Reviews

Unbreakable is one of those great movies that tells the story of the 'real' superhero in our time. The real superhero is a human being with special gifts. How he copes with them is a very interesting premise.

Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson was great in this. The atmosphere was perfect and overall a great story.

The film marks the beginning of a superhero, the discovery of one's own power and how one's life is transformed because of it. In this case, Bruce's character have tried to suppressed his own true nature all his life in return for the love of a woman. He lives his life with some nagging feeling that there is something more. When he meet's "Mr. Glass", he begin to realise that there is indeed more, much more waiting for him.

Highly recommended for any comic book reader or those interested in real superheros.

An excellent portrayal of an undercover cop working to bring an end to a huge drug network in Hong Kong.

The film gives three sides of the story and shows the viewer a glimpse into the world of the drug-lord, the undercover cop and the addict.

All three main characters (Andy Lau, David Wu and Zhang Jingchu) gives an excellent and flawless performance. Where does one draw the line between business and drug smuggling, crime prevention and aiding crime, addiction and family? Is David Wu's character the protégé or are the addicts the protégé? At the end of the day, drugs destroys everything. One could turn a blind eye, but everything comes round in a circle.

This is a really good film that really captures the atmosphere of a kitchen. Maybe because my parents comes from the catering business, or maybe I just have a thing for good food.

The story mixes the emotions of the stress of running a restaurant, to a chef who is also a addicted gambler, the owner fending off the Mob and a killer waiting for his prey.

The actors are really good and gives the story a real edge to it. Stories within stories with good character building. It's pure delight watching them unfold.

I've seen this twice and it gets better after every viewing.

This is how the modern Batman film should have been directed. It is dark, dirty and dangerous. This is the real Dark Knight. Having read the comics and coming to admire the story 'The Dark Knight Returns', the Batman is not some campy show in the 70s, nor was it the film directed by Tim Burton. Okay. Tim Burton approached somewhat the style of the Dark Knight, but it was still not as dark as it could be.

Christian Bale is amazing in this, he has the right physique and he has the fighting skills on film (see Equilibrium). The supporting actors of Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy are perfect.

Gotham City is dark and a scary place, just ripe for a winged crusader to save it from the criminals lurking around.

The story itself is quite 'meaty' and setups the story quite nicely. It also ends by leading the audience to a possible sequel. If the sequel can outdo this excellent first attempt, then I am already salivating.

I liked Shaolin Soccer, it was full of laughs and Stephen Chow has done it again with Kung Fu Hustle. It's not in the same vein as Shaolin Soccer and it is not a belly full of laughs, but it certainly emphasised his love of action movies especially Martial Art movies. The film pays homage to all those Hong Kong Martial Arts Serials, Bruce Lee and the action genre in general. I would even say that Kung Fu Hustle is a more refined Shoalin Soccer in terms of storyline, action sequences and acting.

The setting is great with some nice scenes of old Hong Kong and the way people used to live. The fight scenes were pretty good, especially at the start with the three masters fighting the Axe Gang. Okay, the story was predictable but that didn't take away the enjoyment one bit.

Overall, it is a highly recommended movie to watch and I can't wait for his next film.

I first saw the making of this movie on AXN and thought it would be a great film. It had some major stars and the location looked beautiful. Considering I had worked in that part of the world for a year, I knew how it felt like in the summer heat and winter cold.

The story is a simple one with a renegade soldier being hunted by an emperor's Japanese emissary. The renegade soldier is in charge of escorting a Buddhist artifact and they get hounded by bandits in the desert. The emissary and renegade predictably band together to save the artifact from the bandits.

After watching the film I was disappointed with the story and how it panned out. I thought the fighting sequences were ordinary and the last part of the story a cop out. I think the whole film could have been done much better with a better script and the fighting choreographed much better. My low voting mark reflects this disappointment.

This one is really a stinker. I had to fast forward this one to get to the bitter end. The fight scenes are old and not very exciting. The dialogue was wooden and the storyline is just plain awful!

Don't waste your time on this, even if you want to fast forward this film on half an hour. It really isn't worth it. I had read the review on this website previously, but I thought, what the hell, my housemate has bought the DVD, might as well watch it.

Is there anything good about it? Maybe the fight scene with the Monkey stylist was quite interesting for a while. Other than that it was pretty much crap.

1/10 rated...

This film is not for everyone, I'd admit, but for me it was a hilarious film. Maybe it was that day.... too much time in the office, or the burger I had eater for dinner.

Stepped in, didn't expect too much and found it was a lot of fun. It's a relatively short film, and it was about right. There is a lot of humour about the present racial aspects that we often see in life, and it's good that we can take it with a pinch of salt. Some scenes are so true for Asians that it really hits home.

If you want a good laugh and be reminded of why university was fun... then this film might be for you.

In any case, it's a good film to have mates around with a few beers and some finger foods.

