Reviews

I live in Sydney, Australia... yes, the Fox Movie Studio city where Matrix and Superman Returns was shot. What I'm trying to say is.... there is ZERO promotion & publicity for this movie down here.... that's right, no cinema screenings, no movie posters, no one talks about it, simply because they don't know it, none... absolute zero.

It was back in March (2007), I was listening to a downloaded podcast, and the title of that episode was the same as this movie: Idiocracy. The podcast panel talked so much about it, it made me look up on IMDb to read about it. Weeks after, I went to get OfficeSpace and found the movie so funny, I couldn't wait until Idiocracy comes out on DVD.

When it came out in May or June in Australia, I was so annoyed because it was only available to rent. Well I don't want to rent and then buy, so I patiently wait in pain. Before I knew it was on sale, I notice a shopping pamphlet was selling it cheap. I went there as soon as I could, grab it from the shelf, throw it to the register and buy it before making any second thoughts.

After watching it, I realise I had never pay so much attention to a stupid movie such as this. Don't get me wrong, the wait was totally worthwhile, and funny to the max. Now I can show off the dumbest and funniest movie in a country where people knows nothing about. (Maybe that's dumb... well maybe.)

Finally, I like to mention about TWiT, or This Week In Tech, the only publicity this movie can ever get, worldwide in a downloaded podcast. If you want to listen to it, Google it under 'Twit Idiocracy', the episode is number 90.

Although this movie was released months before I was born, it was only a year ago when I saw it the first time on DVD. I had heard of this movie before, simply it was easy to remember since George Lucas named one of his product under the same name.

I could imagine if I seen this move back in the days when it was released, I would feel the impact of when the future would look like. Yes, it may look out of date from today's perspective, but still I felt the amount of rejection, fear and uncertainly of what the future holds. I give credit to Lucas for his imagination, simply because this film was a great work of art.

I notice some transition begins with an 'out-of-focus' blur, which was also artistic. My favorite part was the high speed human traffic that came in so suddenly, and the amount of work required back in those days was.... well I leave that to your imagination.

However, I am appalled with the Australian censorship board to rate the Director's Cut DVD in a PG rating, meaning kids under 12 can watch this under supervision. I would have giving it at least M (mature) 15+. I can't imagine any Aussie parents allowing their under 12s watching the sex scenes and nudity that was in the movie.

This also means, there is no mistake with the IMDb notes on the the Australian rating certification, which refers the original release, not the Director's Cut. I got the Director's Cut region 4 DVD in front of me, and the PG marking is clear and impossible to be a misprint. The same Director's Cut on the Region 1 DVD is rated R in the US, which should be PG-13, no... PG to the Australian standards.

Crikey!

Although Matrix Reloaded may not as good as the first, it should not disapoint like most sequels. In fact, there is nothing disapointing about it, but it took me almost 2 months after it came out, before I step into the cinema to see it.

The reason for the wait is that the trailers looked exaggerated, and hence, I rather wait what the early movie going guinea pigs say about it. And since I have heard both negative and positive reviews, I was prepared to purchase the movie experience that Wanner Bros is trying to sell.

Going back 8 years, when I went to see 'Jingle All the Way' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the start of the film made me realize the level of expectation to the film, which I think was intentional. With Reloaded, I had to make a lower expectation to the film, obviously due to the bad reviews, to actually marvel at the work from those Hollywood artists, both acting and crafting - Hey! Does someone think that I cheat my way to enjoy a lousy sequel; my friend who saw it with enjoyed it.

Yes, this film has a lot of chitchat, but it is the prime reason to get the answers for why mankind has been slaved by machines, and what is to be expected from the machines, and what is the next step for both mankind and machines. This is a half-action-half drama film, most X-files fans should enjoy it, and it should disappoint those who hate dramas.

Lastly and also going back 13 years to the Back to the Future sequels, (which was also filmed back-to-back like the Matrix sequels) the end of the Part 2 has a trailer to the Part 3. It is the same where Reloaded has a short trailer to Revolutions.

WHAT!!! - You did not see any trailer at the end of the movie, why, did you leave half way when the credits was rolling – LOSER!!!

To most movie goers, Van Damme just make action movies, and audiences will only go for the kung-fu action sequences, this is not true for the movie Timecop.

After the action expo Universal Soldier, this was the second Van Damme film that I saw it in the cinema. Knowing that this is a Van Damme flicker, I turn away from the prejudices of his low quality acting, and the B-Grade plot.

Well! B-Grade it isn't, this film impressed me from the moment of the first time travel ripple, I wasn't expecting any morphing in a Van Damme film, remember this was back in 1994 when I saw it, and back then, morphing was a new gismo since T2. So it was then I start think that this movie should not disappoint me. Well it did not, as this has to be one of Van Damme's best story, equal to Maximum Risk, and not as lean as Nowhere to Run. The visual effect on the scar on Ron Silver's face is one of my favorite scene in the movie.

For director Peter Hayms, this also happens to be one of his best film as well, although I have not yet seen The Musketeer, his best effort is Outland, Narrow Margin, The Star Chamber and Capricorn One. Others like End of Days, The Relic, and The Presidio were disappointing.

There is a defect in the editing to this film, near the ending where Walker is in the dark attic and made a surprise attack, you could almost see the a flash of Van Damme's double, which looks almost like Robert Patrick from T2 and X-Files. And I notice it back when I saw it in the cinema, I remember it because, the scene had confuse me on who was attacking who… Oh! That was a stunt double, can't Van Damme do things in the dark or was it his day off from the shoot.

