Muviegirl Reviews

The Hidden Blade (2004)

Great movie!!!

[10/10 · 18 May 2006]

I had to see this movie because I am a huge fan of director Yoji Yamada. The man puts out amazing films!!! For example, his previous film, Twilight Samurai, was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2003 Academy Awards, and it was awesome!! I don't know if Hidden Blade is as great as Twilight, but on its own it still is a great movie, and should be seen by anyone who likes epic films! Here's what it's about: There is this samurai (honest and low ranking) who is trapped in a state of both personal and professional imbalance. For example, he is secretly in love with his family's maid, and despite the fact that he knows the relationship is impossible, he begins an uneasy courtship with the woman. Then there are his professional issues. He has always been raised to respect the traditions from the past, but suddenly, circumstances have forced him to master a new art; the western art of artillery. Can you imagine? A samurai from the East trained to master the arts of the West? Awesome! And then, to top it all off, he is ordered to find and kill a former friend, who he knows is so dangerous that his skills with both the sword and the gun will not be enough. So, he enlists the help of his old teacher, who entrusts him with --- the secret of The Hidden Blade. Great acting, great story, great movie!!! A must see in my book!

Cello (2005)

A fun watch!

[8/10 · 18 May 2006]

I liked this movie. I'm not sure why they called it Cello, because it's the characters in the movie that really make it scary and not the instrument. But, it is directed by Lee Woo-Chul, a music director, and he really does use the music effectively to create this creepy ominous vibe. He also makes the movie look good too (there's a lot of cool imagery) and it comes off almost looking somewhat like a longer version of a scary music video. Maybe that's what they decided to name it after an instrument. Anyway, it's about this woman, who is a really great cellist, and she just wants a peaceful life after surviving a car crash that killed her best friend. So she decides to give up a professional career in music in favor of teaching college students and her daughter how to play. Well, once her life appears to regain a sense of normalcy, of course you know that that's just the quiet before the storm. Suddenly, one of her students attacks her, her sister in-law develops a wacky obsession with her fiancée, and the new housekeeper – lets' just say the woman will scare the crap out of you! Plus, her daughter develops some serious issues, including a nasty biting habit. There are plenty of scary women in this movie and they had me jumping several times. That's why I reiterate it's the characters that you have to watch out for. Before I saw it I thought it was about this haunted instrument or something. The acting is good, and the music really does add to the jump factor. Basically, it's a really fun movie to watch late at night…with the sound up loud. I recommend it!

The Heirloom (2005)

Great film, great visuals!

[8/10 · 6 March 2006]

This was a great Thai film with some really amazingly beautiful visuals. The premise was really interesting and I appreciate the look it gave me into certain Chinese beliefs, particularly the darker ones. I could not stop thinking about this movie for a couple of days after I saw it, which to me is always a sign of a good film! The film is basically about this family that raises a baby ghost, which according to Chinese and Taiwanese beliefs can bring a family lots of money and good fortune. Well, this family certainly had wealth, but they did not have good fortune! In the beginning of the film, we see that they have all hung themselves in some sort of bizarre mass suicide.

Twenty years later a distant relative returns from China to claim the house, from ancestors he never even knew he had. He brings his fiancée with him and the two proceed to move in. It begins to get really creepy when a secret fourth floor is discovered and the real family history inevitably gets discovered. Now, I don't want to give anything away so I will stop there. But, I have to tell you again this film is soooo worth seeing! The acting of the lead actress is great, the guy not so much. But overall it was the really awesome visuals, coupled with an interesting story that did it for me and made me want to recommend this one.

Purei (2005)

Creepy and gory!

[8/10 · 24 February 2006]

This movie is really creepy and gory! It's kind of stereotypical on a lot of levels, which I will explain below, but still seriously freaky! Basically, it's about these two people who want money for drugs, so they decide to kidnap this girl and ransom her back to her parents to earn money. The only problem is - the girl is dead. She died a year ago!! In my opinion it's a really cool premise. Now, here's where the stereotypes come in. The little girl has long stringy black hair, there's obviously a supernatural element to her, she seems invincible, the sight of her means potential death, etc., etc. We have all seen this type of stuff before. Remember the Ring? But, it really does never cease to freak me out, or a lot of other people, which is why I guess it has become such a successful and consequently stereotypical villain –particularly in Asian horror. But anyway, in my opinion it works well as a good horror film, not so much as an original piece of work, despite the intriguing premise.

Another Public Enemy (2005)

A really fun movie!!

[10/10 · 13 February 2006]

I really enjoyed this movie!! I thought the two main characters had awesome chemistry and honestly, who on some level does not enjoy a good "good guy" vs. "bad guy" movie every once in a while? Here's what it's about: You have these two men, who were childhood rivals at school. They meet years later when the bad guy (who of course has a ton of money and power but wants even more) ends up committing a sting of crimes. Now the good guy, who has become a cop (with very little money and power, but one hell of a grudge) gets involved. He cannot wait to take down his childhood nemesis, and of course all hell is about to break out, because this case is personal! Honestly, this movie is just so great because it is sooooo much fun to watch!! You get a lot of great action sequences. They are incredibly well choreographed, especially the one at the movie's opening. You also get a lot of laughs, albeit some of them probably aren't intentional on the filmmakers part;) yet this just totally adds to the overall entertainment value. For example, it was just so much fun watching the bad guy do these crazy things just to prove to us that he is in fact "a bad guy." You also get a lot of really creative nastiness. There was a scene from the movie that involved a coke can, which my friend and I must have replayed twice, because it was just hilarious! Obviously this movie is not a complex piece of work, but if you want a movie that's gonna entertain you, then this one is totally for you!

Divergence (2005)

Awesome movie!!

[10/10 · 26 January 2006]

I loved this movie!! I originally wanted to see it because I am a big Benny Chan fan. Remember Heroic Duo and Gen X Cop? I thought they were awesome and so I thought I would check this one out too.

The movie is basically about three guys. Suen, an obsessive, manic, rundown cop, who cannot get over his girlfriend's sudden disappearance, which happened over 10 years ago. An assassin, who we meet in the beginning of the movie when he murders the guy chained to Seun and who seems to posses secret important info. And, the lawyer. a man who can get off any client, regardless of his crime, and who coincidentally happens to be married to a woman who looks exactly like Sean's missing girlfriend - which really messes with Sean! Anyway, this was one of those movies where I could not guess how it was going to end, and that is huge to me. It was so complex! All of the characters were so well developed, with such strong personalities that it made for a really intense dramatic, thriller, mystery, movie experience. The whole time I was trying to figure out where everything was going and I couldn't! So many films these days are so ridiculously obvious and formulaic, which is why I think it's important to step out of the mainstream on occasion. This movie is a great opportunity to do that!

R-Point (2004)

Dark and Suspenseful

[10/10 · 27 December 2005]

I loved this film. The plot was exciting and fresh. I watch so many movies and can figure story lines out pretty fast...but not R Point. I was shocked by the twists and turns in this movie. The ending was not what I expected.

I was expecting a "blood and guts" war movie, but instead I got treated to a psychological thriller. I had to watch the movie twice just to see all of the ghost references and see who was real and who wasn't! I liked the horror within the war theme of R point. I completely recommend this movie to anyone looking for a scary/suspenseful mind-trip!