The movie starts off with ACDC’s Back to Black song playing in the background. That itself is a great start. Every second after that has been an awesome feast of the sights and sounds.

Iron Man is one hero which I’m least familiar with. Yet the movie delivers in so many levels. I could identify some references to the Marvel universe while some more knowledgeable friends alerted me to other minute hints of coolness.

Spoilers below. Stop reading if you haven’t seen the movie… ah what the heck, read on, so that you’ll notice these cool stuff when you watch it.

1. War Machine hints: The supporting actor, the air force colonel who works closely with Stark, kept me guessing if he’s gonna be War Machine. As the movie progresses, I began to realise they won’t be including War Machine in the movie. Then there was the scene where Iron Man had left to fight and this guy’s standing around, saw the Mark II armour, and I got really excited. He IS gonna be War Machine! Then he said, (almost to the camera) “Next time baby…” That’s it man… Geekgasm…

2. References to Mandarin
I didn’t notice this at ALL. But zero 12 alerted me to what the terrorist organisation’s name is. Ten Rings. I didn’t really pay attention to it. Then looking back, I realised, the terrorist leader kept playing with the one weird looking ring on his finger, and Ten Rings… well, the MANDARIN has Ten Rings. Oooh…

3. SHIELD
Some nerdy agent guy kept bugging Stark and Pepper for an important ‘debrief’. He said he worked for an organisation which has a very long name. And everyone kept telling them that they need a new name or something short to call themselves. Towards the end of the movie, they told Stark they did settle on a name. An abbreviation… SHIELD.

4. The Post Credit scene.
Won’t say anything here. But Marvel comic readers MUST stay till the end. Ultimate Geekgasm.

Iron Man marks the beginning of this year’s superhero movie fiasco. Next up… Batman, Hancock, Hellboy, and many many more! (except Superhero Movie, that’s just lame)

Popularity: 20% [?]

I will say it. Guillermo Del Toro is the master of Horror. Not just cheap thrill shock therapy horror, but really freaky, disturbing, ‘haunts you in your sleep’ kind of Horror.

At first I knew about him as the director of Hellboy, which was cool and all, but the movie’s not really into the freaky business. Then came Pan’s Labyrinth, which deserves an award for being freaky. Del Toro’s twisted take on fairy tales has made Pan’s Labyrinth a movie I will never forget.

And now, I have just watched The Orphanage. Another spanish film produced by Del Toro, and with honourable mentions to the director Juan Antonio Bayona. You can read a good review of the film here from IMDB.

El Orfanato is seriously one of the best Horror movies I have ever seen, regardless of language. I get multiple goosebump sessions throughout the movie with its excellent camera play, teasing you with possible ’sightings’, and not to forget its freakishly superb sound arrangements, edging you all through the movie.

The story’s fantastic. And there are really no plot holes left uncovered. Everything pieced together perfectly, and it has a good reason to. Unlike most other horror films which try miserably to put a weak story to an otherwise scary situation, where they try to explain stuff but end up spoiling the entire mystery/horror effect.

Unlike Labyrinth, where there’s quite a number of freaky monsters/creatures and quite a bit of gore, The Orphanage has a minimal amount of such things, but they are used to maximum effect. And I really like that in a horror movie. You can take something so trivial… so simple… and if you add the right amount of twist to it, you could create something of unimaginable… freakiness.

All, and I mean ALL horror buffs should watch the movie. And I wish I had a brain like Del Toro’s. And Neil Gaiman. And Jhonen Vasquez, just for the kicks.

Let’s end the post with a hint of the one freaky thing from the Orphanage.

Say hi to Tomas. He’s your friend. You can see him, right? Heh heh.

Popularity: 17% [?]

Starring Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker.

What started out as a potentially shitty movie, turned out to be pretty good. Reeves play a Vice cop who is part of a special unit that likes to take matters into their own hands. It’s quite similar to LA Confidential, but at least it’s set in the present day and isn’t quite as draggy.

There’s just one thing I’d like to highlight. I think Street Kings showed Keanu Reeves fiercer and more dangerous than when he played Neo in Matrix Trilogy. Yeah, he really rips people apart in this one.

There’s also several TV actors who play some important roles in the movie. Sucroe (Prison Break) and House (House) is in the movie.

There’s not many good movies showing around this time. So, Street Kings is among the top, for now.

It’s ok if you wanna save up for the super cool movie overload that’s coming soon. Stuff like Iron Man, the Dark Knight and Hellboy, to name a few.

