Movie Review: Run All Night

Might contain spoilers!

Run All Night is an action film starring Liam Neeson as Jimmy Conlon, a former hitman known as the "Gravedigger," who has become alcoholic as he deals with his nightmares as well as the persisting Detective Harding, played by Vincent D'Onofrio. He is now estranged from his family as well as his son Michael (Joel Kinnaman) and the only person who he can rely on is Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris), who is his buddy and former boss. But things took a twist one night when Danny Maguire (Boyd Holbrook) went to kill Michael after he witnessed him killing two Albanians who Michael drove the limo for them. Jimmy had no choice but to kill Danny which broke the friendship he had with Shawn. Shawn orders his men to kill Michael and Jimmy as they both run throughout Manhattan in order to survive.

I must say that Liam Neeson should just keep on doing action movies though this might be his last based on his statement after Taken 3 came out. The movie was easy to follow, zooming in and out of each location as the scenery change. Though the plot has the same formula as Neeson's Taken series, the action sequences were well choreographed and the acting from Neeson and Ed Harris were superb. Even Joel Kinnaman and Common did a wonderful job in their roles. I do feel like the movie was abruptly ended without a definite conclusion. But overall, the movie is still worthy to see in the theaters.

o/ o/ o/ o/

Cast: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman, Boyd Holbrook, Bruce McGill, Génesis Rodríguez, Vincent D'Onofrio, Common, Holt McCallany, Malcolm Goodwin, Nick Nolte, Lois Smith, Beau Knapp, Patricia Kalember, Daniel Stewart Sherman, James Martinez, Radivoje Bukvic, Tony Naumovski, Lisa Branch, Holt McCallany, Aubrey Joseph, Giulia Cicciari, Carrington Meyer, Gavin-Keith Umeh, Malcolm Goodwin

Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra

Written By: Brad Ingelsby

Website: http://runallnightmovie.com/

Movie Review: The Book Of Life

The Book Of Life is an animated film where a group of students visiting a museum were led to a secret tour of the museum by Mary Beth. They ended up in exhibit about Mexico. In the middle of the exhibit was The Book Of Life, which contains how the world were shaped. She then proceeds to tell them the story of three friends - Manolo, Joaquin and Maria in the town of San Angel during the Day of the Dead. The two gods - La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman) - decided to make a bet about who Maria will choose between Manolo and Joaquin.  But Maria's father, General Posada decided to send her away after causing a ruckus. During that time, Manolo was trained to become a bull fighter by his dad Carlos Sanchez (Hector Elizondo) while Joaquin became a soldier and a town hero with the help of a magic medal given to him by Xibalba.

On the day Manolo (Diego Luna) is set to fight the bull, Maria (Zoe Saldana) came back from Europe while Joaquin (Channing Tatum) came back to visit as well. That's when the rivalry started between Manolo and Joaquin. Who will win the heart of Maria?

I must say that this film surprised me in a good way. The animated was crisp and clear which is a major props to Reel FX. The storyline was easy to follow and the acting was superb especially for the three major characters. Major props to the tres mirachi - their quirky lines made me laugh a couple of times.

The music was amazing particularly two songs - Apology and I Love You Too Much. The latter will surely become a big hit. The film is quite vibrant, filled with color even during some of the sad scene and Land of the Forgotten.  Definitely go see The Book Of Life, its not only a great movie, its also full of life lessons.

o/ o/ o/ o/ o/

Movie Review: Deliver Us from Evil

Deliver Us from Evil is a crime-horror film about based on the life of NYPD cop Ralph Sarchie (Eric Bana) who meets Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez), a renegade priest, when he and his partner, Butler (Joel McHale) stumbles upon a case of paranormal experience. Together, they will try to solve this paranormal phenomena before it gets worst and he losses his wife Jen (Olivia Munn) and their child.