The storyline is predictable, but the visual and the fights makes up for it. I understand why people compare the lead actor with Jet Li. They both have that presence on screen, the amazing flexibility and fighting sequences. Outstanding acrobatic movements when running from the bad guys in the street and it was good to see the shots from different angles.

It reminds me of some Jet Li's better fighting sequences before he took to the wires. This is the kind of martial arts film that makes me smile and cheer.

If you like martial arts films, then you'll sure to like this.

This is a really good short movie and a good alternate take on Batman. On the same level as the "Dark Knight Returns"... you should see this if you get the chance.

There are some surprises for comic book fans and some ideas which had been floating about in Hollywood but never came to any fruitation until now.

The kind of film that you spend 30% of your life watching, because you can't help yourself... especially when you have nothing to do late at night except to channel surf and watch B movies...

Good premise of a film, got me interested, forgave the cheesy acting, didn't mind the simple FX, but the script was real bad. I could have cried.

If you have nothing better to do, go to sleep.

In general not a bad film, with some very over the top acting and some very corny lines (maybe you need to understand the Japanese rather than read the subtitles).

A bunch of school kids on an island, trying to kill each other to survive. It brought out some elements of what is friendship, trust, and if you are willing to kill to survive. Not the kind of situation that you would want to be in. And obviously, some the school kids don't even want to contemplate the scenario...

Some loose ends that weren't tied up at the end, but overall a good film that portrays the way society is heading into. With the events in Columbine, killings at school in the US and in Japan, this film is quite compelling.

I recommend you watch it if you have a chance.

Wonderful story, deep characters, amazing scenery! This is a must see for all those interested in Chinese martial myths. The common thread that runs through this film is that we are all imprisoned in one way or another and the meaning of freedom depends upon the person's perspective.

The fighting sequences are excellent, and brings back to my memory all those old Hong Kong martial art serials. I particularly loved the bit on the roof top where Michelle Yeoh chases the thief across old Beijing city. Totally amazing.

I found this film very moving and this will become a classic in time to come. Ang Lee has done a superb job and I eagerly await his next project. In this film, Ang Lee has the right combination of action, drama and humour.

Go and see it on the big screen. You will not be disappointed.

A very good film with a very touching story. Another great film by Zhang YiMou... superb photography and very good acting from the cast.

But I can't help thinking that this story doesn't have the substance of his other films and could be viewed simply as a showcase for Zhang Zi Yi! How much screen time did she get? :-)

Another Gong Li on the rise, definitely... but this film was definitely Zhang YiMou's push for his young starlette...

The film leads you into the world of excess, that leads the main character into an idea that he is in total control. This apparent inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy leads the viewer into the darker side of Patrick Bateman.

A film that leaves things open ended is not always bad, as it makes the viewer question the film. Those who says the film is poor because of this, doesn't understand these types of films. Although it would be nice to spoon feed all the answers, it would leave very little to the imagination.

The film makes a good crossover from the book and violence wise the book is much more severe. We do not see cannibilism and any of the wierd sexual acts that Patrick Bateman performs in the book. It is all very gratuitous and in excess...

The film is slick, Christian Bale is spot-on as the psycho, with the annoying monotone accent. A first rate film that is fresh and different.

This film was a good laugh. Really enjoyed Harry Enfield's TV show, so it was good to see it cross over to film.

Shame that they didn't bring out more of the characters from the show. Should have had more of Paul Whitehouse... he was hilarious as the bouncer!

The bit in the bedroom with his erection was side splittingly funny...

Nice for an afternoon's mindless fun...

Let me say, the trailer was good. Wetted my appetite for the real deal...

Sorry to say that the film was cliche, the fight scenes could have been improved (should have hired Woo Ping Yuen as the martial arts director), the editing was not sharp enough to backup the action. Some of the scenes like on the bike was so unrealistic that the Hong Kong audience found it unrealistic (after being brought up on unrealistic martial arts film in HK, I would have thought we could have accepted this)...

The MI team is supposed to be a hi-tech team with lots of gadgetry like in MI part 1, but in MI2, we don't see much of this.

This is another run of the mill action film. John Woo's direction was disappointing, laboured over some of his trademarks such as the slow motion cam, plus the doves. The damn dove and the damn pigeons!

There are some good new tricks (like shooting backwards on the bike by looking at the rear view mirror), but the emphasis was not there. It didn't look as cool as it should have. I can't put my finger on the thing that ruined the film... but it definitely could have been much much better.

Gladiator is a better bet for the summer's action...

The first thing that comes to mind after watching this, is that the whole judicial trial in 1962 was pretty much one sided. There didn't seem to a defense for Adolf Eichmann. One could look at this in a dark way and say that if he was tried today with O.J.Simpon's lawyer, he would have gotten away with crime against humanity...

