ryder_78 Reviews

The Great Wall (I) (2016)

Great Special Effects And Pretty Good Story!

[9/10 · 27 December 2017]

Not bad at all. The story was pretty good. An army of skilled fighters from ancient China against a horde of brute creatures that resemble Tyrannosaurus. Special effects are great as the creatures look quite lifelike and the overall cinematography is spectacular.

Matt Damon is the Western hero here who teamed up with the pretty Chinese general in defeating the Mother of T-Rex. Great stuff to watch Matt as a skilled archer killing the creatures with precision.

The only slight downside is the dialogue. Nevertheless, still an entertaining flick. 8/10 from me.

Cherry 2000 (1987)

Great Stuff

[9/10 · 18 November 2017]

To me, nothing is perfect so it's a 9 instead of 10 rating. The story is creative and acting quite solid. David Andrews gave a pretty average (and wooden) performance while Melanie Griffith shone in the film. Pamela Gidley proved to be quite convincing as a robot with a pretty face though she had limited screen time by appearing at the beginning and end of the movie.

This movie is a classic. It is a little weird to read the tag line of the movie "In the year 2017, a good woman is hard to find. A Cherry 2000 is even harder". Ironically it's now 2017 as the movie was set 30 years ago in 1987. The director had the vision of men having difficulty of finding a good woman in the future which is the current moment, after 30 years! Fortunately the vision did not quite materialise as people can still find true love at this time and age. On top of that, we do not have an advanced robot like Cherry 2000 that looks and behaves (almost) exactly like a human. All we have in reality are sex dolls with limited functions and features at the moment. It would be interesting to see if a Cherry 2000 prototype will be successfully developed in say 20 years from now, that is 2037.

Sixty Million Dollar Man (1995)

Hilarious Stuff

[8/10 · 7 February 2012]

I have always been a big fan Stephen Chow's earlier works(mid 80's to late 90's) as his slapstick comedies never failed to make me laugh, and I am the type of person who usually don't laugh too easily when watching comedies.

The main setting where the film was being shot is in Hawaii, I think. The story revolves around a rich playboy who gets blown into pieces by a group of mafia when he got into trouble messing with the lady of the boss. That is the point when the plot gets ridiculously funny. Most of the jokes do not make much sense, and that is where this movie takes off.

The partially dead playboy was resurrected by a white-haired Einstein like professor for $6000 since the dad couldn't pay for the expenses of the real operation, sixty million dollars. That is where the title of this movie was taken from. Well, you guessed it right. From sixty million dollars to six thousand dollars. A whopping reduction in operation costs that resulted in a less-than-perfect resurrected form.

The playboy can now turn into various forms as he wishes and consumes batteries as his main diet. The funniest aspect of this movie is IMO the imperfect state of his penis which has been substituted with a shower hose. The first time when he wanted to take a pee and found out about his penis, when he took the hose in his hand and said "What is this ah" before he fainted, I nearly choke on my popcorn. Damn that is hilarious.

Later on, he got a post as a school teacher in an institution that was full of problematic students. Things just get crazier from there.

To summarize, Stephen Chow is the Asian Jim Carrey with the jokes taken to more ridiculous levels.

Kung Hei Fat Choy (1985)

Watched This 20 Years Ago As A Kid

[31 December 2011]

Yep, I watched this movie 20 years ago when I was a kid. The only portion of the film that is etched in my memory is the part where Alan Tam regained his super powers when he jumped down a tall building near the end of the movie, something that has got to do with love that she received from a lady.

All in all a great fun movie from the good old 80's that is worth watching. Alan Tam is surely in his element in this movie, bringing much life to the character he played.

Highly recommended. Watch this movie with your kids during the weekends and I'm sure you and your kids will not be disappointed.

Misfits of Science (1985–1986)

I Watched This For Gloria

[9/10 · 26 January 2009]

Not only this drama is excellent and full of suspense, I had a major crush on Gloria played by Courteney Cox when I watched this as a kid. Man she was beautiful at that time and it was like a dream come true to watch her appear on the screen every time. Great storyline does help too. After more than a decade now she doesn't seem to be that "dreamy" anymore. Those were the good old days.