Popularity: 5% [?]

I finally got a hold of the movie at Mustafa. Yes, I bought it. I’ve been wanting to watch it properly ever since that fateful day back in my NS life.

We were having night duties and the drivers loaded up Kuntilanak on the dvd player and blasted the 5.1 surround speaker with it. Yeah, they have all that shit in camp. With the rumours of a REAL Pontianak going around in camp, especially in level 3, auditorium, I was thinking that these guys are freakin’ crazy to watch it at night. And so the movie started with only 4 of us, if I remember correctly. Two infocomm guys and two drivers. The intro compelled me to stay and watch it through.

But then roughly 10 minutes into the movie, the rest of the drivers who went out came back. They made a ruckus. But after settling down with their food, cigarettes and hanging up their boots, quite a crowd had gathered at the ‘cage’ to watch the movie.

Then everything went downhill. They started pausing the movie, or slowing it down, NOT at the scary parts, but the sexy bits where Julie Estelle showed slightly more skin than usual. The DVD player has a zoom function and the crazy drivers played with that too. Everyone had a laugh now and then, but one thing for sure, the flow had broken, and I ended up not paying attention to the movie. I think I was half-occupied with playing someone’s PSP.

Ok, enough of that story, on to the…

KUNTILANAK REVIEW

I just finished watching it, so the stuff is fresh in my head. Firstly, the hype that made me wanna watch it properly came from several sources, namely Inkblot, who shares the appreciation of horror and scary movies. And a number of people who swore by the scary-ness of the movie.

As I watched it, I was keeping in mind Inkblot’s warning about the last 15 minutes, and how it’ll scare my balls off. But honestly, I found the little hints in the earlier part of the movie being the scariest parts. Albeit not THAT scary.

The parts when Mademoiselle Kuntilanak first made her glorious apperance… the little sneaks of her torso, hair, feet… her freakish movement… her combing of white hair… hints of her disfigured face… those things got me sitting up and watching intently.

As the story progresses, and I couldn’t really understand the language, I began to slouch down again and merely anticipate that last part Inkblot was talking about.

And so everything went on, and the finale came. The full figure of the ghost was seen. And there were even two little ones coming out to play with Julie Estelle.

The way I see it, once you show everything, you’ve got nothing else to show and for me, I’ll be thinking, “Oh, there’s the whole thing? Hmm, that ain’t so bad.”, instead of something like, “oh shit, that’s the freaking ghost, oh but where’d it go? woah shit… that’s scary!”, which happened in the first few appearances of the Kuntilanak.

And the movie closed its story, with Julie Estelle still having relations with the ghost. And lastly, a cheesy scare trick which again, was expected. Sigh. I really sighed at the end of it. I was expecting a sleepless night looking out my window every now and then and finally sleeping in the hall with the lights and TV on coz I’d be too scared. But instead, here I am, half sleepy and writing this review about a movie which is rather well made but just not scary enough.

Oh and I take back that part I said about it being well-made. There were some weird cuts made in the movie. I don’t know if it’s just the vcd but it sure looked like crap.

I just re-read Inkblot’s review on the movie, and I must say, sorry dude, it’s just not scary enough. I don’t know, maybe it’s the fact that the crazy driver dudes spoilt half the movie for me, or because of the fact that I’m expecting too much to be scared.

I do like the whole Mangkujowo (spelling?) mysticism and the Indon-Jawa feel to the whole thing. The sets, head on the mirror, art pieces, depicting that ancient Java look is pretty cool.

Well, this has been a really long review. I think I’ll stop here.
Kuntilanak, a movie that may scare some, but didn’t really work for me. I’m still waiting for the one.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I think I can say that this is one of the BEST monster movie I have EVER seen.

Okay, so it’s shot on a hand held videocam, ‘blair witch style’, they say, but still, this movie, or ‘footage’ freaking delivers man. It’s bloody awesome.

And the fact that it’s taken on a videocam makes it all the more believable.

The first part of the movie, which was the party, wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be. And when the shit starts to happen, you really feel like you’re there. Everything is so damn real! Intense to the core man!

Ok, the running while the camera’s on makes people dizzy and wanna puke, but I got to sit at the last seat of the cinema and to me, it ain’t that bad. There were only a few instances of the ‘running with camera’ thing.

Rob, Elena and that other chick.

