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bolehornot
Reviews
F9 (2021)
Action scenes are the only redeeming quality
A plot that doesn't make any sense, really bad and cringeworthy dialogue, humor that falls flat, the list goes on. Production quality and action scenes are good though. Definitely worse than the previous films.
The Empty Man (2020)
Are you scared of hobos?
The prologue is pretty well done with a captivating introduction to our supernatural horror set against a scenic backdrop. However, the film goes steeply downhill from there, descending into an incoherent narrative. Plot points are not well spaced-out leaving tedious interludes and movie goers scratching their heads at an incomprehensible ending. As for the horror factor, our protagonist is plagued by the titular Empty Man but the hobo-looking Empty Man inspires no fear unless you're scared of hobos that is.
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Visually interesting but the plot is uninspired
This film is visually interesting, but that's about it. The plot is predictable and bland. The visuals are not enough to save this movie since it does not add anything to the story (unlike say Saving Private Ryan). In that regard, this film is about as good as any of Michael Bay's transformer films. Style without substance. Recommending this film to dog lovers is like recommending the Transformer movies to robot lovers. This film does not deserve the good reviews at all.
The 5th Wave (2016)
Typical Hollywood movie laden with cheesy clichés
I have not read the book. So I watched the movie not knowing what to expect other than an alien invasion. The movie starts off pretty well, but it goes downhill pretty fast. The plot was quite dull and predictable. Cheesy clichés abound. Suspension of disbelief was ruined due to many illogical scenes. None of the characters made me want to root for them. In fact, I disliked the entire cast. There is a fair amount of action in the movie, but probably not enough to justify watching the movie due to the action alone. Compared with other young-adult novels-turned-movies, this is probably the worst of the lot. Don't bother waiting for the DVD, this movie is not worth your time.
Juno (2007)
An after film review
Juno is a terrific film about a teenage girl who finds herself pregnant. Ellen Page truly deserves an Oscar for her outstanding performance as Juno, the pregnant teenage girl.
Juno comes across as a girl who is headstrong but soft on the inside. Usually for teenage mums, there is a lot of trauma and confusion at the news of pregnancy. But Ellen Page portrays Juno as a happy-go-lucky girl next door and this, despite the lack of support from the unwilling father.
And yet, when after she has found what she perceives as a loving couple with all the means of providing her child with a comfortable and caring life in contrast to hers ( Mother divorced when she was young), she was devastated to learn that the would be father of her child was intent on divorcing his wife and making out with her.
The next scene of her crying in the car is probably the most emotional scene in the movie. In the next few scenes, she constantly questions herself if there is anything such as true love or if it is possible for a couple to live happily throughout their lives.
Juno never once did show her anguish at school for for being ridiculed at being pregnant. And yet, we could see that it was not because she was impervious to others. In the scene with Bleeker, the child's natural father, she expressed her jealousy of Bleeker going out with another girl and she broke down at the trauma that she was going through as a youth undergoing pregnancy in high school. The conversation she had with Bleeker was nothing short of powerful and moving.
Page definitely deserves an Oscar as her role as Juno, and Juno is a terrific film that everyone should watch. Everyone will have something to learn from Juno.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
A great man's tale
OK where do I start first.
This movie is about the story of how Chris Gardner went through hardships, from being homeless to a successful stock broker who is worth millions today.
Will Smith has put some great acting into the film for the part of Chris Gardner. It is a touching tale of how he kept his son beside him, found strength when he has almost nothing else to his name and stood up against all odds that were thrown before him.
The movie was good and inspirational, some parts were funny, some parts were heart wrenching. However the movie lacked in telling the story of how Chris Gardner was treated by his step-father, or how because of that he resolved to end the cycle of abuse that was passed down from father to son. If that was added to the film, it would have been more touching and emphasize on the love he had for his child.
Other than that, great movie!
Mo gong (2006)
A terrible movie, ironically, witless and disappointing
OK, so when I saw the trailer, i thought: hey interesting movie, it might be just as intriguing and exciting as The Prestige. But i was proved wrong. The trailer has succeeded in masking the witless plot and awful directing very well. It has also succeeded in making me part with my $9.50 that i paid for this movie.
There was a lack of suspense, it lacked of suspense so much that it became boring. Everything was just so expected. City in danger, hero comes in, hero saves city, city hates hero. This is the plot, to put it bluntly, and also, the most i can think up of to describe its plot. There was even some romance in this movie. The romance fits horribly into it and doesn't gel with the whole movie at all.
This movie is conflicting with its theme. Is it trying to be ridiculous or serious? Its setting seems to suggest that its some serious movie but its content suggest otherwise. You have Africans coming out of nowhere in the movie. AFRICANS. SLAVES AT THAT! I cant think of anything more stupid than putting African Slaves in a movie set in medieval China. I cant start to say on how historically inaccurate that is, and how hard to take the movie seriously for. There were even hot air balloons in it. The movie certainly left me confused. Was i supposed to believe THESE? or was it supposed to make me laugh.
And another scene which really made me think this movie was horrendous: General 1 persuades General 2 to run. Meanwhile, Soldier A runs backwards past them from left side to right side with shield towards left and tells both generals that the enemy is pressing hard. General 2 agrees to run. They retreat towards left.
OK GET THAT SCENE? It shows just how horrible the directing was period. Everything was horrible about that movie. It totally BLEW. This movie isn't worth your money. It just makes you think that it has owed you a few hours of your life watching this movie.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
One of the best engaging, moving and thought-provoking movie ever
When the movie first came to my country, I caught the sneaks 2 times, and a third on its opening day. I have never watched a movie 3 times in a cinema before, and this movie has provoked so much in me that i kept going to the cinemas for another 2 times. Words are not enough to express what this movie is about, and how much this movie is going to make you think.
This movie manages to convey so much, with so little, it shows you how we are all very much the same, that the murderous trait in the Japanese are not just inherent to a race or a nation.
Most of the Japanese were themselves not very connected with the outside world, and Imperial Japan made use of this to spread propaganda about the Chinese, Americans etc. The film manages to show this by contrasting Baron Nishi, Gen. Kuri, who have seen the outside world and normal soldiers who have been thrust from their simple secluded life in Japan into a war with the US. The scenes of normal Japanese soldiers bearing their hatred towards the Americans and Baron Nish being humane towards his fellow human being, an American soldier... It makes you think why this is so, it provokes your thoughts, it carries you outside the theatre it is overwhelming how good this film is.
This is just a simple example from this film and it is only just 2 scenes! This movie does not just entertain like any other shallow movie a la The Departed, it moves you, it makes you think.
However, it is with great regret that this film has lost to The Departed, perhaps because the voters didn't like how it shows the enemy their boys were fighting were as humane as them, just as anyone else, but this is true...we are all humans.
P.S. If you only like movies that entertain you for as long as your are in the theatre, or movies that do not require much thought, please do not watch this film. This is not a film for "Norbit" lovers.
10/10 definitely, the best film I have ever watched and I believe, for a long time to come.