The International

I have no idea what the write-up was for the synopsis of this movie is, nor do I really care. But anyone expecting a fullscale shoot'em up had better think again. The gunfights, although tense, are very limited.

Instead it is more of a cloak and dagger which illustrates how cross-borders laws and the different justice systems from country to country seem to always protect the financial giants which are involved in the brokering of underground weapons deal in the arms race.
Viewers who are just slightly financially incline may serve to understand the concept of this movie better. Otherwise, you may have to peel your ears and keep a sharp mind to make sense of what is going on in the fast and slow of things.

Intellectual action movies are a rare commodity these days and a good one is even rarer.
The movie starts to shine after the first half which mostly involves the building of the story and the different roles each of its estranged characters play.

Taken

Although a few other movies come to mind while watching this one. The satisfaction of the natural order which depicts that the good guys always wins and the bad ones get the punishment they deserved never fails to stimulate the release of endorphins giving us that rush we so often look for but rarely find nowadays. That is what this movie is about.
Above all, it is also about how a Loving father is being put to the measure of his capacity in search of his kidnapped daughter. And did they kidnap the wrong Daddy's girl.

Anyone who is willing to disregard the logic and logistics of this film would not only be satisfied with the end result. But also enjoy the 90 plus minutes ride of getting there.

Honestly, I did not care how short, simple or if the plot is full of holes cause when its a ruthless avenging Liam Neeson I want. And a ruthless avenging Liam Neeson I get. Even the hot Famke Jessen can take a back seat.

Gu Gu the Cat (グーグーだって猫である)

This is one only for those who has a strong passion for cats (duh...). But even then, it may still be lacking.

The story is simple and like most Japanese movies, very slow moving.
It showcases the important roles cats play as pets in our everyday Life and the affections cat lovers have for their pets although unlike canines, that kind of affection from felines are rarely forthcoming.
Perhaps that is the reason why cat lovers are cat lovers in the first place.

The story does have its merits, however light. But I am sure this is one movie that will not be missed had it stayed in the land of the rising Sun.

Shinjuku Incident

It has been a long time since I looked forward to catching a Jackie chan movie as his past few bottomed out my expectations. However, this is probably one of the better ones he made in a long time.

Although it is just slightly disappointing as it does not feature the Jackie Chan that we all know and grew up with but the story is very well conceived. It appeals to the underdogs trying to make a living far away from Home. And I am not talking about the expatriates either.

The cast is pretty strong and most of the actors and actresses compliments one another pretty well. My only gripe is with the censorship of some of the scenes when racial insults are being hurled among the other many cuts that the film suffered.

This movie reminds me of another quote:" Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely!" I think its true in this case.

Fast & Furious 4

The past three had all been quite entertaining. And I am also very sure the franchise has its own following among motorheads and speedfreaks. Added to that, bringing back the original cast of the franchise had been a fantastic move to boost this fourth installment.

This time round they did really well transitting from Tokyo Drift and retains all the original elements that we look for in Fast & Furious movies. However, it tries injecting a little more emotions involved between the characters from where they left off in the first and what happened in this one which kinda slowed downed the movie just so slightly.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker had a snap fit chemistry but the French looking Miss Israel spotting a Spanish accent, Gal Gadot totally stole the show for me. I believe this is her debut to the silver screen and will be looking forward to see more of her in other movies.

FanBoys

Being a hardy fan of the first (and only true) trilogy, this is a see-or-die for me. However, many things (like work...) have kept me from being able to find the time for it.

This movie is neither a spoof nor a cheap rip-off of the franchise but a true original comedy honouring all the StarWars fanboys out there in the galaxy.

Its does much more than just poke fun of its own following and those of the 'other' franchise spotting copious amounts of cameo from either the original casts or others who have always cared to draw close references to the franchise in their own scripts.

The story, although not quantitative lengthwise, is not totally mindless and without its own values either. However, most of the jokes may not be easily understood for those who are totally clueless about what goes on in that part of the galaxy far far away...

Some Ladies (who have not seen any of the first trilogy) may regard people who has a secret place in their Hearts for StarWars as geeks and geeks we may be... But we are geeks with taste because of one simple fact: StarWars is the definition of 'Cool' in the Sci-Fi World.

Grand Torino

Having grown up watching movies either starring or directed by the legend himself. My expectations for the quality of his retiring movie (especially) starring himself is slightly higher than usual.

As much as the movie bears many of his trademark grunts and disgusting groans, I was still slightly disappointed by the flow of the story. Of course the movie hit its intended moral chords in many social aspects and despite having plenty of grumpy sacarstic jokes, the flow of the story is generally still quite slow. The ending is not unexpected and does not give the sweet satisfaction as compared to those movies in his heydays.

This is definitely not one of the best films the man has made but it is comforting to know that 'the man without a name' still has the on-screen grit and hardiness one would expect from a man among men.