Okay, seeing that I have not been going out much, the only other activity left for me is to continue watching my unwatched movies (thanks to Chin Li of course).. I’m such a closeted movie buff lol.
Considering my lack of updates and the fact that I’ll be heading out to Terengganu tomorrow for prayers to my grandpa, I guess this lackluster post will have to do for now.. Here we go, with another set of mostly action movies..
Pathfinder (2007)
Gorgeous scenery here, all the action takes place in the deep jungle, and on frigid snow covered mountain peaks and cliffsides. It bears a lot of similarities with Apocalypto, but little of the smooth editing and cinematography. The props, costumes and overall sets were very well done, but unfortunately, the fight scenes lacked continuity. It’s like our hero can suddenly be everywhere at once, and the hundreds of vikings easily separate out just for him to pick them off. Overall, its an average flick - but if you have any passion for these sort of ‘mythological fictional historical’ movies, it’s still worth a watch.
Shooter (2007)
This movie caught me by surprise, because its actually VERY GOOD. I’ve always liked Mark Wahlberg somehow, due to his gritty look as though he’s constantly constipating. He plays a wrongly framed marine scout sniper fighting through hordes of assassins, police, and FBI to clear his name and bring the wrongdoers to justice. I’m almost reminded of Bourne Ultimatum (lesser twists, nice pacing). Fantastic gunplay here - especially if you love watching snipers in action. Highly recommended.
DOA : Dead Or Alive (2006)
Hooboy, I think I might have enjoyed this more if I actually played the game. This movie doesn’t take itself seriously at all. Purposely overdone and filled with corniness - right up to the high pitched “Ready, Fight!” voice you find in the game. It’s definitely better than Street Fighter though, and its got its fair share of pain dealing eye candy (Devon Aoki, Holly Valance, Sarah Carter). Despite some intriguing over the top fight scenes, this movie is still pretty bad to watch. Only for hardcore fans of the game, and for a brain-dead audience! (in other words.. AVOID!)
The Myth (2005)
Yeah, I’m a little slow on this one, hehe. Interesting premise, with a split storyline taking place in two timelines. Great excuse for Jackie Chan to get up close and personal with a gorgeous Korean and Indian beauty. Too much bad visual effects here, and an almost completely unbelievable plotline. 5/10 at best.
Confession Of Pain (2006)
Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro come together to play 2 cops, one of which has a hidden agenda. There are no major twists in this one, as the agenda is revealed very early on. It tries to add depth to the characters, but somehow ended up becoming too drawn out instead. It’s boring, the story moved at a snail’s pace, and I have no idea how it managed to get as many nominations or awards as it did. In my opinion, a failed work.
Protege (2007)
A brilliant character movie, ala Infernal Affairs, based on the story of an undercover cop (Daniel Wu) trying to bring down a drug lord (Andy Lau). Very nicely done parallel storyline too, on the cop’s relationship with his junkie neighbour. Daniel Wu does a great job, but Andy Lau here really steals the spotlight. Fantastic performances, and a well executed plot makes this a worthwhile watch if you are into Hongkie movies.
Flash Point (2007)
Whoa, Donnie Yen shows his stuff as one of the BEST martial arts choreographer and actor in the world. Don’t expect much of a storyline, as the whole premise of an undercover operation gone awry is just an excuse for some fantastic beatdown and some great gunplay too. The final fight scene was just amazing. No fancy wirework here, no special effects, no flying all over the place nonsense - just dirty hardcore brutal whacking with a combination of martial art moves from kungfu, taekwando, jujitsu, muay thai and wrestling. A FINE action movie.
The Condemned (2007)
A WWE movie production! Typical of them to film something that indulges in wanton violence. Throw a bunch of death row convicts from around the world on an island and let them duke it out to the death. Last man standing is granted his freedom. ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and Vinnie Jones play the two major hulks here, and the movie itself wasn’t too bad really. Semi decent action although it wasn’t really fulfilling..
Rescue Dawn (2006)
Wow, this movie was INTENSE. I really don’t understand the negative reviews its gotten (probably when compared to the German director’s previous works), but this is still one helluva wartime psychological drama. Christian Bale does a fantastic job playing the role of Dieter Dengler - an American pilot who was stranded and captured by the Vietcongs during the Vietnam war when his plane crashed. Based on a true story, and despite some historical inaccuracies after reading up more, this movie is still very gripping to watch. Bravo also goes to Steve Zahn and Jeremie Davies who were sooo convincing as Dieter’s fellow prisoners, they easily deserved oscar nominations for their supporting roles.
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
Another very powerful wartime drama told from the perspective of the Japanese during the battle for Iwo Jima. This is the sister movie to ‘Flags of our Fathers’, which is basically the same film as told from the the American viewpoint. However, having watched the English version earlier, most of what happens in this movie had a much lesser impact on me, diluting my experience somewhat. That doesn’t mean its a bad movie though. On the contrary, Clint Eastwood rose way above expectations with this one by portraying the Japanese fighting spirit, patriotism and emotions accurately in their losing war. I watched this with a weird sense of detachment throughout, but its still a great movie - just slightly overrated if you ask me 
The Guardian (2006)
Kevin Costner is Ben Randall - the US Coast Guard’s most decorated rescue swimmer (entire fictional). Detailing his life, as he goes through a tragedy that leaves his entire crew dead. Subsequently transferred to a training school so his injuries can heal, he develops a bond with one of the top students (played by Ashton Kutcher). This is just another one of those thinly veiled inspirational movies about overcoming obstacles. Cliched at most parts and technically dubious at others, its only an OK average watch for me..
Natural Born Killers (1994)
I’ve been hearing quite a lot about this one, but never got around to watching it until now. Directed by Oliver Stone, his use of various stock footage, black white transpositions and a whole lot of experimental blue screen projections and angles makes this a very weird movie to watch. But it WORKS! The psychedelic imagery manages to capture the demented psychotic viewpoints of the two leads - mass murderers Mickey and Mallory Knox, a very chaotic finale, and it makes the entire thing look cool too. Not to mention the highly controversial response the movie got including the many copycat killings that followed.. (Columbian High School massacre anyone?)
