Summer Reviews: August Movie Recaps

Rise of the Planet of the Apes



When Fox decided to bring back the franchise about ape revolutions made famous by “Planet of the Apes” released in 1968 and its four sequels, it was Tim Burton’s revamped movie with the same name that did make a boatload of money but critically was far from success. So, the studio thought it’s best to shelve the apes once again and freeing them a decade later with a new concept that reboot the entire franchise in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. Sure the title they’ve chosen sound quite silly but

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The Thing You Fear the Most is Now Among You

Because the producers think John Carpenter's cult classic “The Thing” was already perfect, so making a remake would be like "painting a mustache on the Mona Lisa", they convinced Universal Studios to allow them to create a prequel to that film which actually a remake of 1951’s film “The Thing from Another World”. Question is why they don’t think to make a sequel instead as the original film is let loose on nearby New Zealand? However, this prequel still gonna use the title of the original film since the prequel project team couldn't think of a subtitle (for example, "The Thing: Begins") that sounded good and felt reverential. Adapted from a 1938 science fiction novella by John W. Campbell, Jr. that was voted by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the finest science fiction novellas ever written, Carpenter's “The Thing” was a

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Summer Reviews: June Movie Recaps

Transformers: Dark of the MoonA little bit better than the ‘messier than all messy stuffs’ previous film but this latest (and one hopes final) effort of Michael Bay to destroy every city in United States with his robotic battalions is still a carnival of metallic special effects on top of everything else. Audiences will likely have enough fun time with the $200 million-dollar tagged full FX action sequences, and in addition to the positive side, this

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The Revolt of the Apes. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes

In the long-overdue newest title in the Planet of the Apes franchise (based on the 1963 French novel “La Planète des singes” by Pierre Boulle) that includes five movies in the original series and one reboot starring Mark Wahlberg, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, will tell the origin of the intelligent apes which begin the movement to replace humanity as the dominant species on Earth. Conceived as a reboot also a prequel to the earlier movies, but will also be a new story that should

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Summer Reviews: Super 8, Ladda Land, Hangover 2

Super 8
Score: 8/10

With “Super 8”, J.J. Abrams has captured the spirit of growing up and flawlessly unified it with a gripping, action-packed, science-fiction excitement that pays homage to the early works of Steven Spielberg and films like “Stand By Me” and “The Goonies” without ever losing its spark of originality. As the movie is dated back to 1979, Abrams has just presented it perfectly with the set up and costumes, all reflecting the 1970’s. Besides, mystery, action and coming of age drama there is also a perfect sense of humor in the movie. And while there are exciting action sequences and perfectly crafted special effects to complement them, there is also a rather sweet and sad side story that stays just on the

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Get Ready For a Different Breed of Cowboys & Aliens

Based on Platinum Studios’ graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, adapted to screen by Star Trek’s Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof, came one of the coolest movies this summer “Cowboys and Aliens”. Directed by Jon Favreau and featuring an all-star cast including Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde and Sam Rockwell, this will be one sci-fi actioner that crosses the classic Western theme with the alien-invasion movie. Also joined by

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X-Men First Class: A 'First Class' Reboot for the Franchise

X-Men: First Class has sort of soared below the radar when it comes to this summer's superhero adaptations. With "Thor," "Green Lantern" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" taking most of the headlines, Matthew Vaughn's new installment of the classic Marvel franchise may take people by surprise. And it really does! A Huge Huge surprise indeed!
With "Kick-Ass," Vaughn already showed that he has a keen eye for the comic book genre and with the vintage 1960's setting, in the middle of the

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Avenge The Origin of The First Avenger: Captain America

According to a Dow Jones report, Marvel has already amassed a half-billion-dollar war chest to make a slate of movies with budgets as high as $180 million, drawing on its remaining 5,000 comic-book characters. But can Marvel prevail with this slate of characters in their pipeline? Thor, Captain America and Ant-Man, as examples, were beloved as they are to longtime comics fans but mostly unknown to today's kids. However, this is the real challenge for Marvel Studios at taking what Stan Lee and the brilliant artist Jack Kirby were able to make work in comic books 45 years ago and turn it into a 21st-century Hollywood franchise. And when it comes to Captain America — which also serves to

