Art Of The Devil 3

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Mr Rider @ GV Vivo City (27/07)
Snacks: Hot Dog Combo

Got a black magic woman...

Ta's (Namo Tonggumnera) mother Duen was poisoned by his father because he wanted to run away with a pretty young teacher Panor (Napakpapha Nakprasitte).
Now great-grandma, grandpa, sister, sister's husband and Ta resort to black magic and get a powerful but evil medium to bring back Duen's soul but into the body of Panor, who unintentionally started all the problems to begin with.

But black magic is never that simple is it?

I wasn't sure if i wanted to watch this movie because I didn't watch the first 2 installments but apparently this has nothing to do with the previous 2 films.
In fact, the events in this movie appear to take place just before the events in Art of The Devil 2.
And this 3rd movie boasts to be the 'Goriest Thai Movie Ever Made'.
Nonsense.

Sure some parts are kinda squirm-inducing but it's hardly gory.
You can feel for the characters in a way. But then you start getting the feeling that they're all a bunch of idiots.
I guess the one thing that everyone seems to agree with (even with the first 2 movies) is that the black magic rituals shown in the movies are actually pretty accurate.
So at least there's something to watch. But not much.

My advice is to wait for the DVD box-set to come out and watch all 3 in a row. I'm not sure if that'll help. But this movie alone wasn't very good.

Final Verdict:

Over Her Dead Body

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ Home (26/07)
Snacks: Sprite

Kate (Eva Longoria Parker) and Henry (Paul Rudd) are 2 lovebirds who're going to get married.
And on their wedding day, Kate is unfortunately (and ironically) killed.
But in the 'Big White Room', she finds out that she can't move on til she completes her 'unfinished business'.

Henry is of course crushed and is in shambles so his sister Chloe (Lindsay Sloane) decides to take him to see would-be-psychic Ashley (Lake Bell) to see if she can help him move on with his life by possibly 'contacting' the dead Kate.
But in turn. They end up falling for each other. And obviously ghostly Kate is not going to let her man go so easily right??

I'm sorry but this doesn't work.
It's just reusing old ideas and trying to add new stuff in. Horribly.
And the fact that Ashley runs a catering business with gay-business-partner Dan (Jason Biggs) is (supposed) to add to the hilarity.

It's predictable (to say the least). Maybe you get SOME laughs but overall you're just watching the story play out before you eventually get to the obvious and boring ending.

After watching this, I was reminded why I avoided watching this kind of movie in the first place. My only consolation is that i didn't have to watch it in the theatre.

Final Verdict:

The X-Files: I Want To Believe

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ The Cathay (24/7)
Snacks: Boiled Peanuts

The truth is in here.

An FBI agent has been abducted and as usual they're stumped.
The only lead they have to the missing agent is convicted pedophile Father Joseph Fitzpatrick Crissma (Billy Connolly) who seems to have a psychic connection to the missing FBI agent.
Due to the unusual nature of the case, FBI Agent Dakota Whitney (Amanda Peet) has little choice but to call in the experts, mush to the annoyance of her skeptical partner Agent Mosley Drummy (Alvin "Xzibit" Joiner).

So in step in Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). Scully is now a doctor at a Catholic hospital and is reluctant to assist in the investigation because of an on-going case with a terminally-ill boy at the hospital and she claims she's "left the FBI life" behind her. Mulder on the other hand is ready to jump in full-force because he lives for nothing but the strange but he has also relied on Scully's participation over the years. So how will it turn out now that they both have different views and have their own demons to chase?

I used to be a fan of the show. It was pretty okay sometimes. Yeah sure sometimes it was pretty stupid but most of the time it was pretty interesting to watch.
And like most of the TV shows made into movies (like this year's Sex & The City), this was just another extended episode.
The problem with that was - this was one of the sucky episodes.

Some parts were pretty okay. But for the most part of it they were just trying to full up spaces so they have enough filmed to make the movies.
The castings of Amanda Peet, Xzibit and Billy Connolly were horrendous mistakes and the script was actually pretty shite.
And they are picking up from where the first movie left off. Worse.

I think the only people who should watch are people who are fans / have been following the TV show (so you know what's going on).
The problem with that is that the people who are fans / have been following the TV show will be sorely disappointed.

