evilhinata Reviews

Havoc (2005)

Everything is fake

[21 March 2006]

Seeing this movie is exactly like seeing "Malibu's Most Wanted", with the exception that it is not a comedy. With "Malibu's Most Wanted" already being a very average film, one could only imagine how much worse this film is. The whole premise of the movie is very, very ridiculous, being that the kids are just like the kids from the TV series: "The OC" except they are more rich, more devious and of course more "gansta". With the exception of Anne Hathaway's character "Allison" and Freddy Rodriguez's character "Hector", the acting was horrible. Every time "Toby", Allison's boyfriend appeared, I just shook my head in utter disappointment. It was so painful to just hear him speak, let alone act. Everyone else had an average performance, and no one lead you to believe that anything was authentic. To be fair there is an underlying message within the film ,concerning the lies and the truths of society; yet the way it executed and presented itself was very bad. I guess if you are a Anne Hathaway fan, and want to see her in the buff, you can see this film, but I do remember that she does the same in "Brokeback Mountain", so don't waste your money buying this DVD, you'll feel disappointed.

The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Average Disaster

[2 February 2006]

The Poseidon Adventure was one of those movies where you just sit back, don't have to think and just watch the movie. It is one of those typical disaster movies, made during the 1970's through 1980's. How ironic that movies have come full circle and we are seeing these things being re-made. I found this movie enjoyable, with average, sometimes too much acting (with the exception of Gene Hackman). The movie sometimes becomes too dramatic, or sometimes not enough, and even though the movie was suppose to be really suspenseful, the story lacks any feelings for the character, like James Camron's "Titanic". If you see it on late night cable, and have never seen it, I would recommend it ,otherwise it wasn't anything special.

Nói albinói (2003)

original, romantic, tragic and the rest

[8/10 · 12 December 2005]

Having seen several recent Europeon films, Noi, by far stands out because of its originality, and because the viewer, in my opinion can relate to the main character so well. Although the plot may seem a little dense, and the story does not really have a direction until the end, this movie was all about meanings behind meanings, and hidden messages. The main character, Noi seems to be a trouble maker, smoking, ditching school, and telling off adults. Things slowly begin to change though, when Iris, the daughter of a local bookstore owner arrives. Noi begins to seem some bleak chance of escaping the frozen arena that is his home. Noi wasn't exactly a tear-jerker, or even a thought provoking movie, it just simply shows how things fall into place, and even if you are in an impossible situation, or seem to be trapped, destiny will show you the way. The ending was a bit too abrupt for me, which was my only compliant of the movie, but looking back at the ending, it fitted the entire theme of the movie perfectly.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

Delightful and pleasant, eye candy

[9/10 · 15 November 2005]

I had this movie sitting around on my desk, skeptical that it was going to be any good. I finally watched the movie and was totally blown away. I was like, this has to be one of the best romance movies made recently. This isn't necessarily Adam Sandlers best performance, but the character matches his acting style perfectly. Emma Watson's acting was surprisingly good too. The characters are so unpredictable, and random that it makes the audience fall in love with them instant. The plot takes you from point to point in a manner you can't even guess is going, which makes the movie so good. This movie is a hidden gem buried beneath piles and piles of horribly made movies in Hollywood today. The only thing that was a bit disappointing was that Philip Seymour Hoffman could of had more screen time, for an actor of his caliber, but never the less, Punch Drunk is a must see for movie connoisseurs

Samaritan Girl (2004)

Abstract Korean movie

[8/10 · 15 November 2005]

Director Kim Ki-Duk gives us insight about teenage prostitution in Korea, but is this really a movie about prostitution? Looking deeper than the visual settings, I found that the movie hits more emotionally about relationships, between friends and family. The movie is basically broken into two parts. Part one is about Jae-Young, an amateur prostitute and her best friend Yeo-Jin, her manager. The second part is about Yeo-Jin and her father. Each part has its tense moments, and the director, pretty much does a good job telling the story and showing the audience: tragedy and closeness. There's not a lot of sex or violence like typical prostitution movies, but then again it is not about prostitution, it only uses it as a medium to get the point across. Happy viewing!

