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Ghostbusters (2016)
A fun homage to the original!
I loved the original "Ghostbusters" and was afraid this might be a bad remake of it, but instead it really felt like a homage to the original. Even Bill Murray gave his stamp of approval with an ironic cameo as a paranormal-debunking scientist. The idea of making 4 women the new ghostbusters was great since a team of 4 men IMO could never replace the greatness of the original cast of Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and company. While the writing could be improved the movie doesn't fail to deliver on laughs and the close relationship of the diverse female cast also shone through. "Ghostbusters" also offers man-eye candy and girl crushes galore in the form of a very buff rhythmically capable Chris Hemsworth and a quirky and cute Kate McKinnon as the socially awkward engineer of the bunch.
The subtle subtext of the film (that you might not pick up on unless you're a woman) is that the projects and endeavors that are spearheaded by women often get less funding, less attention, and less support. However, the movie says, you shouldn't give up--you can still make it if you try. So, in many ways "Ghostbusters" is another great underdog-triumphs-in- spite-of-major-obstacles kind of story that anyone who has ever been the underdog can relate to.
Another great thing about the cast is that each woman is quirky and unique in her own way. And none of them were 20 year-old sex objects with silicone implanted everywhere in their body. I loved seeing real women being real women and I hope to see them on the big screen again soon. They definitely have my $20 for IMAX 3D!
The film isn't without its flaws (awkward script) but I approached it as an entertaining story that, as a woman, gave a bit of a boost to my confidence which can flag at times. I find that most of the people bashing this film are socially backwards, sexist, middle-aged men who probably want nothing more than for Trump to become president. (Don't worry about them--they are a loud, vocal, but only small part of the entire human population.)
Deadpool (2016)
I can see why Fox never wanted to film this
The most misogynistic of all of Marvel's characters. I can see why Fox never wanted to film it. The script is loaded with sexist, borderline racist, pseudo-intellectual drivel (obscure pop cultural references are stupid, not smart). Why the hell would a middle-aged, disabled, African American woman put up with Ryan Reynold's arrogant white frat boy stupidity? My first reaction to seeing him lean on Big Al's shoulder was to punch his head. In Deadpool's world there are two types of women. The first is like his real life wife (Blake Lively)--the "good woman"--thin, anxious, insecure, helpless, religiously adheres to the trappings of traditional womanhood, and lives only to make sure her boyfriend/husband doesn't leave her by crowning him the center of her universe. Then there are all the other women--the lesbian, the un-feminine, the older woman, the strong/violent woman, the woman that has other priorities than to run around pleasing men like it's the sole purpose of her existence (reality check: most women have a heckuvalot more problems and responsibilities in life than to run in circles trying to make some guy happy--it's adolescent male arrogance to assume otherwise). These are the "inappropriate" women and their silence is in stark contrast to Deadpool's endless prattle. No smart alec retorts will ever come from them because only Deadpool and his white male friends are allowed to be vocal and "witty". In Deadpool's world white male privilege reigns supreme. Neither women nor people of color are permitted to have a personality, strong opinions, or an attitude.
I am a huge science fiction and fantasy genre fan. If Fox and Marvel are going to keep churning out sexist, racially insensitive crap like this, I'll be voting with my dollar and watch something less insulting at the movies.
Breaking Bad (2008)
In spite of factual inaccuracies the best drama series ever created by humankind
The title sums up my review. Truly, a masterpiece of craftsmanship and proof that television is worth watching. I am (very) late to the game and finally joined Netflix to see what all the hype was about. While the premise didn't exactly appeal to me (female, professional, in my 40s) watching "Breaking Bad" was an eye-opener. Walter White is the ultimate everyman (everywoman)--a mild-mannered, unassertive individual who lacks a sense of opportunism and aggressiveness that has left him--a formerly brilliant scientific researcher who contributed to Nobel-quality research--with a mediocre job teaching at a public high school with barely enough money to pay the bills and to support his pregnant wife, disabled son, and soon-to-be-born daughter. He is also diagnosed with terminal cancer on top of that. Although he turns to manufacturing meth out of desperation, he slowly metamorphoses into a ruthless drug kingpin. It's the kind of life ordinary people fantasize about but don't have the conjones or brains to do. This series is a rollicking good time and I expect my life to be put on hold for about another month or two until I finish watching.
