Movies

Sherlock Holmes

• Directed by Guy Ritchie
• Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 4:25 PM 0 comments

Avatar

• Directed by James Cameron
• Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 4:18 PM 0 comments

Julie & Julia

• Directed by Nora Ephron
• Starring Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 4:13 PM 0 comments

2012

• Directed by Roland Emmerich
• Starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oliver Platt
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 7:59 PM 0 comments

New York, I Love You

• Directed by Jiang Wen, Mira Nair, Shunji Iwai, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Allen Hughes, Shekhar Kapur, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin, Joshua Marston, Randy Balsmeyer
• Starring Orlando Bloom, Natalie Portman, Shia LaBeouf, Ethan Hawke, Andie Garcia, Hayden Christensen, Christina Ricci
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 11:37 PM 0 comments

District 9

• Directed by Neill Blomkamp
• Starring Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Robert Hobbs
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 10:06 PM 3 comments

Coco Avant Chanel

• Directed by Anne Fontaine
  
• Starring Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola
  
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:18 PM 0 comments

Gamer

• Directed by Mark Neveldine, Brian Taylor
  
• Starring Gerard Butler, Amber Valetta
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 7:39 PM 0 comments

Inglourious Basterds

• Directed by Quentin Tarantino
• Starring Brad Pitt,Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent
  
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 1:50 PM 0 comments

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

• Directed by Stephen Sommers
• Starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 10:37 PM 0 comments

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

• Directed by David Yates
• Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 10:23 PM 0 comments

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

• Directed by Michael Bay
• Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:39 PM 0 comments

UP

• Directed by Pete Docter
• Yet another Pixar animation that has something for just about everybody to enjoy. Of special note is the superbly made bittersweet montage at the beginning of the film that goes into territory nobody dared to visit before in any animated production. Highly recommended. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 7:59 PM 0 comments

Terminator Salvation

• Directed by McG
• Starring Christian Bale, Sam Worthington
• Sam Worthington's terrific role is hijacked by Bale's uninspired performance. The problem isn't that Bale is a bad actor, its that John Connor is not particularly interesting. If the movie has focused more on Sam's character, it would have been better. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 11:21 PM 0 comments

Night At The Museum 2

• Directed by Shawn Levy
• Starring Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams
• Lots of harmless little jokes that's consistently funny for the whole family. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 11:18 PM 0 comments

Angels & Demons

• Directed by Ron Howard
• Starring Tom Hanks, Ewam McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard
• This Davinci Code sequel is based less on its novel than its predecessor, and benefits from it. The mystery solving sequences are way too fast and abrupt to ever mean anything, but the plot's main idea, "Science vs. Religion", is strong enough to carry my interest. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 10:57 PM 0 comments

Star Trek

• Durected by J.J. Abrams
• Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy
• One of the most straight up enjoyable sci-fi flicks I've ever seen. The story might lack a certain depth characteristic to Star Trek films, but damn is it fun to watch. The film oozes energy and momentum, relentless in its pacing. Here's hoping for more successful sequels to this franchise reboot. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:42 PM 0 comments

The International

• Directed by Tom Tykwer
• Starring Clive Owen, Naomi Watts
• The movie's climax is very disappointing and underwhelming. It is also not very entertaining. Naomi Watts and Clive Owen did their best, but the script didn't give them much of a fighting chance. - Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:38 PM 0 comments

Knowing

• Directed by Alex Proyas
  
• Starring Nicholas Cage, Rose Byrne
  
• Now this is better than "The Day the Earth stood still". Under the direction of Alex Proyas, the movie does not compromise on what its trying to say. The conclusion might not be agreeable to everyone, but its sheer scope is fantastic. The soundtrack is amazing, and the use of Beethoven's 7th symphony flow well with the scenes. The movie's best scenes are the disaster scenes, which combine Hollywood sized budget with vicious and unrelenting catastrophe. Its a beautifully realized apocalyse, as strange as that sounds.-Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 11:03 PM 0 comments

Bolt

• Directed by Byron Howard and Cris Williams
• Voices by John Travolta, Miley Cyrus
• The movie made me want to own a dog. It's a predictable nice fluffy cartoon adventure, but got so much done well that everybody can enjoy the trip. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 4:30 PM 0 comments

Watchmen

• Directed by Zack Synder
• Starring Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Caria Gugino
• This is epic stuff. The story might not really be fun or even that thoughtful in this day and age, but you can clearly see its high ambitions. Seriously though, I had more fun with 300, Synder's previous movie. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:21 PM 0 comments

Slumdog Millionaire

• Directed by Danny Boyle
• Starring Dev Patel, Freida Pinto
• I can say only one thing about this great movie. It deserves the Oscars.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:42 PM 0 comments

Valkyrie

• Directed Bryan Singer
• Starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Terrenec Stamp
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 9:38 PM 0 comments

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

• Directed by David Fincher
• Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:16 PM 0 comments

Push

• Directed by Paul McGuigan
• Starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou
• Forget the movie. Watch Heroes instead. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:12 PM 0 comments