Final Verdict:

Definitely, Maybe

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ Home
Snacks: None

errrr okay.

Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) is a guy down on his luck. Life didn't go as planned and now he's getting divorced but finds some measure of joy in his daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin).
So she makes him tell her the story of how he and her mum met.

So Will tells her the inter-woven story about him and 3 women, 1 of whom is her mother but she'll have to figure that out by herself.
So we see the tale of how Will loves and loses with Emily (Elizabeth Banks), April (Isla Fisher) and Summer (Rachel Weisz).

Okay so i'm not usually one for the love stories.
But this one was actually pretty enjoyable because i think it was really well-written.
Add that up with Ryan Reynolds, who is fast-becoming quite a preferred actor in my books, and i think this movie is better than the premise might suggest.
And Abigail Breslin is so adorable lah. She's been so sin we first saw her in Signs and she's just so bloody charming if you ask me.

Well i think it must be the warm and fuzzy feeling that's talking now.
So go get the DVD and snuggle up to someone.

Final Verdict:

The Dark Knight

Times Watched: 2
Watched With: Miss Q @ The Grand Cathay (20/07)
Mr Rider, Mr & Mrs Porno @ The Grand Cathay (20/07)
Snacks: Strawberry Pocky @ The Grand Cathay
Boiled Peanuts & Iced Lemon Tea @ The Grand Cathay

Well here we... Go.

Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is still looking over Gotham City as Batman alongside Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman).
But joining them is the new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) who's really taking it to the mob bosses in Gotham and just so happens to be dating Bruce Wayne's old flame Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

But are worse now that a new criminal mind is in town.
"Nothing in his pockets but knives and lint." - The Joker (Heath Ledger)
With a mind filled with nothing but chaos and anarchy, The Joker is hellbent on nothing but terrorizing Gotham and ultimately - killing the Batman.

There was a lot of hype surrounding the movie because of Heath Ledger's death. And even talk that Ledger's performance was worthy of a posthumous Oscar.
And i must admit - it was a brilliant performance.
Maybe not worthy of an Oscar perse but he's given The Joker a new edge.
Let's face it Jack Nicholson's Joker in the original Batman was brilliant. And i'm not saying which is better because they're 2 different Jokers.
Ledger's is definitely darker and gives you more of a sense of psychotic danger which is evident especially when he starts talking.
This performance is brillo in my books. Reason enough to watch.

I'll have to say that this wasn't a superhero movie.
It was actually a pretty intelligent film. Listen to the characters run out their dialogues and you can actually believe what they're saying (especially The Joker).
But despite this, the movies biggest fault is the long running time.
They tried to squeeze so much into it that it ends up lasting almost 3 hours.

Look out for familiar characters like Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) and oh local actor Ng Chin Han as money-launderer Lau.
Best superhero movie release in a long while.
Pity about the running time. Be sure to go to the toilet before the show.

Final Verdict:

Semi-Pro

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ Home
Snacks: Iced Milo

I should have known better balls.

Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) is a singer & owner/promoter/coach/player of his own basketball team - The Flint Tropics.
And with his star player Coffee Black ( André Benjamin) dreaming of bigger things and the upcoming merger with the NBA coming up, the Tropics have to buck up or face having to shut down for good.

So in steps NBA has-been Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson) who was traded to the Tropics for a washing machine to help boost the team's morale and chances.
But Monix just wants to move back to Flint to get his ex back.

So can the Flint Tropics succeed?
So can Jackie Moon keep his promises of glory?
So can Ed Monix get his ex back?
So can this movie possibly any dumber?

yeesh. this movie sucked balls.
from the horrible script to the exaggerated acting.
i don't mind the cheesy feel of the movie but Will Ferrell is really proving himself to be a real dimwit.
so far i've only liked him in 1 movie (Stranger Than Fiction) which was a drama.
i guess his brand of comedy is a little to... crappy for me.

Final Verdict:

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Times Watched: 2
Watched With: Miss Q @ GV Yishun (14/07)
Miss Liana @ Cathay EHub (17/07)
Snacks: Cadbury Raisin Chocolates @ GV Yishun
Green Tea @ Cathay EHub

Oh... crap.