Having a master's in a scientific discipline makes me also more hyperaware than your average film/TV show critic about scientific accuracy. I don't like it when a drama or film plays on the public's ignorance and Breaking is also somewhat guilt of this and I deducted a star for this. While fiction is permitted creative license (the Star Wars Death Star), a drama about making crystal meth and playing around with chemistry is not. Hydrofluoric acid cannot eat through a bathtub and thick wood floors or turn a human body into goo (try sulfuric acid, which is what they should have used). Fulminated mercury is extremely volatile and explosive (good job presenting this). A seasoned high-level drug distributor with an army of vicious thugs cannot be overwhelmed easily by a Jesse Pinkman; a Tuco in real life knows that someone can grab the gun he's stuck into the back of his pants and shoot him with it. This is police training 101. It is highly improbably that Jesse could have overtaken Tuco like that in the scene in Mexico.
For some reason Walt's character becomes a little bipolar in season 5. By season 5 he has become a malignant narcissist who believes in killing anyone who gets in his way. A few episodes later after he decides to quit making meth he starts acting more like the old, mild-mannered Walter White, at one point even telling Skylar to keep the money for herself and the kids after he dies of cancer. I'm no expert on human psychology but wasn't he a scary, menacing man a few episodes earlier who was completely oblivious to the feelings and needs of others and suddenly he is Mr. Rogers again? I think the writers need to read some more Freud or Dostoyevsky, yo.
Magic Mike XXL (2015)
Directed towards women but lacks sensitivity towards women's needs
As a probable member of the demographic that this movie is catering to (female, professional, 40, currently single) I enjoyed some parts and didn't enjoy others as much. The dance performances look fantastic as expected and the dancers are very skilled. However, I find that some of the strippers' routines seemed to treat the women in the movie rather roughly. For example, Amber Heard's Zoe was the "prop" of Magic Mike's very aggressive dance number. It made me cringe every time I saw her getting thrown and flipped around in awkward positions because it made the choreography look good. Or the poor women in the scene at Rome's private house that are used as props for Mike's other complicated dance routine. It makes the male dancers look awfully oblivious to the needs of their audience. The screenwriters and producers should take a cue from Japan's "host" industry, where good-looking men acting as companions to women work hard to understand their clients' emotional needs.
Don't put the dance moves before the woman!
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Unbelievable action
This movie doesn't dawdle. It gets straight to the nitty gritty in no time. Within 5 minutes you will be sitting on a 2-hour roller coaster ride and gripping to your armrest until the movie ends.
With technology being so hot these days, movies have taken on an antiseptic polish and we see more robots and spaceships in controlled, monitored environments than any of us can recall. Even chaos, such as in "Ex Machina", is carefully confined in modern, computerized buildings as its algorithms slowly go out of control. Everything is just so..high tech.
"Mad Max" is a refreshing break from shiny plastic and metal veneers and postmodernist architecture and decor. It's dirty, low-tech, filled with modified monster trucks and amazing stunts that real people could do and the few lucky ones survive. I didn't detect any sort of awkward animation or CGI.
In short, it's set a new standard for the action film.
Fresh Off the Boat (2015)
Keeps me in stitches every week!
If you're not Chinese and was wondering how accurately this TV show portrays Chinese Americans I am happy to tell you that many of the themes that "Fresh of the Boat" (hereon "FOB") deals with is very accurately Chinese (I was born in Taiwan and raised in the U.S. just like Eddie Huang, who wrote the book that this entire series is based on.)
