Summary: Matt Dillon plays a cop who is obsessed with his job. A crew of robbers with Idris Elba, Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker, Jay Hernandez, Michael Ealy, and Chris Brown are surprised by a former crew member who went to prison because of a job went bad in Ghost, played by TI. Ghost was also the former lover of Lily, played by Zoe Saldana, who is now the fiancee of Jake, played by Ealy. The crew just pulled off a successful job, but Ghost wants them to pull off another job in a short amount of time, and the tensions run very high along with the prize.
Review: The movie has a loaded cast, but the chemistry wasn't always there. The plot did get cliche at times and there just wasn't a whole lot of twists that were actual surprises. The explosives and guns made this movie pretty interesting, but it wasn't really deep in terms of plot.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: Can forgiveness ever be given as Ghost reminds us all. How deep does loyalty have to run and what constitutes as a betrayal.
Power Rating (Out of 5) 3: At times this movie got cliche. Even though it had a star-studded cast, they didn't all seem to mesh well at times. It was satisfactory because of the awesome actions scenes, but this movie could have done more with less star status, and more character development.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Agora
Summary: In this historical fiction drama, Rachael Weisz, plays Hypatia, a female philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer in Alexandria during 4th century A.D. of the Roman Empire. She is caught between the times as Christianity is gaining traction in the declining Roman Empire. She is also the professor at an elite school and the pupils and a slave eventually gain position in different sectors of colliding divisions. Hypatia is an atheist and this will prove to be her downfall while the city struggles through religious tensions after science is annihilated with the pillage of the library.
Review: The movie certainly was a good one in the bigger themes of religion and science, but it lacked a personal touch to it. It might have also tried too hard and much to make the point of a woman being special for the time for her being something other than objectified as a sexual creature as Weisz is pretty damn sexy. The film tried to create sexual tension between Hypatia and her pupils it sought to do and Rachael Weisz wanted that to be the focus along with the relationships between the students: it just never materialized and I barely realized any of the connections. The movies setting was awesome as it was a big budget in recreating the ancient setting, but it ultimately failed to have any epic cinematographic shots minus the final one.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: I'm certainly going to look up the conic sections that is described by Apollonius. The movie also brings up the point that people have always been divided by religion and the fundamentalists of certain religions can't accept science. There is also the scene on the ship with the Prefect that stood out to me when a stone was dropped on a moving ship proving the Earth is moving? inertia?
Power Rating (Out of 5): 4, It was certainly well worth watching and intriguing, but it lacked moments of genius and some comedic moments that even the best dramas have. I felt the movie was missing that final touch, but it had the bases of a great film in it.
Review: The movie certainly was a good one in the bigger themes of religion and science, but it lacked a personal touch to it. It might have also tried too hard and much to make the point of a woman being special for the time for her being something other than objectified as a sexual creature as Weisz is pretty damn sexy. The film tried to create sexual tension between Hypatia and her pupils it sought to do and Rachael Weisz wanted that to be the focus along with the relationships between the students: it just never materialized and I barely realized any of the connections. The movies setting was awesome as it was a big budget in recreating the ancient setting, but it ultimately failed to have any epic cinematographic shots minus the final one.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: I'm certainly going to look up the conic sections that is described by Apollonius. The movie also brings up the point that people have always been divided by religion and the fundamentalists of certain religions can't accept science. There is also the scene on the ship with the Prefect that stood out to me when a stone was dropped on a moving ship proving the Earth is moving? inertia?
Power Rating (Out of 5): 4, It was certainly well worth watching and intriguing, but it lacked moments of genius and some comedic moments that even the best dramas have. I felt the movie was missing that final touch, but it had the bases of a great film in it.
Havoc
Summary: Anne Hathaway highlights as a bunch of her peers want to become "cool" through gang culture. Eventually a chance meeting downtown with real hoods intrigues Anne Hathaway and a few of her female cohorts to get closer to the dangers of being "cool."
Review: The movie certainly had a nice looking cast with Anne Hathaway, Bijou Phillips, Alexis Dziena, and Laura San Giacomo. On the male side, there is Channing Tatum and Joeseph Gordon-Levitt. The cast seemed much too old to play the roles of bored high school kids, but the directing was outstanding as it made the script by Stephen Gaghan as realistic as it could be. I still didn't exactly buy into the script being real life as it was very over the top, but I'll try to believe that there are some silly White kids out there.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: Has the rap culture really infiltrated the middle class society and forced unreasonable changes? Are parents so out of touch with their kids that the kids end up joining gangs to feel a sense of belonging?
Power Rating (Out of 5): 3, It was enjoyable to watch Anne Hathaway being pretty, but the movie didn't really seem that deep. The gang culture that was in the movie also didn't seem as realistic as the rituals were too unrealistic.
