Inception

Watched @ Eng Wah Suntec City

It's about dreams. It's actually like matrix. It's like a bridge that makes matrix seems much more realistic and possibly achievable. It's scary and yet so worth looking forward to. Paradox is apparent thru-out the movie. But it's a good show to watch. Make your brains think and think. Even though it's a movie that has a beginning and an end, somehow there's so many part of the movie which allows for speculation. So much areas left for imagination and interpretation.

Just think about it. Look at every detail of the movie from a different angle and you can find that the movie could have been telling a totally different story. I think that's what makes it magnificent!!! You know what's the best part? I only thought about this point NOW!!! almost 6hrs after watching the movie. How interesting is that!?

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 8 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 8 out of 10
Overall: 8 out of 10

Favourite Lines:


Cobb: What is the most resilient parasite in the world? An idea. Once an idea gets into your head, you can never get rid of it. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all rules.

Official Website

Pictures

Knight and Day

Watched @ Cathay Downtown East

Comedic action thriller which will leave you very lost for the most of the movie. BUT!! this is not the kind of movie you watch for the story line. Watch it for the comedy, watch it to be disgusted how cool tom cruise can still act like. Oh not to mention the camera angles which have to be constantly adjusted to make him look like he's taller than Diaz. Put aside the vague plot and pointless twists, it's actually entertaining!! Muahahaa...

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 6 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 7 out of 10
Overall: 6.5 out of 10


Favourite Lines:

Milner: [from trailer] Some people are gonna come looking for you now.
June Havens: Why?
Milner: They'll tell you I'm mentally unstable and violent and dangerous and it will all sound very convincing.
June Havens: I'm already convinced.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June Havens: [from trailer] The pilots are dead!
Milner: Yeah, they've been shot.
June Havens: By who?
Milner: By me. No, actually, I shot the first pilot then he accidentally shot the second pilot. It's just one of those things.




Official Website


Pictures

Iron Man 2

Sequel to the 1st Ironman movie, not much link between the 2 other than the characters. Plot wise it's quite simple. But it's the high tech gizmos and gadgets that's most captivating. Just the suitcase size ironman suit? Super cool!!

Watch it for the action, nothing more could be asked abt the acting. it's not an arts film, it's action!!

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 7 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 8 out of 10
Overall: 7.5 out of 10

Favourite Lines:
Ivan Vanko: If you could make God bleed, people will cease to believe in Him. There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come.
[looks at Stark]
Ivan Vanko: All I have to do is sit here and watch, as the world will consume you... 

---

Tony Stark: I'm not saying I'm responsible for this country's longest run of uninterrupted peace in 35 years! I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity, never has a Phoenix metaphor been more personified! I'm not saying Uncle Sam can kick back on a long chair, sipping on an ice tea, because I haven't come across anyone man enough to face me on my best day! 

Official Website

Pictures

Pandorum

Watched @ Funshion

2 crew of a ship wakes up from deep sleep to find themselves more or less isolated on a spaceship which mission they cant remember due to extended period in deep sleep. It's another "end of the world and we are the one survivors" story, this mission was to send them to a distant planet which is much like earth and supposedly able to support life.

Pandorum is actually a mental disorder which is described in the movie as something you get while being in space and isolation for too long. But the whole screwed up ship started off with 1 guy getting pandorum and started acting like god.

It's not a bad movie, except for the question about howdoes the guy who saves the rest of the passengers wake up?? If the crazy guy could control the ship that well, why let this guy wake up?? hmmm... let's just leave it to fate for movie's sake... Oh I like the happy ending, bad guys die, good and innocent people live on...

However it would probably be better to watch it under better conditions which I had. Blu-ray would be nice...

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 6 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 6 out of 10
Overall: out of 10

Official Website

Pictures

Wolfman

Watched @ Cineleisure lvl 6

A gory werewolf movie, the plot is quite flat, perhaps cos I knew from the start of the movie that Anthony Hopkin's character is the villian in this movie. I suppose that was the supposed twist in the show, but nope, that did not happen for me.

The love story weaved within the movie between Lawrence & Gwen, well, is weak too!! Can anyone see why it would happen? NOPE!! not me!!

The worst part of the plot was the origin of werewolf's lycanthropy is from the hidden mountains of india!!?? WTH!?? oh well...

Just watch it for good acting and good action sequences and gory scenes... IGNORE THE PLOT!!

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 3 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 7 out of 10
Overall: 5 out of 10


Favourite Lines:

Colonel Montford: [Sir John shoots a statue next to Colonel Montford causing him to fall off his horse] Damn you Talbot!
Sir John Talbot: I'm sorry Colonel. I meant to shoot you. You see I'm not as good a shot as I used to be.

