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tzehoong
Reviews
The Time Machine (2002)
It lasts too long.
This one of those movies where it ends after what seems like an eternity (even though it only lasted 90 minutes), you walk out of the cinema and contemplate going up to the cashier and asking for a refund.
I haven't read the book, but boy if it's anything like this movie, how in the world did Doc (y'know, Back to the Future 3) impress that cute schoolteacher by talking about this book?
For the first half of the movie I thought "The Time Machine" was going to be a good watch. The depiction of England in the 1880s was charming and quaint, Guy Pearce well cast as the absent-minded Alexander; the love interest, Emma, lovable, and her death very tragic. These assumptions were further enforced by the impressive time-travelling effects. The portrayal of fashion changes was particularly witty.
But things went downhill from the moment Alex got knocked unconscious and travelled 8,000,000 years into the future. For starters, the Eloi village was suspiciously similar to LoTR's Rivendell, and the resemblance of the Morlocks to the Uruk-hais was all too clear.
Mara's acceptance of Alexander is too convenient and illogical. He drops out of a time vortex, 800K years from the past, talks funny, wears weird clothes, is frowned upon by all her friends - and she lets him sleep in her house without a second thought. Alexander, on the other hand, undergoes an amazing transition from a nerdy, forgetful professor to a heroic hunk who risks his life to save someone he just met the day before. Wasn't he supposed to have been hopelessly in love with Emma for the past 5 or more years?
The movie doesn't manage to give any satisfactory answer to the question "why can't one change time?". Character development is almost nil for the supporting cast, and the story moves waaay too fast. Hollywood should learn to spend less on special effects and more on developing good scripts and storylines.
Thir13en Ghosts (2001)
An insult to my intelligence.
One glance at "Thir13en Ghosts" trailers and posters is enough to warn you that this movie relies on effects and sensationalism to thrill.
Sitting through this movie was painful, especially after having seen "The Others" in the cinema two months before. It is not a thriller, it is a special effects-makeup-and-outlandish-props movie. The "ghosts" are so heavily made-up they end up looking hilarious rather than scary, the cinematography (read : loads and loads of split-second clips) reeks of MTV, and the characters transparent and stereotyped.
Naturally, a weird guy is out to control the world. Naturally, an innocent family is unwittingly caught in the middle. Naturally, someone strays away and everyone starts looking for him. Naturally, all hell breaks loose and there's lots of running, screaming, and gore. Naturally, the big bad guy overlooks one minor thing, he gets defeated, and the world is saved.
The only innovation are special glasses needed to actually see the ghosts. But question is, why would you want to look at them? They have lame names, all go to the same beauty parlor and all do the same thing. The only thing that is good about them is that they want to kill the cast, who are all so uninteresting, unendearing characters that you wouldn't mind seeing them dead anyway.
Effects, effects and more effects. Thirteen Ghosts relies solely on effects to scare its audience, and fails miserably. I walked out of the cinema insulted that the producers would actually think that this show could get me scared. It's an insult to my intelligence. Some ten-year-old, maybe. Not me.
The Others (2001)
A masterpiece of a thriller.
This is what a good thriller/horror movie should be like. The setting is classic thriller material. A house where doors have to be closed before opening another, mysterious servants, and excellent development of the main characters. Throw in a good cast and an excellent storyline, and you have "The Others", a must-see for all cinemagoers.
Once again, Nicole Kidman proves why she is one of the most admired actresses in Hollywood by giving a stellar performance. A mother forced to keep her two light-sensitive children out of the light, her character is conveys strictness and frailty at the same time. Her presence on the screen is powerful even when she is not speaking.
The supporting cast complements each other. The three servants have a silent yet tangible devotion to one another, and the big sister-little brother relationship between Alakina Mann (Anne) and James Bentley (Nicholas) is convincing.
This movie is does not rely on fancy effects and heavy makeup to keep the audience scared yet begging for more. Rather, a combination of good lighting, good acting, and good timing scares the audience out of their wits. The plot moves along at just the right pace, keeping the audience in continual suspense without straining their patience.
Though critics claim that its ending is carried over from "Sixth Sense", this movie was written before "Sixth Sense" was produced. However, comparisons between the two movies is inevitable. Without going so far as to say that "The Others" is the better movie, it is no doubt one of the best thrillers to have graced the screens in 2001.
The Others (2001)
A masterpiece of a thriller.
This is what a good thriller/horror movie should be like. The setting is classic thriller material. A house where doors have to be closed before opening another, mysterious servants, and excellent development of the main characters. Throw in a good cast and an excellent storyline, and you have "The Others", a must-see for all cinemagoers.
