Remake plenty of action, suspense and thrills by Nicolas Cage and Pang brothers

Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

This story deals about an American hit-man(Nicolas Cage, also producer)in Thailand, he kills his victims with no remorse . The drug addict murderer forms a relationship with a young man(pleasant Shahkrit Yamnarm), as he teaches his craft to Thai hustler. Meanwhile, the killer falls in love with a deaf-mute( in the first version this handicap is borne by the murderous) pharmacist(enjoyable Charlie Young) and he shares brief moments of happiness.

This detailed study about an assassin and a youth he trains is an exciting movie with a great visual style. It concerns about murders, vengeance,love and this one delivers it well. The picture reworks many familiar issues, as a double-crossed hit-man in love. The rate of events blending drama and action are enhanced by extended length of the hunting scenes and occasional flashes of brilliance. There are a great deal of killing with some creative moments wrought from heavy stylistics and with a John Woo style. It succeeds in building intrigue, tension and nice performances, thanks to the affecting acting of the girl who plays the deaf and mute , she's frankly marvelous. The characters are well portrayed and they are persons for who the viewer has feeling and compassion. Worth it for the terse script and twists ending.

Furthermore, colorful and granulated cinematography by Decha Srimantra, usual of Pang brothers. Atmospheric musical score and fitting well to action by Brian Tyler ,author of Rambo 4, Constantine, War, among others soundtracks. The motion picture is professionally directed by Pang brothers(Messengers,Re-cycle,The eye 1, 2,3..),shooting during Thailand coup détat. Directors, Danny and Oxide Chun Pang did a cool but uneven work in making this violent story.


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Vibrant, hilarious mesh of genres, and a different sort of film for David Gordon Green,

Pineapple Express (2008)

There will be many who will dismiss "Pineapple Express" as immature, overly silly, disjointed, and scatter-shot. There will be others who recognize it as a bizarrely artful, playful, loose genre-bending comedy with some outstanding performances, an inspired comedy script, and some great work from director David Gordon Green, certainly one of the finest young directors around.

The latter group is correct. "Pineapple Express" is, as a whole, the best movie the Apatow clan has produced yet. David Gordon Green is unquestionably the best director to direct one of these movies, but this is also a very different sort of movie than the films he usually directs. Does he rise to the challenge? He certainly does. I never would have believed that he was capable of directing such exciting and fun action scenes, or keep the movie's tone steady despite the different elements it consists of being so wildly disparate, but somehow he pulls it off. No other stoner movie can claim to be as artful and well-directed as this film.

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's much-anticipated follow-up to "Superbad" is an excellent screenplay, but expect none of the realism and resonance of that film; "Pineapple Express" is all about the laughs, and the laughs are certainly here, and they are practically non-stop, with just about every scene featuring some great dialogue, acting, or the sort of incredible sight gag this movie does so well. This is just great comedy throughout.

In addition to David Gordon Green's excellent work as director, the film is technically superb. The soundtrack and use of music is brilliant, and frequent Gordon Green collaborator Tim Orr's cinematography is consistently great.

"Pineapple Express" will be an inherently divisive film. It didn't get the sort of critical accolades many previous Apatow clan movies did, and I expect audiences will also be a little less unanimous. Indeed, there's little of the critic-pleasing dramatic scenes Apatow's comedies have been praised for, and even when they do pop up they're usually deflated instantly with a joke, and credit has to go to director David Gordon Green for his expert handling of the film's tone, which never becomes schmaltzy, thank the heavens. Really, the whole film is throughly enjoyable except for the very last scene in the film, which contains one of the film's best jokes, but is really hard to buy given the state the characters are in, and also more than a little forced. Aside from that moment the whole thing works beautifully, quite astounding given the mesh of many different genres and sorts of comedy that this is. You either go with this movies sense of humor or you don't, and I imagine more people will enjoy the first three quarters of the movie, before the big, long action scene happens, and lots and lots of violence occurs. I guess you have to have a somewhat morbid sense of humor to laugh at ALL of the jokes in the film, but so what? There are also some nice little tongue-in-cheek references to the film's influences ("they messed with the wrong melon farmers").