This film doesn't try to portray a fair trial of a Nazi criminal, which it wasn't. All it intended to do was to document some of the proceedings in 1962. But nevertheless, even if Adolf Eichmann was guilty without a shadow of doubt, it would have been more satisfying to have seen the defense putting on a fight, and not seeing judges complaining about a witness' answer to a question as vague, when the question was itself vague.

Maybe I'm expecting too much... but the film does the legal system no justice.

The most interesting thing by far is seeing Eichmann's little nuances and behaviour as he sits back and listens to the prosecutor's statements and eye witness accounts. You can almost see the indifference in his eyes, there is no remorse and I would guess not much of a conscience.

The 350 hours (originally 500 hours, but most of it was not recovered) of film which this documentary was based on, is a historical 'document' and this should be of great interest to anyone who wants to learn more about one of the darkest times in man's history.

What does this say about American culture?

This dark, humorous depiction of a suburban family shows us how a family eventually ends up in the pits of supposed unhappiness, and how they eventually manage to crawl back out with a taste of what made them happy in the first place.

An excellent film, excellent script and excellent portrayals of the characters by Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Wes Bentley and Thora Birch...

Highly recommended.

One of the best films to come out this year. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt have been excellently cast in to this film, bringing the whole atmosphere and story to life.

Some people say it is a violent film, and it is, but without condoning such violence. It can be graphic at times yet this is not what makes the film ticks. It is a combination of many things, from the characters, the dark humour and the main story of the film.

Shame that in Hong Kong, the marketing for the film wasn't as big as it should be. Another one lost to the shallow culture of Hong Kong. Great shame indeed.

Quite a few people have already expressed their opinions about this film that I don't want to repeat. Let's not fool ourselves, by thinking that this is the best horror film since the "Exorcist". The whole film is based on the premise that it is supposed to be real. By taking this first step in your imagination, then you can begin to appreciate it. Most of the horror comes from our own imagination, hardly anything is spoon fed (the slasher movies comes to mind which are so graphic in detail, it leaves little to the imagination). You'll have to put the old grey matter in to first gear to try and step into the character's shoes.

The film, if nothing else, is realistic. We see the three characters spiralling deeper and deeper into breakdown and insanity. Their ability to think logically is turned upside down as they get more and more lost in the woods. Strange sounds at night, wierd symbolic objects in the morning doesn't help their sanity much either.

The ending is abrupt, and an anti-climax for sure. But the horror of the film doesn't start until you go home and think about the film. The more you go over the film in your head, the more horrifying it is, as if it was a true story.

There will be people who won't like it, but the film is a docu-horror film which has succeeded where many before has failed.

This film is side splittingly funny, violent without being graphic, and clever in its plot and the various twists.

Basically, it's about four conmen trying to cover their asses, with successes and failures. There are plenty of interesting characters in the film with superb one-liners, that most non-British people will probably miss out on.

It's a shame that there was only limited release in Hong Kong, (one cinema!) because this film should have had a higher profile. It's not a Hollywood film with big budgets and expensive special effects, so it's not surprising.

Don't think it's another Pulp Fiction, because it's not. I like Pulp Fiction, but this is much better! Go and see it.

Looking at this film in an objective manner, there is really nothing in it that would class it as a very good film. Bruce Willis is still the same 'smirking' Bruce Willis, whatever comes out of his mouth. All it has to offer are some atmospheric and sometimes disturbing images with a final twist to the story.

But the film is entertaining and quite disturbing. Maybe I have too much of an imagination for my own good. I came out of the cinema thinking that I should see it again from the perspective of knowing the whole story. This might have been interesting, but it may have amplified the glaring holes in the film. Nevertheless, it made me think about the film and try to understand the character that Willis played. This could have been an even better film with emphasis on the relationship between the characters, especially Willis' character and his wife.

If you have a spare afternoon, go see it but don't expect too much.

People have already previously commented on this film and some of the storyline, so there's no point in me doing that all over again.

Suffice to say, it's not a "porno flick", but nevertheless a feast for the eyes and also something that makes you think. A good example, is when Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are smoking pot and talking about their night at a friend's party. Nicole Kidman asks one of those questions that every man fears, since instinctively, you know that whatever you say is going to be the wrong answer. :)

There is nudity and some great bodies to look at if that is what you are looking for. But in addition, it also makes you think, can you really make sex impersonal? Can you have sex with a perfect stranger and not even know what they feel, what they look like?

The music score is excellent and adds to a very atmospheric film. A good example of this, is when the Tom Cruise character goes to the masked party and eventually gets demasked. Some people will come out of it and say it's a film that disappoints as Kubrik builds up a film to be a thriller then lets the air out of the balloon. Any other director would have made a Hollywood film out of it. I could just imagine the predictable ending that would have ruined the film.

Upon reflection, I found the film thought provoking and an enjoyable 3 hours...

(The film shown in Hong Kong was the unedited version, but I am not sure what things were cut out in the other releases).