous. There is a homage to The Shining though but not good enough to cover the big hole created by the whole film. The amount of ghost violence is also reduced due to strange editing, which is a bummer. The people in the family are not likable enough for us to root for (the Alex girl is cool but it's largely because of her being so cute). I wish they go back to the sequel quality of PA3 or PA2 for the fifth one and make it a more interesting story that's more cohesive the whole series. (I'm still waiting to see that burning house). I'm not going to compare the sequels with the original because the original is just the most effective without the legend and the cult stuff. It's quite safe to say that Paranormal Activity 4 is the worst of the series*. Paranormal Activity 4: rated 1/4

*I didn't regret watching it in the cinemas though

Side dish: Ruby Sparks

Ruby Sparks is a new film from the directors of Little Miss Sunshine and it stars Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan and also famous supporting casts. It tells the story about a struggling writer who by accident bring his fictional character from his book to life. Most interestingly, this character is the girl he always dreamt of to be his girlfriend. I like this kind of film, a romance blended with fantasy but not too much. Paul Dano is amazing as usual and Zoe Kazan is brilliant as she also wrote the story herself. You may think that this is a weird film, but it's like (500) Days of Summer's realism meets Stranger Than Fiction which equals to a nice, sweet, heartwarming film. The film is a study to relationships much like (500) Days and the film made you realize something important, which can vary to each person. If you like Little Miss Sunshine and (500) Days of Summer then you'd like Ruby Sparks as much as I do. Go see it! Ruby Sparks: rated 3.5/4.


I may review some other films, or just post random posts but just to be sure, I'll be back on early December with the review of Skyfall. Until then, さよなら.

A Love/Rant Letter

Week 6. Still haven't been to cinemas. Personally, my last record of not going to cinemas was only 3 weeks. Well, my schedule until early January only lists Argo, Paranormal Activity 4, Skyfall, The Hobbit and Looper. Recently I learned that Ben Affleck's Argo is only playing limitedly in Japan, so it's not going to reach my village-y place that's two hours from the nearest biggest city. It sucks yes. I didn't want to resort to torrenting films. I have always been a fan of watching movies in cinemas. Watching movies in the cinemas is simply indescribable by words; the sound of popcorn crunching, the cold light breeze of the air conditioner, the dark room, the blaring sounds, the (maybe) comfy seats, the fellow audience, the large screen, the stupid people playing their phones in the dark or maybe the couple making out in the corner. The laugh shared together with the audience or the thrill of everyone in the room holding their breath. I miss all that. Especially back home knowing that everytime I go to the cinemas it means that I'm going to share more or less 2 hours with the people I trust to be with me for that time being: my family, my brother, my friends. Going to cinemas is like spa for me. Going to cinemas is like going to a beach for me. Going to cinemas is like shopping for me. Going to cinemas is like every good thing in life. Every time I walked out of the theater after a film, I feel free, I feel happy, I feel a soft cushion of clouds with rainbow in front of my eyes (hyperbole alert!). No matter how bad or good the film is, my feeling stays the same. I miss going to an IMAX theater, the super large screen and the super loud sound system is unforgettable. I know I'm like someone who came from a remote village in a godforsaken land and go to the cinemas for the first time, but the feeling is like that. Although next week I'm bound to go to Oita for Paranormal Activity 4, I really want to be able to experience the joy of watching in cinemas every week.

Part 2 of this post is my rant about how retarded Japanese cinemas on releasing Hollywood films ON TIME. Japanese government have issued an anti-piracy law that was effective per October 1, 2012. To what extent does this law cover? Apparently every unlicensed material that's available on the internet. Not only downloading torrents of films and music but watching unlicensed videos on YouTube could be endangered by this law. Well, why do you need anti-piracy law on the first place? Because Japan is too arrogant. I know they are trying to protect their own film industry but come on, delaying films up until 2 years isn't the answer. For example, The Hunger Games was just released recently on September 28 in Japan while its DVD has already been released on August 18 everywhere else in the world which means that a Blu-Ray torrent of the film is already available on the Internet. Doesn't that hurt the film and cinemas itself? I understand if the delaying only takes 1 week or 2 weeks for dubbing and stuff in Japan, but like Daniel Craig & Rachel Weisz's Dream House that is just going to be released this November? Do you need a year to do dubbing and that other stuff? For the case of Argo, the film is released perfectly on time, but not getting a wide release. Rage rage rage. The world says that Japan is one of the developed countries but apparently my country Indonesia whose status is only a developing country is more experienced and excelled in handling this movie stuff. In Indonesia, Skyfall is getting an early release of November 1 whereas in Japan, December 1. In Indonesia, films are getting released on time and better yet, the films' selections are amazing. Japan did not have any certainty on recent films like Dredd or End of Watch but Indonesia already screened both of them. I puzzles me how Hollywood still sees Japan as one of the big markets as they are still coming and do press calls or premieres in Tokyo or other places in Japan. I tell you, nothing special here in Japan for Hollywood films. People here would still prefer watching anime than effects-heavy Hollywood films.