The cast really give it their all. It was great to see James Franco back in a comedic role, and his performance steals the show. Rogen is good as usual, Gary Cole is a perfect villain, and it's nice to see the gorgeous and talented Amber Heard finally make a quality film (and get one of the film's funniest scenes as her character's final scene). The supporting cast are also all good in their roles.

There are a lot of reasons why "Pineapple Express" won't work for many people, and they will probably end up being the very reasons the film works for those who like it. The film's plot is inherently silly to an extent (although this is nowhere near the "Anchorman" style of comedy), and one must be prepared for an outright comedy and not something in the vein of "Knocked Up". "Pineapple Express" may end up being more enjoyable for stoners and those with friends who are stoners, but it works on its own as great comedy because the humor has much more range and scope than just marijuana. One of the best comedies in years.

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The Coens' funniest film since "The Big Lebowski"

Burn After Reading (2008)

I'm not the only one to notice the pattern in the Coens' filmography: "Blood Simple." was followed by "Raising Arizona", "Fargo" by "The Big Lebowski", and "No Country for Old Men" by "Burn After Reading". The main concern one had about this film is whether it would be an "Intolerable Cruelty" or a "Big Lebowski" for the Coens. Let's put it this way: the reviews have been mixed, especially from major mainstream media critics. Guess what other Coen comedy received mixed reviews and was accused of being a somewhat tired mess? Yep, "The Big Lebowski".

The Coens' sense of humor is very distinctive, and I'm not talking about stuff like "Intolerable Cruelty" (this one the mainstream media liked, go figure) and "The Ladykillers", which featured numerous commercial concessions. I'm talking about the vicious, cruel, misanthropic farce that gets self-important critics' knickers in a twist. Describing "Burn After Reading" as a screwball spy farce makes it sound much more "Austin Powers" than it is. There is a lot of silliness, but the sort of silliness one finds in a Howard Hawks comedy, not in most comedies that have been made recently. It's a screwball comedy but a pretty dark one.

This is most certainly an acquired taste. It is not going to go down well with people who can't laugh at murder, things going terribly wrong for innocent people, or the Cones' trademark dialogue that pops up even in 'serious' movies like "Fargo" and "No Country for Old Men". However, "Burn After Reading" was seemingly tailor-made for my cruel sense of humor, as I found it to be easily the most inspired comedy script in a long time. It's a conspiracy espionage thriller with no stakes, nothing to fight over, a bunch of complete fools and idiots caught in the middle of it ("a league of morons" if you listen to John Malkovich's character), and disastrous consequences for just about everyone. Take out the jokes and you could have a tragedy but as it stands this is the funniest movie the Coens have made since "The Big Lebowski", if not the best, and that includes "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".

One really shouldn't know anything about the plot or how it unfolds prior to seeing it, as this is a film which is far more intricately-plotted than most critics are giving it credit for. The basic concept is that Frances McDormand and Brad Pitt's characters come across a disc they think contains top secret intelligence. What follows is, as described above, a thriller with no stakes and a bunch of idiots. It's one of those movies where you really shouldn't be laughing (for ethical reasons) but are, and it will have you laughing through your disapproval for basically the entirety of the film after the opening fifteen minutes or so, which are rough in comparison to the rest of the film, and to be honest the only thing that keeps this film from being absolutely brilliant and the Coens' best movie since "Lebowski". Just don't go in expecting a movie that looks as beautiful as many of their movies do- Lubezki is no Deakins, at least not based on his work here, and the Coens are very clearly attempting to emulate in many ways the look of the sort of thriller they're basing this on. It's functional, well-shot, and well-directed, but the writing and acting are the main attractions here.

