Watched it Where?
Kelapa Gading XXI
Any snag(s) while watching?
The subtitle is horrendous and somehow the movie theater cut 3-5 minute of the movie (Just before Ip Man goes to the Japanese headquarter). It was preposterous.
Prior to Jet Li’s Fearless, I was having a problem finding a good Chinese Kung Fu movie. Besides some Zhang Yimou’s greats, We were sated with only highly stylized, heavy on CG Kung Fu flicks. It was good, but it felt empty and fake. Jet Li’s Fearless is the movie that I have been waiting for since HK went to China in 1997. And since that movie, the number of hardcore, fist-on-fist Kung Fu Movies were almost next to none. So You see this movie is like the answer to many, many Chop Suey flick fans.
Ip Man is the romanticized biopic of Bruce Lee’s Wing Chun master, Yip Man. The story revolves around his daily life before and during the Japanese occupation of China. During the first part, before the occupation, the story has a lightheartedness that pleases the visual with the splendor of Foshan during its hay day. The last half was a jolt on the visual where the lively city turns into a decrepit war torn realm.
The movie features a few characters from Ip Man’s life. I’m not sure which is real and which is not, because the story is heavily dramatized to the point that I think half of it is a facade. The good thing is, the characters shows a good interpretation of real wholesome people. Even the villains, a character that Ip Man ridiculed (the ‘yes’ man) show features of chivalry. This feature made this a great morally driven plotted movie. Yet at the end, the whole Confuciunistic nature of the film was downtrodden when Ip Man shows absolute hatred towards the Japanese. Story wise, it was idiosyncratic and left the final battle little to desire.
I think the best fight in the film is when Ip Man fought the Out-of-Towners. Donnie Yen, one of my favorite Kung Fu actor showed his prowls well and I was struck in awe. In whole, the fighting choreography of this movie is top notch and certainly earn its right to be placed between the greats. Yip Chun, Yip Man’s real life son (Also made a cameo appearance in the film) consults in the movie’s action choreography. So you can be pretty sure that most hit and kick to the shins are in fact in accordance to the Wing Chun’s fighting philosophy.
The peeves aside, this movie, in whole, is an awesome Kung Fu flick. Driven by a moral story with a high octane of a chop to the neck, this movie will pleases people that has the slightest interest with Chinese Cinema. The sequel is being planned and it will feature Yip Man during his days in Hong Kong. So you can be pretty sure that the sequel will kick as much as.
By the impossibly high wisdom of 21′s management, Ip Man is featured in only a very few selected theaters. If you have not seen this movie, watch it NOW!
Rating:
8.5
Watched it Where?
EX
Any snag(s) while watching?
Nope 
The Day the Earth Stood Still is a remake of a 1951 movie of the same title. Now the term ‘remake’ here is a bit of a stretch after you watch this movie because the theme is so much different. The story focuses more on philosophical conversation regarding human existentialism, more specifically their presence in this Earth. Which is captured perfectly in the catch phrase of the movie “The earth is not ours.”.
So how philosophical is this movie? Let’s just say most people will get bored… really bored. How boring? Well I would assume the US Government is the personification of the human ignorance of anything alien, arrogance and the human’s propensity for violence. Of course, the hero is a (I would assume) politically left liberal scientist whose husband got killed in, though not mentioned, I’m pretty sure it’s Iraq. And funny thing is, I think the writer would agree with my last article.
Even so, through out the movie, the director manage to dig in some cool action scenes. Like the landing, Gort is so menacing and cool and that helicopter scene with Keanu. Well, Keanu’s performance is spot on playing as Klaatu. But I really can’t say if it was a good performance because Keanu was acting like how he did with almost all of his movie.
For me, the whole movie was still enjoyable, it kept me captivated enough that it didn’t feel like the movie was too long. If you want an exciting action movie, stay away. But if you have a thing for an interesting conversation with a few rampaging robot thrown in your movie, this movie should be interesting.
Rating:
7.5
Any gamer knows the inherit ability of videogames to tie us over and make us stare at a TV screens for hours. Some call it a good game and many people call that addiction. Videogame addiction has been a heated subject recently with people in the Indonesian community taking notice of the local online game industry. Specifically, with people that has severe problem with their addiction.
There are horror stories here about an online gaming psycho killing his parents; a man in Korea died after a 50 hour game marathon; a Chinese man died after 3 days of gaming; And a 15 year old kid went into convulsion after a 24 hour WOTLK. But can we blame online games for these horrors?
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Platform:
Nintendo DS
Review Platform:
Nintendo DS
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is the newest Castlevania from the super producer Kaji Igarashi. Like the previous Castlevania, this iteration has a new monicker that differentiate it self from the past game. But unlike the previous games, this version is different significantly in its basic gameplay.
A good sequel is usually these two things; a change of paradigm (like Resident Evil 4) and an enhancement of the established paradigm (Like the MGS series). For this game, Iga seems to be adamant to make this game’s basic gameplay different and refreshing. It is a refreshing take, unfortunately the developers seems to be still tied down by past projects.
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Watched it Where?
Blitz Grand Indonesia for the Indonesian Fantastic Film Fest. (Inaff)
Any snag(s) while watching?
Major screen problem in the first minute and minor sound hiccups through out the movie
A lot of the anime fans here will undoubtedly question my purpose to review a refurbished 90′s Anime and my answer is, you sir/maam are grossly wrong.