Oldboy (2003)

Its not that bad

[6/10 · 15 November 2005]

I heard so many people say that Oldboy was such an awful movie. Having watched it though, I found that it actually wasn't that bad. It was like seeing the movie Cube, except the guy gets revenge. Oldboy wasn't exceptionally good, the plot had many holes, and the acting was so-so, except by the main character, Dae-su Oh, played by Min-sik Choi. I guess what did Oldboy in was that there wasn't that much suspense. It doesn't bring you in to want to see who the main character is imprisoned by, or why the he is imprisoned, it instead just shows an angry guy wondering the streets of Korea (with a girl of course), killing people and asking lots of questions. The answers to the questions are slowly revealed, and the by the end everything comes crashing down and you know everything. The entire time watching this movie I was thinking, nice fight scene instead of why did he end up this way. Recommended for people who enjoy Korean cinema, otherwise its only okay.

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)

so-so movie- the car is nice

[6/10 · 14 October 2005]

To be honest this movies was really a let down..with all of the hype and the commercials heavily promoting this movie, I was really disappointed to see such a sloppy movie. The characters were too goofy and heroic to be believable, and the story was much too soft and kind compared to the original. The crew steals pretty nice cars, but too many times, when they steal the cars it was just too silly to be an action thriller. The only good thing about this movie was the main car of the movie..a Shelby Mustang GT500, which, I admit was really nice. Makes you want to drive one. Watch if you're bored or a have nothing better to do, otherwise don't waste your time.

Meet Joe Black (1998)

Good concept, however too slow in delivery

[5/10 · 5 October 2005]

"Meet Joe Black" begins with this brilliant concept- to personify Death; however the deliverance of the concept, like so many other movies, falters. The movie begins with Willaim Parrish, Anthony Hopkin's character, a highly successful man, with money and power. He is suddenly visited by Death, which takes the form of Brad Pitt's character. Death or Joe Black, as Parrish introduces him as, ask for a tour of human society, and in return, Parrish will have more time on Earth. As the story goes on, this all goes well until, Joe Black falls in love with Susan, Parrish's daughter. Overall I thought the movie started very well, but was average in an entire sense. The movie was much too long ( three hours), and the story seemed to drag. The plot seemed to elongate some scenes, and sometimes the plot seemed too dramatic, trying to send too many messages. If you have three hours to kill or really enjoy Brad Pitt see it, otherwise, you can understand the whole point of the story by reading the description on the back of the DVD cover.

Higher Learning (1995)

Question the knowledge???....question the movie

[4/10 · 9 June 2005]

Having watched Singleton's Higher Learning, I was disappointed and let down because this movie had so much potential. With its cast, and basis, it could have been as equally effective and provocative as Boyz N the Hood; however it falls far short of that. The movie follows three characters, Malik Willaims (Omar Epps), Kristen Connor (Kristy Swanson), and Remy (Michael Rapaport). Each of which assimilate into groups bound by race and gender. tension between the groups lead to an ending which could of been better.

One of the biggest problems I had with the movie was the fact some parts of the film were just tacky.This is especially seen when the security guards constantly beat up Malik, now a pro-black activist, are super nice to Remy, now a Neo-Nazi. Some of the plots and characters just seem to fade away. The lesbian relationship between Kristen, and Taryn (Jennifer Connelly) took off but never became clear. I found Remy's transformation from a farmer boy nerd into a Neo-Nazi quite unrealistic, mainly because the Neo-Nazi group is not shown as a Neo-Nazi group, they are instead shown as a bunch of angry white guys. The only sign of a Neo- Nazi group is from Scott (Cole Hauser), the leader of the group; however his character is much too under-used.

The pro-black group was more realistic then the Neo-Nazi group; however it had their fair share of problems too. For one Malik, just seems to whine all the time about how he as to endure being an athlete and a scholar at the same time. Ice cube actually isn't too bad as Fudge, but displays too many stereo-types as a black to be taken seriously (smoking weed). Busta Rhymes character as dreads, was just that: dreadful. Perhaps the only realistic character was the professor, Laurence Fishburne. Although his lack of a cultural stance proved to be the opposite problem of all of the rest of the characters in the movie.

Too many stereotypes for a movie that tries to look at the problem of racism in this country. This movie can be skipped without being missed. Boyz N the Hood was by far a greater Singleton movie.