What I Like:
There is really nothing to like - acting was good but that was it. Weird seeing Joel McHale in a serious role even though his characters had some funny quips once in awhile. Seeing Olivia Munn especially during the initial scene, was good. Special effects and make-up was excellent though especially on Sean Harris who plays Santino, one of the main protagonist.

What I Dislike:
Pretty much disappointed with this movie. I love horror flicks and after watching this movie, won't even consider it. There were only two scenes that made the moviegoers jump on their seats. This movie was dubbed "disturbing enough to unsettle your sleep for weeks," well, I will definitely have a good night sleep tonight and the only disturbing thing that would bug me is the money I spent for the movie ticket.

Verdict:
Save your money.

o/ 👎

Movie Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a sequel to the 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger.  The film is set two years after the battle of New York (Avengers). Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) now works for S.H.I.E.L.D. under Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).  While sent on a mission, he discovers that Agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) had a separate mission. So he confronted Fury after returning and he was brief on a project.

Fury was then attacked while on his way to meet with Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). He survives the initial attack only to be ambushed by the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). Fury escapes to Rogers' apartment and warned him that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised by Hydra before being gunned down.

Together with Romanof and with the help of Sam Wilson and Agent Hill, Rogers sets out to uncover the truth and bring Hydra down.

Like:
This sequel has a lot of more action and adventure. It's packed with tons of CGI effects especially the aerial battle that was the highlight of the film. Acting was superb especially the new characters. Story was easy to follow and you will definitely be glued to it especially if you are a Marvel junkie or an action junkie.

Dislike:
Nothing really to dislike with this film.

Don't forget to stay when the credits start - there is a mid-credit scene and an end credit scene.

Movie Review: The Other Woman

The Other Woman is a comedy about three woman - Carly (Cameron Diaz), Kate (Leslie Mann) and Amber (Kate Upton) - who became friends and plotted ways to get back against Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), the husband of Kate, who is cheating with Carly and then Amber.

Like:
The acting was great especially Leslie Mann and Cameron Diaz. Both of them have that push and pull thing going on.  Major props to Nikolaj as well with his acting skills especially in the middle and latter part of the movie. The scenery were gorgeous.

Dislike:
Being a comedic film, I was expecting more laughter in the theater. But the place was mostly silent the entire film. I think I only heard the crowd laugh like three times the entire duration. Some of the scenes of the movie seems unconnected - jumping from one scenario to the next.

Conclusion:
Save your money and wait for it to come out on DVD or Netflix

o/ o/

Movie Review: Noah

Noah is a fantasy film loosely based on biblical story about Noah's Ark. The film was directed by Darren Aronofsky. It stars Russell Crowe as Noah who was sent a message by God through his dream about ending mankind with a great flood. Together with his wife Naameh (Jennifer Connelly) and sons Shem (Douglas Booth), Ham (Logan Lerman) and Japheth (Leo McHugh Caroll), they set out on a journey to visit his grandfather Methuselah (Anthony Hopkins) where they would save Ila (Emma Watson) and with the aid of the Watchers, built the Ark while fending off the humans led by Tubal-Cain (Ray Winstone) in order to follow what the Creator has asked him to do.

Like:
The scenery and animals were amazing - the CGI and effects were life like especially all those animals. Like that it didn't follow the biblical story of Noah cause if it was, I am sure a lot of people won't be happy on how Aronofsky depicted Noah.

Dislike:
There were parts of the film where it just drag.

Overall:
It's a good film, just don't expect too much.

o/ o/ o/

Movie Review: Divergent

Divergent is a science fiction film based on novel of the same name by Veronica Roth published in 2011. It is set on post-apocalyptic Chicago where the community is divided into five fractions - the Abnegation, Candor, Erudite and Dauntless. Abnegation runs the city while Dauntless are tasked to protect the site. The story follows Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) who's father is part of the ruling council, Abnegation. During her test, she was found to be a divergent by Tori (Maggie Q) who tells her to keep her score secrets. Then during the choosing ceremony, she decided to go with the Dauntless Faction. She then had to undergo numerous test with the other new dauntless recruits while getting to know Four (Theo James) more. While undergoing training, she see's Jeanine (Kate Winslet) who leads the Erudite factions and founds out about their impending plans. Together with Four, they went on to try stop Jeanine's plans and in return flee the city to protect themselves.

