Sex And The City

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ Cathay EHub (28/05)
Snacks: None

I'm guessing the people who're going to watch this movie are fans of the TV show so i'm just going to run through it okay.

So it's been 4 years since the events of the last episode in the TV series. and we catch up with the 4 friends. Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda Hobbs (Cynthia Nixon), Charlotte York (Kristin Davis) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall).

Samantha is still busy with Smith Jerrod's (Jason Lewis) up-and-rising career in Hollywood and starts to question how happy she really is to be in a relationship.

Miranda and hubby Steve Brady (David Eigenberg) are busy raising their son Brady but things are hard with Miranda always concentrating on her career and Steve feeling neglected as a result.

Charlotte and husband Harry Goldenblatt (Evan Handler) are busy with adopted little one Lily and seems the most stable and content of the 4.

Carrie is still Carrie. And Carrie's still with Mr Big (Chris Noth) and they're still very much in love. And after awhile it's time to take the next big step.
It's time for Carrie and Mr Big to tie the knot.

i'll be honest.
i really enjoyed the 6-season run of the TV show. and i was really wondering how they were going to pull this movie off y'know?
and it turned out to be just a really long extended episode of the TV show.
and in this episode it's really mostly about Carrie and Mr Big (as usual) but attempts to incorporate the other 3 girls into the picture kinda fits well.
But part of the charm of the TV show was being able to flaunt and project the different weirdo characters involved.

Yeah sure. In this movie characters like Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson) and Anthony Marentino (Mario Cantone) which spiced up the TV show get less than 15 mins showtime.
And the addition of Louise (Jennifer Hudson) as Carrie's personal assistant takes away even more air-time from the others.

all i'm saying is.
that from all the promo materials and even the movie tagline, you can tell who this movie is going to be mostly about.
Even though she may be the main character, at least in the TV show they had time to let the other characters shine.

If you're a big fan of the show then obviously go watch it anyways.
But if you haven't a clue about the show then try and watch the TV show first before catching the movie so at least it won't be too bad.

Final Verdict:

Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Mr Rider, Mr & Mrs Porno @ Cathay EHub (27/05)
Snacks: Hot Dog Combo

Dr Jones! Dr Jones! Calling Dr Jones!
Dr Jones! Dr Jones! Wake up now!

So yes Indy's back.
It's been 19 years since his last adventure in The Last Crusade and Dr Henry 'Indiana' Jones Jr is caught up in another adventure again.
And i'm not even going to make any cracks about Harrison Ford's age.

The year is 1957 and Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and his buddy George 'Mac' McHale (Ray Winstone) are held captive by Colonel-Doctor Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett) and her small soviet army. She needs them to help find a mysterious crate in Roswell located at the famous Area 51 (i'm sure you can tell where this is going)

Well they manage to escape but suddenly a young ruffian named Mutt William (Shia Lebeouf) with news that his mother has been kidnapped along with Indiana's old friend and buddy Professor 'Ox' Oxley (John Hurt) after the latter gave indication that he's found an ancient crystal skull that was once though long lost and associated with ancient Mayan/Aztec civilizations. So they journey into South America while battling the Soviets and at the same time trying to solve the mystery shrouding the crystal skull and why the Soviets are so interested in it.

Doesn't that sound just SO exciting? *pffft*

I'd actually type out more but if i did then i might ruin the surprise by revealing some details that you'd probably just have to watch the movie to enjoy.
But i'll be honest and say that i didn't really expect this movie to be that good.
The original Indiana Jones movies were so cool because they were so realistic. Okay maybe some dude on such fantastic adventures is not realistic.
But at least back then it was believable.
Now they have advanced CGI technology which actually takes away most of the draw and the plot was really a let down.
Being predictable is one thing. Being un-original is another.
I can just imagine people going "Alamak" as the plot is slowly revealed.

Another chance for the rich to get richer based on a cool franchise that should have been laid to rest after the fantastic original trilogy.
And by the way. Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) in the movie does NOT look like she does in the movie poster above.

Final Verdict:

Zwartboek (Black Book)

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ The Cathay Picturehouse (23/05)
Snacks: Not Allowed

another foreign film? really?

Rachel Stein (Carice Van Houten) is a Jewish singer from before WWII who is now hiding in the Netherlands to avoid persecution from the Nazis.
but when her hiding place is bombed, she has no choice but to attempt to flee across the river to Belgium.

when things go wrong however, she is brought back to the Netherlands where she has changed he name to Ellis de Vries and she is recruited into the Resistance led by Gerben Kuipers (Derek de Lint) and his right-hand man Hans Akkermans (Thom Hoffman).
a chance then arises for Ellis to delve deeper into the Resistance's cause and infiltrate the Gestapo headquarters by seducing SS officer Ludwig Müntze (Sebastian Koch) and stealing information which is vital to the mission of saving innocent lives and hampering the Nazis' reign of terror.

not only does Ellis now have to deal with Müntze and other Gestapo officers Günther Franken (Waldemar Kobus) and General Käutner (Christian Berkel), she also has to face the fact that she has fallen in love with the man she was supposed to be stealing secrets from.

from here on in it is a wild ride of suspense and action.
throw in a few twists and turns and you will find yourself right in the middle of the action as if you yourself are there.

i don't know about you guys but i'm a sucker for movies that have anything to do with World War II and with such a great plot and story-development i'd be hard pressed to give this movie the credit it deserves.
director Paul Verhoeven's usual gritty yet artistic style yet again shines through in this Dutch movie which garnered so many awards in its home country.
even with the added hassle of reading the subtitles (unless you understand dutch) you'll still be able to enjoy what this movie can offer.

ps it helps that Carice Van Houten is so bloody hot.
nudity aside. she's got one of those 'old-world beauties' things going for her.