Revolutionary Road

• Directed by Sam Mendes
• Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates, Michael Shannon
  
• To be commented soon
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:38 PM 0 comments

Red Cliff 2

• Directed by John Woo
• Starring Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi
• Red Cliff 2 is pretty much a direct continuation of Red Cliff 1, with less fluff than part 1 and more intense actions. I enjoyed this one a lot more. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 4:20 PM 0 comments

The Day The Earth Stood Still

• Directed by Scott Derrickson
• Starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly
• A truly half-assed apocalyptic film. The various plot lines feel artificial and ultimately inconsequential in this movie, and it felt like watching a bunch of people I don't care about getting killed or whatever. Special effects are standard Hollywood stuff, nothing exciting. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:07 PM 0 comments

20th Century Boys

• Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi
• Starring Toshiaki Karasawa
• Forget the movie. Read the comic. The wayyyy over the top nuclear explosion might be worth watching just for the laughs. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:59 PM 0 comments

Quantum of Solace

• Directed by Marc Forster
• Starring Daniel Craig, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Olga Kurylenko
• A real disappointment. It's hard to explain where the movie went wrong. I think it tried hard to build out of the success from Casino Royale, but that lack of ambition made it worse than the original in every single ways. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 8:29 PM 0 comments

Tropic Thunder

• Directed by Ben Stiller
• Starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.
• The funniest satire film I've seen in years. Well done. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 3:27 PM 0 comments

Body of Lies

• Directed by Ridley Scott
• Starring Leonardo DiCarprio, Russell Crowe
• Excellent performance from DiCarprio, and Crowe delivers his usual stuff. Script is strong, cinematography wonderful. However, in the end the film lacks a clear direction in which to steer itself, and this shows in the disappointing climax (or lack thereof). This is a movie where the individual parts are stronger than the whole package. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 9:54 PM 0 comments

Eagle Eye

• Directed by D. J. Caruso
• Starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan
• With a recycled plot resembling gazillion other movies like Terminator, Eagle Eye does not break new grounds. The special effects are slick and cool, but that's about it for this movie. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:04 PM 0 comments

Bangkok Dangerous

• Directed by Oxide Pang Chun and Danny Pang
• Starring Nicholas Cage, Chakrit Yamnarm
• Nicholas Cage's hairstylist in this movie and Tom Hanks' s in The Da Vinci Code must be the same person !
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:37 PM 0 comments

Made of Honour

• Directed by Paul Weiland
• Starring Patrick Dempsey, Michelle Monaghan, Sydney Pollack
• Despite poor scriptwriting and familiar plots, Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan are cute in this romantic comedy film.

posted by anbunnag @ 4:41 PM 0 comments

Sukiyaki Western Django

• Directed By Takeshi Miike
• Starring Hideaki Ito, Kaori Momoi
• The movie tells a story of a mysterious gunman who comes across a deserted town controlled by two rival clans. They persuade him to take side with them, but he instead chooses to join a group of townspeople led by a woman. Like watching "Kill Bill", this film is soaked with blood but not violence, because it is unbelievable and full of weird, crazy humor. If you like Kill Bill, you'll love this film.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 3:19 PM 0 comments

Mamma Mia!

• Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
• Starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth
• As one of ABBA's huge fans, I had a lot of fun watching this musical movie. Meryl Streep is so fantastic and fun while Amanda Seyfried fascinates us with her lovely voice. Pierce Brosnan's terrible voice, however, is compensated by Colin Firth's singing talent. For me, watching this musical film is much more enjoyable than the Broadway show at New York City because here I can see everything, while there all I could see were heads of the people in the front rows.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 4:37 PM 0 comments

WALL-E

• Directed by Andrew Stanton
• WALL-E is a wonder for the eyes and the heart. A purely enjoyable romantic adventure. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 4:27 PM 0 comments

Be Kind Rewind

• Directed by Michel Gondry
• Starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow
• The film's story may not be that great in the classical sense, but damn it is fun. What the characters are doing may not be totally believable or probable, but I sure had fun with them. Like the video renters in the movie, I really wanted to watch the movies that they shot, and I also wanted to create the movies with them. The film has a pro community message, and it succeeds so well because it reaches to the audience not with brains, but with heart. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 8:41 PM 0 comments

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

• Directed by Rob Cohen
• Starring Brandan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh
• Speaking as a critic, I would say that the movie is a mess, with laughable scripts and acting across the board, and once again a tragic misuse of Jet Li (Will Hollywood ever give him the role he deserves?). However, Brandan Fraser looks so comfortable and fun in this adventure that he lifts the movie from utter failure to an at least watchable level. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:39 PM 0 comments

Red Cliff

• Directed by John Woo
• Starring Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi
• This is John Woo firing all cylinders in an ancient China setting. The attempts at political setups are admirable, if not a little too biased towards the 'good guys', but Woo's usual flair for crowd pleasing action sequences is the definite star of the movie. Terrific acting across the board, especially by Tony Leung. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 10:35 PM 0 comments

