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Reviews
Nuovo Olimpo (2023)
It's been a long time since the last time I was moved by a film...
This is more of a reaction than a review. I don't know how I've came across this film but not a bit of regret for watching it. It's a beautiful and well performed film. It's like being with the characters, or at least you can relate with what they are feeling.
There was suspense and excitement, but mostly, hope and love. It showed how the test of time consumes us as we get and move on with our lives, how we get ourselves confined within the walls we created unintentionally.
The story spanned for decades and I was impressed by how it was depicted. Although it was a long period, the delivery of the story didn't feel like you've been dragged. You see the characters and you just know that years have passed.
There was one particular scene where I found myself crying along with the character. I just so feel the emotional turmoil. The other characters were also well portrayed, understanding what they were going through as well, thinking what would I have done if I were in their shoes.
Personally, I didn't like the ending. But that was the story. I was emotionally overwhelmed that I had to write this reaction as an outlet. I hope you'll like the movie too.
And Just Like That... (2021)
Why would they tackle all the social issues in the world at once?
They forcefully tackle all the social issues you could think of right off in the first episode. Dafaq? Where were they supposed to be in the past 15-20yrs, in another planet? They should have been used to these by now. They could have just included some scenes casually correcting one or two misunderstood or incorrect interpretation of some of these woke themes. Not addressing them all at once. For me it would have been better if they did kind of review what each lead character has been up to through the years for the first episode. Like in a Carrie narration manner. And at the same time introducing some new characters. I think the only naturally evolved characters are Stanford and Anthony, and maybe Harry.
Anna (2019)
I'm sorry but it's crappy
I was excited to watch this film because I just visited Russia last May. However, I was immediately confused early part in the movie. To make it short, I was disappointed. The timeline could have been less confusing if they were correct and consistent with the time elements. It's like watching a Paleolithic man cooking with solar-powered microwave. Three stars for the effort.
The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)
Entertaining despite that one thing...
Just a brief comment... This movie is entertaining with lots of action scenes and funny situations. But there is one thing that is bugging me... the drive. That's not a flash drive! It's the cover of the USB drive. I thought there's going to be a scene later where they'd realize they took the wrong part of the drive. Did not happen.
The Promise (2016)
Great Film
I saw this movie yesterday, the first day of showing here in Tokyo. I had no prior idea about the existence of this movie,I just happen to go the theater and saw the trailer in the lobby. It looked interesting and so I decided to see it... And I am glad I did. This film is so emotional and well acted. You could very well relate to the feelings of Mikael, the lead character. Near the end, I felt the overwhelming heaviness in my heart that left me speechless and emotionally drained. Fortunately the movie ended in a positive note. I don't believe this movie deserves the current rating of 6, it deserves higher, if not 10.
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Worst franchise movie ever
I do not have high standards when it comes to watching movies. I'm easily entertained... until this movie. My goodness, I can't believe this is a major Hollywood film. Too many unnecessary scenes, characters, dialogues, story twists. I thought of leaving the theater after an hour of this chaos. The reason I stayed until the end was because I watched it in 4D. So I'd rather enjoy the ride and get entertained by my seat's special motion effects than totally waste my money.
This movie is like made by a group of students, neophyte writers, a first timer editor, and they put all the rest of the budget for the FX but the 3D conversion effect wasn't even that good. Everything is all over the place!
I had no plans of writing a review but because it was so bad I had to warn others. So there you go, you've been warned.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
Great Movie, Fully Entertaining, Best 3D seen so far...
Despite going to the movies almost every weekend here in Tokyo, I became aware of this movie only when it started being shown in the theaters. Without much expectation, I went in to watch the movie in 3D (because I am a 3D buff) and I was blown away. It got the best 3D I've seen since Avatar! Story and delivery, the action and presentation, I think they were great as well.
I saw this movie with a friend, who is conservative and faithful to the original King Arthur legendary story, saying that they changed the story. Well, I said back that the story she'd known wasn't even a historical fact so why complain? My friend, however, agreed that the story plot in this movie is solid and well executed. Arthur's character was well developed in the movie. Also agreed that the 3D was way better than the latest Pirates movie we just saw last night.
To be honest, I am disappointed that this movie was not introduced and promoted well here in Japan. I never saw any trailer on TV! I had no prior knowledge about the director and the lead actor. It was only after seeing this film that I got impressed. This movie deserved much more publicity and thorough introduction.