What I Like:
I haven't read the book yet so I am not sure if it follows it or not but the story is quite interesting. The scenes and the storyline kept me glued to the screen. The scenery was spectacular especially on how they depicted post-apocalyptic Chicago. The actors did great depicting their characters especially Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Kate Winslet.

What I didn't like:
Other than the zip-line scene, there wasn't really much action to the film. It was almost more of the evolving love interest between Beatrice and Four rather than the plight of the factions. But like what I said, I haven't really read the book.

Verdict:
Definitely a good movie. Would I watch it again, ummmm...

o/ o/ o/ o/

Movie Review: 300: Rise of an Empire

Warning: Spoiler Alert!

300: Rise of an Empire is the sequel to the 2006 hit 300. The film is based on the Frank Miller's graphic novel Xerxes which has not yet been released as of this post. The film is mostly set during the Battle of Artemisium and then the Battle of Salamis between the Persian Navy led by Artemisia (Eva Green) and Athenian Navy led by Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton).

The film began with Queen Gorgo (Lena Heady) telling the story about the Battle of Marathon where Themistocles shot the arrow that led to the death of Persian King Darius I (Yigal Naor) and the eventual transformation of Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) to the "God-King" and set out to conquer Greece. The story then switches to Thermopylae where Themistocles meets with the council and convinces them to engage the Persian navy. The Greek Navy and Persian Navy battled for two days with the Greeks winning which led to Artemisia inviting Themistocles to her ship and offers him to be on her side. But he refuses which led her to seek revenge by destroying most of the Greek navy the following day and killing Scyllas (Callan Mulvey), Themistocles' friend. Thinking that she has killed Themistocles, Artemisia retreats. But Themistocles survives and learn of Leonidas and the 300 have been killed which led to a united Greece. He then leads a small fleet of Greek forces at Salamis and as he battle Artemisia. Queen Gorgo led Spartan Navy and and other allied armies surrounding the Persian navy forcing a retreat from Xerxes.

Is it a sequel?
300: Rise of an Empire is a sequel, well sort of. The film happen before and during the Battle of Salamis whereas the first movie was more of the exploits of Leonides and the 300 and what happen in Sparta.

Like:
The visual effects and the CGI is stunning with the film keeping its unique look of bringing a "comic-book" into life. This second film is definitely more gory with more bloods splattering and mangled body parts all throughout the film. The battle sequence are well choreographed and that "slow-mo" motion was well-placed on the sequence of the film. The storytelling was superb - giving viewers a quick but no-nonsense history of the main characters. Acting were excellent especially Eva Green and Sullivan Stapleton. Kudos to Lena Heady who transformed Gorgo from just being a queen to a warrior queen.

Dislike:
This film didn't have the "omph" like the first film. There were "huh" moments.

Overall:
The movie is great but not as great as the first film. But I would still highly recommend the film. Don't forget to watch it in 3D to make it more of a life-like experience.

o/ o/ o/ o/

Movie Review: CZ12 or Chinese Zodiac

Courtesy of Wikipedia

CZ12 or Chinese Zodiac (十二生肖) is an Asian action movie co-produced, written, directed by and starring Jackie Chan as Asian Hawk (or JC), a well-known   treasure hunter. He and his team set out to fine and collect the long-lost 12 bronze heads of the Chinese Zodiac signs that were looted in the 1800s by the British during the Opium War. Disguising as a National Geographic reporter, he and his partners Simon (Kwon Sang-woo), David (Liao Fan) and Bonnie (Zhang Lan Xin) set out to find the remaining lost bronze heads for MP Corporation to be sold in auctioned. During their adventure, they would meet Coco (Yao Xing Tong), a young activist and part of Professor Guan's team who is trying to find all the missing bronze heads and return it to motherland China; and Katherine (Laura Weissbecker), who is looking for her great-grandfather who was involved in the looting for the Old Summer Place. What will JC and his partners do once they find the treasure?