Review: The movie certainly had a nice looking cast with Anne Hathaway, Bijou Phillips, Alexis Dziena, and Laura San Giacomo. On the male side, there is Channing Tatum and Joeseph Gordon-Levitt. The cast seemed much too old to play the roles of bored high school kids, but the directing was outstanding as it made the script by Stephen Gaghan as realistic as it could be. I still didn't exactly buy into the script being real life as it was very over the top, but I'll try to believe that there are some silly White kids out there.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: Has the rap culture really infiltrated the middle class society and forced unreasonable changes? Are parents so out of touch with their kids that the kids end up joining gangs to feel a sense of belonging?
Power Rating (Out of 5): 3, It was enjoyable to watch Anne Hathaway being pretty, but the movie didn't really seem that deep. The gang culture that was in the movie also didn't seem as realistic as the rituals were too unrealistic.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Eat Pray Love
Summary: Julia Roberts plays a woman, Liz, who is struggling with her life and decides to divorce and change her life based on an interview with a medicine man in Bali. She wanders a bit, and ends up buying three one-way tickets to Italy, India, and Bali. Along the way, she tries to find a greater philosophy in her life through the people she meet and the circumstances she's put into.
Review: It was a bit too feminine for me at some parts, but I enjoyed the bigger message that excludes the cliche themes of love and why a woman needs a man. Julia Roberts does give a commanding performance and shows why she is more than just a big name at times and the supporting cast was decent. The thing that bothered me most was how there was a message that it's okay to engorge yourself with food like Liz does as it's part of the equation of EAT, pray, and love, and need to get bigger jeans, but still somehow have a slim figure like Liz.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: Does everyone need to struggle to find something in their life? Do you need to be spiritual to have a chance to find the path? The story seeks to make too much about this journey finding a relationship, maybe that is just a woman thing as a woman is biologically wired to have children and if that doesn't happen, it's something that really messes with her head. The story would have been better off from a philosophical point of view if the relationships weren't so entangled in the story, but a side track of finding yourself is much more important. "Dolce far niente," sweetness of doing nothing, is an interesting concept and maybe there is more to it despite its point of nothingness.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 4 It was a very enjoyable movie once the crux of the adventures begin and I always enjoy watching exotic settings. It was a relatively long movie at 140 minutes, but it felt much shorter as the scenes really flow by despite the non-action tag of the film.
Favorite Quotes: "I remember an old catholic joke about a man who spent his whole life going to a church every day and prayed to the statue of a great saint begging "please, please, please, let me win the lottery." Finally the exasperated statue comes to life and looks down at the begging man and says "my son, please, please, please, buy a ticket." So now I get the joke, and I bought three tickets." - Liz
Luca Spaghetti (Giuseppe Gandini): "Americans. You work too hard, you get burned out. You come home and spend the whole weekend in your pajamas in front of the T.V."
Liz: "That's not far off, actually."
Luca Spaghetti: "But you don't know pleasure. You have to be told you've earned it. You see a commercial that says: 'It's Miller Time!' And you say, That's right, now I'm going to buy a six pack. And then drink the whole thing and wake up the next morning and you feel terrible. But an Italian doesn't need to be told. He walks by a sign that says: You deserve a break today. And he says, Yes, I know. That's why I'm planning on taking a break at noon to go over to your house and sleep...with your wife!"
"We call it "dolce far niente", the sweetness of doing nothing." - Giovanni
"You seem shorter in person that on the stage.
Really? I get that a lot.
It's unnerving when um a total stranger sees you more clearly than you see yourself. That is what I mean by saying you're short.
Awkward Silence
Are you hearing dolphins clapping now?"
Review: It was a bit too feminine for me at some parts, but I enjoyed the bigger message that excludes the cliche themes of love and why a woman needs a man. Julia Roberts does give a commanding performance and shows why she is more than just a big name at times and the supporting cast was decent. The thing that bothered me most was how there was a message that it's okay to engorge yourself with food like Liz does as it's part of the equation of EAT, pray, and love, and need to get bigger jeans, but still somehow have a slim figure like Liz.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: Does everyone need to struggle to find something in their life? Do you need to be spiritual to have a chance to find the path? The story seeks to make too much about this journey finding a relationship, maybe that is just a woman thing as a woman is biologically wired to have children and if that doesn't happen, it's something that really messes with her head. The story would have been better off from a philosophical point of view if the relationships weren't so entangled in the story, but a side track of finding yourself is much more important. "Dolce far niente," sweetness of doing nothing, is an interesting concept and maybe there is more to it despite its point of nothingness.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 4 It was a very enjoyable movie once the crux of the adventures begin and I always enjoy watching exotic settings. It was a relatively long movie at 140 minutes, but it felt much shorter as the scenes really flow by despite the non-action tag of the film.
Favorite Quotes: "I remember an old catholic joke about a man who spent his whole life going to a church every day and prayed to the statue of a great saint begging "please, please, please, let me win the lottery." Finally the exasperated statue comes to life and looks down at the begging man and says "my son, please, please, please, buy a ticket." So now I get the joke, and I bought three tickets." - Liz
Luca Spaghetti (Giuseppe Gandini): "Americans. You work too hard, you get burned out. You come home and spend the whole weekend in your pajamas in front of the T.V."
