The King's Speech :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: March 23rd, 2011

Talk about an overrated movie. I couldn't help but feel angry at the Academy Awards when 'Inception' lost the 'Original Screenplay' award to the 'The King's Speech' or when James Franco lost to Colin Firth. But I hadn't watched 'The King's Speech' at the time and you could say I was being unfair. But now that I've seen this film, I now state that I shall never, NEVER trust the Oscars again.

No, 'The King's Speech' is not a bad movie. In fact I think all those nominations are pretty legit. But I fail to see any of the spectacular aspects that allowed the film to win four big awards. This is not a film I would've seen if it weren't for the Oscars. Again, it's not that the film is bad but '127 Hours', 'True Grit' and 'The Fighter' were so much more suitable for the Best Picture.

In order to give this film a fair review I shall never mention the Oscars from this point.

I'd say the most plausible part of this film is the overall feel. It's elegant and royal and it's British in the early 1900's. The soundtrack is terrific and complemented well with the mood of the background.

I wasn't attracted to the plot at all. This is a personal problem however it became the movie's when it failed to entertain. I'm not an action junkie and I am capable of being entertained with drama which is why I love 'Rocky' and 'Gran Torino'. Not a lot of comedy which the trailer had promised and not a lot of drama I must say.

The dominant theme I'm seeing is the friendship between two people who are placed in different social classes. However I really felt they missed a note towards the climax. The film feels like it's progressing without eminently finishing its subplots or conflicts.

Colin Firth's character's problems were just repetitive, not sympathy provoking. Personally I never found his character likable even till the end. Firth delivers but this is his same old role again. Rush's character is much more pleasant and relatable to his shortcomings. The two actors have good chemistry as the two leading roles.

'The King's Speech' is an underwhelming, quality drama; definitely not the 'best' but there are redeemable aspects of the film.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

The Fighter :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: March 20th, 2011

There is nothing much to say about The Fighter. It's not as good as I thought it would be; this story has been done better before. Due to its dark setting, profanity, sex and drugs are evident. Despite this, the film delivers it's theme and message.

The Fighter will bring you frustration, laughter and joy at the right times. The performances are laudable. Christian Bale steals the spotlight from Mark Wahlberg who doesn't really shine. The screenplay can be sloppy with some of its dialogue. The only problem I had with this film is that I wasn't very entertained though like all the boxing films I've seen, the climactic match was breath-taking.

The Fighter can be cliche from time to time and the fact that this story has been done so many times before does not help. The sudden kiss between underdeveloped characters at an exposition stage bothered me; it's so out of character. But that's just my two cents. The Fighter is almost flawless.

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Adjustment Bureau :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: March 5th, 2011

'The Adjustment Bureau' is a movie that makes you feel good inside. It's a film that has a weak start but one that I grew to like as it progressed on.

The story is a mix of romance and science fiction. David Norris, a politician meets Elise in the men's room and the two instantly fall in love with each other. They meet again later on a bus but Norris soon finds out that a secret agency called The Adjustment Bureau had different plans for them. It's got a basic setup for a romance film yet a quite interesting story.

The first problem I had with the film was the agents. They make careless mistakes and it made me think "What kind of agents are these?! They suck!" But the ending explains everything and I was impressed at how a short story was adapted into a feature length film. A little clunky romantic dialogue but overall the bad lines can be detected and soon forgotten. The two main characters are very likable and their chemistry worked. Maybe things were a little rushed. The movie isn't dragging or boring; it keeps building up for the audience and the climax is "climactic" - that's the only way it can be described. The ending can be debatable but I wasn't bothered by it at all.

There are plenty of conflicts for David Norris (the protagonist). He is given a choice: to choose love or the pursuit of his career. And he's given a boundary: to stay away from his loved one forever. The personal conflicts work dramatically and this also becomes the film's theme: free will.

Some parts of this movie are rushed. The characters lack interaction towards the climax and Elise just follows Norris around without a clue on what's going on. Plenty of room for improvement: more physical conflict between the protagonists and the antagonists would have built suspense on the chase scenes.

The major thing that bothered me was the kiss Matt Damon and Emily Blunt's characters had when they first met. I see that the filmmakers were trying to show that the two were instantly in love but it really bothered me because it was so out of the blue.

The other thing was the cliche factors. These agents...are dead cheesy. They stand in a straight line, they talk like spies and they wear a trench coat and a brim hat.

Yet overall, a really likable film; it's one of those films that you think about and then you like it even more. Definitely worth watching again.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3.5

The Green Hornet :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: January 31st, 2011

Is it just me or are superhero movies becoming its own genre lately? There are tons of superhero films now and 'The Green Hornet' sure didn't sparkle among the others to me. I had never even heard of this guy. Yet I was surprised to actually liking this movie.