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

• Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
• Starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair
• Highly enjoyable. The acting and script is so very self conscious of the super hero genre that it pokes so much fun in itself (look forward to the show stopping duet between two of the main characters). The action sequences are terrific this time around as well. But the highlight is definitely Del Toro's unique blend of animatrics and CG animations in creating his fantasy world. It's like Pan's Labyrinth times 100, and the result is absolutely spectacular. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 12:23 PM 0 comments

The Dark Knight

• Directed by Christopher Nolan
• Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine
• I cannot find enough good things to say about this movie. This story is about the pursuit of justice and virtue, and the way it goes about exploring this theme goes far beyond the previous limits of a super-hero movie into the realms of classic crime sagas like The Godfather II. The movie has so many layers that each repeated viewings bring about another angle to the conflict that you might not have noticed before. I need not say anything about the stellar casts, who are all excellent, especially Heath Ledger's Joker, which is so memorable that it has become the real icon of the movie. Christopher Nolan has truly stepped into the best class of directors with this film, and I look forward to whatever he decides to create next. Bravo, sir, Bravo! -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:30 PM 0 comments

Hancock

• Directed by Peter Berg
• Starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman
• Despite great superstars Will Smith and Charlize Theron, this film is a failure due totally to its story.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:38 PM 0 comments

Wanted

• Directed by Timbor Bekmambetov
• Starring James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman
• A super hero movie for the adult crowd, with a taste for spectacular actions. It gets 5 stars in terms of over-the-top actions, and the rest of the film is also nothing to laugh at, either. Destined to be a cult classic. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 11:28 PM 0 comments

The Incredible Hulk

• Directed by Louis Leterrier
• Starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt
  
• The movie was alright, but the fact that of the entire movie, I was most excited by the fan-service cameo ending doesn't look well for the rest of the movie. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:09 PM 0 comments

Sex and the City: The Movie

• Directed by Michael Patrick King
• Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis
• Men may want to know why this HBO series was so famous among women that it is made a big screen movie. The 2-hour movie is full of fashions, brands, sex, and other materialistic values, all of which are nonsense and shameful. Well, that's why this movie is fun and entertaining. C' mon, it is just a movie. We know these things are crazy and unreal but please give us a break because we just want to enjoy watching the girl things once in a while.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:20 PM 0 comments

Memory (Memory Rak Lorn)

• Directed by Torpong Tankamhaeng
• Starring Ananda Everingham, Mai Charoenpura
• A Thai thriller story about a young psychiatrist who falls in love and lust with his child patient's mother. The movie is interesting and thrilling at first before turns complicated and unbelievable in the end. There are unnecessary scenes/plots which should be removed. It doesn't make sense how the doctor falls in love with the mother. Does it matter whether the child is a girl or a boy? Who is the father anyway? However, despite the screenplay, the film making is neat.

posted by anbunnag @ 6:16 PM 0 comments

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull

• Directed by Steven Spielberg
• Starring Harrison Ford, Ray Winstone, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia Labeouf
  
• This film brought back memory of the old times, over 25 years ago, when we had so much fun watching Steven Spielberg's series of the Indiana Jones movies. Prior to seeing this film, I wondered whether Harrison Ford could be able to play the daring action hero Indiana Jones as he is now 64. It turns out that he is still good and fits for this role.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 7:41 PM 0 comments

Iron Man

• Directed by Jon Favreau
• Starring Robert Downey Junior, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard
• Robert Downey Junior IS Iron Man. His unusual protagonist and charms help turn an already very competent superhero movie into a hugely entertaining one. I expect, no, I want more sequels of this. Good visual designs all around from the FX teams as well. - Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 7:46 PM 0 comments

Vantage Point

• Directed by Pete Travis
• Starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker, Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt
• Although the twists and turns are quite predictable, the switching of viewpoints never get old and each brings new interesting things to the viewer each time. The chase at the end is also remarkable, Jason Bourne mode. I expect more movies to use this storytelling style to greater effects in the future. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 11:11 PM 0 comments

Jumper

• Directed by Doug Liman
• Starring Hayden Christensen, Jamie Bell, Samuel L. Jackson, Diana Lane
• A hugely disappointing movie. I did not expect much from the plot, and the movie certainly did not deliver on this front. However, the Jumper idea should have lend itself to a much more imaginative and wild action sequences, and its unforgivable that this movie could not even do this right. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:21 PM 0 comments

American Gangster

• Directed by Ridley Scott
• Starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe
• The potentially colossal face-off between Washington and Crowe is burdened by the story's persistent in sticking to the truth. The movie is still entertaining enough, if not memorable. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 8:03 PM 0 comments

Enchanted

• Directed by Kevin Lima
• Starring Amy Adams, Patrick Demsey, James Marsden
• Really enchanting and fun to watch for both adults and children.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 7:37 PM 0 comments