Huang's concept of the "success perm" is absolutely brilliant. My parents in the 1970s would walk around with afros--yes, you heard me, afros--to demonstrate how cool and hip they were. If you have ever seen Asian hair up close you will know that the shaft of the hair is thick, does not break easily, and tends to be straight as all heck. It takes buckets of strong chemicals to make Asian hair curl and it does so very unwillingly. So, to make Asian hair curl so much that it looks like an afro takes quite a substantial amount of chemicals, which cost money. But my parents were white collar professionals and they could afford it. I think my mother also harbored a secret fascination with Pam Grier, so her afro was picture perfect. Most Taiwanese didn't go that far and preferred a look closer to tight springy curls like Cher's. To sport one of these hairstyles was to show the world that you have left the confines of the tiny little island nation and branched out culturally into the bigger world--embracing American pop culture served through the filter of Taiwanese tastes.
I had never thought about what a perm meant to Taiwanese people back in the 1970s and 80s until watching FOB. It was eye-opening, sort of like someone talking about something that you had always taken for granted as a kid and breaking it down and psychoanalyzing it.
Other things I enjoyed seeing was Jessica's tiger mom obsession with the kids' grades. My mom was exactly the same. Even a C in music class in the 5th grade was closely interrogated and suggestions were made as to how I could make up for this terrible deficiency. I just hated classical music as a kid and wasn't interested in 300 year old composers. But it was either shape up and pay more attention in music appreciation class or be harangued by your mother and held up to comparison with your more studious cousins. And my mom did the same thing that Jessica did when Eddie came home with straight A's--she got upset that school was too easy and I wasn't learning anything. This led to Chinese school during the summer, where I was forced to learn to read and write Chinese and memorize and recite Li Bai poems till I wanted to vomit (to my fellow Chinese Americans: you know the pain).
For all the things that FOB gets right, there are some aspects to the TV show that have been warped to appeal to mainstream American tastes. The flashback scenes of Jessica shopping in a Chinese supermarket and fighting with other people to buy cheap vegetables are not correct. Taiwanese people are some of the nicest, friendliest people on the planet and if you ever visit the island, you'll find that outside of the capital, Taipei, people will literally drop whatever it is they're doing to point you in the right direction to your hotel and make sure you get there safely. The Taiwanese are really, really nice, so this chaotic, screaming marketplace scene is wrong and insulting, actually. The Chinese- speaking world is a very big place and spans an area that is about as big as the U.S. and Canada combined (from Singapore through Inner Mongolia). There is an immense diversity of attitudes and ways of life. The noisy aggression you some times see in markets in Chinatown in New York City are not universally present in other places like Singapore or Taiwan.
Well, I am thrilled that FOB is airing and giving Americans a good look at what it's like to be a Taiwanese American immigrant family. The show reflects a good bit of my own childhood and that of many other Taiwanese Americans as well I'm sure. So glad it it's getting good reviews and that people are enjoying it. While Hollywood tends to portray us as humorless, education- obsessed workaholics, Asian cultures all have a wicked sense of humor. So glad FOB is sharing some of that humor with other Americans.
Chappie (2015)
This is a review about the AI technology in the film
Neill Blomkamp does not disappoint. While I found "Chappie" to be less original and unexpected as "District 9" my $19 was well-spent at the IMAX theater tonight. I currently study computer science in graduate school and have a lurid fascination with anything related to artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics, so this film was mandatory viewing for me. I am not a film critic and neither do I know much about what makes a film great (since I was convinced "Interstellar" was the top pick for best movie at the Oscars, but some movie about a washed up actor won instead), so I will limit my comments to just the science in this film.
Unfortunately, much of the artificial intelligence technology in "Chappie" is still pure fiction. If you've watched this movie chances are you probably like technology and may be aware that back in 2013 a chatbot (a program that mimics a human being) named Eugene Goostman passed the Turing test by successfully fooling 30% of its human judges into believing that it is a 13 year-old autistic boy. This milestone in AI was predicted by Alan Turing in 1950. Although this is a very exciting development, the reality of AI technology is a far cry from the AI characters in movie like "Her" and "Chappie". The (arguably) good news is that terminator-style lethal killing machines like the police robots in this movie are close to becoming a reality (google "UN killer robot ban"). But artificial intelligence (AI) that has the sensitive, emotional, and child-like behavior of Chappie will take decades to achieve if we can even get there that is.