Let's see what happens next week.

Set of Skills

It's been ages since my last post. Sorry sorry apologies. For this post I'm going to review the sequel to the 2008 hit, Taken,which established Liam Neeson as an action star. Without Taken, there wouldn't be Unknown, The Grey, or even Taken 2 (obviously). Actually the premise is kinda stupid because being taken again? seriously? Now Kim's parents are taken? seriously? But Taken 2 promises full-action and new setting, Istanbul. Is it worth the shot then?

The story is that the Albanian family from the people Bryan Mills (Neeson) killed are seeking revenge. Mills himself is currently taking a security job in Istanbul, Turkey. Her ex-wife Lenore (Janssen) is having a marriage problem so Mills took her and her daughter to Istanbul for a holiday. The Albanian family, led by Murad, the father of the guy who got electrocuted in the legs until he died, knew they are in Istanbul and they wanted to bring Mills to Albania to kill him.

That's pretty much the story. The title itself is its own spoiler. The original Taken bravely took a serious story about human trafficking, this one doesn't. Taken 2 is just action action action without memorable story and scenes. The logic is also strange. At one point, Mills told Kim to use grenades in the middle of the city for the sake of showing off his set of skills of hearing sounds to determine location. Grenades man, grenades. Where were the bloody police in Istanbul where there's an explosion and no one cared? Not only once, but three times Kim threw grenades. The editing is also all over the place. It comes to a point where making a scene looks strange. For example, a criminal is killed because Liam Neeson facepalmed him? Makes perfect sense right? Well if you look at the film's Wikipedia page it was explained how he died, but we need visual explanation though. The Albanian is not that tough either, in one scene they let Mills make a phone call for such a long time. Are they not afraid Mills would call the police or someone else? Looking on the bright side, Liam Neeson is still as kick-ass as he was but lacking logic and rationalism. As Bryan Mills said, "I'm tired of it all", I hope there isn't Taken 3 somewhere near in the future. Taken 2: rated 2 out of 4.

Undenying

Hello, I'm not dead yet. I just opted not to post anything because I haven't had any materials to write. Although I did watch Rodrigo Cortes' latest film, Red Lights, which I'm going to talk about later. Yes, this is my first Japan-based post. I'm already settled in a simple dorm room in Beppu, Oita. It's in the island of Kyushu. Far away from Tokyo and the cinemas is a train-ride away from ma crib. Anyway, this is my thought about Red Lights.

Red Lights is the newest film from the director of the claustrophobic, mini-budgeted, one-man-show, Ryan Reynolds-starring Buried. Rodrigo Cortes indeed has some uniqueness in his films, his themes are different. This time he digs about fraud in showbusiness, particularly those involving supernatural things or magic. The film stars Cillian Murphy, Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro. This is my first Elizabeth Olsen film, by the way. Someday I'll get around to watch Martha Marcy May Marlene or Silent House. The story is about Tom Buckley (Murphy), an associate of Professor Matheson (Weaver) who makes a side job by revealing fraud in the 'magic' business. And there's Simon Silver (De Niro), a veteran magician  who's making a comeback after almost 20 years missing from stage. Buckley is somewhat compelled to investigate Silver, although everyone knows that Silver is dangerous.

The premise is definitely intriguing and by looking at the trailers, you can get crazy to watch it. However, Cortes didn't tell and communicate the story well. Sometimes you feel there's a vital part missing in order to tell the story right. The big twist in the end is also a bit underwhelming to my taste. Some important things are just left unexplained, leaving me with so much questions. However, this film does benefit from incredible acting by Cillian Murphy and Robert De Niro. Sigourney Weaver's just the same nowadays so, nothing to comment. I'd love to see Rodrigo Cortes make more movies. I think he has this promise of delivering good cinema to the world. And also I would love to see Cillian Murphy get bigger roles because he totally deserves it. I'd recommend 28 Days Later and Sunshine to see Murphy in full action. Red Lights: rated 2 out of 4.

BONUS:
There's this incredible article I just found by Sujan Patel about Batman quotes from Nolan's trilogy.
He picked 10 quotes that led him to successful career life. I'll attach the link to it but I'd be kind enough to include my own favorite that is mutual with Patel's choices.

