paper-revolution's Reviews

The Good the Bad the Weird (2008)

8/10

Some good, some bad, some weird - kind of like PotC with no plot

28 July 2008

Okay, I've just seen the movie yesterday and I think I've had a fair amount of time to digest it. As of now in Korea, opinions about this movie are almost completely divided. Half of the people love this film, despite its errors; others are rather disappointed by its lack of plot. Me? I'm dwelling somewhere in the middle.

There are some good parts of the movie ...

The desert scenery. Magnificent. Whoever was in charge of the cinematography did a really good job.

Sets & props (particularly costumes). Also with the cinematography, I think the people who built the set and came up with costume ideas deserve some serious credit. The sets and props really added to the movie's visual appeal.

The actors, particularly Lee Byung-Hun. All three actors were pretty good in their roles, and Jung Woo-Sung looked ridiculously good looking, but Lee really shined in his new "change of role". There was a strength in his eyes that almost literally jumped off the screen, and his character was chillingly convincing.

Did I mention Jung Woo-Sung was hot? I'm a heterosexual guy in his 20's, but even I couldn't deny how ridiculously good looking he was. Despite all of his character's insane, ridiculous stunts (which I, for those of you who understand Korean, would like the refer to as "gae-pom"), I eventually ended up with the same conclusion: "Man, that guy look COOL!"

The action scenes were pretty decent as well. Had to put that in.

Then there's the bad ...

It's complete lack of plot. I mean it, not much plot.

I'm kind of tired of seeing Song Gang-Ho in the same role AGAIN! I mean, I know the guy's a decent actor, and he really did a good job in his role, but didn't we see this guy in the "The Host"?!

Violence does not equal comedy!! Not saying that the movie is really violent, but ... Ugh, you'll get what I mean after watching the movie.

Which leads me to my weird overall impression of the movie:

I'm quite PERPLEXED. I was pleased while watching the movie, and the film is rather enjoyable to watch, but leaving the theater, I was sort of like "Um... okay..." An odd, WEIRD feeling of satisfaction mixed with a sense of being robbed.

To give you a sense of what it was like, it's kind of like a Western Korean version of "Pirates of the Caribbean". There's a lot of action, nice characters, cool setting, rather enjoyable, but you leave the theater a bit perplexed. And while PotC leaves you perplexed and confused because of its abundance of plot, "The Good, the Bad, and The Weird" leaves you perplexed and confused because of its lack there of.

To sum it up, I think it's a decent, fun-to-watch movie (Nice effort, to say the least!). Good to kill time or just watch on a Friday night. But if you want something more serious or concrete, I'd recommend something else.

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My Blueberry Nights (2007)

8/10

Lonely Norah Jones talking to lonely characters performed by great actors.

8 March 2008

Warning: Spoilers

That's basically it. Lonely Norah Jones talking to lonely people who are performed by great actors (Strathairn, Weisz, and Portman). There's no real story, the script, as people have stated, isn't the best. But that being said, I'll say that I really liked it.

I saw this at the theater at a late night viewing. And maybe because it was night time, maybe because I was lonely, or maybe because I just had a very crappy week. Whatever the reason, I felt myself falling deep into this very subtle movie. It captures that feeling, that essence, that breeze you feel when you walk home on a crisp night after splitting with your friends and looking back at your day. It's nostalgic, slightly hypnotic, and so comfortable. And as always in Wong's films, the shots and screen was just mesmerizing and beautiful to watch.

Big props to the actors. Jones, despite being her first performance, I found somewhat more-or-less satisfying. Law was just okay in his role. The big applause really goes to the three actors I stated above- Straithairn, Weisz, and Portman. They really MADE this film.

Also, big props to the director, Wong. Another beautiful, comfortable, cozy visual experience watching this movie.

I'm biased, but I'll say it anyway. I liked this film.

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Cashmere Mafia (2008)

8/10

Has potential - but not sure if it'll last that long

8 January 2008

Okay, I've just seen the pilot. And in my opinion, I think the show had some potential.

For one, the female leads are all intriguing. Their characters all have interesting, new story lines, and the actresses pull it off rather well (especially Miranda Otto). One thing I might say though, is that while the characters are great in their own respective story lines, they lack chemistry between each other. But considering how the cast of DH and SATC didn't really seem that close to each other in their own pilots, I'm guessing that this might change as time passes by.

Speaking of DH and SATC, viewers might think that this is a bad knockoff of those shows, but it's not. Though the format is a bit clichéd in that it has four strong female leads as in SATC and DH, Cashmere Mafia strives to portray their leads as more ferocious than other shows. To be honest, rather than SATC and DH, I was reminded of a female version of "Big Shots". And while I gave up on BS for lacking sympathetic characters (I only liked Joshua Malina's character), I think Cashmere Mafia somehow finds a way to make their leads sympathetic on top of being strong and vicious.