As artificial neural network research progresses we are indeed moving closer to producing more sentient AI programs that can learn, analyze, and reason with perfect, human-like intelligence. But I doubt it will ever have the emotional complexity of Chappie. Emotions are *extremely* complex--far more complicated than human logic. Programming AI that can work out the proofs for all the problems in "Principia Mathematica" is a cinch compared to programming it to emote Meryl Streep's full dramatic range in "The Bridges of Madison County"--the latter is far, far more difficult. How do you program emotions? How do you program fearful behavior? Is it only when a robot encounters something unknown? How about fear learned from negative experiences? It's one thing to program a robot to solve "1+1 = 2", but programming it to timidly talk to someone who is repressing their anger is considerably more difficult. The robot will have to be able to read and interpret human emotions first before it can express its own emotions in a logical way.
*** SPOILER BELOW *** The plot twist at the end of "Chappie" was very thought-provoking. Personally, I found the idea of "transferring" consciousness to be problematic. Ostensibly, this idea implies that the holy grail of humanity (immortality) is within reach (when Chappie successfully "transferred" his maker's consciousness from his body into another robot). But this notion of "transferring consciousness"--the personality inside our brains--is flawed because even if it were possible it is only a copy of our consciousness-- much like a copy of your Word document saved into your flash drive. Even if this were possible, this new us is not our soul and not actually us. It is a copy of our personality before we died.
Even creating something like a helmet that makes a copy of our personality is so far ahead technologically that I doubt if we'll ever get there. We do have machine learning (ML) algorithms that can help continuously improve a computer's ability of learn and make decisions. But to replicate human consciousness requires that we have a blueprint of someone's innate personality--their biologically inborn likes/dislikes, interests, hobbies, etc. The field of psychology is not so advanced at this time that we can fully understand all aspects of the human personality and all the things that make us tick. We would also need to devise a blueprint of this personality and install it into a robot and allow it to navigate through the world learning and experiencing through the filter of such a personality. AI technology is nowhere near this.
The Voices (2014)
Movies about killing women aren't that funny
I was sickened by the violence against and victimization of women. Had Ryan Reynolds played a serial killer who targeted African American men we would be up in arms about this film being racist and persecuting a minority group. So, why is it okay for his character to kill women? I am deeply disappointed that a Hollywood celebrity of his stature doesn't have the decency and good sense to recognize the sexism in the plot of this story. Women are already victimized in daily life--put into hospitals by violent boyfriends and husbands, applying for restraining orders against stalkers in the thousands, and living in fear of rape and murder. As women we are already forced to navigate through a violent world where female medical students are gang- raped and killed and we are afraid to walk on streets at night. This kind of movie adds insult to injury in its cavalier depiction of murdering and dismembering women. I have yet to see a film about a female serial killer who dismembers men, chops them up, and puts them into ziplock containers. It is only fair. I'll retract this review when I see men butchered up by a woman in such an off-handed way. Until then Reynolds and these production companies need some serious training in sensitivity.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014)
Katniss Everdeen is an alpha female, Jennifer Hudson not so much
I was so disappointed with Jennifer Hudson's portrayal of Katniss Everdeen. In the book "Mockingjay" Katniss is a complete badass. Vulnerable at first she gradually becomes self-assured, confident, decisive, rebellious, unyielding--the commander of an army and the de facto leader of the rebellion. She barks out orders and they are obeyed. She is at times violent, tough, fearless, and commanding. Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games" book series reminds me of the daughters and nieces of Ghenghis Khan--some were such skilled warriors on the battlefield that they remained undefeated by any man or woman to their dying day. I had questioned whether the much more conventionally feminine and milder Jennifer Hudson would be able to depict Katniss as she really is in Suzanne Collin's book, and I was right--she could not capture the leadership qualities and self-confidence of Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is an alpha female, Hudson not so much.