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Third Transformers Goes to the Dark of the Moon

The "dark of the moon" is defined as a phase (approximately three days) when the light of the moon is obscured, and thus absent (i.e. a no-moon time), and precedes the new moon and the beginning of a new lunar cycle. Symbolically, it represents a time of inner stillness and contemplation, and preparedness for a new beginning. "Dark of the Moon" also has been chosen as the final title for Michael Bay’s third -- and apparently last – “Transformers” movie. Is it has something to do with Bay intention to make this third film darker and more emotional, also more serious than his previous efforts? Well, after the

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Some Thing Within the Super 8 Has Found Us

Two of the most marvelous writers in blogosphere, Matthew Vanacore from wonderful movie blog Filmmatic and JL from the fantastic Couch Potato Club, have awarded the café with Versatile Blogger Awards recently. Thank you so much, buddies! And talking about versatile, I think J.J. Abrams is one of the very versatile as a writer/producer/director. Between a variety of different action and sci-fi movies and shows that includes Felicity, Lost, Mission Impossible 3, Cloverfield, Star Trek, and Fringe, all were just drastically different from one another. He has successfully brought "Star Trek" back to life in an ambitious reboot of the classic franchise that

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2011 Asian Packed Summer Tentpole Movies: Episode 1

Summer is almost here. We can feel the heat of the sun again. But this season is now more than beaches and barbecues. It's also when Hollywood studios releases some of their biggest motion pictures, star-studded and full of sequels, also ranging from good to not-so-good to downright embarrassing. Though not as extravagance as Hollywood blockbuster, Asian also have their tradition to release some of the most anticipated films in summertime. They can be nice choices for some moviegoers who might want a different taste of Summer movies, or just getting a bit bored with those Hollywood dishes. Saying that, what do we have in store for 2011? Here are our choices for Asian summer films that should be entertaining enough to be worthy of your time driving off the beach and heading to the theater.

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In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night, No Evil Shall Escape Green Lantern

After a Comic Con panel that didn’t make the grade back in July and a rushed out first trailer that even the studio has apologized for, we have seen almost no marketing for the upcoming DC comics adaptation film, “Green Lantern”. This week, we were told why through the current WonderCon that has been exploited by Warner Bros. Pictures as the launching pad for its "Green Lantern" marketing campaign to try and turn the tide of indifference and skepticism about the project around. They said the movie is not finished, and the studio does not feel comfortable releasing promo materials until it is. Los Angeles Times even published an interview with the studio president Jeff Robinov, who said that because the film’s

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Before the Evolution Begins, Witness the First Class Origin

Based on the "X-Men" comics 'Uncanny X-Men' (1963) and 'X-Men: First Class' (2006), this summer we'll see the beginnings of the leaders of the two tribes of mutants that waged war across the first trilogy. “X-Men: First Class” will be a quite interesting story, not only since it seems Marvel is trying very hard to avoid the stink of “X-Men: The Last Stand” but also because the original “X-Men” film showed only the first manifestation of Magneto's powers, and we didn't see any of the intervening fifty-plus years in which he met Professor X then strayed from

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Review Mix: Sucker Punch, Let The Bullets Fly, Space Battleship Yamato

Sucker Punch
Score: 5,5/10

Zack Snyder is a filmmaker who never goes low-priced when it comes to the visualization of a film. I’ll even come clean to giving him a pass on story because he gets premium marks for a great looking work, but there aren’t adequate bonus points in the universe to excuse all of the malfunctions, of which there are scores of, in this particular picture. The film indeed doesn’t start off badly. It shows the main character, Babydoll, driven from her home to a house for the insane in a brilliantly revealed title on the rain-splashed window of the 1960s car that’s transporting her to her new nightmare. Later, as its 109 minutes tick away, the film plunging us into Babydoll’s imagination as it echoes the idea popularized by “Inception” that dreams exist within dreams, showcases with Snyder’s evident love of digitally enhanced, over-the-top ultra-violence in super slo-mo style. Yes, there’s arresting imagination and visuals sprinkled throughout this one, like a video

