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Long anticipated 3D animation featuring Jack Black as a fat panda. It’s the usual Dreamworks fun (like fellow studio outputs, Shrek, Madagascar, Bee Movie and such), so it’s just plain fun.
Jack Black as a voice actor is doing a great job, as are all the other co-stars. On screen, the characters are either fierce or utterly cute. Story isn’t that complicated, and contains the predictable fat jokes. The fighting could be seen as ground breaking, but is less impressive pixelated than coming from real people, from the likes of Jet Li and Jackie Chan.
Still, it’s major fun to see a cuddly bear transform into a mean fighting machine, while ultimately, it’s sweet as hell.7½.

Being dragged along for a girl’s movie, it only happens when you finally have a girl friend. The upside (this time), I didn’t fall asleep.
Since I didn’t see any of the episodes, only knowing it’s was hit series on HBO, it was kind of a surprise to me to see a movie play out in such a simple way. The story itself is utterly simple, easily described in half a line, but the dialogue and small confrontations that tries to drive this girl vehicle along, are so simple, I can’t believe it’s been on the air for 6 years. At least there are some jokes going around, but the quips are basic and not too sophisticated.
Objectively, I can say it’s not a very good movie, even though the IMDB demographic ratings breakdown is funny to watch (4.2 males/7.5 females), it just suggest females can’t be objective when they see words like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, DG and Chanel flying around.4+.

With exactly 2 hours to kill, and nothing else to do, I thought I would give this second chapter a chance, even though the first one was pretty horrible.
Apparently, C.S. Lewis didn’t expect his readers to grow up, and decided to write another children’s book. Of course, the possibility exists I have it at the wrong end, and the screenwriters left out the more interesting things, and in that case, they’ve done a thorough job. Because once again, there’s absolutely nothing interesting to tell about the story or characters. Other than trying to convert someone to Catholicism or to teach your kids what an empty shell is, I see no reason to see this movie.4.

Here we have M. Night Shyamalan at a new dawn, making his first R-rated movie.
And it does show. While still a good director, instilling chills with minimal means and forcing one’s imagination to work, this product isn’t as polished as I hoped it to be. Script and dialogue are a bit shaky, with no real depth of character or other deeper meanings. Instead we get more bloody scenes.
And maybe missing most of all, is his signature ending. As a normal scary thriller, it’s okay, just don’t expect quality as high as his first few products.7½.

Luckily, Tapei is so big, there are several cinemas here as big as I’m used to back at home. But that’s not the issue here.
The issue at hand here is mean green and frankly, quite bulky.
Also, it’s been only 5 years ago that Hulk was released. Now already comes a quasi-sequel/retcon.
Basically, it removes all the good things Ang Lee put in, and leaves in the action. The general public will love it (proven by a higher IMDB score), but I think it’s for the worse. Of course, Edward Norton is still a good actor, but the original Bruce Banner (played by Eric Bana) had more emotional depth to work with. Same goes for Liv Tyler (Betty Banner, originally played by Jennifer Connoly).
That’s not to say this movie isn’t entertaining, because it certainly is. The action is brutal, and there are enough setups for either a sequel or Marvel team-up.
For those who need instant superhero gratification, this is it. For those needing depth, rewatch the original.7½.

Bla bla bla, predicatable kill kill kill. And I expected more from this, not just from the dark oversaturated trialer, but a movie being distributed by the Weinstein Company used to mean something (actually, just bought it in 2006, subsequently sold another company).
This one is just the same as all the other slasher movies, albeit lower budget, and less blood is involved. The same non-story is there, and there’s no further motive explained for the killer or any depth added to the characters. Pacing is also a problem, with only a handful of victims, it gets boring inbetween.
I should’ve trusted my instincts (a finished movie that’s been lying on the shelf for 2 years can’t be that good).3.

Ai ai ai. Where sequels dwindle down in quality after the second or third sequel (see Spider-Man 3 and X-Men 3), Indy had been doing quite well, every chapter as memorable as can be. Maybe it has something to do with the nostalgic eighties, but this last chapter, doesn’t quite seem to get the same feeling out of it. As a result, it feels like a big disappointment.
Where the previous ones were a continuous laughing riot, or had some memorable relationships (be it the girl, the shorty or the father), this one serious lacks in that apartment. While I’m no fan of punch lines heavy scripts, it’s exactly this that made all the Indy flicks work so well. Anyone remember the “No ticket” scene ? Hilarious, and that’s with only two words.
This movie also doesn’t have the same energy or speed or broad script and feels a little bit wooden (and that’s not only because of age). The excitement just isn’t there anymore (it was all the way up to the first minute of the movie though).
Maybe not noticable to all, but from a technical standpoint, I’d say it’s quite embarrassing that this product is from the hands of Lucas/Spielberg. Unlike the superbly well done effects from The Minority Report or War of the Worlds, the effects here are extremely noticable. Not only seems integrating effects into the scene a rushed job, extensive use the virtual sets bothers me too (too obvious lighting artifacts makes it obvious they’re inside a filming studio). This I would expect from mid-range budgeted movies, but at $185 million, it’s pretty high priced.
Then last but not least, the sci-fi ending doesn’t fit well at all. Maybe I wouldn’t have mentioned it if the other defect weren’t there, but this just tops the disappointment.
Of course, that’s not to say it’s utterly boring, because it’s still a mildly entertaining action/adventure. It just doesn’t compete with the best out there, that’s all.7-.