"Harvey Dent: “You make your own luck.”

In The Dark Knight, Harvey uses this line in reference to a double-sided coin, but I see this principle paralleled in the way we talk about entrepreneurs.  Too often, we refer to successful business people as being lucky, or having “been in the right place at the right time.”

I believe it wasn’t an accident that put those people in the path of “luck” – it was the hours of hard work and dedication that were occurring behind the scenes.

Bill Gates is often held up as an extreme example of luck in the business world.  Not only was he born into a privileged family that allowed him to spend his formative years at private primary schools and Harvard (institutions that would have had access to computing technology not available in other programs), he was born at a “lucky” time in the development of microcomputing and had the good fortune of teaming up with fellow visionary Paul Allen at the right moment.

But despite these factors, to say that the entire success of Microsoft can be pinned on one man’s lucky break is extremely shortsighted.  Certainly, Gates wasn’t the only one born into these specific situations.  Any number of his classmates could have replicated his early successes – but they didn’t.

Really, for most successful entrepreneurs, a moment of good fortune is one of millions of other moments dedicated to hard work and drive.  Without the hundreds or thousands of other things done at different periods in their companies’ life cycles, they never would have been able to capitalize on the instances of luck that did happen to appear. "

Here's the link to the whole stuff, make sure you read it 
10 Batman Quotes Leading to Success!

Lastly, I kinda owe any of my readers this video 

*for the Thor bit, I know it's off topic to the rest of the vid but I just gotta do it when I saw the lightning.

Beginning of the End

The post's title quotes Albert Wesker from the latest Resident Evil film (and from a thousand other films). This could possibly be my last post while I'm still at Indonesia. Sad, huh? Kinda. Leaving the place I know more than I know the back of my hand. But, life should go on. Right at this point, you start to wonder whether you're in the right blog about films or not. Fear not, I will talk about films. In fact, right now.


In this what seems to be my last Indonesian-based post of the year 2012, I'm reviewing Resident Evil: Retribution. Talk about anti-climax, I thought I would be reviewing Looper or Dredd 3D. That aint gonna happen. I'm starting to doubt myself that I would see those films in a damn cinema. Back to business, RE: Retribution is the fifth entry in the franchise. I'm not a gamer, but I'm a moviegoer. I won't be raving about that Leon guy (who looks a lot like Jaime Lannister) because he's a badass from the game series. I'm simply watching Resident Evil films for the thrill and for the badass girls (y'know Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Sienna Guillory and Michelle Rodriguez). Once again directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the film sells the tagline Evil Goes Global. Sounds very cooooool. But is it? Like the last film, RE: Afterlife, this one is like a stretched out action scene that actually could last maximum 30 minutes. Even Afterlife has more story than this one, really. The main story from this one is Alice being rescued by Albert Wesker from evil computer Red Queen. I know right, WTF? Red Queen is still alive and suddenly Wesker is playing the good guy? It seems that Anderson has ran out of ideas. Also, he resurrected a couple of dead characters, like Carlos (Oded Fehr/Medjai from The Mummy), Michelle Rodriguez and also that tough guy from the first RE that still holds the title 'Best Death in RE films' by being cut to dices by a laser. Also, he brings back a 'lost' character, my personal favorite, Jill Valentine. Unfortunately, these characters are quite expendable (excluding Jill). And there seems to be no sign of Claire & Chris Redfield (Ali Larter & Wentworth Miller) which is a bummer and also K-Mart is left out! BOO! Although we get new characters, Becky (played by a girl with a super cool name Aryana Engineer), clone Alice's daughter and the quite useless but impeccably costumed Ada Wong, still Claire & Chris are great characters and it would be great to see em in action too. Dammit.

As for the tagline, Evil Goes Global, it is deceiving in every way. Evil Goes Global...... in a f*cking facility! Tokyo, Moscow, New York are merely sets used by Umbrella to sell T-Virus. How is it that the virus that wiped out United States are still at large at the market? Because screw logic.  I think the Goes Global thingy is a wasted opportunity. I was thinking epic battles in various corners of the Earth, not an underwater facility. And the repetition of creatures and plot (giving back Alice's powers? Really?) are signs of no more originality. What's with the title Retribution anyway? There's no sign of Retribution. It will be better suited if titled Resident Evil: Escape. RE: Retribution is pointless and to be honest, a bit time-wasting. I was kinda hoping that there is a bigger story than just escaping from the Umbrella facility, but sadly there isn't.  However, the action scenes are super cool because they are expertly choreographed and shot. Especially the last fight between Alice and Jill is amazingly brutal and intense. Also the music provided by Tomandandy definitely helps the coolness of the scenes. Paul WS Anderson is definitely an expert in action scenes but not story tellling. He has vision, a great one, but he needed assistance to maximize that vision with an amazing story as well. Because with this rate of RE: Retribution, he may as well turn the franchise into an expensive TV series. The next film is reportedly the last entry, I hope it will be satisfactory in every level. As of this film, the best Resident Evil film is still the original 2002. Resident Evil: Retribution: rated 1.5 stars out of 4. Sorry Milla, but you're still the most badass girl right now.