Official Website

Legion

Watched @ Cineleisure lvl 9

I was actually looking forward to watch this movie, most of the movies which have involved paul bettany so far have been not bad. sadly, this time it's not encouraging, his acting was not the issue, is the loose plot. Angels fighting angels, god losing faith in men, doesnt sound all that bad. But the way everything was put together was quite disappointing. There's too much reference that can be seen from history. worst of all was...

It's a waitress who is the target of saving cos she bears the child who would be the saviour. Think terminator. Oh the gun fights remind me of terminator too. The ending also reminds me of terminator, I wonder if they are going to have legion 2.

Notice there's no devils or demons in this movie, why? cos the minions in this movie are angels. So where did all the demons go? on holiday, since now angels are doing their job of possessing and killing. :P

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 5 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 7 out of 10
Overall: 6 out of 10

Favourite Lines:
Gabriel: I would not have shown you such mercy.
Micheal: Which is why you have failed him.

Official Website

Pictures

Sherlock Holmes

Watched @ GVMax

Sherlock Holmes is already UBER well-known before this movie. SO how it it going to gain the recognition from the masses or even left a mark on their memories? Well, they re-vamp the image of Holmes, that's how. Now holmes is iron man without the armor, much more rugged and watson is just as much a fighter as holmes.

It's a refreshing twist to the usually pipe smoking nerdy holmes we are accustomed to. I liked it, I know some who didnt. Holmes retains his usual sceptism in magic and the paranormal, there's always a reason and method about how things are done.

And I really liked the way how he analyses each match ending move just before he excutes it. COOL! hahaa. Rachel McAdams plays somewhat a nemesis and love interest of holmes. Somehow I just did not like McAdams, it's just me, wanting to slap her no matter what. So what ever comment I have about her is simply... Biased.

Jude Law playing Watson was really a apt, he successfully portrays the cynic in everything holmes does. And yet somehow ends up being the bitch who totally listens to holmes and led on by him. HAH!!

entertaining is what this movie is, however the ending is somewhat... "what!!?? I have to wait for Sherlock Holmes 2!!??"

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 7 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 7 out of 10
Overall: 7 out of 10

Official Website

Pictures

Zombieland

Watched @ Cineleisure lvl 4

Pure zombie entertainment. The show is kindda like a narration of a survival of a few people in the US which has been totally zombified. The actors in this film are actually A-listers, not the kind you would find in a usually B-rate film. I guess they made the flim really enjoyable and watchable. But first I have to say, zombies are totally not scary, they are grossed but not scary, just imagine semi-paralysed and senile. HAHAHA!!

It even shows Bill Murray as himself in the movie, what a joke!! This movie had us laughing from start till the end. Especially with the lame "rules" in order to stay alive. Think about "seatbelts" & "sunscreen" lame shit!!

Pure entertainment, nothing else to it, it's not there to make sense. Just for laughs and a few shock moments. Good watch for stress relieve.

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 5 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 6 out of 10
Overall: 6 out of 10

Favourite Lines:
Little Rock: Who's Bill Murray?
Tallahassee: ...I've never hit a kid before... I mean, that's like asking who Gandhi is.
Little Rock: Who's Gandhi?

Official Website

Pictures

2012

Watched @ Cineleisure Lvl 6

Disaster movie, a very long one as well. But it was 2.5hrs of good movie in my eyes. I like the way they planned out the whole plot, it's pretty waterproof for the most parts. Except for the magical ways how the leads somehow get out of ridiculously tight situations.

Pay attention to where the remainder of the world population decides to move to. Notice that continent is somehow not included in the prior plannings of the great excape. WHAT AN IRONY!! hahaa.. but that's life.. I liked that..

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 8 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 8 out of 10
Overall: 8 out of 10

Favourite Lines:
Jackson Curtis: When they tell you not to panic... that's when you run!

Official Website

Pictures

WhiteOut

Watched on 26 Sep @ The Cathay

This movie was supposed to be an adaptation from a graphic novel, but it does seem to have the captivating pace and intrigue of graphic novels, or maybe that's just my narrow understanding of graphic novels. :P

main selling point for this movie is actually Kate Beckinsale, and the producers make it SO SO obvious by have this scence at the beginning of the movie which shows her stripping and taking a shower. This scene has totally no value to the rest of the movie, ZERO!! but, for male viewers like myself, it aint bad.. hahaa.. you know what?? You can actually leave after the first 10mins. There's nothing too exciting from then on.

As you can tell, i'm kindda disappointed with the movie. The action was kindda slow due to the cold winter, everything gets sloppy, the mystery part was kindda lame, cos you dun really have to solve it. It just seems to keep unfolding and unfolding by itself, which means "I CAN SOLVE THAT TOO!!".