Hudson's Katniss is unsure of herself and full of self-doubt. She spends half of the movie crying (or clinging to men while crying). While the movie accurately highlights Katniss's deep concern for the people she loves, it doesn't allow Katniss to be the commanding leader of a rebellion as she is meant to be.
Is it because Hollywood is uncomfortable with strong female leads? Or is it that they just want to "soften up" Katniss to be more palatable to mainstream audience members? I don't know, but Jennifer Hudson's Katniss is a flimsy shadow of the real one.
I was so disappointed with this weak, non-threatening, offensively submissive version of Katniss that I am voting with my money and will not be going to see "Mockingjay - Part 2". The Hunger Games books, if you haven't read them, is young adult fiction intended for a mostly young female audience. The books do a great job in inspiring girls to be bold, strong, take risks, and be in charge. These are the kind of books that I want my own daughter to read. This movie stripped the heroine of all her strength. Hollywood executives once again prove themselves to be increasingly out of touch with public attitudes and cling to old, outdated ideas about gender roles.
Lucy (2014)
More Psychopathic, Murderous Asian Bad Guys
The biggest problem that I have with this movie is its portrayal of Asian people. Really, Mr. Besson, do you hate Asians this much? Every single movie that comes out of Hollywood these days seems to show evil, murderous Asian people. A white woman can be the good guy, an African American man can be the good guy, but other than Jackie Chan, Asians can never be kind and decent. Thank you, Hollywood, for your unerringly racist depictions of Asians since 1914. That is one thing we can always count on from Hollywood--its consistent manipulation of public opinion to support US foreign policy goals. The current one, if you haven't noticed, is to depose of the current North Korean leader. Isn't it interesting that while this film is shot in Taiwan the bad guys are Korean? Another upcoming film starring James Franco and Seth Rogan will feature the two actors attempting to assassinate the current North Korean dictator, Kim Jung Un. Is it mere coincidence or does Hollywood want to manipulate your opinions and turn them against Koreans? If they manage to convince you that all Asian people are bad, it makes selling the idea of invading North Korea to you much easier and it makes hating all Asian people easier. I guess that as an Asian American no matter how good I am at speaking my native language (English), no matter how many of my family members risk their lives to serve our country in the Navy, no matter how long my family has been here (since 1960s), no matter how many times I volunteer at local homeless shelters and soup kitchens I will always be seen as either a socially awkward geek or a crazed, gun-toting psychopathic gangster. Stop participating in the hate, Luc Besson. Whether you despise a foreign leader or not, whether you want him to step down or not, the United States does NOT get to decide who will run a country or who won't. Unless it wants a more powerful country to arrive on its shores one day and start attacking the nation's capital. Don't think it's OK to make a movie about a couple of nincompoops trying to assassinate a foreign leader and think the same won't be done back to you! Do unto others as you want them to do unto you.
The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief (2006)
Sad lives of sad people
An amazing and tragic documentary about an unusual phenomenon in Japan. This film was released in 2006, so I wonder if the landscape has changed (ie, are host clubs that cater to women still popular?) I can't help but pity the nihilism in these participants' lives. I can see why many many men have quit working as hosts; they are essentially pimps--they send these girls out to prostitute themselves, then charm and wheedle the girls out of their hard-earned cash. These "hosts" act as therapists to help girls emotionally cope with the stress of being a sex worker only to send them back out to be exploited again. The girls are strung along on empty lies and lots of ambiguity. I'd thought that women in the sex trade would be smart and savvy enough to spot a liar a mile away, but some of these women seem so vulnerable and easily taken advantage of and pretty much everyone is lonely. I feel for them. I am aghast at the lies that each person tells themselves to maintain this horrible, vicious cycle.
To any men that are thinking of picking up "tips" from this film: most women are not so naive as to let you string them along for months without a commitment. Most of us after a couple of breakups come to understand male psychology well--if you're not calling us to plan the next date, we start looking where the grass is greener.