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is a movie cropped and for some scene refurbished from the fantastic TV series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. This movie scopes the first 6 episodes of the series with the 4th movie as the finale for this tetralogy. Although many scene is refurbished, to think this movie will be the same (plot wise) with the original series will be a major mistake.
If you have read the manga, though not to differ greatly like the manga, the movie takes a new path in the plot line. So, while you watch the movie, at first the plot seems no different from the series. But as the story progressed, you will see minor nuances in character temperament and interaction that culminates in a new experience especially the final part of the movie.
Now, I personally have watched this before Inaff and assuming it won’t differ much from the original series, I did it to reminisce the good ‘ol times. Yet the growing difference in the story and the further new eye candy (all angels re-rendered in CG 3d) first kept me very interested. And then the final battle in this movie totally blew me away. Not only because of the new action scripts but also how this movie shows significant difference between the protagonist demeanor in the original series and in this version. Which I believe made the main character more likable and ‘cool’.
And if you’ve seen the original series, I’m pretty sure you are dumbfounded on my last comment.
So the bottom line for this movie is, if you have not watched this movie, you will find a splendid mecha anime with a protagonist that has inner demon that crept through out and littered with intrigue. And for those that has watched the series and/or read the manga, this movie will make you love Evangelion all over again.
Due to the significant turn out, Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone will be screened for the second time this Friday (21st of November 2008, 21:30 o’clock) at Blitz Grand Indonesia. Details for Inaff can be seen here.
Rating:
9.0
Watched it Where?
Senayan City XXI
Any snag(s) while watching?
Nopes 
Finally, the sequel to my favorite bond movie of all time has finally arrived. Following the fanfare of the past movie, the movie continues where the last movie ends. It opened with a song from Jack White and Alicia Keys. Both an outstanding artist though unlike Chris Cornell’s song, this one felt a bit mediocre and not very Bond’ish. I really hoped the movie isn’t like the opening theme, but turns out I hoped in vain and the theme song portrays the movie eloquently.
The director’s action skill is wholly tested in this movie and from the start, it shows how the new Bond copes with a pending danger in a very cold hearted manner. I love it. Sadly the thing that made the first movie shine, the cloak and dagger plot, seems only a meaningless glue whose purpose is to entwine the action scenes in this movie (WTF is Quantum of Solace again?). Where are the funny quips and the dry British humor from the first movie? Maybe Bond was to pissed off to be funny? I don’t know. But the thing that made Bond seems more human and charming is almost non existent.
That is the thing that piss me off the most. Daniel Craig is a good actor and they seem to forgot to use him to a full extent. Casino Royale’s last half has no action scene or what so ever but it was a remarkable movie.
I was let down by this offering because, yes it is hard to top the last Bond movie, yet this movie felt as Bond-less as the opening theme. A good action movie but I am sure it will be remembered as the black sheep of Craig’s Bond era movie.
Darn, 2010 feels a whole decade away.
Rating:
7.5
November 6th,2008
Movies |
No Comments
Watched it Where?
Plaza Senayan XXI
Any snag(s) while watching?
Nopes
Body of Lies is the latest Ridley Scott’s flick that tackles the cloak and dagger side of the war on terror. The movie starts out very nicely with a nice chase scene and gun battle. The first half hour was really fun, but the core of the movie is the intrigue that developes between DiCaprio and Crowe’s character. So the final 1,5 hour revolves around the cloak and not much on the dagger. Ridley Scott at his finest.
I truly enjoyed how this movie try to meld the Islamic separatist mind set into the story without making it look like a bashing. And the movie made the topic into a weighted subject that made me interested to continue and indulge it. Yet, the story takes a turn at the middle when the protagonist plan turn out to be a bit too successful. Pressured by his own creation, he cracked and it ended less well then I would’ve hoped.
Even with its short coming, overall I absolutely had fun watching it. It is a still a somewhat intellectual movie that prongs sharply at the war on terror.
Rating:
8.5
October 31st,2008
Movies |
No Comments
Watched it where?
Pondok Indah Mall 2 XXI (Premier)
Any snag(s) while watching?
2 homos continuously chatting next to me even after I hushed them twice
OK, so it’s the first movie review for my blog for the year 2008. Yes, I’ve been busy with work and World of Warcraft but I’ve been trying to muster some time to write anything. There is an article currently pending about the best music of 2007 and I didn’t have time to finish it, yet. But for this movie, I just have to write something about this movie.
The Dark Knight is a continuation of the first reset of the Batman franchise movie. It continued only a few month after the last film so You won’t see any Wayne Manor and the Batcave. But what you’ll see is a new enemy trying to take on the cape crusader head on. Yes, it does sound mediocre and for the first half hour that was my thought for the movie. But like the joker, the story has an insidious ploy where out of no where, You’ll feel like the Joker startled you from behind and shake You by the balls.
The Joker is absolutely the star of the show. Not only because of Heath Ledger’s superb acting and macbre facade, but The Joker, as a character, scares me through out the movie. I really hope he gets an Oscar for this.
I really want to say more about this movie. But the bottom line is this;
The movie has its fare share of misses (Joker>Batman, deus ex machina plot), but the movie as a whole is a grandeur of story telling and great action sequences.
By far, this is the best movie I’ve seen this year.
Rating:
9.0
July 18th,2008
Movies |
2 Comments