So Hellboy (Ron Perlman) is back with his girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair) and pal Abe Sapien (Doug Jones). Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense hotshot Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor) is still breathing down his neck and new team leader Johann Krauss (Seth MacFarlane), who happens to be a ghost in a suit, is not helping either.

And the threat this time?
Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) is an ancient elf who still believes that the world should be taken back from humans and he intends to wage war with the legendary and unstoppable 'Golden Army' that lies dormant in slumber.
But his father King Balor (Roy Dotrice) and twin sister Princess Nuala (Anna Walton) do not share his dream of world domination and will obviously try to prevent him from awakening The Golden Army that will surely spell doom for the world.

so everyone loved the first Hellboy movie and were obviously expecting an even better sequel since director and monster/creature enthusiast Guillermo del Toro took the helm. who better to deliver such a movie right?

Well Del Toro definitely delivers in terms of visual splendour and his vivid imagination and vision are well displayed in this movie.
The creatures like the royal guards and Mr Wink are solid.
and my personal favourite was The Angel of Death.
and the camera work and cinematography was superb especially during the fight scenes.

but the problem is that tha's about it.
in terms of character development done in the first film, it's different.
Hellboy is now a wuss (even his bulky frame was adjusted for this movie and was so disproportionate if you ask me) and the irritating yet relavant Agent Manning seems to do absolutely nothing useful at all.
And please don't get me started on the new addition of Johann Krauss.
i was however really impressed by Prince Nuala. excellent casting in Luke Goss (you might recognize him as Nomak in Blade II) and to be honest i was rooting more his character more than i was for Hellboy.

with this film taking a new direction in terms of character development and the highlights of the show being the visuals instead of the actual action i'm sad to say this seems more like another vanity project to display the talent of Del Toro instead of a sequel to the first film.
maybe if they combined the tone of the first movie and the imagery of the sequel then you might have a better movie.

Final Verdict:

Live!

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ GV Cinema Europa (11/07)
Snacks: Peanut M&Ms

Katy Courbet (Eva Mendes) is a no-nonsense (rather ruthless yet oh-so-hot) hotshot TV network now at the ABN and she's come up with the ultimate show to bring the highest ratings ever - a show where people play Russian Roulette. on live TV.

In the age of TV where reality shows rule, Katy really thinks that this is the idea to make history and even though the head-honchos at the network initially shoot it down, even the harshest of critics like the network lawyer Don (Andre Braugher) eventually realize the potential that the idea of the show holds.
Documentary maker Rex (David Krumholtz) follows Katy around as she pieces together the show from scratch and slowly builds what she sees as a dram but others see as a potential nightmare.

So finally 6 contestants are chosen to play for $5 million;

Jewel (Katie Cassidy) - an aspiring young actress
Rick (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) - an honest man who needs the money for a noble cause
Brad (Eric Lively) - a daredevil sportsman
Pablo (Jay Hernandez) - a gay Mexican immigrant
Abalone (Monet Mazur) - a former model turned arts performer
Byron (Rob Brown) - an aspiring writer looking for life experience

so the deal is. you play Russian Roulette.
1 dies on national tv. the remaining 5 survivors win $5 million each no strings.
so how? does it sound like a winner to you?

i was really intrigued when i read about the show. so much so that i booked myself a ticket the minute i read about it on the GV website and made my way down.
and the basic premise - "would you actually take the risk for money?" was quite interesting on its own.

the movie started out pretty slow.
to be honest i expected to be kinda like a gore-fest kinda thing but it turned out to be more of a film that questioned morality and censorship this day in age where reality shows are getting bolder and more extreme.
in the end the actual gameshow was only 15 mins long and the other 1hr 15mins was a slow but necessary build-up.
i was getting a bit bored but when the actually show started boy oh boy there was this feeling of dread / excitement / queasy.
you tend to imagine if it was you up there and whether it'll be your luck that your turn is the one with the bullet in the chamber.

if you're looking for a gore-fest this is not it.
if you're looking for a film where you think a bit. then get excited a bit. then this is it.
but to be honest. just get the DVD or something.