Her (2013)
Not science, just fiction
I hate movies that are categorized as science fiction when there is no science and only fiction. I am a graduate student in computer science studying robotics and I can assure you that this kind of artificial intelligence (AI) technology doesn't exist today, will not exist in twenty years or even in fifty years. Only just recently did an AI program--a chatbot called Eugene Goostman--pass a test that managed to convince 30% of a panel of human judges that it is a somewhat autistic, 13 year-old human boy. That is a far cry from Scarlet Johansson's Samantha, an AI program in a computer operating system that has the personality of a smart, seductive grown woman dripping with hypnotic allure. Alan Turing, the Einstein of the field of computer science, predicted that a Eugene Goostman would be possible only by the year 2000. He predicted this in 1950. , Do you know how hard it is to program emotional intelligence? If this film was about a man who got his hands on a piece of AI software that had been secretly developed by the government or was a secret project at Carnegie Melon University that had been refined over many decades, I might be more credulous, but as it stands this is pure fiction. While I realize the public would love to have a Samantha or Sam on their desktop, anyone with a smattering of knowledge in computer science will reject this utter fiction and demand greater scientific accuracy.
I think people who praised this film have little understanding of the field of artificial intelligence or just don't require scientific accuracy in their films!
The Hunger Games (2012)
An excellent role model for girls
Katniss Everdeen is the hero that girls have been waiting for. She is strong, self-reliant, fearless, independent, and a leader. She is no female supporting character to some beefcake macho dude with an ego the size of Texas that has megalomania stamped all over it (eg, Tony Stark/Iron Man). She is the de facto leader of a rebellion against an authoritarian, autocratic state that beats its citizens into submission. When I read the book I felt thrilled and even proud that a writer has finally created a story about a powerful young woman in a role that is conventionally reserved for men...at least in Hollywood. Katniss doesn't allow her world to revolve around any boy. She has far more serious problems and romance generally takes a backseat to other priorities. But she is deeply loyal to her friends.
I am looking forward to "Mockingjay" and hope that the director will do the book justice and present Katniss as the reluctantly capable and adored hero that she is in the book. Katniss is a modern-day Joan of Arc but without the religious overtones and virginal connotations. She is just a normal, red-blooded young woman with two love interests and lots of courage! While the directing has some issues and the book seems like it may have plagiarized some elements from another book, this isn't the film's fault.
When I read the harshly negative, overly critical reviews of this film here I can't help but wonder if it's coming from some emotionally adolescent man fuming at the existence of a strong female action hero who isn't designed to cater to men, but to instead be an inspiration to women and most of all, girls.
Snowpiercer (2013)
Original Original Original !
Did I mention original? If you like action-packed, gory, science fiction, futuristic movies like "The Hunger Games" this will be your cup of tea. Or if you're a die-hard science fiction fan like me who loved "District 9" you'll enjoy this too. This is in no way like a Hollywood movie-- it is not cookie-cutter, formulaic, or afraid to take chances. Instead the Korean director, Bong Joon-ho, created a loose adaptation of a French graphic novel, "Le Transperceneige". The story is set a few decades in the future. The world has suffered a massive environmental catastrophe and everyone has died except for those who managed to climb aboard a train that travels perpetually around the world. The train is powered by a perpetual-motion engine (truly science fiction because such an engine would violate the first and second law of thermodynamics). This is an intelligent and action-oriented movie that will appeal to both mainstream and art house film fans. The characters don't fit into any stereotypes--they are overweight, elderly, Asian, black, masculine (women), and some of the crazy party-goers in the upper class cars are just gender ambiguous. What I loved the most was that this movie is unpredictable. You usually have some idea of what happens next in a Hollywood film. You will have no idea what happens next in this one! I am surprised this film has not been widely shown in US movie theaters. It has all the makings of a blockbuster.
