Yeah I know.. it’s been two full weeks of silence at this blog – most of which I spent doing stuff not really worth putting up here.. stuff like work, surfing & facebooking, a lil boardgaming, lots of cybercafe with our recent COD4 addiction… And a lot of movies – 1 or 2 of which I found remarkably beautiful and memorable. Here goes my ‘batch’ reviews once again – this time with a mix of comedy, romance and drama..

What Women Want (2000)

An entertaining, amusing comedy about Mel Gibson suddenly getting the ability to read the thoughts of women around him. It’s rare seeing Mel Gibson act all wonky as he seems to take most of his other shows very seriously.. And this was also one of Helen Hunt’s last movies before she took a 5-7 year break from acting to focus on raising her newborn child. The message the film was trying to portray here is very well conveyed actually, and enlightening. Not too bad.

John Tucker Must Die (2006)

This is a chiq flick, and teen romance along the lines of Mean Girls and its ilk. Not my favourite kind of movies, and this is average at best. I mean, okay.. a bunch of girls conspire to seek vengeance on a guy who’s two timed all of them. Maybe there’s a message about honesty and girl empowerment here.. But oh well, regardless of it all, I was just hooked on Brittany Snow’s cuteness.

Surf’s Up (2007)

I don’t get why competing animation studios like to come up with animations based on similar concepts ALL the time. Antz/Ant Bully? The Wild/Madagascar? Finding Nemo/Shark Tale? And now – another PENGUIN animation along the lines of Happy Feet. Instead of an outcast penguin that can dance, now we have an outcast penguin that can surf. Great. Okay – the pros : interesting new take on animation as this one is filmed partially through the eyes of a reality TV crew and the visual effects were pretty impressive. Cons : totally simplistic plot, too light hearted, not enough oomph. Despite cutting edge graphics, this one barely cuts it for me..

TMNT (2007)

TMNT is back! Truly something for my generation, as I used to watch the old TMNT cartoons. Concept wise, the idea of ‘teenage mutant ninja turtles’ may be pretty darn ridiculous now, but hey – they were the ‘power rangers’ back then. I even remember playing TMNT video games! It’s good to see it being reborn in a gritty 3D look now, and compliments for the fact that they managed to retain much of the emotional charm of each individual characters that made the cartoon so compelling. Just cool..

Meet The Robinsons (2007)

Wow, I totally did not expect this movie to be as good as it was. It’s funny, and full of Disney heartwarming messages. I kinda hated the way they dumbed down the whole time travel scenario. The plot is so full of time travel paradoxes and holes, it makes the sci-fi part of me cringe. But well, despite that – it’s still a pretty amazing piece of animation, filled with lovable wacky characters and a hilarious script. And when Rob Thomas’s ‘Little Wonders’ started playing at the finale, I was amazingly touched (the sort that comes with happy tears). The song’s lyrics + the movie’s motto “Keep Moving Forward” + the whole positive overall tone just made it so endearing.. Damn I LOVE that song all the more now..

*Reminisces the singular happy moments in my past…

Charlotte’s Web (2006)

Okay, another talking animal movie, this time based on a very successful children book. A runt pig was saved from the cleaver when a little girl decides to care for it. Wilbur is cute as hell sometimes, while Dakota Fanning does a decent job but she’s grown a lot since her earlier movies and isn’t as adorable anymore. The movie lacked a sense of suspense for Wilbur’s fate, while the only cliffhangers were in anticipating what words will Charlotte spin next (Charlotte’s a spider if you didn’t know). The amazing voice acting probably saved the show here for me..

The Dish (2000)

Inspired by true events that took place in a small Australian town whose radio satellite dish became a critical component for the live transmission from the first moon landing – and how the event affected the town’s inhabitants. This is a comedy drama that was executed pretty well with some intelligent well timed humour. The funny towns folks adds a lot of flavour to the movie, while it definitely has its good moments. Not bad.