Final Verdict:

Hancock

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Mr Rider @ The Grand Cathay (06/07)
Snacks: Hot Dog Combo

John Hancock (Will Smith) is a superhero. Errr... kind of.
Well it's like this. Hancock can fly and he has super strength and he's impervious to bullets. But he's a self-loathing lonely alcoholic whose intentions always seem good but ultimately end up hurting/offending people and/or causing massive amounts of damage all while he's trying to save the day in Los Angeles.

In steps Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a PR rep who sees it upon himself to turn-around the bad reputation attached to Hancock and furnish as a true superhero in the public eye. So Hancock gives it a go (albeit with much doubt) and ends up growing fond of Ray's little son Aaron (Rae Head) and even worse - falling for Ray's wife Mary (Charlize Theron).

Let's see if Hancock change his ways and ultimately his image and somehow portray himself as a genuine hero instead of what the public see him as now - an asshole.
And all this while juggling with Ray's PR tactics and his feelings for Mary.

I'll be honest this movie started out great.
The jokes were funny. Will Smith showed that he could be gruff and not all 'Fresh Prince-y' all the time and i genuinely thought that the movie might not suck.
Boy oh boy was i wrong.
Despite the excellent start, there came a point where you think to yourself "okay. now this movie can either go THIS way - which would be good. or this movie can go THAT way - which would really suck balls."

and then it goes THAT way.
worse type.

Final Verdict:

Deception

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ Cathay Cineleisure (06/07)
Snacks: Chocolate Pocky & Green Tea

Are you free tonight? I know i ain't bub.

Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) is a smart but boring (and bored) accountant and on one of his many boring assignments he has a chance meeting with hotshot lawyer Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman) who (by accident) introduces him to an exclusive sex club where a shroud of anonymity and secrecy give the powerful yet busy professionals an easy way to satisfy their needs.

But on one of these 'meetings', Jonathan chances upon a girl he knows only as S (Michelle Williams) and he falls deeply in love with her despite it breaking the rules of the sex club.
And as he delves deeper and deeper into this dark new exciting world how long can Jonathan hold himself up before things catch up with him?

okay so this is one of those movies where i can't say much else it'll fuck-up the movie for you so you'll have to watch it to know what i mean.
But despite the stellar cast, this movie started out unpredictably but then slowly turned out to be very predictable in the end.
I guess it wasn't too bad though. Kinda reminds you of 'Eyes Wide Shut' but this movie is unfortunately not as cerebral as the title might imply.

Okay if you have the time. But don't expect too much.

Final Verdict:

The Bank Job

Times Watched: 1
Watched With: Nobody @ GV Plaza Singapura (05/07)
Snacks: None

The year is 1971. A time of peace, love, sex and drugs.
Small-time criminal Terry Leather (Jason Statham) suddenly gets a surprise visit from an old flame (Martine Love (Saffron Burrows) who gives him the opportunity to get out of the smale time for one big final score - a bank heist.
So Terry gathers his mates Kevin (Stephen Campbell Moore), Dave (Daniel Mays), The Major (James Faulkner), Bambas (Alki David) and Eddie (Michael Jibson) to pull of the big bank job that will get them a nice big payout.

The fact of the matter is that a member of the British Monarchy was photographed in some very risque photographs which are in the possession of Michael X (Peter De Jersey) and secret government officials led by Tim Everett (Richard Lintern) want to recover those photos which just so happen to be in the vault that the gang are going to heist.

To complicate matters even worse, several top government officials also have some very naughty photographs of them at the local brothel stored in another box and in another box porn kingpin Lew Vogel (David Suchet) has documents linking crooked cops to nice big bribery payouts.
And this spells trouble for our would-be bank robbers.

Sounds very complicated? Well don't worry.
This movie is based on actual events and is in fact so well weaved that they can even add in smaller sub-plots like secret agent Gale Benson (Hattie Morahan) who was really murdered by Michael X for the same reasons shown in the movie.

Based on true events and some of the characters even retain their real names and images so it makes for an excellent story bub.
The setting and cinematography is really fitting for 1970s London. From the old cars to the sideburns to the clothes to the moustaches.
Really brillo guv'ner.
And nice to see Statham show his acting chops instead of karate chops.

Rave reviews about this one. I agree.
One of the better suspense action crime caper movies.

Final Verdict: