Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Ahhh....the vain and shallow world of the fashion industry. Isn't it just funny and ridiculous how they run around...pondering over which belt or which shoes will go with some dress...I mean who cares...they all look the same anyway. Or what colours are in this season...what type of tan to get...Or if big sunglasses are still cool. I think thats what I like most about the film...seeing them scurrying around over the smallest things...the behind the scenes look at the fashion industry/magazine were all interesting and funny at the same time. Plus I have to admit...the clothes all look very pretty and of course expensive. I actually like the scenes where we see Andy transforms from this awkward to a fashion forward girl.

Besides that...I thought Meryl Streep was just devillish as the mean, demanding, determined, ruthless, career obsessed, intimidating boss who expects almost always the impossible. To think that she never even screams her demands all she does is says it softly, slowly and coolly...in an icy cold tone... and poof...everyone runs around in panic mode to get whatever she wants done...You kinda wonder how people can have such a power over other people.

And not to forget,Andy Sachs, played by Anne Hathaway is the protagonist of the film...the character is likeable as it should be ... the same though could not be said about her friends...they seem too me a tad annoying. Not at all supportive of her and her career choice...complaining bout the late hours and the boss from hell...shouldn't the one working the long hours complain more...go figure. I do question one thing though which is central to the plot....how is it ever possible for a girl who have no interest in fashion what so ever to even get a single interview with a fashion magazine? The same goes for Ugly Betty...i guess...logic plays little part.

Overall it was an enjoyable film.Some good acting by Meryl Streep. Pretty funny for the most part( especially the catty sarcastic remarks made by Nigel and Emily)...but I wouldn't consider it great. Hmm I think I'll give it 3/5

Night Listener (2006)

Robin Williams plays Gabriel Noone a radio host. Through a friend he strikes a long distance telephone relationship with a boy who is one of his biggest fan. Soon he begins to question the boy's identity...is he even real??

The movie starts out ok.The tone is dark and moody. Gabriel's lover has recently decided to take a break...and he's pretty depressed about it. So when a mysterious boy comes along under the guise of a fan with a tormented past...Gabriel give his full attention to this boy...sympathizes...becomes his friend and all...diverting his mind away from his failed relationship. Then his lover notices that boy's voice sounded similar to the boy's guardian,Donna....here's the thing though....I can't see the resemblance...too me they are two different voices...then again...what we get is Gabriel's perspective...and to him they are two different people...Soon Gabriel comes to see there is something really wrong and he goes to meet Donna to get the truth...some suspenseful scenes are thrown our away...but the end is disappointingly unsatisfying...there was no real climax...since the whole plot has been pretty predictable the whole way...they should have at least thrown in a twist ending...In the end we never did get to know who Donna really was...sure she is loony...but who is she?...and who the boy was too?...also would love to know more about the true story the movie was inspired by...if only they included it as a feature on a DVD...that would have been interesting... Overall, I felt that the movie is a mystery thriller that fails to live up to its potential. Could have been a lot better...right now...it looks like a made for tv thriller.

Seeing Double: Shortcut to Happiness and BedazzledSeeing Double: Shortcut to Happiness and Bedazzled

Hey don't they look alike. I pretty much know nothing of this new flick Shortcut to Happiness but from the brief plot outline on IMDB...it does not only have a similar plot to Bedazzled...even the posters look alike...the red heels...the tail...the only difference...the guys' legs(big deal) Hey its a copycat world. To actually think...someone actually got paid to come up with that poster...

Paradise Now (2005)

Two childhood friends are recruited to become suicide bombers and we see their moral and political struggle with the decision to carry on with the mission.

Wow...just wow...the whole Israel-Palestine conflict is soo controversial and touchy...but somehow this film manages not to be one sided, bias or making a statement or stand...It is in its heart the movie is about two friends who have been recruited as suicide bombers while shedding some light on the plight of the Palestinians. We meet them. We see them as human beings in their ordinariness. We see their lives. We meet their family. We see their poverty. We see them being recruited. We see them contemplate on whether to follow through with the mission. We see them reason with themselves to justify the actions they are going to make. We see the chief operator assuring them that they are doing the right thing promising paradise. We see the amount of calculated planning that needs to be taken with such a mission We see them prepare...ritual like before they go about with their mission...comes complete with a last supper scene...And then things go wrong, terribly wrong...And the end is nothing you would have imagined in the beginning. I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone...