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 5 out of 10 (kindda slow, too slow!!)
Audio & Visual: 7 out of 10 (cool views of the antartic)
Overall: 6 out of 10 (you dun miss much, if u miss this one)

Official Website

Pictures

Orphan

Watched on 14th Aug @ The Cathay

I seriously have no idea why we would actually have the urge to watch this movie. The trailers have been showing for a while, and it's really obvious it's going to be a movie that would try to scare you from start to the end.

Well, it's scary, cos the irritating director uses the scary music and tactics to make u feel threatened. You will always feel there's something that's gonna pop and scare you, BUT sometimes its just a bluff. Which really builds up the atmosphere for the next scare! BOO!!

The plot of this movie should be considered quite unique, but due to me having just watched "Murderer". I kindda guessed this plot and twist halfway thru the movie. So I concluded Aaron Kwok's "Murderer" is the spoiler for this movie.

Actors wise, the kid, Esther, really creeps you out!!!! She is beyond SICK!!!!!!

My recommendation, if you plan to watch this movie, catch murderer too..

Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 8 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 7 out of 10
Overall: 7.5 out of 10

Favourite Lines:
Kate Coleman: Esther? We have to talk about last night.
Esther: Do we?
Kate Coleman: Yes, we do... See, there are certain things that grownups do that children aren't supposed to see, and, uh... that was one of 'em.
[a pause; Esther keeps painting]
Kate Coleman: Esther, listen to me.
[Esther turns to Kate]
Kate Coleman: When grownups love each other very, very much... they want to show each other that love; they want to express it...
Esther: I know. They fuck.

Official Website

Official Trailer

Pictures

Obsessed

Watched on 17th July 2009
@ Cineleisure lvl 9

What do you do when you suddenly get a pretty lady working in your office, and she seems to be hitting on you?

STAY AWAY!!!

Sometimes even when you try to stay away, some things you just can't control. No, it's not urges i'm talking abt. It's crazy bitches!!

This movie amplifies mine few lines above to the utmost realism. Beyonce plays the happy wife, Sharon while Ali Larter is, Lisa, well the crazy bitch. It's really amazing how crazy she can get, you can almost change the genre of this movie from dramatic thriller to horror. ALMOST...

However, I have to say Ali Larter did an amazing job making me shudder. Oh MAN she is scary!!!

Well done actors, go catch it. I think it will help couples prevent anything similar from ever happening.

Oh, sidenote, I love the way black women take care of the white women. Watch it and you'll know. :P


Spikefire ratings:
Story & Plot: 9 out of 10
Audio & Visual: 7 out of 10
Overall: 8 out of 10

Official Website

Pictures

Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Watched on 21st June 2009
@ Downtown East

Story unfolds as a subway train in New York City, is very skillfully hijacked. The Hijacker is a "brilliant" yet hooligan looking John Travolta, while Denzel Washington plays the train network operator who happened to get embroiled in this whole fiasco.

This movie all in all is a narration of an incident. There are tiny clues here and there which sets me thinking of the reason for their actions. But there no conclusion, it's too open ended. The only way to enjoy this show is just watch it without any questions OR simply answer all the questions yourself.

I did the latter, Denzel is a righteous yet guilty person thus his actions. Travolta is just out to get a huge scoop under the blanket of chaos. He almost did, if not for a dumb New York Mayor who suddenly became SMART in the middle of the movie. That's amazing.. hahaa..

Spikefire ratings: 7 out of 10>

Favourite Lines:

Ryder: Life is simple now. You just have to do what I say.

Official Website


Youtube Trailer

Pictures

State of Play

Watched on 10th June 2009
@ Cineleisure Orchard

What exactly is the relationship of journalists and politicians? Who's using who? Are the reporters getting to politicians just to get a scoop, the next big news? Or are the politicians just using the reporters to spread the desired proganda to aid watever their agenda?

Well, this movie tries to make us even more confused, cause it's a thriller and a mystery. Trust me, you will have tons of questions at the start of the show. And everytime you thin ku have the answer, the show suceeds in giving you a new question.

Despite convincing acting performances by the main actors, I still feel the plot rather shallow, perhaps it's cause this movie is actually an adaptation of a 6 part mini-series into just 2 hrs. Thus the plot does feel thin at times.

Ben affleck's character is ULTRA-flawed in this movie. How does such a person even become a politician in the first place?? And also the link to private contractors for military operations. It seems like this is a big topic in US nowadays, cos this same issue has also been used to poke on in the series 24, season 7.

Spikefire ratings: 6 out of 10>

Favourite Lines:

Cal to his crew: Setup the cameras, we are going to record him talk
Frye: What makes you think he is going to talk?
Cal: He will be scared, he'll talk.
Frye: How? Why?
Crew: Cal is going to scare him.