I particularly liked the guy who can create fireballs and lightning bolts. Not to mention the tall guy who can turn into a mini-dwarf. I forgot what kind of powers the last guy possesses, but I'm gonna find out soon after I look up the title in YouTube.

Great action drama of the 80s and an overall fun film to watch.

Alien 3 (1992)

The Worst Ever Alien Film Without James Cameron That Refrained Me From Watchin Alien Resurrection

[1/10 · 26 July 2008]

I am going straight to the point. This movie is pure garbage. It plunges deep down into the ravine full of rotten tomatoes and maggot-filled pies. It is that bad.

I have been a true fan of the Alien franchise after being exposed to Aliens 1 & 2 many years ago when I was still a kid in high school. Just lately, I got the Aliens trilogy(1, 2 & 3) and didn't consider Alien Resurrection(4) as I read Sigourney Weaver was not in it and the quality of the movie sucks. I am relieved that I didn't get the 4th instalment after watching the 3rd one just yesterday night.

Without James Cameron, the movie seriously lacks quality and depth. The storyline was poor and the acting was terrible. I don't know why the director of this movie chose to focus on the bandits in the prison this time but the vulgarity used in the movie pretty much killed the entire film. Even the iconic Sigourney Weaver cannot salvage this movie from the brink of disaster.

To sum it up, this film is pure garbage.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Good Old Horror Thriller Delivers The Goods

[9/10 · 3 June 2008]

This is a stunning piece of horror flick with plenty of gore and violence. The story revolved around 5 friends who bumped into a lady on the road and offered her a ride. That was certainly a wrong decision on their part as this had started a string of havocs and nightmares after that. Apparently the girl was a tortured soul both mentally and physically and blew her own head up with a gun inside the vehicle the group was traveling in. Shaken up and petrified, the group of friends don't know what to do with the dead body. They eventually decided to report the case to the sheriff. The nightmare began at that stage.

Apparently the sheriff was a fake and was in the same family as the "Madman" with the chainsaw. Two of the group members eventually found out the place where the "Madman" was hiding and one of them got captured and kept in the basement. The others then went to look for him and one by one got captured and brutally killed. The way the killings were done was exceptionally brutal as the victims were subjected to some cruel punishing which include having the skin of the face scrapped off, the body hanged using steel hooks, the outer skin of the face cut out, legs sliced clean and body cut into half. At the end of the day, one of the member of the group come out victorious(damn I thought she wouldn't have survived the onslaught of the crazy Madman with the huge chainsaw).

This film is definitely not for the faint-hearted as it contains a lot of violent and gore elements done in a tasteful way and not like some cheap crappy productions.

Highly recommended for mature audiences seeking for some high-quality thriller.

The Covenant (2006)

Bad

[2/10 · 4 May 2008]

This movie will appeal to kids below 8 years of age, period. For more mature audiences, I have to say that this is by far the crappiest piece of production that I've ever encountered this year. Halfway through the movie I was about to quit watching and have a nap. The characters are all half-baked, the storyline is poor, the special effects are cheap and over-the-top, and the conversations have some cheesy lines. Overall, I am very disappointed as a matured audience. However, I reckon teenage kids would love this piece of sh!t to bits. My 5 year old niece was jumping up and down however when Caleb unleashed a bolt of lightning ball.

The Protector (2005)

This Guy Can Kick Butt But Seriously Needs A Good Director To Move Up The Film Industry

[9/10 · 8 February 2008]

I was first exposed to this little unknown actor two years back when Ong Bak made its debut. Gossips and rave reviews were all over the place on this film, hailing the lead actor Tony Jaa to be the next Jackie Chan replacement. I knew I had to check this out with all the buzz around and was not disappointed with the outcome. The fight scenes in Ong Bak were great, and Tony displayed a unique fighting style that was not seen before in any action films, and he had done it with style and poise.