Great story, great acting, great movie. Interesting, insightful, powerful, thought provoking and an extremely intense drama...definitely worth seeing. Loved how a movie about suicide bombers never really had any huge explosions...and yet still it remains frightening from the point of introduction to the point of execution.And the poster...I really like it too...Two men...facing the sky...looking at the heavens...and at the top the fitting title...Paradise Now. Almost a demand eh...

The Lake House (2006)

The Lake House is ...if you don't already know it is a remake of a Korean movie called Il Mare...Really curious if there were a lot of changes made compared to the original...Ok so the movie revolves around Kate a lonely workaholic doctor who has just moved out of her lake house, and she leaves a message in the mailbox for the next resident...So guess who gets this message...Alex a lonely architect who is the former owner...only thing is...he's in 2004...and she's in 2006. Impossible right? But it does happen to these two characters...and so they continue corresponding through the magical mailbox...soon love blossoms. Will they ever get to meet?

You know what...I quite like this movie...and its not even a genre that I usually particular enjoy watching. But I like it. The fall/winter setting was beautiful. The lake house was beautiful...I would never want to live in a glass house like that but I can't deny its gorgeous. The characters were likable...Nice to see Keanu and Sandra acting together again, though...they share very little screen time together. Anyhow they still look good. The perfect on screen couple. The plot, was ok...interesting enough and easy to follow. Quite different from most and there was even a climatic scene near the end...where the movie could go either way. Of course the whole plot with mailbox as the gateway to two time periods defies all logic...but what the heck...its a romantic fantasy and somehow it works. You find yourself rooting for the characters to arrive at the happiness they seek. Most of all...the end was satisfying...I mean...when you watch a romance or romantic/comedy movie...what type of ending would you want to see? (referring to the Break Up here)...So if you want to watch a charming romance flick this is it.

À la folie... pas du tout (2002)

Also known as He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not.

There's probably a ton of those movies about crazy psychotic women who are obsessed with getting their men. The Crush comes to mind here. They tend to have the girls/women...pout their lips here and there...wear cute sexy outfits...seduce the men...or something like that. Then the obsession creeps in...they start to wreck havoc in the lives of these men and everyone else.

À la folie... pas du tout...though is quite different than most of those other movies...and of course a lot better too. It actually splits the movie into two perspectives (A simple yet a clever idea don't you think)...One is that of Angelique ( what a name for the psycho character) the one who is in love with the married Dr Loic and the other is the from the perspective Dr Loic himself.

**Contain Spoilers**

The first is Angelique's perspective. We see her going on with her life...being totally in love with Loic...gushing about him to her friend...telling her about her plans with Loic...how they're going on a romantic trip...and how he sometimes disappoints her by not turning up for their dates. Of course this friend believes her..as do we...there's no reason not to. Angelique seems straight...innocent,sincere,cute,sweet and truly in love. Loic does really seem like a jerk...stringing Angelique around.

Then again this is only one side of the story...later the story starts back at the beginning and we get to see it from Loic perspective...He goes on living his life. He loves his wife. His wife is pregnant. They're both excited...awaiting the arrival of their child. Then he starts getting flowers and other gifts...his wife has a miscarriage...soon his personal and professional life is in ruins. And finally what Angelique is like and what she has done becomes clear to us. Underneath that sweet and innocent surface...she is one whacked character.

I liked how the first half was light, cute and sweet story about a girl in love. It was actually even funny at times. Then the second half is all serious...A dark thriller about how a girl's obsession is ruining a man's life. Almost a whole different different story...yet fused together perfectly and made the story whole. I thought it was a fresh take on the whole obsessive love story...quite unexpected. You could probably call it a dark comedy slash thriller. I like it.

DVD Collection

Ok so I was at the bookstore today...browsing movie magazines, and I stumbled upon this small section in a DVD magazine...dedicated to readers collection of DVDs...where readers get to boast the huge collection they have ...with pictures and all. And wow...the collection they feature was huge...This guy had like close to 3000 DVD...Wow. And of course he doesn't have the biggest...Some other guy has like close to 14000 DVDs. Lets do a calculation. How much do I need to get myself 14000 DVD assuming each costs at least $25....14000x25=350000...again Wow.Thats a lot of money. Haha...If only I have that much...my collection is pretty pathetic...not worth mentioning...Then again why would I want 14000 DVDs...other then...to show it off in a magazine...I'd want only the good ones...the ones I actually like...the ones I can watch over and over again...thats maybe like a 1000 at most. :) or maybe a lot less

Click (2006)

Adam Sandler plays Michael an architect who has a lovely little family. Trouble is he's a workaholic and has difficulty making time for his family. One night while shopping for a remote control he finds The universal control remote with which he can control time and the events of his life. He can pause, play, fast forward, rewind and even do everything in slow motion which does lead to several comical incidents.