I was eager to watch this movie because I really love Jackie Chan's style of blending action and comedy in a sequence and this was his last action movie. Yep, you read that right, this movie is the last time we will see Jackie Chan do death-defying stunts and mind-boggling moves like no other action star has done before. Some critics have compared this movie to his past Armour of God franchise to which he almost lost his life. The movie was easy to follow with the sequence not moving away from the story line. The acting was great with him and his co-stars mixing drama and comedy at the same time to produce some laughs within the movie. The action sequences, the main forte of Jackie Chan, was brilliant. His co-stars also showed their skills especially Zhang Lan Xin who is a model and Taekwando champion in real life. There is one sequence where she showed her flexibility but picking up a box of keys with her left feet (in heels) and then doing a very low split afterwards. You can tell that some of the sequences have been CGI'd but the hand-to-hand combats were all for real. The various location of the film was fantastic from the wineyards and majestic gardens of France to the lush forest of Vanuatu. There were also cameo appearances by some of Hong Kong and China's biggest stars. And with typical Jackie Chan movie, make sure you stay for the end credits.

Fans of Jackie Chan will truly go and see this movie knowing that this was his last action film. This movie is definitely for you if you are an action-adventure junkie. Most film critics gave the movie a bad review but it has grossed more than $135 million in China alone (Wikipedia). It was just released in most Asian countries and will soon be released in Europe and North America.

5 Stars (★★★★★)

DID YOU KNOW:
Jackie Chan earned two Guinness World Record for this film - "Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor" and "Most Credits in One Movie" with 15. He is the writer, director, lead actor, producer, executive producer, cinematographer, art director, unit production, manager, catering coordinator, stunt coordinator, gaffer, composer, theme tune vocalist, props and of course, stuntman. (TwitchFilm.com)
Eventhough this is Jackie Chan's last action film, there is a rumor of a sequel for the film (Jayne Stars)


CZ12 - Movie Site

Movie Review: Skyfall

Disclaimer: This review my contain spoilers, please read this review at your own discretion.

Skyfall is the twenty-third installment of the James Bond series staring Daniel Craig as James Bond and Javier Barden as the villian Raoul Silva. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and also stars Judi Dench as M, Naomi Harris as Eve and Ben Whishaw as Q.

The story begins with James Bond and Eve chasing Patrice (Ola Rapace), through Turkey to retrieve a stolen data chip that contains all the identities of secret agents in terrorist organisations. During the chase, Eve accidentally shot Bond with the chase ending with the line "Agent down".

Due to the stolen chip, MI6 comes under political pressure with M being forced to retire during the meeting with Gregory Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), the Intelligence Security Committee Chairman. M disagree with Mallory and she was heading back, MI6 was being hack that triggered an explosion killing a couple of MI6 employees. Bond sees the report and heads back to London to see M. He was then deemed fit for duty by M even though he wasn't. He travels to Shanghai to track down Patrice and find out who has the chip. But this lead to him heading to Macau to meet up Severine (Berenice Lim Marlohe) who brings him to an desolate island to meet with Raoul Silva, a former MI6 agent who felt betrayed by M. They captured Silva but little did they know that this was part of his planned to get to M. While M was at a public inquiry about MI6, Silva escapes and tracks down M. Bond takes M to Scotland while asking Q and Bill (Rory Kinnear) to create trails for Silva to follow them. They head to Skyfall, the remote childhood home of Bond and meets up with Kincade (Albert Finney), the gamekeeper of Bond family estate. Here they will make a stand against Silva and his henchman, will they survive?