Le parfum de Mathilde (1995)
Stylish Adult Film
I have never reviewed a porn movie before and don't expect to again, but as a woman I was impressed by Le Parfume de Mathilde. This atmospheric film takes place in a French château, where the master of the castle, Sir Remy, struggles to forget the memories of his former wife. He decides to marry a virgin, Mathilde, and along with some prurient friends, sets out to corrupt the naive Mathilde.
The plot isn't too complex and of course, there is a lot of sex, but we do see the story unfold through the eyes of Mathilde. Everyone from Sir Remy to the housekeeping staff is as energetic as rabbits. The denouement takes place in a large castle chamber, where Mathilde is "prepared" by Sir Remy's...deflowering assistant. The assistant is quickly shoved aside and dismissed when he hurts her and Sir Remy then consummates the marriage with Mathilde. Although I don't appreciate rape scenes or passively acquiescent female characters in any film, the scene was brief and Mathilde, after being socialized to life in the château later on, seems to enjoy her new role as mistress of the castle.
This film has a few key traits that makes it stand out for me: it is a low budget French porn with an actual plot filmed in a château in the French countryside in the early 1990s. This fact alone should garner it a cult following. And the addition of the attractive Draghixa and Lydia Chanel should elevate it to the pantheon of great porn films (if such a thing exists) of all time.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Great Book, Terrible Movie
Words escape me... As a fan of the Mortal Instruments book series I had expected a much better film than this. Cassandra Clare may not be Annie Proulx, but she is an engaging writer who can spin a good yarn and can keep readers riveted in her world of shadowhunters. Unfortunately, it seems that the producers of this movie decided that YA fiction fans aren't intelligent or sentient enough to know the difference between good and bad acting or well-written and lousy scripts. The film's pacing is terrible, acting mistakes that should have gotten more takes made it into final production, the different scenes pieced together don't tell a coherent story, and the most egregious, unforgivable sin of all is that the film is not true to the book (the director needs to take a lesson from Peter Jackson). In one scene, the shadowhunters arrive at the warlock Magnus's party. When Simon drinks the blue liquid he should have turned into a rat and been mistakenly taken to Dumort by a vampire who thought he was one of them. The biggest deviation from the book was that Valentine is a stranger to Jace. In the book Jace recognizes Valentine as his father, Michael Wayland, who had raised him from childhood and died in front of his eyes (which led to Jace being sent to the Lightwoods). Michael Wayland is somehow miraculously alive and Jace joyously reunites with his father only to discover later that 'Michael Wayland' is actually Valentine Morgernstern. This film deviates so much from the books that I don't know how they're going to piece this bad mess together into a coherent story in the second film "City of Ashes". And if "Ashes" gets as many crappy reviews, I'll be saving my money for The Hobbit.
Hollywood, when are you going to learn that women and girls--the series' primary fanbase--are a powerful and wealthy demographic capable of filling your coffers with millions of dollars? And if you do realize this already why do you think you can give us lousy movie adaptations and expect us to clap like monkeys and throw our money at you? It's extremely insulting how you continue to belittle and disrespect female audiences and still think you're entitled to our hard-earned dollars.
There are enough male fantasies being played out in theaters, in the form of Spider-Man, Superman, Marvel Avengers, and giant robots battling in the oceans--to name a few. But there are comparatively far fewer female fantasies out in theaters. And when they are shown they're often belittled, disparaged, and ridiculed. But I have to question the sanity of anyone who thinks some macho Marvel comic hero with a fragile ego and countless notches on his bedpost (Ironman) is a better character than a nice, ordinary girl who discovers she has great supernatural powers and who grows in maturity and strength in the course of the story. I like the second type of character, as embodied by Clary Fray, much more. So, why not invest more in her story?
Skins (2007)
A Clockwork Orange meets daytime soap opera
A very engaging, well-written drama featuring a likable cast of teens. I've finished watching the first season of "Skins" and my only frustration is that problems tend to be somewhat sugar-coated. Just about every chilling, potentially life-threatening scenario is averted at the end. It's sort of like 'A Clockwork Orange' meets daytime soap opera.
