Jack Bauer's back!

Yup, after taking a break for one year due to the Hollywood writers' strike, 24 Day 7 is finally upon us! The "pilot" for Day 7, a 2-hour special called 24: Redemption, was aired in the US over the weekend and is already on the torrents. This time there's no CTU as Jack's now relocated to Africa, on the run from the US government who hold him responsible for the numerous killings and tortures Jack has done to protect the US of A. But this being Jack, he can't hide from action for long, and we soon see him embroiled in a coup.

To celebrate the new season of 24, The Independent has written a really good critique of the whole 24 phenomenon, pointing out the obvious plotholes (how can ANYONE go a whole day without sleep, food, drink or even a quick visit to the loo?), and the numerous torture techniques that Jack has done for the "greater good". It also has some interesting little-known facts about the TV series. Really good piece which I recommend to all Jack Bauer fans.

Review: Iron Man

Director : Jon Favreau
Main Cast : Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges

Not another comic superhero flick!

I was enticed by Iron Man ever since the first time I heard about it during pre-production because of the fact that:
(a) it's a comic movie directed by Jon Favreau (well, anyone OTHER than Michael Bay), and
(b) with Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard, it's got "proper" actors in the cast.

As a result of the above, I expected something more akin to the Spiderman films and Batman Begins, rather than, dare I say, Transformers.



So did it live up to the expectations?

Well happily it did, though at the same time it didn't actually exceed them. The action sequences were great, a lot of emphasis was put on using real costumes and effects rather than use CGI all the time. And when CGI was used, it did look as realistic as the robots in Transformers (come to think of it, the final fight between the two "suits" on the traffic laden highway was a bit of a deja vu moment).

Acting wise, Robert Downey Jr was perfectly cast, lending his natural charm and humour to the role. Jeff Bridges was decent in an unfamilar role as the arch-enemy, though he did ham it up a bit at the end. But then, what are superhero filcks without OTT villains, eh? Gwyneth Paltrow though was a bit wasted for my liking, as she had the typical blonde damsel in distress role, albeit an older version so as to not make Downy Jr come up as a paedo. The dialogue too didn't make you cringe, but you would expect that from a people-director such as Favreau.

Eh?

There were some "Eh??" moments in the film, the most memorable to me being:
(a) Everyone seems to stay only a couple minutes away from each other, ala 24. Especially so in the scene when Potts (Paltrow) finds out who the actual villain was. I presume she phoned Stark (Downey Jr) as soon as she could. But when she did, the villain had already managed to make his way to Stark's mansion, and then back to his lab long before Potts and the federal agents (who were in a nearby building) could make their way over to arrest him!
(b) The villain's suit was at least 3 times bigger than Iron Man's (which itself is larger than life). Question is, how the heck the the villain have long enough arms and legs (not to mention head and torso) to properly control the "suit"?

Don't leave early!

I read somewhere that there is some additional footage at the end after the credits roll. So I stayed and waited. And waited. And waited. And when it did come, was it worth it? You could say so, as it gave a taste of the future instalments of the movie franchise, in the shape of a well-known actor. Bring on Iron Man 2!!

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away (Well actually it was 30 years ago)

Today is 30th anniversary of the premiere of Star Wars, my favourite of all time. WHICH Star Wars, some of you may inevitably ask. Well, if you know your movies, there was always ONE film titled Star Wars. :P

Anyway, as some sort of tribute, please click here for a list of 30 most memorable quotes from the film.

Review: Black Snake Moan

Director : Craig Brewer
Main Cast : Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake

Okay okay, I confess. The only reason I wanted to see Black Snake Moan was to see (an unrecognisable) Christina Ricci chained to a radiator in various states of undress. However, the pleasant surprise is that leaving the cinema, the thing about the film that sticks to me is not Ricci, but Samuel L. Jackson. He personally carries the film through 2 hours of what is otherwise a slow-burning film about redemption in a typical Southern kampung ala Slingblade.

Yup, this is a tour de force from Mr Jackson, bringing back memories of Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, and he even sings the blues for a considerable portion of the film. Worth the ticket price alone. Enough even to make me forget the TERRIBLE Snakes On A Plane? Errr.. actually no.

Horrific Fun!

Above is a scene from the upcoming Black Sheep, which features murderous sheep (seriously!). This and other horror films are featured in firstshowing.net's Guide to Summer 2007 Horror Movies.