Now you might think this is those laugh out loud comedy...as the trailer might have you believe with it showing pretty much only the comedic scenes...Sure the first hour or so was pretty funny...when Michael still found the remote controller a novelty...something to mute the dog with, recall certain events he's forgotten, hitting his boss's face and even fast forwarding being sick...now we all wish that too right. Soon Michael realises there were consequences for over using the remote controller. That's when all the drama and seriousness kicks in...and then it wasn't fun anymore...actually it was rather depressing...especially for a movie that market itself as a comedy. I mean basically we were watching a man who was helplessly losing his family at such an alarming rate...and all he was trying to do in the beginning was to make time for everyone he loved.

Anyway...overall I rather like it. It was funny and serious at the same time...definitely not what I expected it to it.

Manhattan (1979)

I loved Match Point. Great movie there...I had only thought it was a romance/drama of some sort...and it turn out to be so much more. Which of course spark an interest to watch other Woody Allen films ( I soo want to watch Scoop...have yet to find it anywhere). And the only one I could get my hands on is this...Manhattan. It has really good reviews...has like a rating of 8/10 on IMDB...even touted as his best film. Seem like a romantic comedy that I would enjoy...

...Wrong...I didn't quite enjoy it as I thought. Its not like I hated it or anything...its just I don't get why its good...why its considered great...what makes it different...from all the other stories about love...What we have in this movie basically is Issac... a 40+ guy dating a 17 year old who he doesn't really love...but much loves the city he lives in. One day he meets his friend's mistress and soon begins an affair with her... Once the affair is ended abruptly...he is soon crawling back wanting to patch up with his girlfriend...the one he still doesn't actually love...I guess one of the points being made here is people settle with whats there right? And etc...etc

The thing is...this film is just wayy too draggy...too much dialogue...sure some have a little humour but mostly its just...too boring for me...kept waiting for something interesting to happen...nothing does... And oh...I disliked Diane Keaton's character...then again I'm sure she not meant to be liked. Wrapping up...not what I had expected...not for me at all.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

What can I say... I'm disappointed. I loved the first two films. They were great...they were everything that any other comic book superhero movie should strive to be. They had the right amount of drama, romance, action and comedy. If only they had stuck to same recipe of success...instead, they injected way too much action and corny cheesy comedy.

Let me see what did I love about the first two films...I loved the narration. We actually get Peter's perspective of what he's going through and thus he seems much more human than ever before. The villains...with each movie we are introduced to new villains. With only one villain for each movie...each has more screen time...are better developed...and we are further able to understand where they are coming from. And of course with villains...come the next best things...the great special effect and action sequences...I thought the action scenes with Doc Ock were really cool. The movie also had some really good drama...from Peter losing Uncle Ben, Peter struggling with school and work, contemplating not being Spider-Man anymore and the whole drama with Mary Jane. With a small tinge of comedy and romance...both movies were extremely fun and entertaining.

**May Contain Spoilers**

So what did Spider-Man 3 do wrong? (my opinion anyway). Where was the narration...the voice overs? And the villains...there were like 3...thats like villain overload...you kinda wonder how Spider-Man survived after all the numerous attacks...I know he's a super hero and all...but he's becoming less and less human in this movie. Plus...I don't think the villains were as developed as they could have possibly been...I still don't get where Sandman is coming from... Is he really bad...or good but extremely tormented? Neither did I like the whole drama with the love triangle between Peter,MJ and Gwen Stacy...I absolutely hate how Gwen was introduced...I for one have never read the comics...but I do know that Gwen is suppose to be Peter's first love or something...and to throw her into the story just for the love triangle plot...I think thats weak. The worst I have to say...is the whole comedic dance routine...that was utterly ridiculous. Was not the least bit funny...quite a pathetic attempt to inject some light comedy into the movie. Oops...and almost forgot...how many times are we going to see MJ being held hostage by the villain...the damsel in distress again...its getting old...

So... about the only thing I like about this movie was the special effects and action sequences...especially the chase and fight sequences between Spider-man and the Green Goblin and the formation of Sandman. They look really cool...Spider-man was like bouncing of walls ...again awesome. And aww...I hate how it ends...with Harry dying..who's gonna be the Green Goblin now? And who will the alien symbiote cling onto next?...I think we can be sure will see a Spider-Man 4...hopefully a much better storyline

I think my thoughts a pretty much clear. Overall I did not like this Spider-Man movie at all. Want to watch a great comic super hero movie...watch the first two Spider-Man.