Anjchang movie blog on blogspot.com

Donnie Darko was good, the second time around. I have to say though, that I think the movie could have gone a little faster, but the soundtrack makes up for it. Mad World is the best thing to come out of that movie. Time and traveling through it is an interesting topic. Some think that the tornado made it possible, others think that Frank made it possible. Who knows. It actually was more likeable the second time around because I could understand where it was going. The weird blobs in the people were cool too! Another Dark Movie we saw recently was Van Helsing . I thought it was okay, but it really wasn't worth the theater price. In general, the plot was blah, but the special effects were nice. I liked Frankenstein's garb, and he was hilarious in the bloopers. The lady's garb was kind of tarty, and I think she could have been a tougher woman, but there you go. At least she wasn't like Paltrow in Sky Captain.

Pitch Black was good, especially the 2nd time around. No, it wasn't the acting or the plot, but I guess I haven't seen anything recently from the genre of sci-fi space horror. The coincidence of visual and audio effects in the film are just plain enjoyable. I was annoyed with the lead female actress for being predictably stupid and selfish, Riddick's story and mystery throughout the film is interesting enough to keep me watching. I think its just a little funny that the monsters don't kill them all when they're stalled and bickering for so much of the movie, and most of the people that got axed deserved it (although the other deaths were a bit tragic), a portrayal of life's sense of fairness and justice is quite satisfying... I think its fair that annoying, selfish, petty, and insipid characters get eaten by monsters. It makes the blood and guts that much more enjoyable. I love the last scene where they "say goodbye", and also liked that they flew ...

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was complete rubbish. The vapid Paltrow as the leading female and the shallow, obvious but boring plot really made me mourn the lost hour. I think Soul Plane was better than this... The worst part was that it had such great potential. The main draw is the nostalgic backdrops in blue screen, but unfortunately, the bad script made the visuals the only saving grace. The characters could have been better developed. Paltrow's character was completely annoying and distracting to the movie. We get too much silly, selfish newsreporter and very little of the other potentially "cool" characters (or they would have been cool if the plot actually revealed more about these people): heroic pilot, russian camper, british daredevil, dirty-faced asian, newspaper editor, mad scientist. Unfortunately, the cool characters last less than a flicker during the movie. The stills are a much better way to appreciate the landscape. Ah well, unfortunate... ...

Soul Plane had its moments. It wasn't nearly as funny as Pootie Tang, but there were some good buts. I thought it was weird how the soundtrack sounded very similar to Pootie's theme song. Sadatay!

Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) was okay. We finally got to see it, but it wasn't as funny as Barbershop 1.... and definitely not as good as Pootie Tang. We also snagged Loverboy recently and it was okay. A little on the campy side... Speaking of Campy, Bubba Ho-tep takes the cake. Elvis in a retirement home, a guy who thinks he's FDR, and a mummy-- and hilarity ensues. It was thoroughly entertaining, and innovative. The plot was funny and I laughed all night after seeing it. Hahahhhahaa...

Joe Dirt was fantastic. It was entertaining and funny. The character of Joe Dirt was easy to sympathize with, and the plot was interesting. The journey of Joe through America to find his parents, and the friends he makes along the way, is terrific.

We recently saw Fahrenheit 9/11 with Ela and Arrin. I have to say that the movie was interesting and it was nice to know what Mike Moore was saying. I think that it is interesting that he is the ONLY one who is saying such things, our media has really let us down. I learned some new things, such as what Bush was doing when 9/11 happened, and why the response was slow. There could have been more fact and less bias in the film but all in all, it is a perspective that is different and fresh. Makes you think about the ethical character of the person/s in power in this country. It does bring out the point that people in power can more easily get questionable laws passed if the country is constantly in a psychological terrified state, rather than rational and calm.

Saw The Rock(1996) again!

Cast Away (2000) was really fantastic. Man vs. Nature. The idea of what you would do if you were stranded on an island, and how would you mentally cope with the loneliness is quite interesting. I think the ending was a bit open, but the journey was truly mesmerizing. It's funny how the lack of dialog really highlights the acting. It must have taken a lot of foresight and planning to realize that acting does not revolve around dialogue. My favorite scene was the first fish he speared. I was impressed at the physical changes in Tom Hanks over the course of the movie. It really shows how man can do all that he must to survive...