Of course, "Burn After Reading" will be dismissed as having little worth and for being a disposable farce by many. Well, if only they knew how hard it is to do comedy well. I'd reckon this was harder to write than the (admittedly tremendous) "No Country for Old Men", which was adapted from a novel that might as well have been a screenplay if formatted correctly. The movie may not start brilliantly (not that it isn't good even early on), but once the Coens start firing on all cylinders they never stop, and the dream cast certainly doesn't either (Brad Pitt has a smaller role than most cast members here, but he is absolutely brilliant in the role), showing tremendous comic skill that few would have guessed most of them had. The final scene may very well be one of the best I have seen in a long, long time.

"What a clusterf-ck!", indeed.

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Max Payne delivers!

Max Payne (2008)

This film is, by far, one of the best video game adaptations that I've seen in a long time. Like the game, the film is dark, action packed and filled with lots of story.

Mark Walhberg is phenomenal on screen as Max Payne and completely owns the role; the studio execs couldn't have picked a better suited actor! All the rest of the characters are well cast and contribute to making this such a fun film. Also Mila Kunis does a good job playing Mona Sax.

The director did an excellent job of directing all the scenes, but he really earns credit for making several scenes and locations of the film extremely identical to the game.

Those who haven't seen or played the game Max Payne will probably not like, appreciate or even understand this film or it's artistic style; it's dark and very nitty, gritty.

Now normally I have some kind of nitpicking and complaining about just about any film I review, but I am at a loss of negative things to say about this film.

Stunning visuals, great acting, an interesting and dark story all add up to a very well earned and well deserved 10/10. This Max Payne film delivers!

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Quarantine - Rabidly Delightful!

Quarantine (2008)

Perhaps the first "first person" shot film that is shot believably! I saw Quarantine this afternoon and thought is was simply... awesome! See it on the big screen. It's worth the $$$ for the fun.

Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and Scott (Steve Harris) are a second string news crew assigned to cover a "typical" night shift of their local fire department. The excitement of a late night call to assist two police officers with a disturbance in an old apartment building turns ugly when an old woman tenant takes a hefty bite out of an officer's neck. What begins as an uneventful evening slowly erupts into an explosive fearfest that kicks away all the stops as it pushes relentlessly towards an undeniably foreseen but still-claustrophobic-and-freaky conclusion.

Carpenter's portrayal of the amateurish-but-ambitious-journalist turned scared-out-of-her-skull caged victim is nothing short of spectacular. In the end, it is her performance that stays with you even after the credits begin to roll.

Typically, I grow pretty tired of the "first person" shot films, but in Quarantine, Harris' Scott utilizes his news camera believably, not only as that of a news cameraman but also as the tool to escape. At no time did I find myself saying out loud "Yeah, right! Like he is going to still be filming..." There is enough unseen footage and plot questions left at the end to cash in on some serious DVD extras which this film will no doubt contain when it is released on disk.

If you have seen the Spanish "REC" as I have and think that Quarantine will be just another American remake like so many of the J-Horror flicks like I did, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many times you'll jump and fidget watching Quarantine nonetheless. I know I was.

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300 - The Evolution of Epic Battles

300 (2006)

After gaving us some of the greatest epic movies in the last 50 years,it was clear that filmmakers needed to take them to the next level.

But how can you make a new movie,for the audience to like,without recycling old material?

Answer:You improve what old filmmakers couldn't:Graphics.

Ben Hur,Braveheart,Gladiator,Spartacus and perhaps even Troy are only some of the epic movies that gave the audience so big thrills that they cannot be repeated. Almost every epic movie that will be made today,no matter how good the story will be or how faithful will be to reality,is bound to repeat itself.We got examples from Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven.

300 doesn't apply to this category.Besides it takes the epic to the next level.And more are like to follow.

Just like in the Lord of the Rings,much CGI was used here.

The result? This movie was a pleasure for the eye.

All the camera work and graphics exceeded my expectations. I thought they were comparable,if not better,to the LOTR,go see for yourselves.