Cloverfield

• Directed by Matt reeves
• Starring Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Yustman, Lizzy Caplan
• A really exciting movie that cleverly places you right in the middle of all the actions. The point is never about explaining where the monster came from, but how a Godzilla class event might affect the average joes. I didn't get nauseous at all from the camera style, but your mileage may vary. Despite the home video look, I strongly recommend seeing this on the biggest screen available. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 7:01 PM 0 comments

Across The Universe

• Directed by Julie Taymor
• Starring Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood, Joe Anderson
• I thought I would be able to sit back, relax and listen to the original Beatles' songs but I was wrong. The film was heavy and the songs were performed by the actors/actresses in the film. Although they were very good, I was kind of disappointed.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 1:21 PM 0 comments

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

• Directed by Jon Turteltaub
• Starring Nicholas Cage, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Ed Harris, Harvey Kietel, Justin Bartha, Helen Mirren
• As an Indiana Jones-like, I felt this movie delivers on its premise. The movie felt much more confident and at home when it's in the white house than when it's trekking through Indian Architectures. Ideally, most of the actions should have been set in well-known places, and not in made up underground dungeons, not that there are many in the USA. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:31 PM 0 comments

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

• Directed by Shekhar Kapur
• Starring Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush
• Cate Blanchett still gives a worthy performance even with a mediocre script, but no amount of wardrobes and English slurs can convince me that this Clive Owen belongs in Old England. At times, the movie feels like a Hallmark movie. You can see the actors trying to add more flavors and expand the movie beyond the misguided guide hand of the director, but as a whole, the movie disappoints. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:41 PM 0 comments

I Am Legend

• Directed Francis Lawrence
• Starring Will Smith
• While the design is impressive, ultimately the plot is a serious let-down. Legendary, this movie is not. -Comment written by Dear
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:36 PM 0 comments

The Love Of Siam (Rak Hang Siam)

• Directed by Chukiat Sakweerakul
  
• Starring Sinjai Hongthai, Mario Maure, Witchwisit Hirunwongkul, Chermal Boonyasak, Songsit Rungnoppakunsri
• This Thai movie tells a story about different kinds of love; love of parents for their children, love of friends, love between opposite sexes, and love between gays. The film is neatly made and all the actors, old and new, perform very well. The music is also beautiful. However, the film is too long. A lot of scenes can be eliminated or cut short without changing the theme. Why does a good film like this fail at the end? Anyway this is the best Thai film in 2007.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 8:00 PM 0 comments

Michael Clayton

posted by anbunnag @ 7:26 AM 0 comments

Lions For Lambs

posted by anbunnag @ 7:24 AM 0 comments

The Kingdom

posted by anbunnag @ 7:04 PM 0 comments

Underdog

• Directed by Frederik Du Chau
• Starring Jim Belushi, Alex Neuberger, Jason Lee (Voice)
• This movie about the superhero beagle is for children and people who love dogs. Do not expect to see the special effects or anything serious and do not compare with "Babe". Watch it just for fun and you will be entertained, at least by the laughter of the children who sit next to you.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 8:15 PM 0 comments

The Brave One

• Directed by Neil Jordan
• Starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard
• Once again, Jodie Foster does not let her fans down. She delivers her best performances in this drama-turned action thriller movie. Although the plottings are unbelievable, this film is entertaining, especially in the real world where we desperately want this kind of dark hero.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:25 PM 0 comments

Little Children

• Directed by Todd Field
• Starring Kate Winslet, Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly
• The movie tells a story of three people, a disappointed housewife whose husband prefers sex phones to her, a househusband who has to rely on his wife's income, and a former policeman who keeps harassing a convicted sex offender, and the relationship between them. It's an honest film that tells the dark side of human behavior. Excellent scriptwriting and fantastic performance of Kate Winslet.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 12:19 PM 0 comments

The Bourne Ultimatum

• Directed by Paul Greengrass
• Starring Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, David Strathairn
• Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne. This time he hardly talks, eats, or sleeps and wastes no time with girls. It's a non-stop action movies and the most exciting for the trilogy. The most exciting part is when he fights with another assasin. So sad there is no more Jason Bourne.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 6:27 PM 0 comments

Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix

• Directed by David Yates
• Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman
• The comment of this movies is supposed to be written by Dear, because he is a big fan of the Harry Potter series. However, since he keeps postponing writing the comments, I think it is my responsibility to write some for the time being, although he may not agree. Well, it's more fun than the past four series because Harry is old enough to kiss a girl. How about that?
• Comment from Dear: I don't consider myself BIG fans of the franchise. For fantasy, I'd recommend George R. R. Martin's 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series or Steven Erikson 'Malazan book of the Fallen' series. Harry Potter sure is fun as a blockbuster book, but is not something that sticks with you. I do think that this is one of the more entertaining movies in the Potter franchise, especially after the disappointing fourth movie. The film is smart in that when it chooses to cut something of the book from the film, they do it in entirety, not leaving plot lines that are undeveloped and premature. Fight at the end is also fun in a kung-fu kind of way.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 9:13 PM 0 comments

Die Hard 4.0 (Live Free Or Die Hard)