Your usual no-brainer, sit back and try to laugh kinda movie. But unfortunately, it’s still not that easy. Even with brain power set at a minimum, it’s hard to laugh. Save for an always funny Rob Corddry, the rest is as cliche as it can be, and tries to mix in a bit of seriousness towards the end (and doesn’t really succeed). With a luckily low running time, it’s hard to remember anything really funny. The only thing easy to remember is Ashton Kutcher’s same comedy acting style, for which he is probably type casted for (though his serious roles like The Butterfly Effect and The Guardian are actually pretty good).4.

Nice tagline for the now dead VHS rental industry, but for the movie, it has to be changed Be Smart Avoid !
I went to see this mostly because of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Michel Gondry, but found nothing really appealing in this one. I guess it’s because that movie was written with a more experienced writer (Charley Kaufman), and this one he does it on his own.
Sure, he shows he can be inventive with the camera with low budget, but this time around, it’s just plain cheesy. The lack of cohesion and solid story makes it almost unbearable.
Sure, another nice twist is the actual deeper message, but it’s just not enough. So again, Be Smart Avoid.4+.

Nice low budget action-thriller headlined by Liam Neeson doing an almost solo performance throughout the movie. It’s not one of the best script out there, and things are as expected, including plot outline and how the character reacts and responds. Still it’s nice to see him as a “normal” older guy kicking major raw ass (he did so in Star Wars and Batman Begins, but with added “special” powers). As that’s the main driving force, the choppy dialogue and contrived plot points are affecting only on a lesser degree. It’s at least one thumb up.7-.

In the Marvel universe, disappointment still varies (the likes of Daredevil and Electra were particularly a dark spot, while latter sequels weren’t up to par either (X-Men 3 and Spidey 3)), and I was a bit wary when Jon Favreau was attached to direct. Previously filming childish movies like Elf and Zathura doesn’t bode well.
That makes Iron Man the biggest summer suprise for me (for now, since summer didn’t technically start yet). That’s because another point got me scared, the casting of Robert Downey Jr.. Surprise surprise, the director and every single cast member deliver and deliver again. The depiction of the rich playboy genius is spot-on, and it’s nice to see a transformation to a hero without fate actually forcing them (unlike Spidey, Hulk, FF4 or the X-Men, getting their powers from accidents or birth).
The story itself isn’t that broad, nor are characters that deep (basically a one man show), but hell, the adrenaline level never drops from the get-go and the coolness factor of seeing a brushed stainless steel looking design evolve into a kickass body fitting suit is utterly satisfying.
While this may not be suitable for the female half of the audience (just like seeing expensive sports cars racing around isn’t either) it ranks as one of the higher entertaining flick coming from the Marvel can. Just start the pre-production of The Avengers or Iron Man II, I tell ya (also stay till the very end of the movie for one of the most bad ass cameo in the history of film).8.

I know I know, I’ve burnt myself too many times with the horror genre. And again I did it. This time I was a bit curious what comic Ben Stiller had to bring to this genre, and the answer is simple. Nothing. Nothing at all.
The story plays around only 5 persons. The location is fixed too. There are no extreme thrills or scares, so the only thing noticable is seeing the budget constraints at work.
The same titled book of novelist turned screen writer Scott B. Smith earned him a rave review from fellow scarer Stephen King, but it feels like we’re talking about two totally different things. Maybe that’s exactly the joke that Ben Stiller was trying to play on us. Cruel if I really had to pay for the ticket (which I luckily did not).4+.

Steve Carell in a movie where he plays a normal character again. Without him playing an extreme type, his performance almost seems human (which made Little Miss Sunshine so refreshing). Sadly, in this overly simple plot outline, it’s just too boring. The story and dialogue are just plain trivial. Add a little bit of predictability and you may think Evan Almighty was kick ass (which was not). A hotter female love interest would’ve been nicer too (Juliette Binoche).5½.

A well-shot cop drama actioner composed of ambiguous loyalty, fast paced action with raw violence and drowned in some dry humor. Keanu Reeves, Chris Evans and Forest Whitaker have solid roles, with the usual dark twists that is involved with the thin line between corruptness and blind loyalty. Utterly enjoyable, though not that profound or deep.8-.

Title and a flashy trailer says it all, a story bringing together 8 points of view. The end product playing out in front of you is a little bit more simplified though, less points of views, and an ending that leaves both the narrative style and believability.
Almost 75% of the movie is quite engaging, with single point of views revealing bits of the story, but somehow this style can’t be carried on too long, and the ending is like any other generic action flick (including fast forwarded car racing scenes filmed in narrow streets).
Don’t expect to see any character’s inside (no reason is given for the antagonists motives), and only go if you want to see a “normal” action thriller, because if you expect somethign unique, you will be let down.7+.