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mohamed-aljunaibi
Reviews
Ninja Assassin (2009)
Movie has it's moments, but it's not epic nor super wow.
OK, I'll admit it. I'm not a big fan of gore. I went to this movie by accident. Why don't I like gore, cause frankly I find it too cliché (I'm not squeamish or anything, I was eating 2 hot dogs from the start of the movie)...but anyways...the movie had it's moments...lots of good scenes with ninja dude practicing.
Too many damn flashbacks...and at times not at all relevant to the plot. The director (who I'm surprised was the dude who was the "second unit director" for Speed Racer...hmmm) messes the direction of the movie a few times. One very noteworthy scene was with the ninjas running around in between cars....to me that scene was quite literally a blur...I didn't know what the hell was going on...but all I knew was that I wanted it to stop or else my head was going to explode.
Apart from that story was shallow (probably normal in this genre), but the director tried to show the more deeper side to it with the over usage of useless flashbacks.
Fight scenes were intense...well choreographed...and that made you watch some of the scenes. I can't believe I saw Andy Wichowski's name in the credits cause some of the moves tried to have the "Matrix" effect but to no avail...it felt cheap and didn't give me the impression it was trying to portray.
But I give it a 5 simply because I feel that this movie had the chance but maybe failed in execution.
Anyways, that's my view of it.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Disappointment for Transformer Fans
This review was written from the heart.
Hi all...Transformers....saw it 2wice! First of the regular silver screen...and the second was in 2D IMAX (as in normal movie but with IMAX Screen!).
Anyways...here's my take on the movie:
The Good:
> Fight scenes were very very well done > Car chases were very very well done > More robots than the first movie > More dialogue in this movie > I think that the intro in the city was probably the best scene in the movie along with the Forest fight....the intro in Shanghai was just amazing, and the whole "NEST" concept was really a great way to start. Loved the whole Sideswipe fight scene...amazing stuff...and then the amazing Optimus Prime coming down from a B-52 (could be wrong on that one)...and that was the mother of all intros right there! Very well planned. Grin
and now....the bad...and yes...I'm going to go nasty.
The Bad:
> Lame human story (expected to be honest)
> Lots of robots yes (but not enough dialogue for them, so we didn't really see any kind of character development in any robot, but the same lacks for humans too)
> Inconsistency / in story....where are they in Egypt...or Jordan??! I kept thinking...OK, the site of the Petra...and the Pyramids...and then they all seem to be near one another!??!
> Humor in the first film was much better. I did like some of the more comedic scenes with Shia Lebouf ... but the Twins have got to go (they didn't add much to the movie except an excuse for GM to show an add for their new "Beat" concept and Trax vehicles. But the humour was dull, tasteless, and to be quite honest predicable from Michael Bay movies.
> Story writers didn't bring much character building, even Optimus "The wisest of them all" is not given a fair share development, Bumblebee is more a pet than an Autobot.
The one thing I do give them credit for is reviving Megatron, since quite frankly had it not been for the interactions between Megatron and Starscream, this movie wouldn't have had anything resembling the Transformers that I loved growing up to. Yes, it's a "Hollywood" version, but come on man...they can't sell out that bad, this is a brand that is here to stay!
> The last 30 minutes of the movie was more or less a "Copy and Paste" of the previous movie, with some very very minor changes.
> WTF?!?!?!?!? Soundwave limited to 6 words in the movie (if not less?!). Ultimate disappointment..and what a waste of character....is somebody trying to give Frank Welker the cold shoulder?!? Disappointing...very disappointing. Cry
> The cut scenes, and "Armageddon" money shots are great and signature to Michael Bay...but if the movie was shallow like this one...there's really no point in putting everything in slow motion Mike! I felt like I was waking up to a nightmare, and for once I wanted to close my eyes and get back to the damn action sequence!!!
Conclusion:
All in all, it was a disappointment. It didn't live to the hype if you were a Transformers fan. In the words of Roger Ebert: "...a horrible experience of unbearable length."
