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meluvlord
Reviews
Shrek the Third (2007)
It's not that bad...
I've just watched Shrek 3 a few hours ago & I kind of beg to differ from what the rest of people feel.
In fact, I find it more light-hearted than Shrek 2 which tried a bit too hard with all its sarcasm. Shrek 3 had plenty of laughs & I was pretty thrilled by the creativity of the whole movie.
I loved how the princesses worked together! It looked almost like a scene from Charlie's Angels when they ripped off their sleeves to get ready to fight..
Of course nothing beats the original installment but it's still worth a watch. I think some of the values in it are pretty cool too...it's a good show to bring your children to watch & for adults, just a nice show to relax & laugh after a long day's work..
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
C'mon, it's not that bad!
Despite of its flaws, I think TDAT does drive home a point that you never know what's happening next. Though I'm unsure how long that will stay with viewers. It's a pretty neat movie I think, balanced in all the aspects of good visual effects, some character development, neat script & editing. But maybe because it's too well spread out in all these areas that it doesn't seemed to shine in any particular area except for the visual effects, maybe? Still I did enjoy the movie...it's a great family movie to watch, little nudity, few profanities & plenty of good issues for you to think about. It certainly scores much better than some other Hollywood flicks we see...
Be with Me (2005)
Slow or artsy? Go figure.
Just caught Be With Me on DVD. Must say that the slowness of the film caught me slightly off-guard. I have to agree though the film was inspired by Theresa Chan, i don't see much of a linkage as well. I felt that the three stories could have stood quite well on its own if given more screen time.
It's not that Chan's story wasn't inspiring. In fact it's too extraordinary. That's why i find it strange why it was placed in this film. I get the idea that her presence motivated someone else but the part-fictional & part-realistic plot just messes up the overall feel quite a bit.
The three stories were actually well-written. Imagine two sweet lasses actually being lesbians? Makes u take a second look at good girl pals who go shopping together. Then, there's also the security guard who develops a crush on a beautiful lady out of his league. He's so big & bulky but yet lives a life void of courage. And the story of the uncle is such a soulful reminder that there is everlasting love after all.
In any case, congrats to Eric Khoo & his team for the awards & nominations in foreign film festivals!
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
It's certainly worth a watch
It's interesting to note that there are so many different views towards this film. Some found it really good while others find it sucked. Just giving my 2cents worth of comments, if it matters to anyone.
I think The Butterfly Effect runs more on the thread of "what ifs" which is the basis of most Hollywood scripts than it being a horror flick. However, this movie moved out of the norms by presenting so many other alternatives within the storyline.
This concept is really not new. Considering films like Run Lola Run & Sliding Doors that deal with the same issue.
But it's refreshing to see how childhood events can really affect a person's life. And i dun think the writers exaggerate because it happens to many people around us. Our past and upbringing plays a big role in shaping how we will be like when we grow up, like it or not.
With regards to the editing,I was pretty bored during the first half hour of the film. I thought it was moving a little slow and almost wanted to press the forward button.
But as i continued watching, i got drawn into the character & psychic of Evan. I felt for the character cos he feels he's responsible for the "bad stuff" that happened to others' lives. It shows the love he has for his friends & people around him that in the end, the solution is to not have his life started(DVD version). In that way, his friends & family will never have to go thru all the pain they were going thru.
It's a little mystical & fairy-tale like kind of ending (be it the directors' cut or theatrical cut). Like what many people say, it's not like if you were not born or went back to change the past, all these mishaps will not happen in their lives. But it's just a film after all.
I think in comparison to many other crappy Hollywood movies that have been made, The Butterfly Effect certainly scores much more. It's not excellent but certainly worth a watch.
Moon Child (2003)
Personal Review of Moon Child
Synopsis: Set in 2014, Mallepa is a city for gangsters, immigrants & even vampires. Sho (Gackt) is saved by Kei(Hyde), a vampire who takes on the role of older brother/father as he brings up the orphan. Sho grows up to be a gangster in his town.
During a robbery, they befriend a Chinese, Son (Wang Leehom) and becomes best of pals. Both Kei and Sho fall in love with Sho's sister, Yi-Che (Zeny Kwok).
Years later, there is a turn in the relationships as Sho & Son become arch rivals....
My thoughts: There was certainly much hype about this movie that showcases two of the hottest stars in Japan. Of cos, the themes of vampires, immortality and death are popular issues that the Jap audience are familiar with.
There are further explorations on friendship, gangsterism, romantic love... basically there is almost everything..
But if we were to be specific, the most obvious theme that comes thru has to be friendship. The bonding between Sho & Kei comes forth as realistic, bittersweet and tragic.(Maybe because both are good friends off-screen?) Hyde does a great job in his portrayal of a struggling vampire. No moment is wasted even during the closeups as he reveals his subtle thoughts & feelings towards the different characters.
It's a pity that there was not much development between the rest of the friendships e.g. Son & the rest.. or even Toshi(Taro Yamamoto) who provides comic relief before his death.
On the note of vampires, watching this film reminded me of the classic Interview With the Vampire which starred Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise. Well, i couldn't help but compare the similarities between the two films.
I guess it's hard to do an entire new vampire film without exploring the same age-old issues in most vampire flicks. If not for the romantic love between Yi-che & Sho, Moon Child will really look like an Asian, diluted version of Interview.
Even the final scene where Sho & Kei drive off to the beach in a car is the same! Except that the two leads die in the end, unlike the Hollywood one where they just live on forever...
The pace of Moonchild is pretty slow at times. I am not sure if this is Takahisa Zeze's style or is it just common in Japanese films. (I haven't watched enough to comment on this). If you are impatient, you probably be like complaining as you watch the show.
But if u have a Saturday afternoon to spare and are fans of the actors/singers, you could really try watching it.