Review: Shooter

Director : Antoine Fuqua
Main Cast : Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Danny Glover

Latest film from Fuqua (Training Day, King Arthur) about ex-Army sniper Wahlberg on the run after he was framed for attempting to assassinate the US President.

Enjoyable film, though a bit predictable and with gaping plot holes that you wouldn't miss with a bazooka from 10 miles. Wahlberg to me can't shake off his innocent/stupid/funny Marky Mark and Dirk Diggler look, and is not suited for Arnie and Stallone-like one-man-army action roles.

Shooter still thrills when it matters, and it's pure unadulterated sniper porn for the Counter Strike generation.

Review: 300

Director : Zack Snyder
Main Cast : Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham

I’ve read some nerds on the net ranting about how 300 exaggerated things and did not depict what really happened 2500 years ago. Thing is, I DON’T CARE. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a fictionalized tale based on a comic, and I treat 300 no different than Harry Potter or Lord Of The Rings.



So anyway, 300 is yet another Frank Miller comic/graphic that has been converted to the big screen. Really loved and enjoyed the last two, Batman Begins and Sin City. And like Sin City, 300 was filmed entirely against green screen, with the background in every scene added digitally. Also like Sin City, the director went out to replicate the look and feel of the source material. It was a real visual treat, with scorched out bronze/brown the main theme - the contrast slider gleefully pushed all the way to the right - and dabs of bright crimson for the blood.

And man, was there a lot of blood. This is violence at its glorious, arty-farty best. Other films may rush through the really bloody scenes, leaving the worst to our imagination. Not 300 though. Every single thrust of the spear, every single limb cut off, is shown in slow-motion. It really is a film for the boys, a genre action film where instead of having one-man-armies such as Rambo or Conan, here we have a whole troop of them, with more six-packs on show than in your local 7-Eleven. So much so that the sub-plot involving the Queen and the Senate back home proved an annoying distraction, something that the director wrongly decided would give the film more character.

So is the film any good then? Well, it’s got great visuals and probably the best sword-and-sandal battle scenes ever – some of the specific scenes would undoubtedly be parodied in the likes of Shrek for years to come. However, I really feel sorry to say that it’s all just a bit too much style over substance. Not enough time was spent developing the main characters, to the point that we didn’t really care when they all eventually perished. And it all felt a little bit too similar to Gladiator, especially the scenes in the barley field with the haunting soundtrack. Gerald Butler, last seen singing his lungs out in Phantom Of The Opera, did a passable if hysteric impression of Russell Crowe. But then, 300 never set out to be a critically acclaimed film. It set out to thrill, to excite, to entertain. And entertain it certainly did. Just do me a favour and catch it in its full glory at the cinema while you can, rather than a bad copy downloaded off the internet on your laptop.

Review: Apocalypto

Director : Mel Gibson
Main Cast : Rudy Youngblood, Jonathan Brewer

Mel Gibson's latest is a beautiful, kinetic, edge-of-your-seat, harrowing and gruesome tale set during the last days of the Mayan empire, cast entirely by locals speaking the ancient language (with subtitles of course).



Though the opening scene ends with the gory killing of a tapir for food, the next 20 minutes shows the humanity, love and laughter of the people in the small village, showing they are just like any other people in any civilisation or time, despite their very agressive and scary appearances. Until disaster strikes, that is. In the most harrowing and grim scenes I have seen since Hotel Rwanda, a rival group of tribesmen invade the village, brutally murdering half the villagers, and tying up the rest and forcing them on a long trek through the jungle.

Much has been said about the violence in Apocalypto, and though it is quite gory in parts, most of the really terrible stuff happens off-screen. But then, I've been used to a diet of B-Grade slasher and horror flicks, and I've seen much worse.

So is Apocalypto a fictionalised documentary of the Mayan empire? Does it, as the name suggests, discuss the reasons behind the fall of one of the greatest ancient civilisations? Well, not really. Take away the loincloths, spears and rainforest, and Apocalpyto is your typical action flick. And a very good one too.

Review: The Number 23

Director : Joel Schumacher
Main Cast : Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen

Actually the number 23 itself has personal meaning for me. I was born on 2nd March (2/3), and the number of letters in my full name (Mohammad Ozairi bin Othman)? You guessed it right - 23. That fact, an intriguing teaser trailer, and the involvement of one of my favourite actors made me look really forward to watching the film.