The actors did a hell of a job. Very believable. And Beth is just drop dead gorgeous. Hudson, the cameraman, is just great, and *spoiler* Elena (dunno the spelling) was cool even as she was bit by the parasites, got infected and freakin’ burst inside out!

As for the monster(s), it was awesome as hell. All that hype and ‘leaked’ concept arts turn out to be fake. So when I saw the monster in the movie, I was taken aback. It was very original, I must say. Freaky too, to a certain extent.

I just love the movie. I just love this kinda things, whether it be ghosts, witches, monsters or aliens, these kinda live ‘real’ footages just really appeal to me.

I remembered I did something like this in JC, with a friend’s video cam, and it really looked real. We were having late night rehearsals and I decided to make this spontaneous and quick horror short film. Come to think of it, I guess it was really the first one I ever did.

Unfortunately, the video has gone missing as it wasn’t compiled or saved. But yeah, you get the idea right… I love this shit.

So, I give Cloverfield 10 stars. Really. I freakin’ LOVE it.

And not to forget, after we watched the movie, we saw two UFOs in the tampines sky. We followed them thinking they were kites, but we found no one manning them. Freaky.

Popularity: 7% [?]

This would be the most recent movie I caught in theatres, and it’s worth every buck.

You know there are some movies which seem draggy and you kept thinking what the hell is the point of showing us mundane conversations or irrelevant scenes? Well, they’re actually to add some realism to the movie, coz it’s probably set in a different time than ours.

We’ve seen it many times in stuff like Ali, Zodiac, Monsters’ Ball. But the effect gets through, coz you do believe that the movie is set in.. whenever the movie says its set.

American Gangster is also such a movie. So you can expect some draggy bits. But if you follow closely and optimistically, you’ll find it to be perfectly harmonised.

Denzel Washington. Every movie this guy acts in becomes gold. It’s either he picks which movie he wanna star in really carefully, or he just transforms whatever movie he starred in to an awesome film. Either way, he’s one of the reasons you gotta catch American Gangster.

Denzel plays Frank Lucas, a black man rising from a chauffeur of a notorious moneylender to a big boss of a massive drug syndicate. I just love this kinda ‘rise to power’ movies. I couldn’t help but compare this movie to greats like Scarface and Godfather. But I think Gangster can stand on its own.

Russel Crowe plays a cop who is as straight as he can ever be. In the time of corruption, he’s the very few who stood for true justice. It’s amazing how he couldn’t be tempted by all that offers.

Armand Assante was also in the movie, as some mob boss.

And all that linkage to Ali vs Joe Frasier, which reminds me of Will Smith’s Ali, is just great.

The movie starts rather messily, and you find yourself asking what’s going on for quite some time. But as the pieces fall together, it’s really an awesome experience.

I’d recommend it, if you got 2 hours 40 minutes to spare. Heh.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Hi all, it’s been a while. I’ve been wanting to write about this, so here it goes.

Stardust is a fairy tale with a very traditional take yet it’s so refreshingly new. I simply love the movie. I didn’t know it was starred by Claire Danes. If I did, I’d made a point to catch it in the theatres. But anywho, here’s some stuff I love about the movie.

1. Ian McKellen, the actor who played Gandalf and Magneto, did the narration of the movie.

2. The storyline, of course, is gem in itself. Seamless progressions and perfect timings of suspense and comedy. The story’s pretty simple. I mean, how complex can fairy tales be right? But its somehow very elegant.

3. Claire Danes. Oh, I’ve mentioned this already right?

4. Michelle Pfeiffer. Did I get the spelling right? But being so old, she’s still got it. But really, you get to see her getting really really OLD in this movie. Kinda gross.

5. When the credits roll, and I was wondering which genius came up with something so original yet so familiar, my question was answered when the name Neil Gaiman scrolled up the screen. Awesome.

6. Robert Deniro plays a very humourous role of the sky pirate. Just shows how great an actor he is.

7. Beautiful music score. It can make or break a movie.

8. Very Funny concept of princes. A screwed up dead king, and hilarious antics all through the movie.

It’s a fun, and memorable movie. I like it.

Popularity: 5% [?]

I don’t know why some of my friends said that this movie sucks. I find it quite good. Not incredibly ridiculously good lah… but it’s rather good. Some parts are draggy reminding me of movies like Castaway. But some parts are superbly thrilling.