Once again, Nicole Kidman proves why she is one of the most admired actresses in Hollywood by giving a stellar performance. A mother forced to keep her two light-sensitive children out of the light, her character is conveys strictness and frailty at the same time. Her presence on the screen is powerful even when she is not speaking.
The supporting cast complements each other. The three servants have a silent yet tangible devotion to one another, and the big sister-little brother relationship between Alakina Mann (Anne) and James Bentley (Nicholas) is convincing.
This movie is does not rely on fancy effects and heavy makeup to keep the audience scared yet begging for more. Rather, a combination of good lighting, good acting, and good timing scares the audience out of their wits. The plot moves along at just the right pace, keeping the audience in continual suspense without straining their patience.
Though critics claim that its ending is carried over from "Sixth Sense", this movie was written before "Sixth Sense" was produced. However, comparisons between the two movies is inevitable. Without going so far as to say that "The Others" is the better movie, it is no doubt one of the best thrillers to have graced the screens in 2001.
The Kid (2000)
For all the cynics out there.
"The Kid" is a movie that will touch the hearts of two groups of people - children and grown-up cynics. In the leading role is Bruce Willis, who in my opinion must be one of the most versatile actors around. He plays the part of the cynical jerk Russ very well :).For most of the movie you cannot help but to hate him as he constantly ridicules the weaknesses of the people around him, and love him as you somehow know that there's a tiny seed of kindness waiting to grow.
Emily Mortimer is extremely lovable as Amy, who works for Russ. Her acting is good, and I have to admit that I had to succumb to her cuteness- and I doubt anyone could help but to cheer her on through the whole story, she's so good as Russ's employee, who would like to like him, but gets shoved off every time she tries to be nice.
The story is fun and imaginative. Russ's eight-year-old self travels to the future to meet him as a thirty-nine year old. The young Russ doesn't think much of Russ's achievements (chickless, dogless...) while Russ doesn't want to remember that he was once an overweight, whiny loser.
Don't write it off as just another family movie thinking that you'll be able to predict the whole storyline. You won't. Sure, the guy gets the girl, and young Russ and old Russ grow to like each other and help each other out.
But as you watch the final ten minutes of the movie, as things start to get wrapped up, you will suddenly sit erect, brain churning, and when you figure it all out, you lie back, try to keep back the wide grin that is forcing itself on your face, give up, and say "Holy smokes!"
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)
Nice hair, bad movie.
Final Fantasy is another popular-video-game-title-made-into-a-movie that just doesn't cut it as a movie. It had undeniably incredible graphics, but that alone doesn't make a good movie.
But Aki Ross's hair was awesome.
The story is as bland as it gets. Aliens have taken control of the Earth and it's up to the heroine to get rid of them. Naturally, there is a supporting hero who has a romantic past with her, and a crew of soldiers who fulfill the Sidekick Formula in every way : a wisecracker, a hunk, a tomboy - and of course a sage-like professor in the background.
But Aki Ross's hair was awesome.
What is it with futuristic shows that computers have to be displayed in the cooolest, most unusual way possible? And that the setting is almost always dark and moody? Aren't there EVER going to be happy futures? Are all aliens out to get us?
But Aki Ross's hair was awesome.
The main draw of this film is of course the graphics, especially Aki Ross's hair. It is intricately rendered and so impressive that it is almost worth the ticket price. However, the developers did not appear to have paid much attention to the crowning glory of the other characters in the film. Men are invariably crew-cut, and the only prominent female is conveniently a tomboy (so she gets to have very short hair). Still, the animation is seamless and realistic, and the rendering of eyes and minute facial features all point to hard work and talent.
Too bad they didn't get better scriptwriters.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura (2001)
It's unique setting makes for satisfying roleplay.
Arcanum's charm lies in its unique 1885 setting. In comparison with RPGs such as Baldur's Gate, Planescape : Torment, Icewind Dale, or even Fallout, it offers sense of realism in its portrayal of a colourful people of humans, elves, dwarves, orcs and ogres co-existing in the very beginning of a modern era. Steam engines and newfangled revovlers are the craze, phasing out old-school magicks.
The depiction of magick, swords and shields as old-fashioned and unpredictable, in contrast with modern steamworks and guns as the heralders of a new era, is attractive and makes for immersive role-playing that is believable and fantastic at the same time.
As far as your character is concerned, he/she can be anything he wants - a madcap inventor, femme fatale, wise mage, sharpshooting rogue, even a dumb brute whose entire vocabulary consists of monosyllabic words. And the NPCs (non-player characters) you'll meet are not your typical bewildering array of nymphs, giants, stone monsters, annoying insects, bugs and monsters of every shape and size. The bulk of them will be just like you, with distinct personalities - shopkeepers, aristocrats, factory workers, politicians, gangsters, and the like.