Sadly, all the hype, all the excitement came to nothing. The Number 23 aspires to be one of those much-discussed about films of mystery and mystique. But the end result falls as flat as a burnt piece of roti canai. Jim Carrey does his best to play a man slowly losing his sanity while burying himself ever more deeper in his obsession with the cursed prime number. For you anti-Carrey people out there, this is him in his "serious-pity-him-loser" mode, similar to his role in the great Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. For a truly magnificent piece of acting in a similar role though, you can't beat Richard Dreyfuss' in Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.

Agent Dana Scully look-a-like Virginia Madsen is passable as his supporting wife, though The Number 23 essentially hangs on the strength of Jim Carrey, being present in almost every scene.

The Number 23 does not have much substance in plot, and relies on unnecessary stretching of "flashback" scenes and Da Vinci Code style step-by-step explanations to the viewers to pad out the film to its measly 96 minutes, a movie length usually reserved for cartoons that serve ADD-suffering 6 year olds. Oddly, it still felt too long - by 23 minutes, I might guess.

Finally!

So the Oscars are finally over. No real surprises in the major honours based on pre-Oscar forecasts and awards shows in the last month or so. My only disappointment was that Pan's Labyrinth didn't win Best Foreign Film, despite winning Oscars in other categories.

Scorsese finally won his first Best Director gong, though by my guess more on a kesian basis. Don't think that The Departed is as good as The Aviator or Gangs Of New York, let alone seminal classics like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas. Liked it when the great Lucas, Spielberg and Coppola presented his award though.

Review: The Holiday

Director : Nancy Meyers
Main Cast : Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Rufus Sewell

Supposed to be a nice little family-friendly romantic comedy made for the holiday season, about two women on opposite sides of the Atlantic swapping houses for Christmas. In fact it turned out to be a dreadful film.



The worst mistake made was having two separately independent storylines. If ever it were possible, it made the film feel both too short AND too long at the same time! You are sat there in the cinema, PRAYING for the film to end, looking at your watch every 5 seconds or so. However, each half of the film is given so little time to have any sense of development of plot that it leaves it feeling rather hollow.

A shame though, considering the likes of Winslet and Law, both underused and a waste of their respective talents, and though I am a BIG fan of Jack Black, I honestly think that he was horribly miscast and proves that no way can he repeat Jim Carrey and do "serious" roles. Don't get me wrong though, I do enjoy the occasional schmoozy holiday romantic comedy, and really liked Love Actually, and not Crap Actually which The Holiday is.

Review: Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny

Director: Liam Lynch
Main Cast: Jack Black, Kyle Gass, Tim Robbins, Dave Grohl

This is the film that Jack Black was born for! It's an air guitar-playing, side-splitting, foul mouthed comedy musical which is brings out the best in Jack Black, especially for those familiar with his Tenacious D songs.



Admittedly, the plot is a bit absurd, if there is one to speak of in the first place. But who cares, with scenes that would make you laugh your arse off. The opening pre-credits sequence, featuring none less than Meatloaf and Ronnie James Dio, is in my opinion one of the best Rock & Roll scenes ever put to screen, beating the likes of anything in Spinal Tap or even the Bohemian Rhapsody head-banging scene in Wayne's World.

A movie purely only (and a must-see!) for fans of Jack Black and/or Rock & Roll, or better still, both. Definitely the This Is Spinal Tap of our times. Jack Black kicks a$$!!!!

Review: The Prestige

Director: Christopher Nolan
Main Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson

An overall interesting film by Christopher Nolan, director of Memento and Batman Begins, about 2 rival magicians trying their vicious best to outdo each other and come out tops. While the storyline is simple, the editing is a bit unusual, which is no surprise coming from the director of Memento. There are lots of flashbacks, and more flashbacks within those flashbacks, which at first do make you somewhat confused, but adds to the fascination of the film and at least stops you from dozing off!



What does intrigue me, not only in this film but many others, is why producers can't just cast Americans in American roles, and English in English roles, rather than torture our ears with horrid fake OTT accents. For example, The Prestige:

1. Hugh Jackman (Aussie) doing American
2. Scarlett Johansson (American) doing English
3. Andy Serkis (English) doing American
4. David Bowie (English) doing East European (Serbian to be exact, but who cares!)

Anyway, good film. Very gothic, with a plot that kicks dirt in the face of linearity. Shame about the last act though, felt cheated a bit when the film came up with something out of fantasy that cannot be explained. Took away a lot of the "magic" of the film, so to speak.

