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shien_maru
Reviews
Lao shi jia lao da (2008)
Incoherent
Jack Neo's films have two signature traits: Corny jokes, and in-your-face symbolism. In films like 'I Not Stupid', 'Homerun' or 'Just Follow Law', these traits serve as powerful punchlines of a strong core message, and they end up being memorable. This was not the case in 'Ah Long Pte Ltd', which was a 'light-hearted black comedy' that turned out to be incoherent, exhausting, and ultimately forgettable.
I did get a few good laughs out of the movie, but as a whole, the plot seemed exceedingly thin. I did spot a lot of strong plot points, which could have been great if the director had just elaborated on any one of them. But Jack seemed confused, shifting the focus from one point to another amidst long-drawn fight scenes and dance sequences.
The acting, however, was very enjoyable, and was what prevented the movie from being terrible. 'Bad boy' Mark Lee played a very convincing 'ah gua' and Singaporean Fann Wong spoke passable Cantonese. It was also a joy to see familiar Singaporean actors like Richard Low, and veteran Malaysian actress Lai Meng. On the other hand, the primitive and tacky SFX felt out of place.
Overall, the movie was entertaining, but as you watch the credits roll, you can't help but to feel unsatisfied.
Things to watch: Creative use of durians.
Things not to watch: The initial shock of Mark Lee as an effeminate dance school teacher. What has been seen, cannot be unseen.
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Mediocre
I'm not a fan for this kind of shows...I watched it with my friends.
The first part of the show was rather tense, but it started going downhill after we all know that something will happen to the submarine. ("The ship....is cursed.") After that, accidents happen. Big deal. Top that off with an insane captain (Harrison Ford). You'd have expected something very wrong happening in the end.
So it did. The coolant pipe broke down and a meltdown is imminent. Someone went to fix it. Just when I thought that the show is going to end, another meltdown. I'd already have walked out of the cinema if not for common courtesy, and I paid to watch it.
In conclusion, the show was considered good only because of the soundtrack.
Rating: 4/10.
Sleepers (1996)
Good plot, but too draggy
I was expecting something rather disturbing after I read the newspaper review about this show. It turned out to be, well, not that disturbing. The first part of the show (before the kids grow up) made me shudder a bit, but the show just went downhill after the first one and a half hour or so. The show would be much, much better if they cut short on the trial part. The actors did a fairly good job, except for that guy in Hell's Kitchen who told the story about revenge. He looked like he was reading out from a script. 6/10
Dead Poets Society (1989)
great, but not well-developed
***SLIGHT SPOILERS*** The show was great itself, but there were too many incidents happening in between that makes the show seem very unorganized. For example, (POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING) the love event between Knox and Chris. You see them holding hands during the play, but after that you'll never hear of them again. So what impact does it have on the show?(END OF SPOILER). Other than that, the show was very well done. There was a strong central theme (Carpe Diem!!), and the story funny as well as touching. I'll rate it 6.5/10.
Hotaru no haka (1988)
sad, sad
The first time I watched this movie was about nine years ago, while I was in primary school. One of my aunts borrowed the video tape from a friend. Not knowing the contents of this show (I thought that it was a funny cartoon or something like that), I happily watched it.
I cried.
Well, I managed to fight back a little, but nevertheless I still have tears in my eyes some time after the show. It was rather weird for someone to cry after watching a cartoon, but still I recommended my friends to watch this great show. You'd expect them to laugh at me. I watched this cartoon again (rather reluctantly, 'cause I don't want to cry in front of my friends) last weekend with two friends, and I can't believe that I heard sniffles from them during the show. I didn't really cry, since I've watched the show before, but it was still very sad.
9/10. The storyline, animation was perfect. The characters (especially Setsuko)were really life-like (she kinda reminds me of my little sister =)). I would give this one a perfect 10, but I hate sad shows.