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lyehuat1973
Reviews
Lung foo moon (2006)
Lethargic movie which rarely entertains
This movie is lethargic. Anyone going in and expecting an energetic, high octane and explosive movie will be disappointed. The movie started well and I actually thought it had promise. The first fight scene was extremely dynamic and well-choreographed.
However, it quickly descends into melodramatic quagmire and bad melodrama at that. The movie goes into flashback on how the main character, Wong Little Dragon, became a hero of justice. The problem is that Wong Little Dragon is a moody, broody hero who has major issues with his job, his kungfu clan, his brother and his sort of steady girlfriend. This would actually be okay if it isn't for the fact that the actor who portrayed him, Donnie Yen, couldn't act to save his own life. I neither rooted for the character nor felt for his plight. I just thought he was annoying.
The other two male leads, Wong Little Tiger (played by Nicholas Tse), and Turbo Shek (yup, and played by Shawn Yue), are shafted into the background. All three of them have very little chemistry together. Making matters worse, Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue don't know martial arts in real life. So, both of them sucked - despite some impressive choreography by Donnie Yen. However, all three of them simply cannot carry a movie by themselves. Three of them together are just intolerable.
Compounding the problem is that the director and his creative team chose a very dark and drab look to the movie. It only makes a lethargic movie worse. The comic was garish, bright and explosive (there's the word again). Not at all like I remember.
Also, I truly feel the director is the wrong choice for the movie. His inexperience shows with the pacing and execution of the film. He plays with mood, lighting and uses every filter imaginable for the movie. However, this is totally unsuitable for a movie like DGT.
The only saving grace with the movie is the fight scenes. However, they don't really impressed me. Fearless by Jet Li really raised the bar on fight scenes. For those CG wire-fu, Kungfu Hustle is still more impressive than DTG. Donnie Yen has nothing on Yuen Wo Ping. The final villain is totally laughable and has no personality whatsoever.
An utter disappointment and overly ambitious effort which crumbles apart under its own weight. Not recommended for anything other than the fight scenes.It's a lethargic movie which rarely entertains.
3.5 out of 10.
Superman Returns (2006)
Magnificent
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I felt it is brilliant and is as near a masterpiece as any superhero movie can get. (BTW I belong to those who were not too impressed with the Spiderman movies).
The world a movie with a emotional core comes to mind. However, it is also a riveting superhero movie. I think the airplane sequence had been heralded by many as worthy of the entrance ticket price alone. I totally agree. The minute Superman appeared, it was like going back to my childhood days again. The impact was that amazing to me. The way he used his heat vision, lifted the space shuttle and sent it flying away is incredible. No one else does a rescue scene like Supes. He's a league of his own. What can I say when he landed the plane on the baseball stadium? Sheer awe. It was finished off beautifully with Supes walking into the plane and reassuring everyone with his calm voice. That was the moment for me that Superman totally came alive.
Brandon Routh is indeed Superman - or should we say, a Superman for a new generation. His looks, physique, voice and carriage is definitely Superman. There is a human and vulnerable side to his Superman that Christopher Reeves did not have.
I liked the movie in every way. Kevin Spacey was wicked and delicious as Luthor. Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane was thoroughly convincing and I felt she had great chemistry with Brandon Routh. Also, the romance was moving.
I love the movie. From the casts, the set designs, the costumes, the script, the special effects, the cinematography, the soundtrack and most of all, the direction. This is in the word of one critic, a magisterial direction. Bryan Singer is at the full maturity of his craft and he should be rightly proud of this movie. Who cares if Superman Returns doesn't compare with the Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in terms of box office records? What's important is that it'll still be a good movie a few years down the line and it'll definitely stand the test of time.
What I didn't like was the ending. I agreed with most critics that the ending was a bit too draggy and it spoiled the pace of the overall movie. There is a hint of a drag in the first 20 minutes. But that's most probably because I got impatient for Superman to appear.
Also, I am a bit uncertain about having a Super-Kid. Will this return to haunt the future movies in the Superman franchise? However, he is a plot element that can be overlooked should they continue the franchise. After all, Superman can get a new love interest.
I give this a high rating of 9/10. In one word, this movie is magnificent.
Poseidon (2006)
Entertaining movie without pretensions
I just couldn't understand why there is such a major level of hostility and negativity against this movie. It's basically a summer blockbuster at heart and it make no other pretensions being otherwise. I watch the movie with that in mind and I was entertained. I certainly didn't go in expecting an Oscar winner or a masterpiece. All those people who did are delusional.
All these talks about the movie's lack of characterisation, clichéd and etc etc are just nonsensical. One BBC review summarised it best as "Titanic without the dull bits." I don't think the lack of fleshing out the characters hurt the movie. King Kong and Titanic spent a long time fleshing out the characters and both basically crumbled under its own weight with its artistic pretensions. Their characters were laughable and the stupidity of the script is beyond belief.
If you like to watch a movie with a tight focus on the disaster action, lack of annoying characters and a good take on the usual clichéd elements, the movie is for you. If you are looking for an bloated and overinflated movie with artistic pretensions, overly ambitious characterisations and illogical stupidity, then you're better off checking out Titanic and King Kong.
It's hardly Wolfgang Petersen's best movie. That would still go to Das Boot. It's still not the best movie about disasters at sea. Perfect Storm lays claim to that. But it's a well-told, well-executed and well-produced movie about a shipwreck.
Shi mian mai fu (2004)
Lame duck of a film
A really lame movie from a great director. This movie has some of the most beautiful costumes, sets and cinematography that I have ever seen. In fact, the opening shots with Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau at the prison totally blew me away as it reminded me of the classic wu-xia films of the 60s.
However, the plot is just a reworking of Infernal Affairs. The entire movie is just floundering from a weak premise and it ultimately comes to an embarrassing and laughable end. The number of technical mistakes in the film is just astounding. The continuity is bad and the editing is clumsy.
Takeshi Kaneshiro saves the movie from the crashing like the Titanic with his screen presence. But he has absolutely zero chemistry with the overrated Zhang Ziyi. Zhang Ziyi needs to stop acting in another of these big budgeted martial art epics. She has already proven herself a star in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Seeing her in another one after her superfluous role in Hero is overkill.
Andy Lau's acting is laughable as usual. Instead of channeling grief and frustration, he seems to be crying over a broken toy. He is definitely out of his league acting in a such a movie.
This movie is average at best and suffers from the director's overinflated ambitions.