This movie is really entertaining from start to finish that I saw it twice already. If there would be a sequel with the same director and lead cast (and I hope there will be), I surely will rush to the theaters to see it.
I don't want to write any spoilers here but I definitely recommend this movie and guarantee satisfaction. Unless you're a toad.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
Could have been better...
I never read the book so everything was new to me when I was watching this movie. Full of surprises. That is, there were lots of loose ends and lack of character development. It's like it assumed all the viewers knew the characters beforehand. I was lost when Clary accused Alec of being in love with Jace. There was no prior indication that Alec was gay.
Jace mentioned at least twice that they are a close team, and Isabelle said that they haven't been working as a team since Clary arrived. But then again, there was no prior scene on how close they were as a team before Clary, and how they were now breaking up.
Simon was bitten by a vampire and his vision improved. Just that?
Suddenly, a long romantic scene between Jace and Clary. How did they become attracted to each other?
There were more questions but too long to write. All in all, I think this could have been a very good movie if it was very well written. Somebody who had no idea about the book should have read the script so that these loose ends were pointed out early on in the production.
Odd Thomas (2013)
Will there be a sequel?
I wonder why this movie was not advertised much. At least to my attention. I never knew about this movie until I checked amazon for the latest DVD release. I find it odd that Anton Yelchin is the lead star of this movie. Not that I'm against with it, it's just that I was used to him being in that-guy roles.
The brief description written here in IMDb does not justify the contents. I mean, it's more than that. The genre says Comedy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller but they forgot one more important thing, Romance. Yes, there is also a love story involved and that's what made this movie more pleasantly interesting. The action and nonstop twists also got me hooked. Sure there were a few questionable aspects which I won't mention here. I'd just ignore them for the sake of entertainment.
How odd is this movie? For a Comedy/Horror/Mystery/Thriller film, I found myself in tears in the end.
This Means War (2012)
Entitled "Black & White" in Japan...
I saw this movie last night without having seen any prior trailer. It's entitled "Black & White" here in Japan, so that didn't help me figure out what to expect either. I was just sure that it wasn't a serious drama film...
Well, well, well, amidst the 3D trend nowadays, I find this 2D movie a delight! The story may not be exactly unique but it wasn't a dragging concept either. Surprisingly, it's funny and entertaining all throughout. The story is fast-paced, by that I meant that it's not a boring passage of minutes, uncomplicated, and it kept me always interested. It's been a while that I saw a movie where I was focused on the screen the whole time.
The downside is that it was only about an hour and a half! But I'd take that okay, better than extending the film with boring and unnecessary scenes.
I'm giving it a rate of 9/10 for total entertainment value.
The Three Musketeers (2011)
Entertaining but...
Entertaining but when I got out of the theater, I already forgot all about it.
I still wonder, it has great cast, great costumes, and it's 3D.
As I said, the cast is great, but even among the musketeers you can't feel the rapport well enough.
Well, the 3D is a little disappointing. I think it would be still the same even if it was only in 2D.
I think the problem is in the story. And that is... I already forgot. It felt like I was just following without thinking what is being fed to me on the screen.
I usually base my rating on entertainment but this film left me a bit confused rather than entertained so I am giving it a 6.
Immortals (2011)
Entertaining but...
I saw the film last night and while I was entertained, I am a bit dissatisfied. Most of the best parts were already in the trailers.
I think you don't need to have a background in Greek mythology to better understand the setting. You only need to know that there are many gods and their father is Zeus. And there are humans.
While the locations are great, it gave me an impression that all of them are artificial aka CG. Having said that though, the 3D effect will not disappoint you.
There is a very little time spent on developing essential characters in the movie, especially the gods. It's even made worse by the same little time of their screen exposures that their faces did not register in my memory. When the second time they appear on the screen came, I could not figure out which god were they.
I think that is also observed by the distributors here in Japan because I noticed in the Japanese subtitles that they also have introduction subtitles for the characters when they first appeared on the screen. The entire movie is about 110 minutes but I think there are many repetitive scenes that could have been used instead to focus on developing the characters.
Some say that this movie is a 300 attempt or Clash of the Titans in disguise but I think it can stand on its own. There are lots of movies out there that are more similar to each other anyway.
I'm an easy guy and what I always look after for a movie is entertainment. In this film, I was greatly entertained so I give it a 9.