Mini Review: Going the Distance

How can a fling turn into a real romance?

Erin (Drew Barrymore) and Garrett (Justin Long) meet at a bar when he messes up her score on the arcade machine. Feeling bad about it, Garrett offers to buy her a beer and they instantly hit it off. Both are honest from the start: She’s leaving in 6 weeks and he just got out of a relationship. Even with that hanging above their heads, they spend every free moment with each other. The day Erin is due to go back to San Francisco, they are both miserable and decide they would do the long distance thing. They fly back and forth for holidays and special events but eventually it takes a strain on the relationship and they both have to consider what is more important to them.

I didn’t have high expectations for this movie at all. I just thought it was cute for a real life couple to star as a couple onscreen. So the movie was just okay for me. Erin and Garrett is a very likeable couple. There were lots of embarrassing laugh out moments but the overall feel wasn’t that great. It had an interesting premise and lots of potential, but in the end, it won’t make it on my list of best rom-coms of all time.

My rating is 2.5 popcorns.

Mini Review: The Last Airbender

I am a HUGE fan of the cartoon series, so I was really worried when the first production news came out months and months ago and even more so when  the reviews that came up after the release of this movie. I managed to put off watching this for a couple of weeks because I was seriously bothered by all the bad comments. But now, I finally gave in.

Admittedly it didn’t have the same feel and the characters weren’t quite the same, and it clearly is a horrible adaptation, but it wasn’t as bad as the critics said it would be. It was worse! At least , I didn’t feel like walking out of the cinema or sleeping. I wanted to see it, but it was torture watching my beloved cartoon just go so wrong. hahahaha! I guess I’m masochistic like that.:p

What I liked:

1. The water and ice effects. I especially loved the scene where Aang goes into the Avatar State and water bends the ocean into a great big wall of water.It would have been even better if he let all that water crush the fire nation soldiers or  sweep them away at least? Aang’s such a pacifist indeed! At least they got that right, if nothing else. :p

2. Appa and Momo! At least they had airtime.

3. The Fire Nation warships looked awesome. At least that stayed true to the story. It even looked better in my opinion.

What I didn’t like:

1. For someone conceited enough to write, produce and direct a movie, he could have at least casted ASIANS to play the characters. He didn’t even get that right! He already FAILED at step one! I mean, really, the fire nation consists of people of Indian descent? Zuko is pale! Katara and Sokka are dark! Did he even WATCH THE SERIES??!

2. What’s up with the name pronunciations? So-ka? (stress on the “o”) That’s a very American way of pronouncing it. It’s supposed to be similar to Seo-kka or Soh-ka. With an “uh”. And Uncle Iroh became EEroe. Aang is pronounced with a long A sound, not short a. Fans are already accustomed to a certain way of a saying and hearing a name so why change it? Fans of the series are the target audience anyway…so you should give them what they expect , right??

3. Bad, awkward acting all the way.  It’s obvious that it’s Noah Ringer’s first time to act. He just has no emotion at all. Aang is supposed to be a cheerful, lovable and not serious all the time. He still acts like a kid even though he is the Avatar. The Aang in this movie just felt like all the life got sucked out of him. Katara is like a mother hen, concerned about everybody and intent on getting Aang on track. I didn’t feel any motherly vibe from Nicola Peltz, she’s just as stiff as Jackson’s Rathbone’s portrayal of Sokka. I mean, hello—Sokka is the wise cracking guy. He’s the accidental genius who always has jokes for every occasion. Rathbone ‘s portrayal was as boring as his portrayal of Jasper Cullen. Blech.What’s most disappointing for me is the fact that the three main characters don’t have any chemistry. NONE AT ALL! They could have at least had that even if they were horrendous individually. A MAJOR part of the series’ popularity had to do with these three’s friendship and chemistry!!!

Zuko, he’s a scary guy on the outside, but inside he’s just lonely and wants to be loved. He’s the bad boy girls want to love.  Dev patel’s Zuko is just lost. And that General guy? He’s supposed to be menacing, evil, tough. Instead, he’s just a stupid guy with grand ambitions. And uncle Iroh! He’s supposed to be a wise old chubby guy, like a doting grandfather only with top-notch fire bending skills. The only character that seemed interesting to get to know more was Azula, and she was only shown at the end of the movie!!So that’s not even a completely valid assumption!

4. The movie dragged on and on. It’s a sure sign of inept writing.

I could think of more bad things to say…but I’ll just stop here coz I’m getting mad thinking about all the ways Shyalaman murdered the story of Aang. I’m sure you know by now that’s I’m not happy with this movie. I give it half a popcorn for effort. And that’s a very small half of a popcorn. Minuscule.

Mini Review: Salt

As expected, Angelina Jolie plays another badass character for her latest movie, Salt.

She’s Evelyn Salt, a Russian born CIA officer , who is suspected to be a spy when Orlov “defects” and divulges her supposed plan to assassinate the Russian President. Fearing for the life of her spider-loving husband, she escapes from the Federal building and hunts down Orlov, who turns out to be the head of a Russian program/charm school to create sleepers— like herself.

There were fantastic chase scenes and nice character transitions but even before the end, I knew who the bad guy was. It wasn’t a surprise at all, so that’s the main reason I didn’t fully appreciate this film. I want movies that keep me guessing! :p

It is still a great summer flick, so you all better catch it in the theater .