No, it's not the best superhero movie ever made. But if there's one thing that 'The Green Hornet' does something really well, it's the comedy. The jokes are stupid yet somehow I found them really funny. The Ben-hur joke got me choking in the theaters. As stupid as the dialogue is, it's pretty damn hilarious. James Franco's cameo is a treat and of course, Christoph Waltz is perfection.

The traditional asshole protagonist somewhat seems to work in the beginning but by the end of the movie he's still an asshole. Oops, that didn't work out. The movie's got flaws but the one thing that bothered me was the Asian guy. His character is solely based on Asian stereotypes and it drives me nuts seeing him. He's got the Asian accent, he knows how to work with machines, he knows Kung-fu; and I don't even remember his name. This is a bad character and he has lacking reasons to befriend Rogen's character.

Nevertheless the plot is suffice enough for the average audience to follow and enjoy. I'm sure there's a lot to nitpick but that's not really the point of this movie. Like I've said in other action film reviews, I get generous; it's just a one time popcorn flick. I did watch this film in 3D; I never miss the chance to do so although I know it's a gratuitous. Unlike most 3D films, this one's actually pretty good with its 3D.

Overall it's just a silly (in a good way) movie. Very enjoyable and entertaining but it's nothing groundbreaking like 'Iron Man'. By the way I thought Cameron Diaz was unnecessary.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

True Grit :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: February 26th, 2011

First of all, a big 'screw you' to the Oscars for pulling a 'Gangs of New York' shit on 'True Grit' because it was an excellent film. Not as nearly as good as 'No Country for Old Men' but some of those nominations should have been wins.

This was my most anticipated movie of 2010. Unfortunately they didn't show this at the theaters in Korea until February of 2011. The worst part is that my local theaters didn't even show 'True Grit' so I had to subway my ass all the way to Seoul.

My love for 'No Country for Old Men' had unknowingly made me expect the exact same movie. But 'True Grit' is nothing like 'No Country for Old Men'...but it has good moments in its own sense.

The opening is quite similar with the black title screen and the voice over monologue. However the rest is quite different. The most notable feature is the soundtrack. They actually have one and it works.

The dialogue is fantastic. I love the southern accents from every actor in this movie. Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon make this film an enjoyable, exciting adventure. This is a straight-out comedy film; people (including myself) laughed in the theaters when it was intended.

The disappointment was the fact that the film lacked the artistic perspectives. Unlike 'No Country for Old Men', 'True Grit' is more of an entertainment flick. The best I could say about its theme is that it's about revenge and how people catch up with time. Just wanted a little more.

The climax is also a little sudden to end. But this is actually a pro for me. It's a Coen Brothers' trademark. It's realistic. There's no rule in filmmaking that makes an antagonist invincible. People just die in these films because that's what happens in real life.

The trailer is just a hype creator. Many things you see in the trailer you will not see in the real movie. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Entertaining flick and a good addition to the Coen Brothers' filmography. Not their best work though.

Rating: ★★★★☆

127 Hours :: A 63 Review

Original View Date: February 19th, 2011



I watched '127 Hours' on the same day I watched 'Unknown'...in fact I watched it before it. Poor 'Unknown' had a tough competition that day; '127 Hours' was a damn good film. Ever since I was forced to watch the trailer multiple times on 'blip.tv'.

I didn't go to see this movie for plot. A man, Aron Ralston was hiking in the canyons when his arm got crushed by a rock. He is forced to cut his arm with a blunt knife after five days. Everybody already knows the plot. The point of this film was to experience what Aron Ralston went through. It really felt like I was there with the hand held camerawork.

I really liked how the movie started right away. The little things were what gave me a good starting impression of this film; like the left behind Swiss Army Knife that is shown in the beginning.

Okay so what the hell is up with the 15 rating in Korea? This movie isn't 15 in anyway. The last scene is so gory and detailed it cannot possibly pass for a 15. The scene is quite hard to watch; maybe harder to watch than Transformers 2, the worst film I've seen in 2009. But this is different. It's hard to watch because it's disturbing not because it sucks. I'm not criticizing the film makers in anyway. This was a necessary, good, steadily built climax.

James Franco is great. I wanted to write this review after the Academy Awards so I can say "piss off" to the Oscars for not giving the Best Actor in Leading Role to James Franco. I can completely forget Spiderman because of this movie. James Franco can be a good actor if he has a solid screenplay; he proved it.

The soundtrack is great. It adds to the excitement in the beginning of the film and builds on to the suspense as the movie progresses. Another thing: the scenery is just beautiful. Definitely a blu-ray film.

This is a motivating story and definitely deserved its nomination as Best Picture. Not a favorite but flawless from what I can tell.

Rating: ★★★★★