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Reviews
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Matrix Reloaded
Matrix Reloaded is good. It's more than good. It's an exciting and engaging movie that also sets up the next installment, Revolutions, into what will become (and I hope) the best cinematic orgasm ever. Think of Reloaded as very, very good foreplay. Which is not to say that it is not good. The movie is great and filled with enough action sequences, CGI and cyber-philosophy to make people who loved The Matrix to recall with
excitement their jaw-dropping moments after their first experience with the movie.
Reloaded requires more from the audience during the talking parts (which was the common complaints of early reviews over the Internet). I personally find that the psycho-babble works as it sets up Neo with some moral choices (or lack of) that he has to make at the end of the movie.
Watch "The Matrix" and then "Animatrix" for a refresher course. Pay close attention to Animatrix's first installment, "The Final Flight of the Osiris" (and I don't only mean the ultra sexy opening fight sequence) as it is a prelude to Reloaded.
And finally, don't leave your seat until the very last credit roll if you want a sneak peak of what's happening in the next movie.
Ying xiong (2002)
A Stunning Visual Poetry...
Zhang Yimou was quoted to have said that "Hero" was his most commercial work to date. I am happy to say that the director of such great classics like "Raise the Red Lantern", "Judou", "Not One Less" has not let his artistic touch play second fiddle to the lavish and majestic settings where this movie takes place.
I won't be commenting much about the story. Anyone who enjoyed Kurusawa's "Rashamon" will find this movie to be a little more than a deja-vu. But then what makes this movie great is the treatment of the story in itself. Told and retold in different narative viewpoints, audiences get to see a story that slowly unravels itself. The investment in time and attention will be greatly paid off at the end when the "hero" has to make a choice between staying true to his beliefs or abandoning them for a greater good.
This movie itself is filled with dramatic and fantastic fight sequences that had never quite been captured on film before. Christopher Doyle, known for his work with Wong Kar-Wai, has shown great restraint in the camerawork- making each frame of the movie tight and beautiful, almost good enough to be framed as an art work in a museum. One dissatisfaction that I had was that the score by Tan Dun is reminiscent of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".
Zhang Yimou's touch can clearly be seen in the acting. Some of the character's face, though revealing no apparent emotion, can convey their thoughts. And that is the beauty of this movie. It seizes you from the very begining and makes you think every step of the way. Production quality was exceptional with generous but not overtly whimsical shots of Chinese mountains, lakes and desserts.
The version that I saw was 90 minutes long, though I did read reports that a 3 hour version is being shown in some parts of China.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Not as bad as it seems...
Being the tenth of the series, where else could they bring this franchise to? We have the Next Generation crew seeking out new life and new civilizations, boldly going where no television franchise has gone for 7 years. They have covered virtually every facet of science fiction but what are truly gems to me are the "quiet" episodes where human drama takes precedence.
Nemesis is a good human drama that plays in the backdrop of average science fiction. On one hand, you have a charismatic megalomaniac take-over-the-universe-with-weapon-of-mass-destruction villain versus a Federation flagship captain who has seen it all. On another, you have the sweet partings of a family that has stayed together for the past 15 years.
The weakness of this movie is that it tries to balance both within the confines of a feature film catering to 2 crowds simultaneously- the Trek fan and the general public. What ended up on screen is a compromise of sorts, though I guess that Paramount should make it up to the fans in the future DVD release by incorporating some key deleted scenes to make this a movie worthy of being a "generations last journey".
Mainly for the human drama, I'm giving this movie a "10" as a tribute the tireless cast and crew who has extended Gene Roddenberry's vision and made the "Star Trek" universe relevant to the people today.
Charlie's Angels (2000)
Fla(e)shy but shy of a home run...
The movie starts off with a campy title sequence that spoofs the original TV series title sequence- at that point, one knows not to take this movie seriously. Overall, it is fun to watch the 3 angels prance around the screen doing "Matrix"y stunts with a 90's political correctness thrown in as a good measure. Apart from the girls, who all sizzle on screen, watch out also for Bill Murray's portrayal of Bosley.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Movie the Critics Love to Hate
It's pretty simple actually.
Critics hate a sure win movie. It's true with a lot of good movies that have bombed in the box-office just because the critics do not particularly like an actor, director or subject. And in this case, in my humble opinion, George Lucas is really getting a very, very bad thrashing by the movie critics.
As a movie, I think that The Phantom Menace is absolutely spectacular. The visual effects are stunning, the story is captivating and, again in my humble opinion, I actually do find Jar Jar to be quite funny.
I actually have the privilege to watch the original Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition before watching the Phantom Menace and I do find the later to be a much more better, if not the best, movie than any of the original three.
Probably the only complaint that I have is some lines of the script which I do find to be quite corny. But then again, looking at Star Wars, if it isn't corny, it won't be the same now, would it? Besides, The Phantom Menace is only a movie and people, especially the critics, should just lay back on their seats, grab a handful of popcorn, wash it down with a gulp of soda and just enjoy it.
Trust me. You'll love it better that way!