What's the significance of the title's post? It's my fear of going into new environment. I'm afraid I'm taking the wrong decision of moving to a place I barely knew. I guess it's time to quote Star Trek: My voyage, my mission: to boldly go where no man has gone before.

In a related topic, the new Star Trek film is titled Star Trek Into Darkness! Although we can still expect lens flares in the dark too.

Backstabbers & Schemers

What's the common denominator for Hollywood blockbusters like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises? They are both beaten by a Korean film (in Korea) titled The Thieves (도둑들). This heist film is currently the 2nd most successful Korean film to date behind the 2006 The Host. Since I have no knowledge whatsoever about Korean films, I was going to give this film a three-sentence review. But unexpectedly this film does go beyond some Hollywood productions and I was awed. This film is also star-studded and features stars from Korea and also China/HK/Taiwan (I can't differentiate them). Many people are already comparing this with Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven. This film is also making its American debut in Toronto International Film Festival. Secret: unlike my other post, this post is heavily sponsored by wikipedia and imdb.com, just to get those K-names right.

The story is a bit complicated but I'll try my best. So, there's Macao Park (Kim Seon-Yok), who's assembling a team from Korea and HongKong, to steal a diamond named Tear of the Sun. The diamond itself has been gone for a long time and the person who owns it, Wei Hong (Ki Gook-Seo), is a notorious gangster who's face isn't known by the public. In the Korean crew, Popie (Lee Jung-Jae) was once Macao Park's friend along with Pepsee (Kim Hye-soo) and they have a past that was quite unforgettable. In each team, the members have their own plans which actually jeopardizes the outcome of the heist itself.

It's a great year for Asian films, I guess. Earlier this year we have The Raid from Indonesia (fyi, as I'm writing this, the heavily-censored version of The Raid is playing in my local channel), a Hollywood-caliber action film. And now we have The Thieves. To be honest, my experience in the early parts of the film was a bit boring. However, later I realized that those talky parts are essential to the plot, which kinda pay off the yawn parts of the film. The actors are playing their roles superbly. I like the characters and conflict between Macao Park, Popie and Pepsee. I think that was the best subplot. And the second best was the characters Chewing Gum (Kim Hae Sok) and Chen (Simon Yam). Their characters spoke in Japanese and has a bittersweet yet satisfying end to their characters (I guess that's a spoiler). But for me the scene stealer is Gianna Jun as Yenicall. Gianna Jun--is--awesomely and insanely--sexy. She played the role nicely and cool. Gotta love her badly. The plot twist was superb and I think that was one of the great times I had in the movies where I got to hold my breath (quite literally) in order to see things unfold or happening. There's also a great action scene involving ropes and balconies (I try not to give much here). The film is greatly shot and staged, you could get lost and think that this is a Hollywood film. The film's greatest influence is definitely Ocean's trilogy with all those heists and plot twists and in some scenes, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, but I think this film has its own magnetic feeling and clever storytelling that makes this film an original film, not a rip-off. The film also maintains its light tone and doesn't get too serious because it has some great humor too. This is money well-spent. If I have to compare this to a recent Hollywood film (yes, The Bourne Legacy), I'd pick this one over that. The Thieves: rated 3.5 out of 4.

Just to make you sure, here's the trailer

Unworthy

First of all, wow it's been a while since I last full-reviewed a film. Proceed.

There are certain franchises that should be left alone, like for example, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, and Indiana Jones. Those franchises are best recorded in history as outstanding trilogies. Bourne franchise goes into that category too. Yet, we are forced to see this new film, The Bourne Legacy, which features the name of the most engaging man in modern action films but does not feature him in the actual film. We can still buy Pirates with no Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann or (with an eyebrow-cringe) a clone Ripley in Alien 4, but Bourne without Bourne himself? It's like Jaws with guppies.