The story starts of with a bang as your chracter meets a mysterious ally who seems to think of you as an elven god reincarnated. As it goes on the element of suspense is tastefullly executed as you gradually uncover more and more of the mysterious happenings in Arcanum. However, the story is anything but linear, and players will be given every oppurtunity to interact with the world around them. They can rob unsespecting shopkeepers, pick fights with the local Mafia, visit the library, or simply explore the country for some adventure.
Arcanum's Achilles' Heel lies in the fact that experience is only gained either by completing quests or by the amount of damage done to an enemy. This makes playing a dumb, unintelligent, sword-wielding, all-out-melee, ogre the easiest way by far to finish the game. Coupled with the fact that weapon combat in Arcanum is decidedly unattractively animated, most casual gamers will be put off by this.
Other weak aspects to the game would include a case of too-many-spells-spoil-the-broth, as some spell schools simply don't cut it compared to the others; the lack of powerful spellcasting foes; the ease with which thieves can rob stores, and mid-level graphics.
For role-playing fans, however, the unique setting and non-linear gameplay will more than make up for its drawbacks.
The Longest Journey (1999)
This story brings back the "adventure" to adventure games.
Undisputably the best adventure game I've ever played.
Right from the start you are drawn into the adventure like a moth to a light - your alter-ego April Ryan has an intriguing, wondrous dream that sets the pace for everything to come.
Stark and Arcadia, the worlds you will travel through in the course of the game, are beautiful and memorable in every way. Stark portrays the world as we know it perfectly, while in Arcadia is a mystical right out of fairy-tales - so amazing yet believable.
You will come to both know and love April Ryan as she discovers her role in the Balance and interacts with both friend and foe. In fact, all the characters in the game are well-developed and add a sense of depth lacking in so many games today. The diary she keeps is attractively written, lending colour to her life as it subtly guides you into her thoughts about her past, present and future.
As for the technical aspects, the background art is simply breathtaking. Every scene is lovingly rendered and brought to life. Although the 3D models themselves are a bit lacking, you will still be wowed at the lip-synching. The voice acting is just as good as any animated film, with Sarah Hamilton doing an impeccable job as the lovable heroine. The soundtrack is awe-inspiring - if only they sold it separately!
As far as i can see there are no drawbacks to this game. I'm running out of adjectives so here's the bottom line -
If you have given up on adventure games you obviously haven't played The Longest Journey yet. If you like adventure games, this is a must-buy. If you don't like adventure games, you'll become a fan once you've played this through!
Planescape: Torment (1999)
One of the most memorable games you'll ever play.
Everyone who has played this game will agree that it contains the best storyline ever developed for an RPG. If anything, it should be classified as Adventure/RPG. Planescape : Torment is based on AD&D rules, but you don't have to be a follower of AD&D to step into the game and enjoy it.
You play The Nameless One (slight spoiler : you will never discover his true name) in his epic journey to discover who he is - or was. From the very beginning of the game you will be drawn into an atmosphere of suspense as you begin to uncover the background of the amnesiac who awakes in a mortuary with no idea who he is, and discovers he is immortal.
There is barely a boring moment in the game. Unlike most RPGs, you won't get tired of hacking and slashing your way through hordes upon hordes of monsters in every shape and size imaginable, although the game does have a unique Bestiary in which every monster species and NPC you meet is catalogued with an impressive picture and summary. You will spend most of your time meeting the colourful characters of the planes, and discovery the mystery that is you.
A major plus point is The Nameless One's relationships with his companions - Dak'kon, a proud, tight-lipped Githyanki who has somehow been bound to you, Morte, a floating skull who will be with you early on and spices up your journey with his wacky sense of humour, Annah, a theifling with a stony exterior, Fall-From-Grace, the pillar of wisdom and patience, and many others. You will come to know and love them as they share your joys and torments.
Although the story far surpasses that of Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale (which utilise the same game engine), the combat effects are on par, if not better than these games. From the lowest first-level spell to the ground-levelling ninth levels, the amount of effort put into the animation is obvious and very much appreciated. Certain spells had whole CUTSCENES every time you casted them. The character animations are seamless and realistic. Combined with the fact that the viewing point in the game is much closer to the ground - hence every character appears larger - this makes for life-like, immersive role-playing.
Critics would say that the game is too unconventional, that the main character is too sinister to be accepted among casual gamers. Granted, the box cover seems a bit too intimidating and the Planescape setting itself makes for some serious thought. For me, however it just makes the game even more interesting. So the hero isn't your typical Casanova. Big deal. And when was the last time you played a game that had its own slang and colloquial expressions?
In short, Planescape : Torment is a game you simply MUST get if you like RPG games. It is proof that mere sales does not ensure a great game (Icewind Dale had better sales, but was lacking in both story and visual effects.). It will be one of the most memorable games you'll ever play.