After 2 years, he moved on to do "The Protector", a film that was said to surpass Ong Bak with higher quality stunts and action. Once again, I had to check this out. And once again, Tony had not disappointed when it comes to the fight scenes. They were all very well done, brutal and exceptionally realistic. It did not come as a surprise as Tony was a former stuntman and was known to do his own stunts. All the fights in The Protector were particularly outstanding from the brawl in the multi-storey restaurant whereby he kicked asses all the way from the ground floor up to the top until he met his match in Johnny, to the finale whereby he takes on the Giant Nathan Jones and killing a couple of 'flies' on the way. I particularly liked the fight between Tony and the Brazilian maestro in capoiera, Lateef Crowder. Both are skilled in doing his own thing ie. Muay Thai and Capoiera, and the outcome was nothing short of breathtaking. The fights were as realistic as we can get as there is no CGI or stunt replacements involved because both Tony and Lateef are experts in their respective trades.

The only weakness in Tony Jaa's films is the directing. This guy seriously needs a good director with a better script-writer in order to move up the film industry. No doubt the action and fight choreography are first-rate, but the rest of the elements in the film are below par. The script and storyline often turn out to be poor and character development is definitely missing with the rest of the cast giving a lacklustre performance since most of them are relatively new. In other words, you basically go to watch a Tony Jaa's film ONLY for the action and fight scenes. The story and the rest of the cast will most likely turn out to be crap. No matter how awesome the fights are in a Tony Jaa's film, the movie on a whole will turn out to be mediocre at best due to the points as mentioned.

To reiterate, this guy seriously needs some help from experienced writers and directors if he were to star in a 'award-winning' film. Otherwise, all his effort will be somehow wasted. In order to appreciate a film as a whole, not only the action has to be good but the script and support from the rest of the cast are equally important as well to get the audience to fully involve or immerse in the movie itself.

Bleach (2004–2023)

Normally I Don't Watch Animes Or Cartoons But Bleach Really Got Me Hooked

[10/10 · 14 October 2007]

Okay let's get the facts straight.

I noticed the rating for Bleach is 8.8/10. I'm adding my own comment here in an attempt to get that beyond 9.

For starters, I'm 29 years old, male and was never an anime or cartoon fan. Throughout my teenage years, I've only got hooked to Dragonball Z(15-18 years). That's it. Gundam Seed did appealed to me once in a while but I was totally not into anime for almost more than a decade. I suppose I got matured and that these kiddies stuff are waay past my time and not my type anymore. Damn I was wrong when I incidentally stumbled onto Bleach one day while changing through channels on TV. I was transported to my childhood days just after watching 2 episodes and instantly got hooked to the series like an eager blood-sucking leech.

It is wonderful to live in a fantasy world and that is the reason Bleach is so watchable. The excellent scripted storyline and wonderful varied characters will bring out the child in every man or woman. Watching the character of Ichigo develops from a normal kid to one that has super-natural powers is a rewarding journey, not to mention his what-you-call-that powerful 'bankai' that enables him to prevail in most of his battles with other powerful villains. The ups and downs throughout the journey from resisting turning into a hollow to becoming a shinigami had made this series so much enjoyable to watch. Coupled with his allies, from the cute little girl who can summon cute little angels to the cool-looking bloke with his deadly bow and arrows, and not to mention the powerful and indestructible Byakuya(did I spell that correctly?). Man talking about that guy. I saw him taking down Ichigo in one chapter without much effort at all along the alley on one fateful night which he took Rukia to Soul Society with him after that, leaving Ichigo as good as dead. I then thought to myself, how the hell is Ichigo going to bring his level up to that of Byakuya's if he were to match his powers and to save Rukia from the gallows? Anticipating what's going to happen next, the show ended. booo... Wait till the next episode comes by. duh.... See? The level of addiction is high as every time you anticipate the twists and turns of the story 30 minutes had passed.

Great stuff. Highly recommended even for age 30+ and above.

