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Pacific Rim (2013)
Mindless Action Movie
The opening of the movie promised something special. The sum of its parts was a repetitive, boring and incredibly dull comedy. Fight scene after fight scene was metal monsters punching other monsters and occasionally shooting some high tech weapons. The acting was on a par with starship troopers and the scenes of the heroes being clapped by thronging workers on their return from missions was pathetic. As for the two scientists, were they supposed to be funny while the world was getting annihilated? I loved the scene where crowds were thronging to get into shelters and many were still carrying their umbrellas to protect them from the rain as skyscrapers were falling down around them, lol Sure there were some interesting special effects, but on the whole this was either pure comedy or a load of trash.
How to Meet Girls from a Distance (2012)
Wonderful
We went along to this not knowing what to expect, and came away thrilled. You know you have been to a good movie when the following day you are talking and still laughing about it. It was a quirky movie but it will still appeal to a mainstream audience. We loved the soundtrack and it helped the movie skip along at a exciting pace. The acting was genuinely excellent for such a low budget film. There were some very very funny scenes in this movie. They will stay with us for a long time and we are already reciting them to each other and breaking out in laughter. Really enjoyed the Wellington location and views of the Wellington skyline and windy, hilly roads. Creative imagination makes up for lack of high-tech special effects. Would have liked to have perhaps a few deep or meaningful messages sprinkled in there to give the movie a 10 - but still a fun night out :-)
Waiting for 'Superman' (2010)
One-sided propaganda - VIEWER BEWARE
I was disappointed by the one-sidedness of this movie. Without any comment from the teacher's unions, at least in the first hour the bias is palpable. I turned off the movie when I realised it was trying to blame teachers and unions for all the problems in our education system, an education system that in itself is fraudulent.
As a former teacher, I know how difficult it can be to teach a classroom full of innercity kids - sometimes 35 to a class. Research shows that small class size helps with learning tremendously, and those teachers this movie is labelling 'bad' - are not being given a chance to speak. I'm sure they have valuable perspectives to add, and this movie would be more credible if it allowed those teachers to speak out.
With the aim to reward 'good' teachers, what exactly do you measure what is good. A teacher should be a model of emotional intelligence, adept at peaceful conflict resolution, have excellent communication, compassion, understanding, positive enthusiasm as well as intelligence. A teacher should also care for the child's emotional well-being and whole self. It seems the producers of this movie are solely concerned with math and reading scores - which are such a superficial measurement for success in a teacher- student relationship. Unfortunately the education system has convinced the majority of parents that this is the measurement to use. The education system has been set up that way, and it is a fraud.
I would like to see the teacher's unions come up with their own documentary - then let's see the OTHER side of the story.
Viewers beware of this movie, but most of you won't will you, because you have bought into the system, you have allowed the programers to delude you into thinking the education system should all be about reading, writing and maths.
The Descendants (2011)
Grossly over-ratted
I am struggling to understand why this has such a high rating. Beautiful scenery filmed in Hawaiian time can't make up for a dull storyline with shallow acting by the leading star. My partner cries at the drop of a hat, but this flick didn't move her at all. At no time were we able to empathize with the characters other than a few moments with the young daughter who acted the best out of a bad bunch. And what was the deal with the hanger-on boy, that had no relevance to the story. The side plot of the land sale was so weakly implemented, it had no depth or audience investment at all. Even the scene where the dying woman's father was at her bedside wasn't that good. There are so many better movies of this ilk it's not funny. What a shocker.
Avatar (2009)
Ground Breaking 3d animation - same old tired battle sequence - missed opportunities.
The special effects, 3d and animation in Avatar are worth the price of admission alone, simply jaw dropping. This movie is not to be missed if you want to see state of the art effects. I totally enjoyed the 3d aspects of the movie, but the all to boring and familiar battle scene finale left me disappointed. I thought it was so ironic that Sigourney Weaver starred in this movie and over 20 years ago was in Alien, with a very similar movie ending. The same old same old battle with a human in a robotic machine. Same as in one of the Matrix movies. Come on, think of something better! The characters in my opinion also lacked depth. There was real potential in this movie but the emphasis was on visuals and not character development and a decent story- line. This plot was lame. I so wanted to like this movie, but I came away disappointed. I'm so over these tiresome and repetitious battle sequences.
District 9 (2009)
Ironic
Great movie, that excels without famous actors forced yet again down our throats or outrageous cgi. This is not surprising given that Peter Jackson was involved with this production. However, what I find so ironic, is the fact that humankind has been in contact with aliens for decades, through personal contacts and the scandalous behavior of the secret government. What is happening under the nose of humanity is in truth far more 'entertaining' than this, or any other science fiction movie ever made, yet we are too 'dumbed down' to even see the wood for the trees. As with most science fiction movies and many other genres, this movie is subconsciously preparing the human race for massive revelations that are going to shatter many beliefs and concepts. The dilemma is though, what new programming are we being exposed to with these movies and whose agenda is it.