There is this one part… I fell in love with its brilliant execution. Its suspense buildup, portrayal of its subjects, the introductory scene of the “dark seekers”, it’s fantastic. I love how the fear grips the Will Smith character as well as the audience. That whole part was superb.

Although the ending didn’t follow the novel’s ending, I think it’s a better finish than the original, which would have been extremely depressing.

I give the movie 7 outta 10. Pretty good movie. Got me thinking about it into the night.

And the best thing is… I get to eat nachos. Finally!

Popularity: 6% [?]

FINALLY!

I watched the movie yesterday night, after weeks of wanting to watch it. Hmm, I really don’t know where to begin with this awesomeness of a movie.

Ok, from the start then.

Beowulf was a legendary poem written by some guy. I only found out this fact after watching the movie, and my friend told me about it. That must be why it has such a fantastic storyline. Superb in every sense.

I haven’t seen a good ‘hero’ movie, set in medieval times, for a very long time. I couldn’t even remember the last good one. Troy, perhaps? But Beowulf is a ‘hero’ movie different from all others. It really captures how events turn to stories and then to legend. Like all legends from all over the world, they’re probably exaggerated a little to add a little flair. The movie’s witty dialogs and style will get you thinking about it way after the credits roll.

Beowulf was a viking warrior who seeks glory in slaying monsters. He travels with a small brigand of soldiers who call themselves Beowulf’s Army (simple enough, no?). In this movie, he travels to Middle Ages’ Denmark, where the city is under constant attack from a troll-like monster. I actually pitied the monster Grendal, and you’ll see why, if you watch the movie.

Ok, that’s as far as I can go without spoiling anything for ya. Coz, any further into the movie, you’ll encounter all the great elements that make Beowulf such a good movie.

I came in wanting to see its animation, rendering etc… but I ended up being fully immersed in the story, as if I’m in the heart of the action itself. The actors, voices, environments, monsters, everything… they’re just beautiful.

Beowulf was played by Ray Winstone, not really a popular actor, but he pulled off the voice with great majesty. Actually, when he first appeared in the movie, I thought he looked a lot like Sean Bean, who played Boromir from Lord of the Rings.

Then there was the old king, played by Anthony Hopkins. How the character emulates the actual actor is simply uncanny, unfathomable, unbelievable. I often find myself thinking if it IS real life. Beowulf’s loyal friend was played by the guy from Braveheart. William Wallace’s childhood friend, remember him? He looked damn familiar and again, the resemblance is uncanny.

John Malkovich’s character was also nailed to perfection. Even the style and trademarks of the actors were captured. All the way down to Anthony Hopkins slightly tilted head while acting, and John Malkovich’s weird style of talking. Oh, and who can forget Angelina Jolie… only, this time, she’s super-fine! Way better than the real one. Everything… and I mean, everything… is enhanced to perfection. She plays the sorceress/witch, by the way.

I can’t think of anything I didn’t like about the movie except that I wished it had gone on longer, maybe a trilogy? Like Lord of the Rings? Coz really, it’s of the same stature as LOTR, I think.

And to those people who still say that this is just a cartoon …. …. …. wake up. This is the future, and you people must be stuck in the stone age. I don’t care to argue with them anymore. Suit yourself and don’t watch it. Go ahead and miss out on one of the best movies of the year.

I give Beowulf 9.5/10. The 0.5 is due to the irritating exit light in my line of sight, and the fact that I couldn’t get nachos before going in, coz of some problems with the booking system. Other than that, Beowulf scores full marks on my watch.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The most recent movie I watched was Bee movie, a couple of nights ago. I never thought I’d go see this movie, but it turned out to be delightfully pleasant.

I wanted to watch Stardust actually, but the ‘animators’ persisted on watching the Bee movie.

It’s about how a single bee caused the entire upset of nature’s balance by placing a lawsuit against the humans for illegal harvesting of honey.

One thing I like about the movie is the familiarity of the voices. I could actually identify a few of them before the credits roll.

• Jerry Seinfeld plays Barry the Bee.
• The guy who voiced Joe Swanson (the cripple from Family Guy) plays the eccentric boyfriend.
• John Goodman plays the lawyer.
• Chris Rock plays the mosquito.

The jokes were very Seinfeld-ish. I loved Seinfeld. Therefore, the jokes, even though its translated to animation, told by a bee, is still funny.

I’d give the movie 7/10. It’s okay lah… Watch it for a marvel at how animation had progressed and Seinfeld’s little antics.

Popularity: 4% [?]