Liz: "That's not far off, actually."
Luca Spaghetti: "But you don't know pleasure. You have to be told you've earned it. You see a commercial that says: 'It's Miller Time!' And you say, That's right, now I'm going to buy a six pack. And then drink the whole thing and wake up the next morning and you feel terrible. But an Italian doesn't need to be told. He walks by a sign that says: You deserve a break today. And he says, Yes, I know. That's why I'm planning on taking a break at noon to go over to your house and sleep...with your wife!"
"We call it "dolce far niente", the sweetness of doing nothing." - Giovanni
"You seem shorter in person that on the stage.
Really? I get that a lot.
It's unnerving when um a total stranger sees you more clearly than you see yourself. That is what I mean by saying you're short.
Awkward Silence
Are you hearing dolphins clapping now?"
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Chameli
Summary: Chameli, is a prostitute played by Kareena Kapoor and meets a mysterious businessman, Aman played by Rahul Bose. The story unfolds as they get to know each other and their own personal problems. The setting is made possible by a rainstorm and the car of Aman breaks down stranding him in the corner of Chameli.
Review: The film was slow at times and the entire thing was a bit of a cliche. The laugh of Chameli was irritating at times, but she did play the role well.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: But there ought to be love. I'm not sure what that means, but that was apparently the philosophy of Chameli and how it brought a change to Aman.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 2 I did enjoy the typical Bollywood elements of it, and a 22-23 year old Karena Kapoor in the movie reminded me of Aishwarya Rai so it wasn't a bad sight for the 2 hours.
Review: The film was slow at times and the entire thing was a bit of a cliche. The laugh of Chameli was irritating at times, but she did play the role well.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: But there ought to be love. I'm not sure what that means, but that was apparently the philosophy of Chameli and how it brought a change to Aman.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 2 I did enjoy the typical Bollywood elements of it, and a 22-23 year old Karena Kapoor in the movie reminded me of Aishwarya Rai so it wasn't a bad sight for the 2 hours.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Once Fallen
Summary: An inmate named Chance gets released and tries to run away from his past, but his past partners, a childhood friend and a crooked cop tries to bring him back in. His father is also the leader of the AB from the prison that he was recently arrested from. The movie flashes back to when the father brutally kills a neighbor with a possible good reason, and the son trying to not end up making the same choices his father did.
Review: Ed Harris who plays the father was excellent in the role, and Peter Weller who plays a shady character was decent as well. The rest of the cast was solid, but wasn't spectacular.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again expecting different results. Can we really run away from who we are? Do we really have any choice in the choices we do make? Should our choices really define us when the results vary so much because of quantum mechanics. Rose, the aunt of the son, is blind and shows the importance in a cactus that she makes everyone touch despite the obvious results of being pricked and the bleeding that ensues. It brings back moments of reality and what our senses are.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 3 The film was shot well, but the story wasn't that deep and it lacked depth. It was still a solid enjoyable watch, but lacked any great moments.
Review: Ed Harris who plays the father was excellent in the role, and Peter Weller who plays a shady character was decent as well. The rest of the cast was solid, but wasn't spectacular.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme: The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again expecting different results. Can we really run away from who we are? Do we really have any choice in the choices we do make? Should our choices really define us when the results vary so much because of quantum mechanics. Rose, the aunt of the son, is blind and shows the importance in a cactus that she makes everyone touch despite the obvious results of being pricked and the bleeding that ensues. It brings back moments of reality and what our senses are.
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 3 The film was shot well, but the story wasn't that deep and it lacked depth. It was still a solid enjoyable watch, but lacked any great moments.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Love Aaj Kal
Summary: It's about a couple who are deeply in love played by Deepika Padukone and Saif Ali Khan. Their characters, Meera and Jai struggle with the geographical distance that divides them and the story is also shown a parallel from an earlier time period as told by an older man who is reminded of his own situation with the current one.
Review: I like the Bollywood film styles of mixing languages and the music behind them, but this movie really wasn't that deep. I love the small little details such as an old custom/ritual of "poking" an individual on the shoulders being reciprocated and then the poking on the cheeks(Om Shonti Om) and the drinks of both males of the timelines being black coffee and black tea.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme:
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 2 I liked the initial story, but it just couldn't captivate my attention for the entire 2 hours.
I couldn't find a subtitled version, but the cinematography should give you a good sense.
Review: I like the Bollywood film styles of mixing languages and the music behind them, but this movie really wasn't that deep. I love the small little details such as an old custom/ritual of "poking" an individual on the shoulders being reciprocated and then the poking on the cheeks(Om Shonti Om) and the drinks of both males of the timelines being black coffee and black tea.
Further Question/Philosophy/Theme:
Power Rating (Out of 5) and Comments: 2 I liked the initial story, but it just couldn't captivate my attention for the entire 2 hours.
I couldn't find a subtitled version, but the cinematography should give you a good sense.
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