Final Verdict:

Taxidermia

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Mr Faz @ The Cathay Picturehouse (19/05)
Snacks: None

wow. wowee. wow.

i don't mean that in a bad good way. nor in a bad way.
i just mean it in a wow wowee wow way.
seriously.

this movie is basically about 3 different men from 3 different generations.
(all 3 Hungarians by the way)
and their stories are told in 3 different short snippets where each others' fates and such are intertwined somehow. sadly.

the first story set in WWII is of Vendel Morosgoványi (Csaba Czene) who is a servant soldier to the no-nonsense army officer.
this bleak life leads to Morosgoványi being a horny perv who peeps at and wanks off to sights and fantasies of his officer's wife and children.
he's basically a sicko.

second story is of his (Morosgoványi) son, champion speed-eater Kálmán Balatony (Gergely Trócsányi) and his wife Gizi Aczél (Adél Stanczel) who are champions in their field but struggling to cope with the rigours and pressures of the 'sport' of speed-eating.

last but not least we have the story of his (Balatony) son, the taxidermist Lajoska Balatony (Marc Bischoff).
possibly the weakest of the 3 generations, Lajos is a freak who is shy and twisted not only because of his profession but also his family history.
with his mother gone, his father Kálmán (who is now a monstrous size) is more than overbearing and this leads to rather drastic turns.

this isn't your typical movie.
in fact this isn't even your typical art-house movie.
director György Pálfi's vision is unmistakable in this movie but i reckon a lot of people might not even be able to stomach it let alone stand it.

i'll have to admit this movie is rated R(A) for a very good reason.
it is grotesque. mind-numbing. disturbing. shocking. genius.
this movie will make you cringe, laugh and even turn away at times.
it is a surreal movie with not-your-average plots or characters but it really does show us the banalaties of life - albeit in a surreal way.
and just some advice. it's NOT a first-date movie oright.

i WAS going to give this movie a failing mark.
then i gave it some thought.

i leave you with some (disturbing) images from the movie.

Final Verdict:

Iron Man

Times Watched: 2
Watched With: Mr Rider, Mr & Mrs Porno @ FilmGarde KLP (01/05)
My Dad & My Brother @ Cathay EHub (07/05)
Snacks: Yeo's Lychee Drink

i still can't believe they picked Robert Druggie Jr.

Genius weapons engineer/industrialist/womanizer/gazillionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) is kidnapped in Afghanistan while demo-ing his latest weapons breakthrough the Jericho missile with his friend and fighter pilot Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard).
and it is there that he develops his very own Ark technology to construct a device embedded in his chest that will keep his heart in working condition and ultimately keep him alive.

after his ordeal in Afghanistan. Stark realizes the consequences of the sales of arms to the wrong parties and vows to try and make a difference by ceasing all weapons production which rubs feollw Stark Industries honcho Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) the wrong way.
it is there that Stark realizes he needs to do more and with the help of his faithful assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow)constructs his ultimate weapon - a super-suit that'll enable him to eliminate and threats posed by the sale of his weapons to terrorist organizations.

fans of the comic book will surely watch this to try and see if they stay true to the original comics (and by my review so far you can see that they've changed a few things).
plus by the cast of characters you can see what they're planning for the sequel already am i right guys?
and i can also safely say that lots of people will watch this anyways even though they might not be fans of the comic.

the special effects were really good.
but i STILL disagree with the choice to get Downey Jr as the hero.
guess i don't see him as the type that has the cutting y'know.
(PS did you know Tom Cruise was orinally supposed to play Iron Man?)

well it may not have been THAT great.
but it was definitely better than i originally anticipated based on the trailers and posters. so go catch it if you have the time.
i'll definitely have to watch this a few times i reckon.

and a tip: stay after the credits start rolling. trust me.

Final Verdict:

Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Mr Faz @ The Cathay (01/05)
Snacks: Popcorn & Grape Soda

"Fuck You! Donuts Are Awesome!"
(these are the kind of one-liners you can expect)

so this movie picks up EXACTLY where the last movie ended.
Harold Lee (John Cho) and Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) are 2 buddies who've just returned from an epic journey to White Castle and now they're headed to Amsterdam so that Harold can see his girly Maria (Paula Garcés).

but on the plane, Kumar (as expected) gets up to his usual stupidity and the 2 get mistake for terrorists and are sent to Guantanamo Bay by siao-on Homeland Security Agent Ron Fox (Rob Corddry).
and as the title suggests. the 2 of them escape.

and there on we get to see Roldy And Kumar on another mad-capped adventure across states in an attempt to clear their names and in the mean time manage to try and stop Kumar's ex-girlfriend Vanessa (Danneel Harris) from marrying douchebag Colton (Eric Winter), attend a KKK meeting, smoke weed with the president, go to a 'bottomless' party and even go to a brotherl with Neil Patrick Harris (Neil Patrick Harris).
what else would you expect from this movie right?

well if you like Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle then you're obviously going to watch this one am i right?
i didn't really like the first one but i'd say this one is a little better but it's not exactly a movie of 'substance' if you get my drift.
more of a 'substance abuse' is more like it.

but it's good for a few laughs i guess.

and a little trivia for you all.
in case you're wondering "eh what kind of a name is Kal Penn for an indian dude" right? well don't scratch your heads anymore.
Kal Penn's full name is Kalpen Suresh Modi.

Final Verdict: