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
  

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
  

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
  

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.
  

Michael Clayton

• Directed by Tony Gilroy
• Starring George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack
• A wonderfully complicated and mature tale of morality and corporate evil. Movie succeeds in being simple yet subtle in presenting its ideas, and do not have to use any action, sex or CG to charm the audience. However, back at home, I caught The Peacekeeper (another George Clooney movie) on the cable, and enjoyed it so much more than this movie. Does this say something about me, or does it say something about this movie? Hmm. - Comment written by Dear.
  

Lions For Lambs

• Directed by Robert Redford
• Starring Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise
• All the actors perform admirably, particularly how Tom Cruise succeeds at making his charming face into a devious politician looking face. However, story is far too preachy and impersonal for us to take seriously at the convincing level. I want moving, convincing and personal arguments in movies, not a lecture. The messages are there, but they just don't get across. - Comment written by Dear.
  

The Kingdom

• Directed by Peter Berg
• Starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper
• Entertaining enough, but at times the movie feels like an overblown TV episode of CSI, which to you, might be good or bad. For me, I'd rather watch a Jack Bauer movie. How would they name a 24 movie, 2? 3? 2 and a half? -Comment written by Dear.
  

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.
  

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.
  

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.
  

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.
  

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.
  

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.
  

Transformers

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

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.
  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Alone (FADD)

• Directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom
• Starring Marsha Wattanapanich, Witaya Wasukraipaisan
• This Thai movie tells a story of Siamese twins, one of which managed to survive after the surgery to separate them from each other. Marsha Wattanapanich makes a great comeback after staying out of the movies business for more than 10 years. She proves that her acting capability does not fall short of her charm. The overall production is also good although it should be a lot better should the story tell more of the twins' biological organs and their relationship.
  

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.

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.
  

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.

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-

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.

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-

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".

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.