The Astronaut Farmer (2006)

This is a pretty weird movie. It’s a story about love, and support, and reaching for one’s stars – but told from the perspective of a farmer who builds his own rocket to fulfill his life long dream of going into space. I won’t spoil the movie here by telling you how it ends, but all I have to say is that the lack of a focus on whats important in the plot (unnecessary scenes) and its ultra simplistic take on space flight technology really dragged this movie down for me. If you’re looking for a logical film – this is most definitely not it, while as an inspiring drama, this is barely passable. Despite one moment in the film that did make me grip both my hands together with hope, I still have to say that the entire movie was fairly disappointing.

Music & Lyrics (2007)

Having been introduced to the lovely main theme song of the movie “Way Back Into Love” a few months back, I was actually very disappointed when I finally watched the movie. There was ZERO chemistry between Drew Barrymore’s bipolar patient and Hugh Grant’s utterly clueless character (though some ladies might find his witty dialogue attractive – I don’t). It was just so.. draggily shallow. But the song was still great though..

Miss Potter (2006)

Oh now this is one wonderful movie to watch. It is the tale of Beatrix Potter’s life, the author of one of history’s best selling children books – The Tale of Peter Rabbit (and many more). Renee Zellweger does a GREAT job as the perky, eccentric & affable Miss Potter while Ewan Mcgregor was inordinately charming as her 19th century publisher. This is one of those movies that will make your heart melt not once but constantly throughout the movie – especially with the breathtaking scenery (of which Miss Potter herself played a huge role in its preservation), and the smartly integrated CG of her paintings moving in her mind.. Simply gorgeous..

Bridge To Terabithia (2007)

Ok, I’m ranking this amongst the best movies I’ve ever seen this entire year – simply because of its profound effect on me. Plenty of movies made me cry (yeah I’m not ashamed to admit that I do get emotional watching movies), but only this one left me in a severe state of melancholy for days after. Disney has done it once again, as Bridge to Terabithia is one of the most beautifully crafted yet heartbreaking movies I know. I can’t reveal much about it without spoiling the plot – but don’t let the marketing posters or DVD covers deceive you – as this is NOT a fantasy film. Yes it has elements of fantasy, but its made clear from the beginning that the CG effects were only in the imagination of our lead characters. This is a drama, and it is a mighty fine one at that. AnnaSophia Robb, you will always be Leslie Burke to me, even after you’ve grown and become one of Hollywood’s hottest stars.

Can someone please come forth and share this pain with me? lol..

Argh.. now I’m going to go listen to the soundtrack and emo a bit more.

The Ultimate Gift (2006)

A spoilt young man from a filthy rich family is given a series of tasks from his recently deceased grandfather in order for him to receive his ‘inheritance’. Of course, these tasks are there to teach him the true meaning of life – starting with the ‘Gift of Work’ amongst many others. I have many gripes with this movie – chief of which is a severe lack of ‘time passing’. From one scene to the next, the movie drops shockers that a month has gone by, then a few more months when all you perceive in the screenplay is that a few days passed at most. Furthermore, everything seems to just fall in place for our lead to complete his tasks, one can’t help but wonder if life is really so scripted. It’s very cheesy, it’s very cliche, and for once I totally disagree with IMDB ratings on this one – or maybe it just couldn’t live up to the masterpiece I just watched above…

Reign Over Me (2007)

Wow, this drama has a pretty all star cast – featuring Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith & Liv Tyler. Adam Sandler plays the role of a widower husband who lost his entire family in one of the Sept 11 crashes, and whose life collapses completely due to post traumatic stress disorder. This is a tale of his journey towards recovery after meeting his old college friend (Don Cheadle), and how the friendship helps his buddy self reflect on his life too. Amazingly acted and scripted, and I’m always surprised how dorky ole Sandler can actually pull off serious heart wrenching scenes so well. A definite quality watch.

What’s Next?

I will be spending my next few days busy in preparation for The Life Changing Party, an event that my company is throwing at Awana Genting on the 30th December. I’ll be back with photos for that one, I promise!

Happy belated Christmas everyone!