In one episode Sid faces a lunatic from whom he receives a large and expensive bag of pot. He owes the dealer a large sum of money. The man corners Sid and his female friend Jal an alleyway. In real life this scenario typically ends up with the girl getting raped and a bloody beating for the guy whose creditor has come to collect his due. However, the two young people are let go after receiving a thorough verbal lashing from the man. The girl's scary-looking father goes after the dealer with his own thuggish friends and makes sure he never bothers the kids again. It's so convenient that one of the kids happens to have a dad that looks like a scary urban drug dealer/rapper on the outside but with the good old-fashioned values of Ward Cleaver inside... Seriously, only on TV...
One of the main characters, Tony, plays a prank on his ex-girlfriend's new love interest. In retaliation the guy lures Tony's younger sister to a party and gives her a lethal dose of heroin or some IV drug. Tony's sister ODs but survives because "the pharmaceutical drugs were pure", according to the doctor. How fortunate and unlike so many other reckless teenagers that end up dead on the streets.
This drama has a somewhat gritty and bleak tone; certain scenes are stylish and thematic, such as Sid's late night meeting with romantic interest Cassie at a cheap, run-down diner more evocative of Route 66 than southwest England. Tony's sister sneaks off to wild, crazy parties and never gets hurt. Maxxie, the handsome gay teen is terrorized by a group of his homophobic peers. Just as it starts to look like another Matthew Shepherd tragedy, he is accosted privately by one of the teens who professes his love for Maxxie with a sloppy kiss. In contrast with "Kids", _the_ teen film of the 90s generation, it lacks the harshness of reality, but maybe that is why audiences love it.
Piranha 3D (2010)
A homage to 70s camp & horror
This film has so much nudity and gore in it I'd strongly suggest that no one under age 17 see it. After the movie I saw a family exit the theater, and their 8 year old daughter had to be carried out sobbing (but this is more due to poor parenting than lousy directing).
There is a lot of violence, very graphic scenes of people getting ripped apart by the piranhas. I personally couldn't stand the gore. If you thought Jaws was bad, there's nothing in recent memory that can compare to the level of blood and guts in this film. People get their heads chewed off, legs, bodies and even godforbid penis chewed off. All the goriness and violence get played off as lighthearted 70s nostalgic fun. Not my cup of tea, but as a campy 70s-style blood fest it is executed very nicely and the pace will keep you on edge throughout the movie. The 1 hour and 29 minutes will go by in a blink. Because you'll be so consumed by shock and horror (or joy--whatever does it for you), this is one movie where you won't have time to wonder how much longer until it ends.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
Racially Offensive BS Film
This film was a great disappointment. Although films starring Michael Cera do seem to target a certain demographic (ie, white middle-class Americans) I haven't seen one that contained so many racial stereotypes. You know, it seems like Hollywood directors have realized that making fun of African Americans gets them in a lot of hot water, but they've yet to learn the same lesson when it comes to mocking people of other races.
If you're from an Asian background get ready to be offended. The film starts off by portraying ex-boyfriend #1 as an effeminate South Asian man whose breaks out Bollywood dance moves while attacking Cera's character. Knives Chau, Pilgrim's 17 year-old "Chinese girlfriend" is a walking stereotype of a Japanese high school girl complete with high pitched squealing and fainting at rock concerts (the Chinese are NOT Japanese!) I found it extremely offensive when Pilgrim assures his friends and family that his new girlfriend, Ramona Flowers, is "American". Apparently it's not enough to be born in the United States and speak English as a native language. Apparently you're never an "American" as long as you're not white (no, African Americans don't count). Thanks Mr. Wright, for reminding me that movies targeting middle-class white Americans are not made for "ethnic" people like me. This movie was so chock full of racism that I just walked out of the theater disgusted and swore off your films forever. I truly loved "Shaun of the Dead" and rank it as one of my favorite films of all time. I am so disappointed in "Scott Pilgrim"!!
To any white person thinking that this Asian person lacks a sense of humor just remember that some of your ancestors unfortunately thought minstrel shows were funny too and that black people just "lacked a sense of humor".