• Directed by Len Wiseman
• Starring Bruce Willis, Justin Long, Maggie Q
• Before watching the movies, I had thought it would be boring, like the second and the third sequels. It turns out to be the best Die-Hard sequel, or at least as good as the first one. The story is action-packed, no time wasted for love or drama things. Bruce Willis is fantastic. It is so entertaining that I wish there would be Die-Hard Part 5,6,7,... with Bruce Willis as John McClane forever.
• Dear's Comment: I wish that John McClane and Jack Bauer can team up and pretty much die hard for 24 hours.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 7:47 PM 0 comments

Transformers

• Directed by Michael Bay
• Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox
• Great special effects. Fun to watch.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 9:19 PM 0 comments

Fracture

• Directed by Gregory Hoblit
• Starring Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn
• Anthony Hopkins's role as a successful engineer Ted Crawford is so familiar. It's like watching Dr. Hannibal Lecter playing games with the detective again. Despite solid performances of the casts, I think the twist at the end is not good enough. I had thought it would be more complicated. Had it be, it would be more fun.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 8:00 AM 0 comments

The Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer

• Directed by Tim Story
• Starring Michael Chiklis, Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans
• If you don't expect anything serious, this summer movie is fun to watch with great special effects.

posted by anbunnag @ 11:27 AM 0 comments

Ocean's Thirteen

• Directed by Steven Soderbergh
• Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin
• The movie's only major flaw is that there are literally no real obstacles to Ocean's 13. We never get any doubt that the group wouldn't succeed. Apart from that, the talented cast supplies the movie with classy humor and charm. It would have been nice if it is more exciting, though. -Comment written by Dear.

posted by anbunnag @ 10:46 AM 0 comments

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

• Directed by Gore Verbinski
• Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Chow Yun-Fat
• Although the film spends too much time on too many irrelevant plot threads, the final act features some very exciting climatic action sequences. Combining that with terrific cinematography, great visual effects and imaginative costume designs make this trilogy ending a good summer epic movie. -Comment written by Dear.

posted by anbunnag @ 10:14 PM 0 comments

Next

• Directed by Lee Tamahori
• Starring Nicholas Cage, Julianne Moore, Jessica Biel
• Next will be one of the funniest movie of the year. I don't even need to look into the future to know that. Of course, everything about it is absurd. The plot is full of holes, over-acting splashed all over, and Cage sports the worst hair-do since Tom Hanks' in The Da Vinci Code. By the end, the absurdity of it all adds up to create a surreal blockbuster where the audience isn't sure what's happening, and not in a good way. Bizarrely, the last minute decision to add in action sequences into the film also brings about ninja-like cloning techniques and even some special effects that look like how The Matrix would be if they were made 20 years ago. This movie is a real mess, but hey, everybody in the theatre had a good time laughing at the film afterwards, so I'm going to have to recommend this. Next! - Comment written by Dear.

posted by anbunnag @ 8:21 AM 0 comments

Spider-Man 3

• Directed by Sam Raimi
• Starring Tobey Maguire, Kristen Dunst, James Franco
• Spider-Man 3 is a case where the sum of individual parts don't add up to a solid well-made film. Certain elements in the movie (Villain Sandman and a bizarre dance number) should have been cut or trimmed out entirely. In comparison, Spider-Man 2 as a whole is much better at weaving a coherent story. However, I like some of the parts in Spider-man 3 so much that I find myself preferring it over the first two films. James Franco's role as the second green goblin is brilliantly scripted and acted. The fight chloreography is also exceptionally done. On the whole, I prefer this movie over the first two. -Comment written by Dear.

posted by anbunnag @ 7:55 PM 0 comments

Pan's Labyrinth

• Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
• Starring Sergi Lopez, Ariadna Gil
• A fantasy film done right. Never once does the special effects threathen to overstage the drama. The movie makes it clear from the beginning that you're supposed to take it very seriously. The plot is a depressing, harrowing one, but not overly so as to be excessive.
• The thing with fantasy genres is that they left themselves for many types of intepretation. I always felt that the scholars usually overanalyzed these films, stretching themselves to find meanings in every irrelevant details. To me, however, this movie is probably one that should be analyzed, and will be rewarding to those who tries to.-Comment written by Dear.

posted by anbunnag @ 10:18 AM 0 comments

Alone (FADD)

posted by anbunnag @ 6:04 PM 1 comments

The Good Shepherd

• Directed by Robert De Niro
• Starring Matt Damon, Angelina Joli, Alec Baldwin, Robert De Niro, William Hurt
• This drama movie tells a serious political inside story of the CIA in their first years. Although the story is interesting and thrilling, the movie is too long. Matt Damon doesn't grow any older during 1939 and 1961, making me confused trying to figure out the timing of the scenes. He also looks much better when he is Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity.

posted by anbunnag @ 7:41 PM 0 comments

Music & Lyrics

• Directed by Marc Lawrence
• Starring Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore
• This is an entertaining romantic comedy movie. Hugh Grant is charming, warm, and funny and he proves that he can sing very well. Drew Barrymore is also charming but there is not enough chemistry between the two. The best part is the closing credits which is very funny. Be sure you see it before leaving the theatre.
  