Eagle-eyed

Just finished watching Return Of The King on the telly, first time I've seen it since I saw it at the cinema. And then too I didn't watch it fully, as I dozed off a third of the time! Anyway, watching the ending again, I'm compelled to ask the following:

If Gandalf can use the giant eagles to go rescue Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom, if it seems so easy, why not just use the same damn eagles to send them there in the first place? Would save a lot of humans, elves, dwarves and whatever creature from dying, me reckons.

All you Lord Of The Rings fans, I expect your answer!

Review: The Departed

Director : Martin Scorsese
Main Cast : Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg

Yet again I have to start a review by apologizing for the crime of abandoning this blog for so long. The excuse is really simple, really. Going to the cinema was such a horrible experience that I actually STOPPED going to the cinema again!

However, things have turned for the better now, and my how things have turned! I’m proud and happy to announce that I’M NOW BACK IN LONDON! Finally! No more subtitles that take up half the screen, no more bad prints, no more being directed through some dodgy backdoor route at the end of the film, no more censors, and no more crying babies in a supposedly 18SG film! Actually, the only thing I’ll miss is the fact that I’m now unable to have one of those tasty 1901 hotdogs in the cinema.

So what better way to kickoff this return to the good ‘ol days of film-going than to write a review of The Departed, surely one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year in terms of director and cast. And it can’t get more mouthwatering than having Martin Scorsese directing Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio, easily the best actors of their respective generations. Add Matt Damon, Martin Sheen and Mark Wahlberg to the mix, and you can understand the hype surrounding the film.

To the uninitiated, The Departed is a Hollywood remake of the Hong Kong smash hit Infernal Affairs. The plot is quite interesting actually, the story of two moles on the opposite sides of the police and the Irish mafia. They are played by DiCaprio and Damon, two actors in my opinion who still look in their early 20s after so long a time. This I feel is partly why they were cast in the film, two young apprentices, both trying their best – for different objectives, and through different means – to impress mafia boss Jack Nicholson. I would have to say that they both had familiar, clichéd roles, which weren’t a real change from what they’ve done in the past – DiCaprio, the boy who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, a livewire, prepared to fight his way through any problem, and Damon, the smartly-dressed, clean-looking all-round good guy. It’s interesting to note though that DiCaprio has taken over from the great Bobby De Niro as Scorsese’s muse, this being their 3rd film together, after Gangs Of New York and The Aviator.

The real star of the show is undoubtedly Jack Nicholson. His character here is nasty, violent, cold-blooded and merciless. Someone you definitely don’t want to mess with. Nicholson also manages to somehow restrain himself for most parts of the film, but there were one or two scenes where we do see the good ‘ol OTT Jack.

Though good the movie may be, I still feel that there was just something missing. Maybe because of the cast, and especially the director, I expected more. Maybe I hoped that this was going to be THE film to finally win Scorsese an Oscar. Sadly it isn’t. Don’t get me wrong, The Departed is still a very good film, and I recommend it fully to fans of Scorsese, gangster films, or a combination of the both.

Review: Mission Impossible 3, Cars, X-Men 3

Sorry to those who have been eagerly anticipating my “regular” film rants (yup, all 3 of you). Haven’t been updating my blog, guilty as charged. Reasons? Well, you can say that I have other things occupying my time now (and NO, we do not have a baby yet!). Maybe some day soon I’ll post a blog on this other hobby of mine. But anyway, I HAVE been to the movies, and have seen all the hyped-about major films. So rather than going on an extended rant on films that everyone has watched and argued over a looong time ago, I’ll just comment briefly on each.

Mission Impossible 3

It’s basically a movie-length version of Alias, which is hardly surprising considering director J.J. Abrams is the creator of Alias, but instead of Jennifer Garner in kinky S&M costume we have Tom Cruise wearing latex masks. Saying that, J.J. Abrams doesn’t fail to deliver, the film’s fun and full of explosive action, though recent Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman was criminally underused as the bad guy. Certainly the best of the Mission Impossible trilogy.

Cars

I’m personally not that fond of the Disney-Pixar animated films, as compared to those generated by Dreamworks. Yes, they look really nice, the characters are cute and funny, but there’s always some sort of moral to the story to be told, which really makes parts of the film tremendously boring. Thought that those slow scenes pulled Cars down for me. Disney-Pixar should just stick to entertaining from start to end, like what Dreamworks aim to do every time as seen in the Shrek films, or even the recent hilarious Over The Hedge.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand

It was doomed to fail ever since Bryan Singer opted out of directing it in favour of Superman Returns. Action buffs and the comic geeks may like it though, as we have more new mutants and bigger action scenes than the first two films combined, which also however contributed to the mediocrity of the film from a more serious point of view.