The movie still took in some money, but it is not going to be sustainable as I'm quite sure that unless they do some major changes in the way the movie is scripted. The 3rd movie is going to flop even with normal fans who only want to see explosions and car chases.
My advice to Paramount (Dreamworks) and Hasbro.
If you're going to make a 3rd movie...than you'll need to do the following:
1) Get new writers! (The story is now totally messed up...Cybertron looks more like a scene from Alien versus Predator!....Why go that route?!?! Take drawings and art from the cartoon / comic books and you'll find Cybertron more of a robotic metropolis. Inspired by Coruscant. Look at the skyline in Coruscant ... place a post apocalyptic setting, and you've got the real Cybertron!
2) Possibly get a new Director (not to say that Bay was bad...it's just that he's become predicable with the Transformers franchise now)...JJ Abrams...anybody who will take it to a new direction.
3) Focus...focus....focus...on character development...AND NO...SAM GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE DOES NOT COUNT! They need to get deeper
Anyways...that's all I can take out of my chest for now...and I'm interested in hearing what you have to say.
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992)
An important film of our time
I saw this documentary a few years back, and to this day I still see many of the aspects mentioned still existing today, in our day in age.
Chomsky quite simply encompases the honest, naked truth. He speaks with clearness and objectivity, a factor much lacked by others due to their intense blindness caused by their "opinions".
The very fact that Chomsky says things the mainstream don't want to hear is in itself a challenge...to everyone who comes across all this.
I, personally believe that if we were to talk about all the good people who have done much in the cause of waking up average Americans to the harsh truths, Chomsky would be right up there on the list.
There are many who have challenged the norms and taboos of current corporate propagandists and politicians alike...much of them get then painted red in the media (need not look further than the Dixie Chicks!)...Chomsky is such a challenger...and challenges the average American, that instead of simply consuming...that they should be ready to challenge their own government on the atrocities and evils that they do.
America is not just one entity, and one can't blame "America" for it does stand up for good. But rather, American's are to blame themselves in letting all of this happen in the first place.
Chomsky is a "God-Send" to the American conscience. And this documentary will prove it's value in the coming years ahead.
A Sound of Thunder (2005)
A shame to aspiring Sci-Fi Producers and Writers
As a Middle Eastern living in a volatile region, to watch movie of some intelligence and grace goes a long way in making up for my weekend.
This movie was playing at one of the theaters recently, and to be honest, I did know before hand (via IMDb) that the movie was a flop. Yet, I thought to myself that it was simply a matter of taste, for you see, some Sci-Fi movies don't get all the credit that they deserve and people who show no appreciation for the genre might simply abuse unnecessarily. I remembered Supernova (in 1999-2000)
.the movie wasn't the best sample of sci-fi
but had a great potential
.still others trashed it more than necessary.
Today, I stand in solidarity with such critics when we discuss "A Sound of Thunder"! And I've got a few things to get off my chest!
This movie was filled of "WTF" moments
it was poorly executed, poorly acted and most interesting of all, it's got Sir Ben Kingsley!!!!
I am certain, that Kingsley did this movie as a favor (he must have owed the director BIG TIME!). The special FX was pathetic, and very C-Class, sound was repetitive
and the whole story was a joke.
I mean
its Killer-Reptilian Baboons!!! WTF???!?! I don't want to remember this movie
I and my friend were both scared emotionally having to sit through this movie
the movie had the cheesiest lines imaginable
.the story gets confusing
(not due to it's ever amazing plot
but rather to the absurdness that ensues in the film!)
Yes, I stand in solidarity with those critics who say: Good riddance to bad Sci-Fi films. And if there is a need to stand up and insult a movie
I ask my fellow brethren to take a stand, and stop movie studios in exporting this piece of garbage to our region as a means of getting a few "quick dollars!!!"
This movie should be sanctioned. and recalled back to it's vault.
That's better now.