"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." Galileo
Mongol (2007)
Very Memorable
Saw Mongol last night and was spellbound the entire movie. Spectacular, epic, haunting and engrossing. This is movie making as it should be. So excited that this is the first in a trilogy. Far superior to most of the trash coming out of Hollywood these days. The acting was amazing, the cinematography, the settings, the music, all collaborated to produce something very special. It was so refreshing to watch something that wasn't chock full of special effects. Sure the story-line took a few liberties I imagine but trying to condense the life of a man (or early years in this case) into one movie necessitates taking some shortcuts. And where did these actors come from? Wow, they were awesome. Overall this was a movie I will revisit again. I came out of the cinema thinking that I had just been on an incredible journey.
Out of the Blue (2006)
All was not well in Paradise
I remember very well the events unfolding in Aramoana as it was broadcast on the TV and radio. I was a Police Officer at the time and the death of a fellow officer was tough news to hear. Seeing the events recreated on screen for the first time brought the memories flooding back. Seeing how even in a relatively peaceful nation such as New Zealand, no-one is immune from random acts of violence was very sobering. I sat bolt upright the entire movie and didn't realise it. The theater was deathly quiet. This is a movie that pulls no punches and has not an inkling of Hollywood in it. It is a sad, dramatic, true to life retelling of the massacre. This type of film is one of the reasons I avoid many of the big budget Hollywood movies. There's no glorification here, no overly animated death scenes, this is movie making at it's best. The story is being told without embellishment and in a sadly beautiful way. A must see for New Zealander's, and for anyone else interested in seeing a powerful, compelling movie. New Zealand's movie of the year, without doubt.
V for Vendetta (2005)
This movie is BRILLIANT
Wow, what can I say. This movie is absolutely brilliant. The acting, the cinematography, the score, the characters, the story, the theme, the direction, everything. The underlying political commentary never gets in the way of a weird but fantastic story that is told in such a sublime and refreshing manner. This is a story where you can truly identify with the characters, even the one where you never even see the face. This is a monumental performance by Hugo Weaving. His amazing voice that brings life to the central character has to be his best feat of acting to date. This is one difficult movie to describe, but the adage that you must see this movie has never been more appropriate. This is a sleeper hit that has rocketed to the list of my all-time great movies. Going to the cinema was never so much fun, so engrossing and so moving. Sensational.
The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
Awesome
I loved this movie. It was wonderfully filmed and the story kept me entranced from beginning to end. The storyline at first appears quirky and in some respects the movie seems to be much ado about nothing. After thinking about the movie after viewing, the enormity of what Burt Munroe achieved sinks it. This is a story of a dream, of determination, of vision and of the human spirit. Anthony Hopkins was superb, I don't think many actors could of pulled it off like he did. One of my favorite films in the last 12 months. MAKE SURE YOU SEE THIS MOVIE if you want something different from Hollywoods blood and guts routine, it a delight.
Alexander (2004)
Epic
I found Alexander too long and tedious in the last 20 minutes, and at times during the movie I found myself wanting events to move along. Flawed the movie is, but all praise to Oliver Stone. What an epic. What color, what grandeur, what battle scenes and what a subject. Thank god we still have movie directors like Stone, prepared to tackle a historical subject in an honest way and with some gusto. Sure everything did not come off perfectly, but (and to quote other sources) even the flawed parts are superior to many of the movies tramped out of Hollywood. To all those concerned about the homosexual inferences, get a life. The biggest disservice of all has been dealt by all those IMDb voters who have dragged down the total average vote of this movie (at the time of writing) to that below Arthur (2004) and that movie was absolute rubbish, with no heart, no soul and no passion. Keep voting like this folks and movie companies will stop backing epics and stay with mainstream popcorn flicks and we'll all be worse off.
A Bridge Too Far (1977)
Quality war movie that has stood the test of time
A Bridge to Far is an excellent war movie. Recent great movies of this genre such as Saving Private Ryan and the TV series Band of Brothers have made many of the older war movies look obsolete. Not so this one. The action is realistic, if not quite as in your face as the aforementioned. The settings are very realistic and best of all we see real WW2 equipment in action. I was very very impressed with this movie having just rediscovered it after many years. I am intending to add this one to my DVD collection and highly recommend it to war movie buffs. I doubt you will be disappointed.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Breathtaking
The Return of the King is one of the rare defining moments in movie making history. A breathtaking masterpiece and stunning culmination to a truly wonderful trilogy. To go on too much about this movie is a little pointless really, it is as damn near perfect as you can get. Enough said.