Recently saw Big Fish (2003) again on DVD. I really enjoyed the cinematography, and the story was really good. It's such a clever story, with interesting characters. Every few minutes is a new adventure.

Shrek was much better than TIMELINE , which we saw last night. Timeline was entertaining, but as with all time travel movies, there were flaws like what about the government, press, etc. Also hard to change the past and not have it affect the present... and they definitely changed the past. I have a feeling the book was probalby much better. Anyway, it was a good way to pass a saturday nite.

Shrek 2 (2004) was awesome. Antonio Banderas was the bomb, and the whole movie was VERY entertaining. The cutest Puss in Boots ever. :) Ah, Banderas has the smoothest accent. So SUAVE.

Just watched Barry Lyndon (1975) and we wonder, why did they mmake this movie???? It's like reading Jane Eyre... oh well.

Saw Shattered Glass (2003) while I was in Long Island. I have to say it sucked. The main character was totally unlikable and it was all dialogue. It was on par with reality TV.

 

Tonight we headed over to join the Fourth East Mafia to watch Tom Cruise's The Last Samurai (2003) . It was pretty good, I enjoyed seeing the battles, and the graceful action shots. A bit gory, and some of it campy, but still some pretty seat-gripping moments.

We just watched Matrix Revolutions again, and I think it was a pretty good movie. Without the high expectations, it was quite enjoyable. I loved the mech warrior fight scenes (the general is the most kick-ass mech warrior ever), and the awesome ways the Sentinels moved. I like the ships, and the idea of moving a whole ship propelled by EM fields sounds to me quite reasonable. I have to watch LOTR3 again next... or maybe Mean Girls!

When I was in London with Ian, I got to see Zatoichi . The movie was awesome. A little campy, but the action was good, and so was the plot. I liked the idea of a blind samurai who kicks everyone's ass. I also liked the "women" in the movie, and the interesting character development. It was funny, sad, happy, and complex, all rolled into one. Ian was great to watch movies with, too!

Kill Bill was awful. Lots of gratuitous violence, that I didn't enjoy. I didn't think there was much plot, and the cinematography was too friggin' obvious. Isn't Tarantino too clever having a whole scene in silohuette? No. I don't think I'll be watching the sequel. Good think I saw it at LSC, where it was discounted. Quite a few of the audience left during this movie, it was so bad...Zatoichi is a lot better of a campy, beautiful, samarai flick.

Saw Paycheck (2003) on the plane ride over from England. For a free movie, it wasn't bad. I really thought the idea of a "reverse engineer" was funny. The visions of the future were interesting, particularly the idea that they could "make weather" in a scientific environment. The plot was okay, although I could think of all these ways that technology was kind of slow (for example, why didn't they have an RFID chip on him) that could have foiled Jennings' plans. Ah well, it was enjoyable as a distraction.

Was in Miami for Joyce's birthday. 13 going on 30 was great! I loved all the music scenes, and I particularly like the main character's sense of style. I didn't think I had as sophisticated an awareness when I was 13, but who cares. It was a good movie for remembering the 80s.

Love Actually was quite good. I really like the way Hugh Grant can come off as a bad boy that tries to be good for the sake of love.

We finally saw (it was great, reminded me of Japan), also Kill Bill (didn't like it-- too violent). Recently saw Underworld, and liked the love angle, although it was really slow and some of it was pretty silly (like when pretty boy turns into a lichen) I had to laugh. The acting was really bad, but it was interesting enough. The movie needed a better sound track. Saw the Triplets of Bellevue and it was pretty enjoyable, for an animation. The best part was really Gaudi's animation that was shown before the movie.

Chasing Papi was good. Cici reminded me of Miami. :) Bye bye, Papi Chulo!

All the Queen's Men (2001) was funny enough. Matt LeBlanc does not look good in a dress. :)

Bad Boys II Triplets of Belleview Lost in Translation are movies we should watch according to Ela and Arrin...

lord of the Rings3 was the most memorable movie I saw during the holiday break. I will write more, but just wanted to Capture it.