I would say that this movie is one of the best Bond film I have seen. Being the longest series, the 23rd installment was in line with the 50 years since the first Bond film, Dr. No, was introduced.
The drama and action are blended together seamlessly making this movie easy to follow. The action sequences are amazing especially the motorcycle chase on top of the rooftops in Turkey. This was also the most drama that I have seen in a Bond film. The scenery shots were great and the acting was superb especially by Javier Bardem who plays the main antagonist. Daniel Craig and Judi Dench did an amazing job reprising their roles. And (spoiler alert!!) seems like they will be reverting back to the old ways of Bond with M being played by a guy and the re-introduction of Q and Ms. Moneypenny. They even used a classic Aston Martin DB as one of the cars used by Bond in his escape to Scotland. But they are also having some character change especially with Bond who doesn't only drink his usual dry martini, shaken but stirred, in this movie but also drinks scotch and other spirits. They also didn't issue Bond with a car. I think this film will cement Daniel Craig as one of the best portrayers of James Bond. This is a must-see film of 2012!

5 Stars

Movie Review: The Expendables 2

The Expendables 2 is an all-star action film about 'The Expendables,' a mercenary group that goes to dangerous missions that aren't official. This film is a sequel to the first one that came out in 2010. The Expendables are led by Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and composed of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Yin Yang (Jet Li), Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lungdren), Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), Toll Rand (Randy Couture) and new member Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth).

After returning from a mission, the team was forced to retrieve an important item in the jungles of Albania by Mr. Church (Bruce Willis), a CIA operative. The team was also forced to bring along Maggie (Yu Nan), a technical expert who is the only one who can crack the code on the safe. Little did they know that another group, the Sangs, led by Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme) was after the same item. The team was forced to surrender the item when Vilain captured Billy the Kid and instead of letting him go, executed him. They will find out that the item is computer map that contains directions to where the Soviets kept all the plutonium after the Cold War. The team now goes on a mission to stop the Sangs while avenging Billy's death.

This sequel basically starts off where the initial film ended - tons of gunfights and actions. It's filled with action sequence, some unbelievable and impossible, that action junkies will surely have a great time watching this film. The acting was good as the actors, including Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger took some of their famous lines and incorporated them in this film ('I'll Be Back', 'Yippie Ki-Yay'). The film was easy to follow and the sets were visually good especially that mock New York City that includes the famous Ray's Pizza. Overall, the film was created well and watching action heroes of the old would surely make you reminisce those good old action flicks.

The Expendables 2 - website

Starring - Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Yu Nan, Charisma Carpenter, Scott Adkins, Nikolette Noel and Amanda Ooms

Movie Review: Underworld: Awakening

Underworld: Awakening is the fourth installment of the Underworld Series and brings back Kate Beckinsale as Selene, the vampire death dealer shun by her own kind and hunted by the Lycans. The story begins 12 years back when Selene and Michael Corvin, the first Vampire-Lycan hybrid, tried to escape the "Cleansing," the government code word to eradicated both immortal species. Selene was captured and place in a cyrogenic state. The film switch to the present when Selene manages to escape Antigen with the help of Subject number one. Subject number one (India Eisley) turns out to be a hybrid, a daughter of Selene and Michael Corvin. The plot thickens when Selene, with the help of Dectective Sebastian (Michael Ealy), unravels the cleansing was just a cover up to eliminate all the Vampires to allow the Lycans to rule the world. Together, with the help of David (Theo James), a vampire who got killed and revived by Selene, they must stop Dr. Jacob Lane (Stephen Rea) from extracting Subject Number One's blood, which holds the key in making the Lycans the dominant species.