My rating is 3 popcorns.

Mini Review: Inception

This is one of the 2010 films I’ve been looking forward to watch, and I’m happy to report that it didn’t disappoint. I thought this movie was smart and awe-inspiring. It defied logic, time and physics.

My fave was Arthur’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the straight-laced friend) floating fight scenes and when Ariadne (Ellen Page, the dream builder) flipped over the city and did that cool thing with mirrors. Eames (Tom Hardy, the forger) was another character that I found interesting.

I really had to pay attention because of the tangled jumble of narratives, but I  give this 5 popcorns! You should go watch it!

Mini Review: Eclipse

This is the best of the series so far. I really appreciated the effects and action scenes since those were the ones that kept me awake! (Hey, it was late in the evening) Curiously, the “romantic” scenes made me laugh instead of making me swoon over Edward. If found it really cheesy! I guess the fanatic in me just died away. When Twilight first came out I was in love with Edward. But that phase has passed (thankfully) and I’ve seen the light! I am now officially Team Jacob! lol! Kidding aside, I still couldn’t get over the fact that a hundred year old immortal would be hopelessly devoted to a boring, plain, awkward teenager.

Anyhow, the story this time around focuses on the love triangle between Edward, Bella and Jacob. As the  outside threats draw in closer (the Volturi and Victoria’s newborn army), the Cullens  and  the Quiluetes must work together to protect the still mortal Bella Swan.

As usual, the acting range was very limited. Rob just kept pouting and furrowing his brows, Kristen still looks stoned and Taylor just distracted me each time he came up on screen without a shirt on. Dakota and the rest of the Volturi didn’t look sinister much, only bored.

I also don’t understand why there were lots of close up shots when everyone knows it will only magnify the layer upon layer of white makeup on the vampires. That made it look more fake! And why did the vampires crack when their heads got chopped off? I mean, I get that they’re cold and stone like, but did it have to be that literal? I thought you had to INCINERATE the bodies for them to die and not just merely dismembered?

Though there are obvious flaws in the movie and in the story itself, I quite enjoyed watching Eclipse. Just because I made fun of it doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. *lol* I give this movie 3 1/2 popcorns.

The Last Airbender is a flop according to critics

I haven’t seen the movie yet, but already I’m hearing all about how awful it is. For a fan of the cartoon series, I am terribly disappointed at this news. I had such high hopes when it was announced that they were doing a film adaptation. Then when they announced who the director was going to be, I felt serious dread.  I was right to worry about having M. Night Shyamalan at the helm! I blame you for botching this up!

Here are some of what the critics are saying:

The dearth of racially appropriate casting in the U.S. simply means that fewer Asians were humiliated by appearing in what is surely the worst botch of a fantasy epic since Ralph Bakshi’s animated desecration of The Lord of the Rings back in 1978. The actors who didn’t get to be in The Last Airbender are like the passengers who arrived too late to catch the final flight of the Hindenburg.– Richard Corliss, Time Magazine

…an agonizing experience in every category I can think of and others still waiting to be invented.- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Should  I waste my money just to see  how much the movie sucks?

Mini Review: Letters to Juliet

In this movie, we are made to believe that people actually want to ask love advice from Juliet Capulet– a character from Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy–who has killed herself in the name of love. Also, we are made to believe that the letters left for Juliet all have return addresses. Now, if you just accept that and pretend it could happen, then you will enjoy the rest of the story.

Amanda Seyfried plays the title character Sophie, who goes to Verona, Italy with her fiance , played by Gael Garcia Bernal (he’s the actor in the sex road trip movie Y Tu Mama Tambien. hehehe). Instead of enjoying the mini holiday together, they both do their own thing. Which is kind of a bummer because a couple should do coupley things while in Italy and Victor is a complete douche. Sophie discovers the “Letters to Juliet” and that leads her to meet Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) and Charlie (Christopher Egan).

Personally , I enjoyed this film.  Who wouldn’t want to fall in love in Italy anyway? The place is beautiful and breathtaking. Plus, the  movie is all about finding your true love and second chances and carpe diem and all that, so what’s not to like? It’s all positive things right?

I’m giving this chick flick 3 popcorns because it made me laugh.

Mini Review:Prince of Persia

When I first heard they were doing this film, I was kind of weary that it was Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead role. I mean, this was the dude who starred in Donnie Darko,Bubble Boy, Brokeback Mountain, to name a few. His choices have been a bit weird.

But then the promotional shots came out and whoa! Jakey boy is all beefed up! I’m sure just seeing him that way changed the mind of SOME people. haha!

Needless to say, my expectation for this movie was set WAAAYYY down, especially since it’s another adaptation of a video game. So I was actually surprised that I liked this movie! **

First of all, the story is easy to follow. The parkour moves were interesting and I quite enjoyed  Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Tamina’s (Gemma Aterton, Clash of the Titans) bickering. Even the emotional scenes between the brothers worked for me. The CGI wasn’t as over-the-top as I initially expected. And it was a bit cheeky to have a character that is Sheik Amar (Alfred Molina, Spider Man) complain about taxes, government, and having a business marketing strategy.

It’s really a good start for the summer movie season in the States.

* I liked it but I had to forget that Jake doesn’t look anything like a Persian and his tan , including the accent , is really fake. hahaha!