posted by anbunnag @ 9:16 PM 1 comments

Volver

• Directed by Pedro Almodovar
• Starring Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura
• This Spanish film is a pleasure to watch. It tells a story about women -- mothers and daughters, families and friends. The film has everything -- comedy, drama, murder, and ghost! Penelope Cruz delivers the best performances she has done so far. The character is made for her -- charming, strong, energetic, funny and vulnerable woman. It's not a surprise that she has been nominated for the Best Leading Actress in the Academy Awards this year.

posted by anbunnag @ 5:40 PM 0 comments

Tamnan Somdej Phra Naresuan II: Prakaad Israparp (The Legend of King Naresuan II: Declaration of Independence)

• Directed by MC Chatrichalerm Yukol
• Starring Captain Wanchana Sawasdee, Nopachai Jayanama, Inthira Chaoroenpura, Napasorn Mitraim
• This movie is much easier to watch and enjoy than its prequel, mainly because there's enough action and unintentional comedy to smooth the same flaws that plague the first movie. Since there are no more child actors around, the acting has also generally improved. What this movie really lacked though, is a capable villain. The villains here are all either totally incompetent and/or lack any screentime. So there are really no challenge to King Naresuan's battles. The "rifle scene", which should have been a classic, if done right, also fell way short of its potential.
• Overall, this movie is your average war movie that is still too overlong for its own good. The only really unique thing this movie did was setting up a scenario where tribal VooDoo headhunters must fight with Mon Amazoness warriors.....in Thailand...with wire-fu actions even! Truly an international epic! -Comment written by Dear-

posted by anbunnag @ 10:57 AM 1 comments

Dreamgirls

• Directed by Bill Condon
• Starring Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson
• Adapted from a real story of a popular musical group, "The Supremes", in the late Motown Era, this movie tells a story about three girlfriends from Chicago forming a singing trios under the management of a former car salesman. This movie is a great musical drama, entertaining and educational, with strong preformances of actors and actresses. Beyonce, despite her fine performances, is overshadowed by Jennifer Hudson, who plays a remarkable singer "Effie White" and is most likely to get The Oscar Award this year.

posted by anbunnag @ 4:48 PM 0 comments

Tamnan Somdej Phra Naresuan I: Ong Prakan Hongsa (The Legend Of King Naresuan I: Hostage of Hongsawadi)

• Directed by MC Chatrichalerm Yukol
• Starring Somphop Benjathikul, Sorapong Chatree, Chatchai Plengpanich
• This first movie of the grand Naresuan trilogy came off as being more like a live action history book than a movie. That's not to say that the history book is boring. No, the story is told with enough production value likely to keep even 14-year old Thai boys interested for the whole duration of this very long movie. Before your imagination runs wild, this is still nothing in comparison to epic Hollywood movies in terms of production value. Return of the King has like 100 siege towers. The legend of Naresuan: Vol. 1 has 2. Since we're so used to the Hollywood mega war scenes, this difference shows up very clearly on screen. It gives the impression that we're seriously overreaching ourselves. Heck, if you don't have the money, why bother making half-assed war scenes? There's better areas to spend them on, like....the story. Ah, yes, the story.
• To its credit, this movie is clearly superior, plot-wise, to its spiritual predecessor "The Legend of Suriyothai". The characters are more interesting and possess more depth. The star that holds everything together in this movie is Buyinnong, the Burma king who is at once both ruthless and benevolent. He proves to be quite an interesting character. The conflicted-king Thammaracha is also a multi-dimensional character, something not seen at all in Suriyothai. The problem though, is that this is still not nearly enough. A movie becomes extremely boring when your "hero" is a pampered 2-dimensional goody-two-shoes with the almighty power of plot devices. Similarly to Suriyothai, the filmmaker considers it taboo to add any kind of faults to Naresuan, making him all wise and kind, while making the potential villain Mangsamkiat the evil cousin archetype. This is not the model for a movie, but for a cheap soap opera. These two characters could have had some great conflicts that draw empathy to both sides, but no, the message we get is "Nareusuan: good; Mangsamkiat: spoiled brat". This could of course really be the case, but why doesn't the movie try to dig into why Mangsamkiat is a spoiled brat, and why does he hate Naresuan so much?
• I guess the key-word here is "conviction". Naresuan and all the other "good Thai" characters in this movie say patriotic lines in like half the 3 hours screenplay. I can understand what they're saying, but I can't believe them. I don't see enough reason why these princes and princesses could think so much of freedom and such, when they've always enjoyed a luxurious life, especially Naresuan who is treated better than Buyinnong's own sons and heirs. I don't see how they could be so fixated on winning freedom for the Thai people. Of course, you can tell me, "It's because they are great and patriotic yada yada yada". Fine, I get what you're saying, but I can't believe in it because I can't relate to them at all. A character becomes believably patriotic when despite overwhelming desire not to be one, he/she still chooses to be one. There has to be a price for that decision. That is the condition where being patriotic actually means something besides being a load of impressive words.
• Throughout the movie, Naresuan has shown no other desire but to return Thai to Thai people. His characters is a straight arrow all the way, always sure of his target. This might have made him a hero, or even a saint, but this doesn't make him "great". We can't relate to someone who's so sure of his goals and is without any flaws. Granted, King Naresuan may have been like that in real life, god bless him for that, but his kind of character makes for an enormously boring character. He doesn't possess any internal conflict. Screenwriting 101 teaches everybody this, you know. This is why Thammaracha and Buyinnong are such fascinating characters, and why the rest of them are more like characters taken out of a soap opera. I'm here to see a good movie, not a glorified history textbook. I don't care how you need to add your own things to history to make it interesting, as long as it becomes interesting. There's no merits in making a movie as historically accurate as possible when it turns out to be boring. None whatsoever. I wanted to like King Naresuan. I really do. I want to be proud of him like the movie obviously wanted me to do. But since I can't even relate to him as a human being, I could not bring myself to like him at all. Even Mangsamkiat draws more sympathy out of me than our main character.
• This being the first part of trilogy, of course there's always room for improvement. Despite all that I've said, I'm really looking forward to the second part. I hope there's some huge improvement. If that's not to be, heck, I could always enjoy some more Tony Jaa-style action. -Comment written by Dear-