This movie is a sure action hit. I am so glad that Kate Beckinsale reprised the role of Selene, the part is surely meant for her. The action sequence where quality especially when Selene battled Quint, the hybrid Lycan. The way the musical score was interjected to the movie was superb. I could see that the 3D imaging is vastly improving. I think I even squinted once during the scene where glass shattered and a fragment felt like it flew towards me. The scenery is typical Underworld-ish - dark and dreary, its signature. The actors/actresses portrayed their characters very well. I highly recommend this movie to action enthusiast. And could I say.. Underworld 5?

Underworld site

Movie Review: Immortals

Immortals, a 3D movie loosely based on Greek Mythology stars Henry Cavill as Theseus, a man who will lead the Athenian to battle against Hyperion (Mickey Rourke), the Heraklion King of Crete, who declared war against Olympus after the Gods fail to save his family from illness. Theseus will meet Phaedra (Freida Pinto), a virgin oracle priestess who foresee his future and Stavros (Stephen Dorff) a thief. Together,they will head to Mount Tartarus and try to stop Hyperion in using the Epirus Bow and unleash the Titans to destroy the Gods and Greece.

Immortals is a pretty interesting movie. It uses characters from Greek Mythology yet the plot and story is not based on the myth. The film's scenery, costume design and CGI was amazing. The fight sequence was choreographed well - almost taken from 300 - and with using 3D technology, you feel like you are within the film with every blood splatter and battle sequence even though some of them were almost unreal.

Most of the actors played their part really well. Henry Cavill did an excellent job acting and portraying Theseus as well as Mickey Rourke on his portrayal of Hyperion. The film's direction was easy to follow even though it was a bit slow.

So would I recommend it? If you are an action junkie and would not mind that the movie is not based on Greek Mythology even though the characters are. Then yes, you will definitely love this movie.

Immortals website

Movie Review: Contagion

Contagion, a thriller about a deadly disease that rapidly spread across the globe being transmitted through fomite transmission and killed millions in a matter of days. As the disease spread epidemically, a group of international doctors races to find a cure and control the paranoia that was spreading faster than the virus.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh  (Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven), the American thriller stars an ensemble cast led by Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff, a Minneapolis man who's wife Beth (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) returned from a business trip from Hong Kong and dies but not before spreading the unknown disease along the way and even killing her son, Mitch. Meanwhile, deaths were being recorded from Asia to Europe and the World Health Organization sent Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard), an epidemiologist to Hong Kong to find out where the sickness originated. Meanwhile, Dr. Ellise Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) of the CDC sent Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet), an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer to Minneapolis to begin their own investigation as CDC scientist Dr. Ally Hextall (Jennifer Ehle) figures out a vaccine before the disease spreads and kills more.

The movie is quite interesting but I expected more ump to the movie. The story line was easy to follow even though the movie was quite slow and could almost not be considered as a thriller. The plot lines were more involved with conspiracies ranging from biological warfare to government conspiring with pharmaceutical companies (sub-plot with Jude Law as Alan Krumwiede, a freelance journalist). Acting was excellent across the board and cinematography was amazing. But the film just did not even got near the level of expectation I had.

"The average person touches their face three to five times every waking minute... " 

Movie Review: The Hangover 2

Hangover II, the sequel to Hangover follows Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) as they head out to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu's plan was for a subdued party but little did he know that what happen in Las Vegas will happen again. This time, they woke up in a dingy hotel in Bangkok and lost Stu's soon to be brother-in-law, Teddy (Mason Lee). Phil, Stu and Alan  - along with Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), now have to retrace their steps and figure out where Teddy is before going back to the island where Stu is set to marry Lauren (Jamie Chung).

I had high expectations before seeing this movie. Sequel should be more entertaining that the first right? But at the end of the movie, I was a little bit disappointed. 

Hangover II followed the same premise as the first one: Out of hand party - wake up the next morning without any knowledge of what happen - missing person and get an animal involve. At least this time, it was a monkey and not a tiger. 