Comas not realistic in movies

Now there's a surprise. In a report by the BBC, a "leading" US Neurologist has said that movies are "grossly misrepresenting" the comatose state. Part of the report reads as:

"For example, they often showed miraculous awakenings - often within seconds and as if from a terrible nightmare - with no long-lasting effects at all.
Other flaws included:

• A lack of feeding tubes
• Unrealistic muscle contractions
• No sign of a tracheotomy to help breathing
• 'Comatose' patients remaining muscular, tanned and well groomed"

Click here for the full report.

Review: The Sentinel

Director : Clark Johnson
Main Cast : Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria

A plot to assassinate the President of the US. A mole in the Secret Service. Kiefer Sutherland as one of the good guys, fighting against time to uncover the plot. Sounds like yet another season of 24, right? Wrong. It’s essentially what The Sentinel is all about, with Michael Douglas playing the lead as the Secret Service man wrongly accused as the mole.



Main reason why I was interested in watching The Sentinel was because it had in it the stars of two of my favourite TV shows (downloaded via BitTorrent, of course). Kiefer Sutherland from 24, and Eva Longoria is hands-down my favourite Desperate Housewife (for obvious reasons). However, both were a pale shadow of their TV selves, and gave unmemorable performances. Eva Longoria in particular was oh-so-boring, dressed in a pant suit for the whole film, though the sight of her brandishing a gun might appeal to some. Michael Douglas was his usual self, playing the type of role that he’s familiar with. Nothing special, but still effective.

The main problem of the film to me though is having Kiefer Sutherland as a Secret Service agent trying to uncover a plot to kill the President. Sutherland is, like, one of the most iconic TV star in the past 6 years. I mean, he practically is 24, and if he intended to shake off the Jack Bauer image and do something else for a change, well he couldn’t have chosen a worse role. The film literally just needed his character to torture someone for information, and we would have 24 – The Movie.

So is The Sentinel worth watching then? Well it’s a good film, but you’ll get LOADS more drama, suspense, action and pure unadulterated fun watching a season of 24 instead.

Review: In Her Shoes

Director : Curtis Hanson
Main Cast : Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette

So here goes, my first DVD review. Got a feeling that there’ll be more reviews of these for the same reasons stated in my previous post. I just don’t look forward to going to the cinemas anymore!

In Her Shoes is basically a “Chic Flick” based on a “Chic Lit” of the same name. It stars Diaz and Collette (the mother in Sixth Sense) as sisters; one a responsible, workaholic lawyer, the other a party girl who’s drunk more often than sober (hey, it rhymes!). I have watched and enjoyed a few similar films in my time, but I just didn’t get In Her Shoes. It was boring from the start, and didn’t take me too long before I was playing on my trusty ‘ol PS2 to help me through the ordeal. It’s not some guy thing, you know, the typical “oh these kind of films are not made for you guys, it doesn’t have any guns or explosions” remarks. It. Just. Is. Boring. Much like this review, then.

Review: Inside Man

Director : Spike Lee
Main Cast : Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster

I haven’t been putting up new reviews for quite a while now, for various reasons. Partly because of the recent actuarial exams, and also because of my disillusionment of the whole Malaysian cinema experience. Really can’t remember the last time I went to the cinema without someone talking loudly on their mobile, or kicking the back of my seat. What amazes me is that even at GSC in One Utama (the best in Klang Valley!) with its more than ample legroom, some jerk still feels that its not spacious enough and needs to kick on the seat in front!

Well anyway, finally made the long-delayed trip to the cinema, to watch what, based on the personnel involved, should be a good film. My wife wanted to watch it because it had Denzel and Jodie Foster, while for myself, it being the latest Spike Lee “Joint” was reason enough. Though admittedly I haven’t watch all his films, I really enjoyed those that I did. There’s that independent feel to them, relying on the fast-paced, raw, edgy, foul, funny, well-written dialogue. Can't seem to say the same about Inside Man though. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good film, though I have seen better heist films. You also really can’t go wrong when Denzel and Jodie are involved, together with the rising Clive Owen (albeit with fake American accent). Only thing is, I feel it’s too commercial, too Hollywood-esque for my liking. I went to the cinema expecting a Spike Lee film, but got a Tony Scott film instead.