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Review Mix: The Way Back, World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles, Red Riding Hood, Rango

The Way Back
Score: 6,5/10

Based on a novel “The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom” written by Slavomir Rawiez, Peter Weir’s “The Way Back” traces the grueling journey of a bunch of war prisoners who try to flee from a Siberian gulag to escape the wrath of Stalinism.
A stunning tribute to human fortitude and to the command of Mother Nature, from the intense cold of Serbia to the blistering sun of the desert, Weir and cinematographer Russell Boyd effectively convey the splendor and extent of the landscape the survivors have to navigate. The film is gripping, despite being long and plodding in places. It also has quietly commanding performances from Jim Sturgess as the group’s leader and Ed Harris deliver a quietly affecting performance as an indomitable American who inspires his companions to press on. “The Way Back” certainly succeeds as a visual spectacle and continent-hopping travelogue. But is it as successful as a

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Review Mix: Adjustment Bureau, Forever, My Ex: Haunted Lover

Forever (Singapore)
Score: 7/10

Joey (Joanna Dong), a video consultant from W.E.D (wedding education department), dedicates herself to promoting romance and lasting marriages to young Singaporeans through her unique videos. Now she is about to fulfill her own dream with Gin (Mo Tzu Yi), a handsome music teacher whom she has been in a whirlwind romance with after casting him along side with her in a W.E.D video. When Joey announces her upcoming wedding to Gin, her colleagues at W.E.D. are surprised; none of them has ever met Gin in person or heard of him until the video. But they are happy, as Joey was the only unmarried staffer at W.E.D. While Joey’s star is rising at W.E.D, the path to her own wedding is elusive. Joey gets stood up by Gin on her birthday and finds him out and about with a beautiful girl, Cecilia (Sarah Ng Li-Wen). Crushed, Joey is desperate to find out what’s

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Getting Up To Speed: I Am Number Four, Finding Mr. Destiny, Unknown

So many movies, so little time. I think I need to speed up with a few quick reviews on some movies I've seen since the last update. And here’s my opinion on three new films opening this weekend at the cinema. Roll it!

I Am Number Four
Director D.J. Caruso and mega-producer Michael Bay focus on teenage aliens and their assassin pursuants (sound familiar?) in the teen-friendly, sci-fi adventure “I Am Number Four”. If fighting an alien enemy isn't adequate, Caruso also surrounds his lead character, played by British actor Alex Pettyfer, with every imaginable teenage drama. The premise of the movie is that John Smith (Pettyfer) is one of nine alien kids from a planet called Lorien, which was destroyed by malicious enemy called the Mogadorians. They followed these nine alien kids to Earth and

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Witness the Resurrection of Sea Monstrosity in Sector 7

Korean writer-director Bong Joon-Ho has crafted a film that has changed the face of creature flicks in South Korea, and completely set a highest new standard that until now still very difficult to be approached by other wannabes. “The Host” not only succeeded in cutting loose from monster movie clichés by centering on the human characters of a dysfunctional family, it also confronts the genre by running in drama, humor, political satire, and presenting an overview of life in huge city of Seoul. Hailed by many critics as the much-welcome return of the good, old-fashioned monster movie, is there any Korean creature film that finally able to confront “The Host” in this era of 3D? After two years of pre-production, an oil rig monster flick called

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Haunters: Offers Something Different to Superhero Genre

South Korean film "Haunters" aka “Psychich”, directed by debutante filmmaker Kim Min-suk, features a unique and intriguing story about a duel between two men, one with a supernatural power who can control people with his eyes and another is the only person who can’t be affected

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When Aliens Starting the World Invasion in the City of Angel

Thanks to the success of “District 9”, “Star Trek”, and “Avatar”, 2011 is certainly going to be one heck of an alien invasion year! While you count how many alien-related flicks are due to invade your nearest cinema in the next 12 months, comin’ in March is one which

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