In the Realm of the Senses (1976)

Not porn, not art - Obsessive Love

[24 May 2005]

Without any doubt In the Realm of Senses is not a "porn" nor is it "art", it is instead a look into the depths of love that has become completely obsessive with no rules, and no boundaries. There have been many movies about obsessive love, but none of them compares to this one, maybe in part because this is a true story. The character Sada is holds the movie as the obsessive lover. The movie is beautiful in its presentation; yet harsh in its way of presenting. I heard of the rumored ending; yet had to watch it to believe it. Beware, this movie is not for the faint of heart. Regardless, it is still a very good movie. Recommended with highest praise.

Friend (2001)

One of the best Korean films

[8/10 · 27 April 2005]

In a sense, Chingoo s probably one of the best Korean films because the concept is realistic, and although some of the circumstances and events in the movie seem to wild, the overall premise of the movie is still there. Four boys, of different backgrounds, grow up together. As they go through high school, it becomes apparent that each boy will take a different road entering man-hood. No matter what- each will stay will remain friends despite the drastic choices each of them make. (Hense the title "Chingoo" which means friend in Korean.) The only problem I had with the movie was the nagging question: What happened to the girls? The movie introduces several girls, and then they seem to disappear. This movie is great for anyone, it will keep you watching until the very end.

Bloodsport (1988)

Good Fun

[7/10 · 19 April 2005]

The movie is good fun at its best. The storyline is average, the acting is okay, but I had a good time watching it, and that is what counts. As Frank Dux,Jean-Claude Van Damme , enters the Kumite, an illegal martial arts tournament. The police are after him, his competition is fierce and there is no mercy where he is heading. Each fighter has his own style of fighting. This is what makes this movie the most interesting. Being a martial arts film, this is probably one of the most famous ones, and for Jean-Claude Van Damme, his best movie. Well recommended if you are a fan of the genre, other wise you might be disappointed. This is Jean-Claude at his best!!

God of Gamblers (1989)

Makes me want to become god of gamblers

[8/10 · 14 April 2005]

This movie once again demonstrates Hong Kong cinema at its best. At the helm of the movie, Chow Yun Fat demonstrates magnificent acting skills as he is able to act in all types of characters, from being a man trapped in a child-like state, to ultimately being the "God of Gamblers". Andy Lau also gives a very note-worthy performance, as Chow Yun Fats sidekick (even though this is a much younger Andy Lau). The movie itself was pretty good, although I would have preferred if the movie was entirely serious instead of putting comic relief in the middle. Regardless buy this movie, it is a must for people who enjoy Hong Kong cinema!!

A Better Tomorrow (1986)

awesome

[9/10 · 7 April 2005]

This movie showcases Chow Yun Fat, Ti Lung, Leslie Chung and John Woo at their prime. Out of all of the protagonist(bad guy is good guy) movies that Chow Yun Fat has stared in, this probably is the best. The story is really good; however it is not social issues that make this movie the movie that it is: brotherhood, loyality, and trust. the problems that the characters have to face, Kit's problems to excel in the police force because of his brother, Mark's delima with revenge and ultimately Ho's struggle to leave his past life as a thief, and regain a normal life. With utmost respect, this movie represents Hong Kong cinema at its best.

Woman in the Dunes (1964)

Haunting, erotic, unforgettable....

[10/10 · 19 January 2005]

After watching this movie, my idea of what a good movie, had changed. The imagery is utterly beautiful, and the emotion of the relationship is intense. While other movies rely on acting, or emotion to capture the audience this movie is very special because how the director, and the screenwriter(kobe abe, also wrote a book by the same title), let the viewers develop their own ideas and perspectives. Having seen this movie with other people and looking at different comment about the movie, each person had a different opinion of the movie. In a complex world full of vice, and danger, it is sometimes the simplest things that can make a man beg for mercy. The everlasting sand, can bring you to love, or to destruction...

Pale Flower (1964)

Different type of yakuza movie

[9/10 · 19 January 2005]

Most of the Asian gangster movies I have seen, promote the brotherhood and the comradery between members, like Young and Dangerous, or have denounced gangster activity, showing if as degrading and evil. This movie does neither. It instead shows how gangster life has both good and bad; however in the end proves to be a pointless cause. The main character, is just released from jail, and immediately reunites with his own yakuza. His life is changed when he meets Saeko, a young woman who is addicted to high stakes life of the yakuza. Together they journey through a city and time, where everything is changing constantly; yet in the end, it becomes apparent that none of these things really matter. This movie is really good. I recommend it.