The roles of each character was pretty much the same. Phil being the leader of the wolf pack, Stu being the one who has a different personality when he gets booze up and Alan being the reason why the night goes haywire. At least this time, Doug wasn't the one missing.

Don't get me wrong though, the movie still had funny moments with different scenery and more raunchy. But they could have added more to make it different from its predecessor. If you have not seen it, you are better off when it comes out in DVD or Netflix

Rating: 6 out of 10

Movie Review: The Red Cliff

Courtesy of Red Cliff website

A little disclaimer first. This movie was release internationally in 2009 as a single film unlike in Asia where it was release in two parts - Part 1 in 2008 and Part 2 in 2009.

Red Cliff is based on a 208 A.D. battle that ended the Han Dynasty.  The movie begins with Prime Minister turned General Cao Cao (Zhang Fengyi) seeks permission from Emperor Xian (Wang Ning) to eliminate the southern warlords Sun Quan (Chang Chen) and Liu Bei (You Yong) which the emperor reluctantly agrees to. With a massive army, Cao Cao attacks Liu Bei's town. Liu Bei's generals Guan Yu (Basen Zhabu), Zhao Yun (Hu Jun) and Zhang Fei (Zhang Jinsheng) tried to hold off Cao Cao's advances as Liu Bei facilitates the retreat of his people. Sensing a defeat, Liu Bei's strategist, Zhuge Liang (Takeshi Kaneshiro) orders a retreat and to protect the people.

After the battle, Zhuge Liang heads to the Southlands to convince Sun Quan to join forces to defeat Cao Cao. After some convincing, Sun Quan decreed that they will join forces with Liu Bei to defeat Cao Cao's army. He sends his army along with his best men, Gan Xing (Shido Nakamura), Huang Gai (Zhang San), and Grand Viceroy Zhou Yu (Tony Leung). After getting his army defeated by the alliance on a ground attack, Cao Cao decided to do a naval assault. And they targeted one place - Red Cliff, where the alliance is making a stand. Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu must devise strategies in order to defeat the vast army of Cao Cao and drive them back to the North.

This movie is amazing and kept me glued you to your seat. And with John Woo at the helm, you know that the movie would be just packed with action and adventure. The storyline, which is Mr. Woo based on Records of Three Kingdoms, was easy to follow and straight-forward which won't confuse movie goers with any twist in its subplots. The acting was superb with most of the major characters giving a A-plus effort in the roles that they play. Of course, the action sequence was just amazing and remain realistic. The setting and landscape were breathtaking especially the scene to which Cao Cao's navy set sail towards Red Cliff. If you are an action-adventure junkie, then I highly recommend that you watch this movie.

I give this movie: 5 Stars

Red Cliff website

Movie Review: Inception

Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Dominic "Dom" Cobb, a professional thief that steals secrets from within dreams, a method based on sedation. He works with Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as they try to steal company secrets from Saito (Ken Watanabe). But Saito knew what was happening and thus they failed the mission. But Saito decided to up the offer to Dom. He would be able to get back to the United States if he can successfully plant an idea on Robert Fisher's (Cillian Murphy) mind to break up his dad's company when he takes over. This is also known as Inception. The objective is to prevent the business empire that Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlethwaite) created from monopolizing the energy business. He then started hiring new team members. He hired Adriadne (Ellen Page) as the architect, to create the layout and buildings of dreams. Then seek out Eames (Tom Hardy) to become the forger who can shift identities inside dreams. And Yusuf (Dileep Rao), a chemist who can concoct a sedative strong enough for them to penetrate several layers of dreams. Together, they set out to accomplished the mission, fighting their way through obstacles and a saboteur Mal (Marion Cotillard) who is Dom's wife.

This movie is quite interesting and intriguing - a forte of director Christopher Nolan. You have to really watch the movie from the start till the end or else who will be lost in the maze of the movie. Leo was again at his best and would surely be nominated for an award. Even his co-actors where great - Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellan Page - played their roles really well. The special effects were unbelievable and just out of this world for a movie not billed as a real sci-fi. Overall, Inception will have your thinking until you leave the movie house. Was it a dream or reality?

