Movies
Taken
Taken is a good movie but be warned this is definitely a guy’s movie. Liam Neeson’s character is like an older Jason Bourne. This guy takes down almost everyone he comes across with absolutely no mercy. But don’t feel bad for them, they were all really bad guys. Liam Neeson plays a retired government agent whose daughter (played by Maggie Grace) gets kidnapped on a trip to France. So he embarks on a personal mission to obviously find his daughter, but also to inflict pain, suffering, and death on the people who took her.
My Sassy Girl (English Remake) Sucks
I just watched the 2008 remake of My Sassy Girl and it totally sucked. If you don’t know, My Sassy Girl is a South Korean romantic comedy that came out in 2001 and was immensely popular throughout Asia. The remake doesn’t compare AT ALL to the Korean version. The remake is worse in every aspect. The people who produced this movie clearly didn’t understand what made the original so great. If you’re going to watch this movie, watch the Korean version. I don’t have time to go into details right now but I’ll probably make a more in-depth review another time.
Vantage Point
I recently watched Vantage Point and it was a really a mixed bag. I guess it was an okay movie. It was interesting to see each person’s individual point of view but there are so many plot holes or plot devices that were just really weak.
You really have to watch the movie to understand this review. I just can’t review this movie without tearing apart the plot. Everything else like the acting and the action sequences were decent and pretty good actually.
********** MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD **********
Children of Men
Children of Men is a great movie – it’s gritty and captivating. It shows a really grim view of the future – the basic premise is that for some unknown reason women become infertile so there are no more babies. The movie starts off with the world mourning the death of the youngest person on the planet (an 18 yr. old). It’s a hopeless, degenerating society and apparently most countries are ravaged by terrorism and chaos. Consequently, the government cracks down hard. Most of the movie takes place in London.
The Breakup
I saw this movie a couple of weeks back. Now, Vince Vaughn is usually pretty funny and in this movie he has some moments. You know how he mutters on and on about stupid things – that’s kind of his act. But this movie overall is pretty damn boring and after seeing the ending I wished I could take back the 90 minutes I lost to this utterly meaningless film. (Spoiler Alert: do not continue)
The DaVinci Code
The book is much better. Movie is so-so. If you really want to enjoy the story of The DaVinci Code, I’d strongly advise you read the book. There would be no point in reading the book after you see the movie since most of the story has been revealed. The movie was pretty faithful to the book, no real changes.
My friends who didn’t read the book thought the movie was okay. There just seems to be a lot of talking in the movie, where they basically explain a lot of backstory and history. It’s different with the book because you’re reading it and following the action and discovering clues along with the characters. But in the movie, it’s all explained or shown to you, you’re not really immersed in it. While for book fans like me, it was nice seeing the story in film, but the movie seems a little dull.
There was one notable trailer during the previews and it’s for a movie called World Trade Center. I don’t know, I kind of have mixed feelings about it – I mean wow, a movie on it so soon? I don’t know what it is but everytime I see footage of 911 it gets me a little choked up.
V for Vendetta
So I watched V for Vendetta over the weekend and it was really good. As you may know, it’s produced by the same creators of The Matrix trilogy. The movie is thought provoking and a lot of the stuff alludes to what’s happening in the world today. The basic plot is that because of the global war on terror and attacks in England, English citizens eventually give up their civil liberties in the name of security.
Aeon Flux
I saw Aeon Flux last Friday and it was a pretty good movie. I only vaguely remember some episodes of the old cartoon on MTV, so you don’t really need to be an Aeon Flux fan to enjoy this movie because the movie stands on its own. Some critics are saying the plot is confusing but I thought it was pretty straightforward, so unless you’re an idiot, you should have no problems.
The story isn’t amazing but it is fairly interesting. The cinematography, set design, and overall style of this movie are cool. There are a lot of good shots throughout the film and the action is pretty unique because of Aeon’s style of movement. Even the fashion and architecture are pretty avant-garde so it really creates a different, futuristic environment and makes the movie somewhat artistic. There’s intrigue, mystery, and even love in this movie. I’d recommend the movie to others.
Charlize Theron definitely nailed the part right on the dot – I don’t think anyone else would’ve been able to portray the character with any depth. Plus Charlize is probably the only actress with the physical attributes to match Aeon Flux. She doesn’t have the perfect body but it’s good enough. Plus she did most of her own stunts, what other actress can do that?