Good performance goes to Mia Sara who is too beautiful for Van Damme and Ron Silver delivers the Alan Rickman – Die Hard like villain.

I'm Chinese who reside in Sydney, Australia, and was fortunate to have a government operated television studio to show foreign programs in its original language with English subtitles.

More fortunate isn't because of the showing of the Hong Kong Kung-Fu films but the funniest film in anyone's language ‘Les Visiteurs'. As the English subtitles has already provided so much enjoyment to the film, I would assume most of the French would have laugh until they start coughing, to the extended of suffering from a sore throat.

OOOKAY!! – Which was frequently used in the film deliverers the impact to some the comic relief, but from my point of view, it is not a simple comedy to make. Some research was properly done to imagine someone who had lived in the middle ages, not forgetting their customs and habits from that era, then place them to the present day, you will end up witnessing similar chaos and disasters that is far worse than Mr. Bean.

My favorite is when they call the car a ‘chariot', also the subtitles is presented with Medieval English, I would imagine the same in French.

This is not doubt the funniest movie I have seen in my lifetime, the way they mess up the bathroom made me though it was stupid at first, but then I realize it actually make sense, as this is how they clean themselves back in the middle ages. This film beats my funniest English film, which is ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' directed by Yoda (i.e. Frank Oz)

When this movie came out, it was like the Specialist without any steamy sex scene at all. So too was that the Lethal Weapon filming crew is obvious behind the production, the director, the producer, and that mobster who got shot at the funeral plays the Chief in the Lethal Weapon films. It seems like a simple action flick comparable to a Segal or Van Damme class action flick, and with a few million bucks from Wanner Brothers, they will produce any kind of propaganda to sell their product.

While watching the making of the Matrix on DVD, producer Joel Silver actually mention about the Wachowski Brothers earlier work, which was this movie, and he mention the it was dark and edgy. It was this that led me to buy this movie on DVD, on a discounted price, Woo Hoo!!!

Although it still feels like a Segal or Van Damme class action flick, I have look deeper into the film and realize that Banderas actually performed very well than boring Stallone and Moore. The music delivers a good impact to the film and the cinematographer along with the film's editor employs their trick of the trade to deliver some smart presentation into some of the action sequences. My favorite was Banderas using a table to shield himself from an explosion.

While this may not be Wachowski Brothers best work, it is not bad considering their early attempt into Hollywood, kind of like John Woo's Hard Target starring Van Damme.

This has to be one of the wrongly made flick, it had fun & joy for the kids and violent action for the grown ups, a bad mixture. If the film has violence to a American PG-13 standard, it would be pleasing.

A childish experience, try something else like The Fifth Element where the fun & joy is suitable for everyone. Best feature in this film is Sandra Bullock, but Milla Jovovich beats her in The Fifth Element, they both did Kung Fu in both movies, both movies are Sci-Fi, both are silly but fun to watch, but Demolition Man is not for kids.

It gives me the creeps & that 'hair at the back of your neck' garbage just to write this. 'RINGU' A.K.A. 'The Ring' is not a Japanese monkey business. If you intent to underestimate what the movie will provide, then you will end up denying that you are actually are afraid or enjoyed the horror from the movie.

Although the film was made for the movies, its indented theme is best on video or DVD, or should correct myself - the TV screen.

When a relative died mysteriously, Reiko, a journalist was reporting a case of 4 similar high school deaths. The friends at school were giving hints about their vacation a week before their death, and a strange video & a phone call that would mark the curse. At the relative's funeral, Reiko found a receipt from a Photo print shop, and realises one of the prints had some unexplained smudging. Her investigation has lead her to the retreat where the victims spend, and place herself into the '7 days to live' curse. In the pursuit for answers and for her own sake, Reiko gets help for the investigation, a boyfriend who happens to be a video editing technician.

I won't go any further, but you will see ghost, ghost and more screen reflections. Perhaps the most frightening part of the movie is that the curse is still out there, so watch the sequel - in your bedroom's TV screen. Hint: just look out for the reflections & make sure your phone (& portable ones) is working. I spent almost 2 weeks without a goodnight sleep, definitely not for the young.

Mel Gibson works in advertising, his first challenge we see is to face a new female arrival at work (Helen Hunt), which he assume he would be give the employment role. His second and maybe the worse challenge is his new assignment, to think like a women, in order to promote a product for women. Devorced, and now a playboy, he fines it hard to start with, but accident gives him the ability to hear what women thinks. He first finds it difficult to cope, after a visit to a shrink, female obviously, makes him realise that this is a special gift and should be grateful. It's perfect, and he decides to use this hocus-pocus formula for his new assignment, and maybe gets the job he wants. In the middle of all this is the coffee shop chic, played by Marisa Tomei, who end up having great fun in the bedroom, but he ends up dumping her, in an understanding way. The other person is his teenage daughter from his previous marriage, and his role as a father seems vague at first, but ends up a super-dad, rescuing her from a common teenage crisis.

But the only thing hits me is his employment status, as it is so similar to Disclosure, and that dialogue, ‘as good as it comes', sound like another Helen Hunt movie.

Watching Mel showing his feminine side is perhaps the big comic prize in the movie, but too much of it was reveal in the trailers. Senior audiences would appreciate his dance sequence with the Frank Sinatra song, yet I find it amusing. Helen Hunt look great until the restaurant scene where she kisses Mel, she looks dreadful and old. Some other Hollywood chic should have played the coffee shop chic than award winner, Marisa Tomei.