Queen Margot (1994)

Magnificent French Epic

[9/10 · 4 March 2007]

Isabelle Adjani really stole the limelight here with her incredible talent and beauty. I was utterly floored when I saw that luminous glow on her face which resembles a true goddess. Her mixed parentage of Jewish and German roots certainly helped in a way. Vincent Perez was perfect as the suave handsome lover of Margot, and so were the rest of the cast which include the kings and future kings on both sides.

The story didn't have a strong outline and was rather weak but overall the acting pulled it off. There was much gore with swords slashing and piercing through human flesh, bodies all piled up along the streets and blood was seen streaming out from cut wounds freely. There was a scene when a man's neck was slashed and the flesh just tore apart revealing everything inside with blood splattered all over. Nude bodies are a free sight in this film and we get to see heads that are detached from the carcasses. No wonder this movie was banned here in Asia and got an R rating for US audience. It's amazing that Spain rated this film at 13 as i seriously doubt this movie should even be suitable to be watched by kids of age 15 and below.

Did I mention this movie got a lot of nudes on offer? Yes, we get to see both Vincent and Isabelle baring it all too in the show, especially the former. And I really mean "ALL". Kudos to Vincent who really have the guts to bare it all in two separate scenes. Salute those frenchies.

Overall a good watch and worthy of recommendation, with young teenage kids and extremists in Catholic/Prostestants preachings an exception.

Gladiator (2000)

Magnifico

[10/10 · 19 February 2007]

I'll make this short since there are probably thousands of reviews here already.

This is the 2nd movie after Saving Private Ryan that reduced me to tears at the end of the show. The success of this film was largely made possible by the talented director, great cast and a huge budget allocated for the movie. Although Crowe was the lead actor, much credit have to be given to Richard Harris and Joaquin Phoenix(not forgetting Oliver Reed) for adding depth and character into the movie. If I were only allowed to choose one, I would pick Harris(in portraying the slain emperor) as the best supporting actor over Joaquin, Oliver or Connie Nielsen. I think his performances are very powerful and not to mention the fact that I particularly admire his incredible acting in the scene where he told Joaquin he was not going to be his heir to the throne. His gestures, his expressions when listening to Joaquin's rant were just so real that you really feel for him being an aging but noble emperor.

Russell Crowe is better off given roles as a fighter(for a good cause) just like James Braddock in that boxing movie. He's still better suited to movies with patriotic kind of battles such as this one in Gladiator. Crowe just sucks big time acting in dramas and movies with love elements. Please we don't want to see him fall in love with Meg Ryan! We want an action star out of Russell!! I hope the directors are reading this so that Crowe can be given more roles that involve leading a pack of army or something and turn out to be a hero at the end. Never mind if he's dead or alive at the end of the show but it just adds more compassion and probably reduce some folks to tears if he really fails to keep on breathing at the end.

My 2 cents worth.

Over the Top (1987)

Best All-Time American Classic

[10/10 · 10 December 2006]

I have grown up watching Stallone as a kid. From his untouchable blockbuster movies(Rambo & Rocky) to the most recent Rocky Balboa in its 6th iteration, Sly has carved a name for himself as a legend in American movie history, putting him alongside the late Christopher Reeves in portraying the all-time greatest American hero in Superman. All these great classic movies will never fade in time and would be still enjoyed by generations to come.

Over The Top remains the best under-rated movie I've ever seen with a great powerful storyline that conveys strength, love and sacrifice coupled with great action and drama as with most Stallone's works. Even after 20 years since I first watched the film as a 9 year old kid, memories of my 'idol' going against all odds in arm-wrestling battles are still fresh in my mind. Nobody on earth can portray the underdog hero better than the man himself(not even Arnie!!)and Sly shows he is more than just rippling muscles by showing his tender side as a lone father with a child.

I will always remember the final battle between Sly and the big guy. Although his nemesis's biceps are probably twice in diameter compared to SLy's(it's like pitting a golf stick with a fat baseball bat), Sly came out tops. I've forgotten if Sly broke the guy's arm, but hey it's been 20 years and I can still recall bits and pieces of the storyline so it's not that bad!!

All in all, a great movie and kudos to Sylvester Stallone in bringing great characters to life. Age seems to be catching up but looks like there's no stopping this man!