The trailers are, to be honest, misleading. Aaron Cross/Kenneth Kitsom (Jeremy Renner) isn't Treadstone. He's a part of a whole other program called Outcome. If you think that Dr. Hirsch (Albert Finney) is the mastermind of this all, you're wrong. There's this other puppeteer named Ric Byer (Ed Norton) who is responsible in making super soldiers for America, one of them Aaron Cross. Because of the events that occured in the Bourne trilogy, the dark ops in CIA are forced to clean up their messy things. People disappeared, killed, or looks to be killed. Operation Outcome is also being cleaned up, but they missed Aaron Cross.

This film entry feels like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, where the story shouldn't be filmed. It is unworthy of filming. The character Aaron Cross isn't introduced clearly. What is Outcome? What's its purpose? Why did Aaron Cross and others doesn't look like soldiers albeit their addiction to special drugs that said can maximize intelligence and strength? Why did they have to addicted to those drugs? Is this a set up for the bloody sequel? Jeremy Renner did a great job here, but his character Aaron Cross isn't as magnetic as Matt Damon's Jason Bourne. Bourne is silent, mysterious, super clever, and cool whereas Cross is able-bodied yes, yet talky and quite frankly, annoying but most importantly, he isn't Bourne. Also, Ric Byer's position in this whole messy things isn't established well. Who is he? What did he really do apart from 'being in bed' with Dr. Hirsch (whom he eventually killed too, spoilers)? I'd like to rephrase my previous statement: The trailers are deceptive. We are promised incredible action and super-tight connection to (at least) The Bourne Ultimatum, but what do we get? Joan Allen and David Straithairn for 30 seconds, Albert Finney in a too-HD-to-be-true YouTube video, and Paddy Considine from Ultimatum archive footage. The actors are doing their job well, especially Renner and Rachel Weisz who looks great together on screen (I have to say honestly that Rachel Weisz looks great on screen with whoever she shared the screen with, even with only herself--I'm talking in every film). The worst job to be in is in Tony Gilroy's chair as director. What made the previous Bourne films interesting is the signature Greengrass-shaky cam and that is absent here and that made the film less interesting and indistinguishable from other spy/secret agent films. I have a feeling that Tony Gilroy is just interested in making money out of an already well-established franchise. Thank god, the script is still a bit smarter than your average secret agent films. The chase scene in Manila is great and the house action scene is also cool. Actually those are the only scenes that have some action for more than 15 seconds. I was hoping that Matt Damon would pop up in the ending somewhere to make this movie viewing worthwhile, but sadly no. The Bourne Legacy is too talky. This is the worst excuse to make an action film. I would rather see that Bourne's legacy was a CIA-courtroom-drama-while-chasing-Jason-Bourne film because that would be the real legacy. The Bourne Legacy: rated 2 out of 4.

Summer Re-cap

I guess summer is done for 2012. It's time for a re-cap of the summer films!

Top 3 Summer Films
1. The Dark Knight Rises
Undoubtedly a satisfying conclusion to Christopher Nolan's legendary Batman universe. An emotional journey for the dark knight himself when he met a physically equal villain, Bane. Tying up loose ends from the previous two films, the film truly ends the franchise in a incredibly high note. Filled with powerful performances from Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman, people around the world could only want for more Nolan's Batman films. The film has all the quotable quotes from Bane and also, one of the best film endings in years.

2. Prometheus
Not an Alien sequel, it's a sci-fi film set in the same universe as the Alien film series'. Ridley Scott returns to sci-fi films and the result is satisfying, overwhelming, mind-boggling, puzzling and incomplete. According to me, the film has that unexpected factor and more importantly, one particular stand-out scene that will endure the test of time. Prometheus has an incredible cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Guy Pearce with Fassbender making this film his own show with his character as David the android. The sequel is definitely waited.


3. The Avengers
A very ambitious project from Marvel that finally comes together after four years. The film is in-every-word spectacular. Joss Whedon has lived up to the promise and this assembly is definitely unforgettable as everyone in this world has already seen this film, judging by the box office numbers. The cast is great although my favorite villain Loki didn't live to my expectations. This film could be more incredible and amazing but the film's marketing hurt the film itself, with too much revealing trailers and clips. There's almost no element of surprise left. Why didn't Marvel learn from Iron Man 2?



Most Surprising Film
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
This action history-fantasy-mashup film is super entertaining. The fictional story did justice to the real history. I was wondering why did the critics were expecting more fun in the story. Director Timur Bekmambetov did a great job at the action scenes and all the action scenes are very exhilarating and edge-of-your-seat interesting. Benjamin Walker also did a great job as Abraham Lincoln and the make-up team are also doing their job greatly. Surely one of the best and exciting action films of the year.