posted by anbunnag @ 4:24 PM 0 comments

Blood Diamond

• Directed by Edward Zwick
• Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hounsou
• This action-packed drama film is thrilling, tragic, educational, and entertaining. Leonardo DiCarprio delivers stunning performances, both in action and drama scenes. He has proved himself to be a highly-capable actor and take away his picture as a young lover boy in "Titanic", "Romeo and Juliet", or "Catch Me If You Can".

posted by anbunnag @ 6:59 PM 0 comments

The Black Dahlia

• Directed by Brian De Palma
• Starring Josh Harnett, Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank, Aaron Eckhart
• The story is about two LAPD detectives assigned to go after the 1947 murder of a Hollywood actress. The director tries to put in so many subplots and characters that it feels like watching more than one movie--a cruel murder which is the theme of the movie, a love triangle, a police corruption, a story of an insane family, etc.

posted by anbunnag @ 6:34 PM 0 comments

The Holiday

• Directed by Nancy Meyers
• Starring Camiron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black
• This 2-hour romantic comedy is boring. It's like watching two movies, unrelated and unfunny. Too many characters and absolutely too long.

posted by anbunnag @ 8:43 PM 0 comments

Deja Vu

• Directed by Tony Scott
• Starring Denzel Washington, Val Kilmer, Jim Caviezel
• The premise of the story is class A sci-fi material. However, director Tony Scott dumbed down the complexity and depth of the plot in favor of more action sequences, all which felt tagged on to the movie. In the end, what would have become a great sci-fi movie could only be a mildy interesting (albeit confusing) movie. If the time travelling concept is stripped away, all that is left of this movie is a barely convincing and rather shallow cop story. Telling a story with style is great, but first you got to have the story first. This movie got it the other way around. -Comment written by Dear-

posted by anbunnag @ 6:21 PM 0 comments

The Possible (Kao Kao)

• Directed by Wittaya Thong-Yooyong
• Starring Apisit Opas-Eiamlikit (Joey Boy)
• This film tries to bring back old memories of string combo music, Afro hairstyles, bellbottom pants, platform shoes, etc., which is rather successful. However, the scriptwriting is so weak that the nostalgia isn't there. Most of the times it looks like the film is made and the script is written at the same time, or perhaps with no script at all. Some scenes, roles, and characters were created, perhaps for the fun of the filmmakers, not the audiences. Joey Boy is good at singing and rapping, but not at acting.

posted by anbunnag @ 6:13 PM 0 comments

Death Note 2: The Last Name

• Directed by Shusuke Kaneko
• Starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Kenichi Matsuyama
• Death Note 2 is a good continuation of the first movie. While the movie felt overlong and poorly-scripted at many points, there are still enough exciting cat-and-mouse games between Kira and L to keep the viewers interested throughout. Manga readers should note that the ending is different from the manga version, and that it is even arguably better. L fans can also look forward to an L spinoff movie scheduled for 2008. -Comment written by Dear-

posted by anbunnag @ 10:59 PM 0 comments

Casino Royale

posted by anbunnag @ 9:51 PM 0 comments

The Unseeable (Pen Choo Kab Pee)

• Directed by Wisit Satsanatieng
• Starring Siriphan Watanajinda, Supornthip Chuangrangsri, Tasawan Seniwongse
• This is a Thai-made movies about a pregnant country girl searching for her missing husband in Bangkok some 70 years ago. Everything was great at the beginning. You will feel like watching a classic horror film. However, there were soo many ghosts, shocks and twists at the end, that the feeling of horror disappeared. The story is quite familiar and you can guess the ending without any diificulty.