Official Website

Pictures

Angels & Demons

Watched on 18th May 2009
@ The Grand Cathay

Tom Hanks is back as Professor Robert Langdon, as the great actor he is, I have forgotten he is Tom Hanks and totally believed that he was Robert Langdon. That's the attractiveness of this movie. It's not a short movie, but it just captivates me to watch on. Great work by the director to translate that same captivity from the book to the big screen.

The movie storyline follows very closely to the book, at least I do not remember any major differences. Therefore it is a good representation of the storybook. This will definitely serve as a good appetizer to the book if you are not an avid reader. this movie will kick start your interest in Dan Brown books.

Spikefire ratings: 8 out of 10>

Favourite Lines:

Inspector Olivetti: [on hearing Langdon's description of Pius IX's "Great Castration" of Vatican City's male statues] Are you anti-Catholic Mr. Langdon?
Robert Langdon: No. I'm anti-vandalism.



Official Website

Pictures

Star Trek

Watched on 10th May 2009
@ GVmax Vivocity

This is a new version of the Star Trek story. Past versions have always talked abt the future. A future that's shared by Captain Kirk and Spock. Here in this version, an old yet interesting twist is applied to the storyline.

We look back at how this 2 legendary characters finally got together on their adventures, and yet it's not the old story. That's the interesting part. Well, let's not spoil the fun.

It was one of my favourite childhood fantasy movies. It's now a fantasy, action, comedy. Simply fantastic. Director JJ Abrams did a wonderful job to bring Star Trek back to life. I do truely hope for further installments done in similiar manner.

Also I find need to mention a role by the original Spock, Eric Bana plays the villain. Even Winona Ryder has a role, which I did not notice until I saw the credits!! hahaa..

Spikefire ratings: 9 out of 10

Favourite Lines:

Scotty: I've never beamed 3 people from 2 locations onto 1 platform before!

Spock: Live long, and Prosper.

Official Website

The Horsemen

This movies does not appeal initially. And I watched it only because i've watched everything else. But it turned out pretty well. It's a suspense thriller. Starring Dennis Quaid whom I find acts in stereotypical roles. His has been typecast!! Zhang Ziyi is also in the movie, i think she's the biggest name in the movie. And it's been impressive from her. Acting as sinister as can be.

The story links with christianity, or just a certain perspective of it. It's really amazing how 1 bible can spawn the millions of interpretations which in turn become so many diversed movies.

Anyway this one is rather gruesome. NC16 for that purpose. Sometimes u just have to squirm.

I rate this movie 6 out of 10, even though it's interesting, i doesnt give me too much of a surprise. i expected the ending quite early on..

The International

This movie is kindda TOO long and draggy. It's abt an international bank which grew so powerful, it gets involved with issues on the wrong side. it's kindda like the economic crisis. The banks mess up and yet they are TOO big and important to let them die!

The acting of naomi watts and clive owen doesnt really add much value to the movie.

Mainly cos I think the plot is weak and storyline development is rather boring. Oh the worst part? the ending doesnt excite me at all!!

Rating: 2/10, the 2 goes to the 2 leads for making an effort to really act.

Official Website

Bourne Ultimatum

Jason Bourne finally finds out his true Identity. This is the key focus of the film, after the past 2 prequels, this finally puts and end to the Jason Bourne Amnesia problem.. But there seems to be 2 more Novels after Bourne Ultimatum, which i doubt would be made into movies due to deviated storyline & plot... we shall see..

Continuing on the witty escapes and seemingly genius ways of killing and getting out of though situations, Bourne Ultimatum ties you down into your seat. Non-stop action from start to the end. Julia Stiles has a slightly longer role in this episode compared to the last 2, and she even hints of an affair with Bourne.. interesting.. too bad that was not built on in the show.. perhaps a basis for the next installment?

Pictures


Official Website
The Bourne Ultimatum

Classic Quote -
Noah Vosen: [in car, on cell phone] Perhaps we can arrange a meet.
Jason Bourne: Where are you now?
Noah Vosen: I'm sitting in my office.
Jason Bourne: I doubt that.
Noah Vosen: Why would you doubt that?
Jason Bourne: If you were in your office right now we'd be having this conversation face-to-face.
[Bourne hangs up]

Perfect Stranger

A suspense thriller with a huge twist in the show. From the start till almost the end, you'll guess who's the bad guy and who's the victim... as you go on.. you realise evidence pops up refuting your previous argument..

It's a very intriguing plot... it keeps you locked into the storyline... you want to solve the case... and yet everytime u take a step forward you realise you are going in circles... the ending is just simply unexpected...

Great acting from Bruce Willis & Halle Berry, really kept the suspense going on throughout the whole show..

Pictures,


Official Webpage
www.sonypictures.com/movies/perfectstranger/

Classic Quote:
Grace: Stroke a man's dick, you get him for one night. Stroke a man's ego, you get him for life.