Most Underwhelming Film
Snow White & the Huntsman
Charlize Theron, the dwarves and the designs are amazing. But the overall film, not so much. Especially with the poker face Kristen Stewart as the lead. At first I thought this film could be the film that actually defines Stewart apart from her uninteresting Bella Swan character. Sadly, NO. Also, sometimes the film gets too silent and ultimately, boring. It would not be this disappointing if the lead character herself brought some life to the film.




Here, Kristen Stewart, a lesson from Keira Knightley on how to do inspiring speeches.

Later this week/next week I'll review The Bourne Legacy ;)

Trivia!

Since I have nothing else to do rather than sleep, watch something and eat, I have decided to make my blog as active as possible--but not too active too cos that would indicate that I really have nothing else to do, you know like socializing and stuff.

This post is actually worth skipping. Trust me, this isn't about movie trivia, or pop culture trivia, or even geography trivia. I'm a self-absorbed man (I didn't just write that sentence), so this is a trivia about my blog. HA! I can see people start closing their tabs already. And the trivia is just about one topic: my posts. HA! I can see people start forgetting about my blog already.

for this useless post, i'm not sorry :D

Start the trivia! [game show intro music plays]

- My least interesting post (according to me, of course):
my review of Inkheart, the Brendan Fraser film. The film was not exciting. Completely forgettable.

- My most interesting post:
Sherlocked. It was when I was totally crazy about the BBC Sherlock series (and Lara Pulver), I listed all the episodes from the least good to the best. Unlike the other posts, the pictures in that post were all snapshots by me. Not google image search.

- My highest rated film:
I have more than one full-star review (or A+ from the old system), but from those films, I guess Hugo deserved five stars out of four. The review for Hugo is only a paragraph rather than the usual 3-paragraph-review as in the post I also reviewed John Carter, Woman in Black, and Margin Call.

- My lowest rated film review:
Definitely Abduction starring Taylor Shirtless. It got my rare F which is equivalent to zero stars. Comparison: Even The Smurfs got a D/half a star. Even Breaking Dawn Part 1 got a C or 1.5 stars.

- My most exciting month of posting
June 2011 with 11 posts. Indonesia was suffering the film boycott and I haven't blogged in a while (two years to be exact), so the posts were kinda overwhelming. I posted 7 posts in one day. I even have 3 movie-review-unrelated posts that month.

- My least exciting month of posting
Not counting the months when I didn't post anything at all, of course. February 2012 with only one post which was Sherlocked [link already above]. It was very busy at school and also I was still amazed by Sherlock, I couldn't post about anything else.

- My most viewed post
It was Sherlock vs Holmes where I compare and contrast Benedict Cumberbatch-led Sherlock and Robert Downey Jr-led Sherlock Holmes. I guess the timing was right. People were hyped with the two topics. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows was just released and the Season 2 of Sherlock was just released by BBC. To the greater surprise, both included Reichenbach Fall to their own different renditions. The post gets 133 hits up until this point. Second place and third place respectively with 44 and 43 hits are Strong is the Man and In Response to My Own Wish, both peculiarly features Mark Strong.

- My least viewed post
There are four of my posts that has zero hits, yes 0 hits. Three are from the year 2009 so I will just ignore them. But if you're curious those three are my reviews of Ice Age 3, Public Enemies, and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra. And my latest zero-hit-post is my review of the Tim Burton's newest film Dark Shadows, which I regard as my best titled post, Hypnotic.


Thanks for your time and that's all for today's trivia!
I hope that was your time spent well :D

BONUS TRIVIA: all the people in this post's pictures are British.
Still in the mood for Olympics, I guess

BONUS TRIVIA 2: It's a month away from me moving to Japan to continue my education in university. It's a really new experience and environment. Never went to Japan before, no knowledge whatsoever of Japanese except for childhood memories of Doraemon & Captain Tsubasa, no knowledge whatsoever about what I would do there.
Most important note: The city/town I will be staying has no cinemas, which lead to this continuation of my blog might/might not be postponed for an indefinite time being (don't you love it when I use quite big words?). Believe me I will still try to fill this blog as regularly as possible. I will definitely try to post (hopefully) reviews of new films or at least some useless, rubbish post which has nothing to do with movies at all which ultimately will lead to the blog's name change, which will never happen, Thank God almighty.

BONUS TRIVIA 3: Bonus Trivia 2 was written while listening to Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and her collaboration with B.o.B., Both of Us, both of em on loop forever.

BONUS TRIVIA 4: Ten is the number of links I attached in this single post. I never attached any links before. Ever. This is also the most colorful post. Ever. "As God is my witness, I'll never use those basic colors again!" Yep that was Scarlett O'Hara, my advisor for Bonus Trivia 4.