posted by anbunnag @ 6:48 PM 0 comments

The Prestige

• Directed by Christopher Nolan
• Starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine
• By focusing on character study, director Nolan made the many twists and surprises in this film to be not like mere movie tricks, but rather as something that is the natural consequence or the extension of the characters' actions. The audience are not only wowed by the surprises, but also stunned by the dramatic implication that those twists will have for the characters involved. Fitting for a movie about magicians, the twists define the characters. That is the real magic of this movie. Another great film from Christopher Nolan.-Comment written by Dear-

posted by anbunnag @ 7:47 PM 0 comments

Deep Sea 3D

• Directed by Howard Hall
• Narrated by Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet
• This is a 40-minutes 3D movies shown at an IMAX Theatre about the undersea exotic sea creatures. Although the movies doesn't tell anything new, the underwater cinematography, combined with the IMAX 3D-technology, is very impressive and spectacular. Not to mention kids, adults will also feel like scuba-diving undersea without getting wet.

posted by anbunnag @ 4:42 PM 0 comments

The Departed

• Directed by Martin Scorsese
• Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin
• This remake of the Hong Kong hit thriller, Infernal Affairs, is one of the best hollywood remakes I've seen. Scorsese didn't merely copy the original movie, but instead tried to infuse it with his own ideas. This mostly came as a benefit to the film. Characters are more fully fleshed out, the mafia gang social interactions juicier and edgier. Nicholson and DiCaprio are spectacular in their roles, and will most likely at least be nominated for the Academy Awards this year. Matt Damon's acting, however, is outclassed by original HK actor Andy Lau. Supporting characters were also given more roles and dialogues in this version, and this gave the movie a more playful and complex tone.
• However, in the end, these little "twists" made the movie lost much of the original's honest simplicity and brutal irony. Both movies' core is really about the question of identity. What made you a cop? what made you a thug? Are you a good person who's pretending to be bad, or are you a bad person who's pretending to be good? Is there a difference really? The HK version was so memorable because these messages were very direct and very clear. Scorsese's version, however, had so many other little elements that this message became muddier. This is not to say that the movie is horrible by any means, but it's definitely less memorable than the original. - Comment written by Dear.

posted by anbunnag @ 6:54 PM 0 comments

Death Note

• Directed by Shusuke Kaneko
• Starring Tatsuya Fujiwara, Kenichi Matsuyama
• While the acting and direction quality is mediocre at best, the smart and interesting script made this movie an exciting fun to watch. A concluding sequel is expected to be released later this year, but those who want to see sequel might do themselves a favor by checking out the original manga instead. -Comment written by Dear-
  

posted by anbunnag @ 5:34 PM 0 comments

The Devil Wears Prada

• Directed by David Frankel
• Starring Meryl Streep, Anna Hathaway
• This movie tells an inside story about the fashion world, which is sure to be a top hit among fashion-conscious female audiences and gays but may be boring for straight men. Anne Hathaway plays a freshly-graduated girl who gets a job as assistant to a wicked, bitchy yet glamorous and charming fashion magazine editor played by Streep. The movie is amusing, enjoyable and fun, due mainly to the sensational performance of Streep. Without her, the movie may be a failure. She deserves an Oscar for this.

posted by anbunnag @ 6:30 PM 0 comments

World Trade Center

• Directed by Oliver Stone
• Starring Nicholas Cage, Michael Pena, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal
• In a surprising move for a movie about gigantic events like 9/11, Oliver Stone based this movie on a character study of the two protagonists and their families, rather than the actual event itself. This would have been fine if the drama was good, but here they are as boring and predictable as the soap operas you see on Thai TV, possibly even worse. At times, the movie looks like a Hallmark series rather than the grand epic it probably wants to be. The actings aren't bad. Cage did an admiring job, seeing that we only see his half-buried face (darkly lit too) for most of the movie, but the conflicts the characters find themselves in are so mundane and cliche that I want to scream "I don't care!!". As a result, the movie is neither successful as a movie about 9/11 nor about the human spirit. See United 93 for a much more intense example of a 9/11 movie, all done with no A-list stars around. On a side note, can anyone tell me why the heck is this movie called "World Trade Center"? -Comment written by Dear-

posted by anbunnag @ 7:02 PM 0 comments

An Inconvenient Truth

• Directed by Davis Guggenheim
• Presented by Al Gore
• "This movie sucks!" -George W. Bush-

posted by anbunnag @ 6:38 PM 0 comments

Seasons Change

• Directed by Nithiwat Tharathorn
• Starring Witawat Singhalampong, Chutima Teepanart, Yuwanart Arayanimitsakul
• The movie is cute and warm, and the music academy setting contributes in creating a romantic and stylized atmosphere. The general idea that the movie tries to convey is also familiar and even occasionally inspiring. However, in execution, the weak script lets down most of these ideas. It also doesn't help that the editing makes the movie feel like a series of short seperate stories. As a result, the movie lacks focus and unity. It's not that it's bad, but this movie could have been much better. -Comment written by Dear-

posted by anbunnag @ 6:24 PM 0 comments