Movie Reviews
Usually I don't like telling people what I think about a movie I've seen, thinking that whatever I tell someone will ultimately alter their movie-going experience in some way. I'd rather let the movie itself decide how that experience will turn out, not some dancer that listens to Hanson (me). But this is the exceptoin since a good part of my life lately has revolved around movies(seeing movies at the theater, Blockbuster online, and filming). Here we go...
Ong Bak: Thai Warrior- This is it. Although not the first Thai movie to hit our shores, Ong Bak is definitely making the most noise on its journey out of Siam to us in the West. As my friend (considering all of you who read this actually know me), you are obligated, as friends, to support this movie and the country it, and my family, orignate from- Thailand. Meaning...go see it no matter what I write beyond this point. With that being said, you will not regret watching this movie. And once you do, you'll see why star Tony Jaa is being touted as "the next Jackie Chan". While recently released martial arts movies have taken a turn towards the visually stimulating and elegant (Hero and House of Flying Daggers), director Prachya Pinkaew has stripped away all of that to create Ong Bak. And what it is, is a bone-crunching, jaw-breaking, bare knuckes action film whose punches, elbows, kicks, and knees hit so hard you can almost feel the pain yourself. Elbows and knees, you ask? Another main difference between this movie and all other martial arts films is that the martial art in question here is Thai Kickboxing aka Muay Thai, not Karate or Kung Fu. GO THAI MARTIAL ARTS!!!! When Ong Bak, (the name of a village's sacred Buddha statue, not the name of the "Thai Warrior" as the title implies), is stolen, Tony's character vows to bring it back to "save" his village. His journey leads him into Bankok, Thailands capital city, where Tony meets the rest of the cast and flies accross the screen beating up on bad guys- without strings. That's right, no strings involved in this movie. All stunts are done by Mr. Jaa himself using his own two feet to propel him up, over, under, around, and through everything in his way. As fighting should support the story in an action film, it seems that it's the story that supports the fighting and stunts as they're the main event in this film. The story is simple, characters' basic, acting is minimal, and the "Bad Guy" is downright laughable. But again, those aren't central in this movie. Tony Jaa and his high flying antics really take center stage here. And let's face it- when was the last time you went to a movie and the crowd stood and cheered as blows were being traded? Sounds odd, but that's what happened in our theater. So, I suggest you better go check out what all the fuss is about and see this movie.
Hitch- My expectations for this movie were slim to none. I expected every funny moment to have been shown in the trailer and to roll my eyes at every "romantic" scene. Been there, done that, right? Not quite. By the end of the movie I couldn't help but smile and admit that "Hitch" was a lot better than I had expected. The idea itself is interesting. A guy that can tell you how to win a girl's heart? Is it really that simple? Will Smith plays the role of a ladies' man well and Eva Mendes, who I was never really a fan of, held her own and countered Smith's one-liners like the man-hating-independant-woman her character is. Kudos to Eva. I liked her character so now I like her as well. All I can really say is that this movie was just fun to watch. It's one of those no-brainer, just sit back and relax, type of movies. And by the way, Hitch's apartment is one block from where I work. Walking to the train station one evening, Will Smith and Eva Mendes were right there filming in the street! When I asked one of the PA's what the name of the movie was, they said it was called, "The Last First Kiss". I tried getting in on camera when they were filming but sadly I didn't see myself on the big screen. If any of you guys see it and happen to see an Asian guy in a pink shirt sticking his head from around the corner, that'll be me. And when I emailed my friend and told her I saw Hitch over the weekend, she replied saying, "oh that looks like a cute movie. i just love vince vaughn". I thought that was funny.
Million Dollar Baby- With all the Oscar buzz going around about this movie, I just had to watch it. Having missed Clint Eastwood's last movie, "Mystic River", I vowed to see this one. To be honest I was a little turned off by the idea of a female boxer since all men fear a girl that can beat them up. In any case I gave it a go and was blown away. To me, the best movies are those that can convey a message or story with the least amount of dialogue. This is usually done with a great screen play, clever camera work and cinematography, and of course, phenomenal acting. This movie has it all. Clint, Hillary , and Morgan are amazing in this movie, and the story is just...wow. I haven't been moved like this by a movie since watching, "House of Sand and Fog". Just go watch it. Experience it. Feel it. That's all there really is to say.
Constantine- What Million Dollar Baby is, Constantine is not. Apparently based on the DC Comic, "Hellblazer", this movie has a lot of very comic book-ish qualities. Visually, this movie has some shining moments, but it's everywhere else that this movie lacks. I'd explain the story here but it would take 10 pages and by the end it still wouldn't make much sense. Wait, that's just like how the movie was. It seemed like there was just too much from the comic to cram into 2 hours and the director didn't spend enough time explaining each facet of the story. Cover it up with some dazzling special effects and I guess that sort of does the trick but not really. Keanu looked the part of a tired, demon-damning lunger searching for his ticket back into heaven but his performance was a bit lacking. No surprise there. I felt lost through most of the movie even though I understood what was going on. What I didnt' understand was why they were going on and the 20 minute debriefing amongst my friends and I still left us with a few unanswered questions. All in all, even after the hidden scene at the end of the credits played, I still felt a bit empty after watching it. You're better of watching the first Matrix for the 349th time and save yourself $10.
Stay tuned. Next time I'll show you guys what I found in my house one night!!...just as soon as I'm able to post pics up here. For those of you who I told already, try not to spoil the surprise, ok? Thanks.
posted by pierre 11:17 AM
powered by blogger
| |
| |
| |