Now that you witnessed the topic deviations projected in these Bonus Trivia, that would be examples of my upcoming, Japan-based posts starting from mid-September. Anyway, cheers.

your response after reading this useless post:

 I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER TO SMILE OR CRY 

FOR THE TIME I'VE WASTED

Five Months Worth of Idleness

"Idleness can destroy him"

That was pretty much a quote from a classic Indonesian film titled Lewat Djam Malam or in English, After the Curfew by a legendary Indonesian director Usmar Ismail. The film itself was recently restored after most of the celluloid was damaged badly. The restoration was made real with the help of various organisations, including Martin Scorsese's, we all know how eager Scorsese is when it comes to restoring classic, culturally important films. Sadly, the film was not a choice for most Indonesian moviegoers since it has to compete with films like The Amazing Spider-Man, Ice Age 4 or The Dark Knight Rises. When I watched it in the cinemas, the studio was only filled with three people. The film was an eye-opener for me as I haven't watched any old Indonesian films before (in black and white and in cinemas too). The film was well-acted and--this is important--culturally significant. To Indonesians, feel free to see it in cinemas while it's still available.


Anyway that was not my main topic for this post.

This post should be titled 'How I Spent My 5-Month-Summer Vacation' to be exact.
Well, for the first two months I was quite busy with making Year-video for my school and classmates. But afterwards, here are my TV series picks (not naming my movie picks cos it would be crazily overwhelming) to battle my idleness during my (up until this point, ongoing) holiday:

In this sloppily-edited picture are (from top left going clockwise) Episodes, Game of Thrones, 

The Legend of Korra, The Newsroom, Tron: Uprising, Supernatural and Homeland.

- Homeland (Season 1)
Starring Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, the new series is highly engaging, addictive and full of surprises and thrills. The story is about a CIA agent who suspects that an American soldier has been turned to a terrorist and planning an attack on America. The only setback is that it only has 12 episodes.

- Tron: Uprising (Season 1 - ongoing)
Tron: Uprising is everything that Tron: Legacy should be. It tells the story of a whole new character who/which is a program named Beck that has all the spirit and motivation to be The Grid's new salvation, new Tron. Voiced by top actors that include Elijah Wood and Tron himself, Bruce Boxleitner, the series is action-packed and quite intelligent. But for almost a month now, I'm still waiting for Episode 8. Oh and there was Quorra, voiced by Olivia Wilde, in one of the episodes.

- The Legend of Korra (Season 1)
The continuation of the beloved and personal favorite, Avatar: The Legend of Aang or The Last Airbender. I am proud to say that I finished the 12 episodes in such a short time. The new series is set way in the future after the events in The Last Airbender, now focused on a new Avatar named Korra. There are full of new and exciting characters and cool action too. Also the steampunk meets fantasy theme is a pleasure to watch.

- Supernatural (Season 7)
The Winchesters are back again. Now Castiel the Angel released Leviathans to the Earth and Sam & Dean must stop them before their plan to take the world succeeds. I must say Season 7 is quite boring. The series' best season is undoubtedly Season 5. Season 6 is still acceptable but Season 7 is below the sixth. I hope they make the next season more exciting and gripping to watch. After all, this is the only TV series I followed this far and I love seeing Sam & Dean (no innuendos here).
(Fyi, I stopped seeing Smallville after it was unavailable in my local channel; stopped Eureka because it was kinda boring; stopped Gossip Girl because it was a constant repetition of lies and evil plans)

- Episodes (Season 1 & Season 2)
This is a comedy series starring Matt LeBlanc of Friends playing Matt LeBlanc. The story is about a couple whose British hit series was picked up by an American network. But the hit series they once wrote has transformed into a whole new series in the States, to make things worse, it stars Matt LeBlanc. I don't find this series that funny. It was amusing to watch but apparently not good for my taste. Sorry. But I still watch Friends every weeknights. WarnerTV is replaying em from Season 1.