Though I did like this pilot and the characters, I'm not sure whether viewers will give this show time to grow. Just as people are quick to criticize clichés, they are also quick to criticize the different. And with CM's cast of stronger, more cutthroat, and different women, I'm not sure if viewers will be ready for this. Here's hoping they are.

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The Golden Compass (2007)

9/10

Surprisingly satisfying - but the book's still better.

19 December 2007

Okay, I am a HUGE fan of the book, and I have to say that the movie was surprisingly satisfying. Initially, before going to see the movie, I've read from all around that the movie was rather disappointing. Not expecting that much, I went to the theaters, hoping to not be too disappointed. To my surprise, the movie was relatively faithful to the book, and I found myself rather entertained.

The movie follows the story of the book. However, given the 2 hour time span, you find the characters explaining a lot of the situations, and the situations themselves being a bit rushed. The pacing, actually, was a bit off, as while there were rushed parts, there were some dragging parts as well.

However, due to the magic of Pullman's original story, and the wonderful SFX team, I found that I was still somewhat mesmerized by the film. Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman in my opinion were perfect casts for Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter. Dakota Blue Richards, though not what I really imagined Lyra to be, did an okay job portraying the characters.

Anyway, to sum it up, though it's not as good as "The Lord of the Rings" series, it's still better than the "Harry Potter" branch. Just based on the movie, I would give it a 7, but as I'm a fan of the book, I'm giving it a 9.

(Oh, also, when I was at the theater, a lot of people got annoyed at the end of the movie, assuming that it was the end of the story. It must be noted that this movie is the first part of a Trilogy- there's more to come. Apparently, a lot of people weren't aware of that.)

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The Host (2006)

10/10

Breaks 'Monster movie' stereotypes- A Thriller, Comedy, Drama all at once!!!

1 August 2006

Warning: Spoilers

This was a fantastic movie! "Gwoemul" is one of those movies that break barriers. If you look at the plot, you might mistake this as a typical 'monster movie' (Monster appears, people scream, blahblahblah). But let me assure you, "Gwoemul" is definitely NOT a typical monster movie. It goes beyond stereotypes and plays out the monster story plot in a totally new and unique way. It manages to be not just a thriller, but also a comedy and a drama all at once- without making the flow of the movie awkward!

The actors are all excellent. Kang-Ho Song, already a famous actor in Korea, definitely lives up to his name; veteran actor Hie-bong Byeon surprised me by fluently playing a character that is totally different from his usual roles; Hae-il Park's character was the first time I ever found another man attractive (I'm a guy by the way), and Du-na Bae, with credits like "Take My Cat" seemed comfortable in this character too. Even newcomer Ah-sung Ko shined beautifully, giving a performance that is totally superb for her age.

The visuals are pretty good for a Korean movie- first time I ever seen that kind of CG in Korean cinema. The only thing I don't like about this movie is the ending, which is pretty typical "Korean-style", but I'll keep that a secret (if you've watched many Korean movies, you'll get what I mean). There is also bits of obvious symbolism here and there, but I'll also leave it to you to find.

Anyway, a great movie! Groundbreaking monster movie, a makes-you-sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller, a very funny comedy, and nice touching human drama! Originally, I'd give this movie a 9, but I'm giving it a 10 for its uniqueness and novelty! Kudos to the cast and crew!!!

****SLIGHT SPOILERS****

This is just a ps, but one of the translator's lines: I know that some foreign audiences might find it a bit odd and out a place, but it's Korean humor. I figure that some audiences, especially American audiences, might be confused with the choice of words, but really, me and everyone else in the theater was laughing. Just an FYI.

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X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

10/10

Best Movie of the Year

24 June 2006

First of all, I would like to say that I've never watched the comics. Looking through the message boards, I've noticed that many fans of the original comicbook series were seriously unhappy with this movie. But I have never watched the comic series before. That been said, I would like to say that this is definitely the best movie of the year! Usually when my hopes are high for a movie, it turns out to be bad. This was the first exception in my life. X-Men 3 was an extremely extraordinary movie with good plot, great characters, excellent writing, and some nice CG effects.

The movie's plot is basically about a new 'cure' for mutants, and the battle that resulted from its invention. It was an interesting plot line, and the writing was surprisingly good. It didn't drag the plot and make it heavy, nor did it pace it too fast too make it light. It was an extremely thoughtful, meaningful plot that was also entertaining and exciting at the same time.

The characters were also a pleasure to watch. Unlike the previous movies of the franchise, where the movie was centered on only one or two characters, this movie had developed all of its characters quite well. Despite the introduction of a handful of new characters, they were portrayed with quite some depth and we got to get fairly acquainted with them (the only exception probably might be Angel and that Tin guy, but, oh well, nobody's perfect).

Add to that the spectacular special effects that really made this movie a treat to watch. It's almost enough to make you want to be a mutant! To sum it up, this movie was the best movie that I've seen this year, and also in a long time! Noteworthy for an award, in my opinion! Kudos to the entire cast of this film for a great movie!

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