Inception's website

Movie Review: The A-Team

The A-Team is an action-film based on a television series. It stars Liam Neeson as John 'Hannibal' Smith, Bradley Cooper as Templeton 'Faceman' Peck, Quinton Jackson as 'B.A. Baracus' and Sharlto Copley as H.M. Murdock. They formed an elite combat unit that is known as A-Team.

While stationed in Iraq, Hannibal was contacted by CIA who revealed that the Iraqi insurgents are in possession of US treasury plates and were being used to manufacture counterfeit currency. Hannibal then approached General Morrison to get approval for the mission but was denied. The team still went for it that resulted in a success only to be blame for the death of Morrison that resulted into the team being dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Now they must figure out who set them up and bring them to justice in order to clear their names.

First of all, the movie is so much different from the tv series even though they have the same characters. But it still enjoyable to watch the movie. The actors depicted their characters pretty well while the action sequence were right on cue. Of course, some of the scene were almost impossible but this makes you want to jump our of your seat. The movie was easy to follow and scenes were blended well with each other. If you are an action junkie who don't mind seeing a different depiction of a TV series, then this movie is worth watching.

The A-Team website

Movie Review: The A-Team

The A-Team is an action-film based on a television series. It stars Liam Neeson as John 'Hannibal' Smith, Bradley Cooper as Templeton 'Faceman' Peck, Quinton Jackson as 'B.A. Baracus' and Sharlto Copley as H.M. Murdock. They formed an elite combat unit that is known as A-Team.

While stationed in Iraq, Hannibal was contacted by CIA who revealed that the Iraqi insurgents are in possession of US treasury plates and were being used to manufacture counterfeit currency. Hannibal then approached General Morrison to get approval for the mission but was denied. The team still went for it that resulted in a success only to be blame for the death of Morrison that resulted into the team being dishonorably discharged and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Now they must figure out who set them up and bring them to justice in order to clear their names.



First of all, the movie is so much different from the tv series even though they have the same characters. But it still enjoyable to watch the movie. The actors depicted their characters pretty well while the action sequence were right on cue. Of course, some of the scene were almost impossible but this makes you want to jump our of your seat. The movie was easy to follow and scenes were blended well with each other. If you are an action junkie who don't mind seeing a different depiction of a TV series, then this movie is worth watching.

The A-Team website

Movie Review: Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 stars Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark who has finally revealed his identity as Iron Man and promoted peace throughout the world. The US Government has called for Stark Industries to hand over the Iron Man technology but Tony Stark insist that no one can duplicate his technology. He continued his father's legacy of creating the Stark Expo.

But Stark has a health problem that he is keeping from everyone. The palladium core in his arc reactor is slowly poisoning him and every attempt to find a solution have failed. Since he feels like he will die soon, he decided to appoint his personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) as CEO of Stark Industries and fills her old position with Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) who turn out to be Natasha Romanoff, a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Meanwhile, Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) planned his revenge against Stark when his father, Anton Vanko, died. He attacked Tony Stark during the Monaco Grand Prix which allow the world to see that the Iron Man technology can be achieved. Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) decides to spring Ivan out of jail and hire him to create armored combat units to rival the Iron Man technology.

Tony now must find a cure for his poison while trying to continue his father's legacy without shunning away his friends and fighting his enemies.

Iron Man 2 is definitely better than the first one. The action sequence were amazing and out of this world. As usual Robert Downey Jr gave a brilliant performance that showed his versatility as an actor. Jon Favreau directed the film to the tee while still acting as Tony's chauffeur. Gwyneth, Mickey, Don and Sam gave excellence performance in their roles. The CGIs are pretty awesome and the movie was easy to follow while keeping you off your seats. Overall, I would highly recommend to watch this while you can.