- Game of Thrones (Season 1 & Season 2)
I'm new to Westeros. I guess I have passed that 'not sure if Game of Thrones or porn' moment. Despite of its constant showing of nudity, Game of Thrones is very exciting and interesting to watch. Full of back-stabbing, intricacy and plans that are, to my perverse pleasure, fun to watch. My favorite characters are Lord Eddard Stark (of course) of Winterfell played by Sean Bean, Tyrion Lannister played by Peter Dinklage and Daenaerys Targaryen played by Emilia Clarke. I guess after [spoiler alert] Ned Stark died, Daenaerys Targaryen's story is the most exciting to follow, as you know, she has those, you know ;)

- The Newsroom (Season 1 - ongoing)
The title says it all, it's about people in a newsroom. Written by Emmy-winner and Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin, The Newsroom tells about a news program that decides to go for the truth and only the truth. It stars Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and also Olivia Munn. The show is based on reality, which makes it even more interesting. Although I'm not that familiar with US' internal problems, like Koch Brothers and that stuff, Sorkin managed to made it interesting and not boring at all. The show is really, really interesting that I once had a dream I was talking to Mackenzie and her senior producer Jim Harper. One of the best dreams I had in August. Would make it even better to meet Olivia Munn's Sloan Sabbith in my dream though.


I also bought a couple of films lately to battle Idleness like The Tempest, Happy Feet Two and Minority Report. But in my emotional turmoil (oh save me and yourself), I found (500) Days of Summer to be the most pleasant film to sit through although I already watched it for the 77th time. Also Knocked Up turns out to be such a nice film; Katherine Heigl kinda reminds me of someone (please ignore this).

Still have a month to go with idleness :) :(

Three-Handed

Last week's pick was the film starring Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel: Total Recall. I have not watched the Paul Verhoeven's 1990 original, so I'm going to treat this review as a stand-alone film. But I will try to modify this review after I watched the Arghnold film [And yes I have watched it by now!]. Well, from the trailers this film looks like a decent sci-fi/action film and God, it has Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel. I sure think that was quite worth the admission ticket. The director (and also Kate's husband) Len Wiseman proved to be a great action director when he helmed Die Hard 4.0, remember those crazy, over-the-top action scenes?

Adapted from the Phillip K. Dick short story, the story is set in a futuristic world where most parts of the world are destroyed after a great war. Douglas Quaid (Farrell) is an ordinary factory worker whose life had became a routine that he loathed. He went to this place called Rekall where they could offer a dream that could be implanted to the brain as memory. However, it was later known that Quaid isn't the man he thought he should be. He suddenly became chased by his own wife, Lori (Beckinsale) and placed in the center of an ongoing conflict between the current government and the rebellion. 

One thing that was amazing in this film is the concept, the world. To have United Federation of Britannia and also Australia as the colony and have a massive 'train' that connects the both. Those were amazing. The film also doesn't disappoint in terms of action scenes. The magnetic car-chase scenes were amazing and that was one of the best scenes in the film. Colin Farrell should have this kind of film that actually enables him to do lots of action and also possibly, a star. Kate Beckinsale is superb in her action scenes, thanks to Underworld franchise and thanks to Len Wiseman who gave her lots of screen time. However, Jessica Biel is overshadowed by Beckinsale when actually she could do the good parts too like her co-star and also her character is not memorable at all. The girl fight between Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale is one of the things I waited but it was disappointing. It all happened so fast and actually forgettable, unlike Lea Seydoux vs Paula Patton in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. It was clear that Len Wiseman reserved all the great scenes to Kate. The conflict between the government led by Cohaagen played by Bryan Cranston and the rebellion led by Matthias played by Bill Nighy was unclear and leaves you with 'what the hell was that?' Bill Nighy is a wasted talent here. [spoiler alert] he may only had like 3 minutes of screen time. Remember, in Wrath of the Titans he was the one that makes the film live again albeit also little screen time. The film was full of action up until the moment all the action became a bore. The best example of this is The Raid, where there was an abundance of action scenes it actually became a repetition and ultimately a bore in the end. Total Recall was let down by the climax that it became a normal action film with knives and fist-fight. There are also some plot holes like [spoiler alert part2] if Quaid was such a great double agent and fugitive, would anyone recognize him at work, at the Fall, or even his secret agent wife? The face is till the same. Unless you put Ethan Hawke as the Quaid before he had his memory wiped. Fyi, those Ethan Hawke thing was scrapped from the final cut of the film.

If you compared this to the 1990 film, this one is definitely a derivative. Colin Farrell is a better actor than Schwarzenegger yes but the whole 1990 film is rich in story and character. Also there's a twist in the end where Hauser is actually working with Cohaagen. In the newest film, it's not explained well. It's like the filmmakers have ran out of ideas, or ran out of new, original ideas. With the mutants, Johnnycab, Richter and Benny the film has more characters than only Kate Beckinsale. Everything is definitely explained better in the 1990 film although not that perfect. The whole thing about going to Mars makes it kinda badass too. However, final words, if you're looking for a great time at the cinemas, this is it. Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale's appearance is all you need to stay interested and follow the film until the end. OH and that three-breasted woman too! :P Total Recall: rated 2 out of 4.