I could write something about the plot or the actors's outstanding performances(especially Gerard Butler's..you see,being Greek-Italian,I wanted the best from the actors..Butler gave it. The anger in his eyes,the fury in his voice and the violence in his actions really reminded an ancient Greek king),but I won't ruin it for you. You must see it to understand how great this movie is.

But always remember that this is a movie that is based on a graphic novel and is by no means a faithful depiction of what really happened in Thermopylae in 480 B.C. All those who will pay the ticket to see this movie,must be prepared not for a historic movie,but for a stylish battle movie.

This movie,together with the LOTR,is the entrance to the 21st century's new epic movies.

Kudos to Zack Snyder,who came from nowhere and has,already from Dawn of the Dead,proved that he is a brilliant and capable director. We will surely see more of him in the upcoming years.

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Midnight Meat Train - An Entertaining Thriller....

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Clive Barker's more sanguinary inclinations are paid tribute here through a hulking golem, a malevolent meat merchant in his dapper best, named Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) who smashes, eviscerates and cleaves through unsuspecting commuters on the last train home. Adapted from Barker's seminal anthology, "Books of Blood", the similarly named "The Midnight Meat Train" is more than just an opportunity for some sophomoric snickering over its title but one of Barker's most revered short stories about a supernatural serial killer that ekes out fascination, fear and obsession from a lone photographer, Leon Kaufman (Bradley Cooper) stumbling upon the butcher's late night deliveries.

Director Ryuhei Kitamura (of "Versus" and "Azumi" fame) offers up one of the year's most brutally alluring gore fests in his American debut. With the gritty and detailed hard-edge of early 70s horror films (why, hello there Lucio Fulci!), his flair for CGI augmented visuals and the intense seduction of experimental camera-work in a cinematic environment so increasingly sanitised of actual visceral terror, Kitamura refreshes the genre's ability to unsettle and provoke audiences and jolt jaded horror enthusiasts out of their PG-13 apathy.

Kitamura works with a modest but shrewd sense of space in the decaying subway, the claustrophobic train and the creeping gloom of the city. There's a certain simpatico between Barker's distinctive tone and Kitamura's balls-to-the-wall film-making that compliments each other to the benefit of the film's atmospheric resilience. The unvarnished horrors cooked down deep in the gallows of the tunnels, plunged into darkness form the basis of Kaufman's terrible fixation on the disappearing passengers and that indescribably malicious man who stalks the shadows. Mahogany is the film's myth, the legend of The Butcher. Prepossessing the exactitude of traits essential to the character, Jones has the nasty glint in the eye, the mysterious swagger of indestructibility and the imperative of consuming evil, as well as having the benefit of looking like the quiet guy in the corner of the bar who could take out an entire gang of hoodlums without spilling his drink.

Kitamura's modulation of the material's emotional stakes and his slow-burn style of ratcheting up tension gives the story further layers to plunge into, not withstanding Cooper's unlikely presence as the film's corruptible protagonist. Jeff Buhler's screenplay from Barker's 25-year-old story is uneven at times but keeps an atmospheric dread of hopelessness. Supporting characters include Kaufman's wife (Leslie Bibb), a counterpoint to the man's wavering sanity and a threadbare characterisation of his good-humoured pal Jurgis (Roger Bart) who stands to represent Kaufman's humanity. But even if these emotional contrasts don't work, the film itself is a tidy and effective meta-slasher that resonates beyond corporeal carnage. Kitamura's subtextual ingenuity is shown through macabre imagery of animal carcasses hanging off meat hooks as Mahogany tenderises, disembowels and stores his victims just like the morsels of flesh they are.

Clive Barker's fantastical and mad blend of visceral shocks and profoundly unsettling explorations of worlds coexisting and buried deep within the one we think we understand has become an important component of our contemporary literary and filmic universes. While "The Midnight Meat Train" never hits the spasms of metaphysical despairs in "Hellraiser" or the diabolical mind-warps of "Candyman", this is forthright horror – simple, powerful and unadulterated.

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Enjoyable film that surprised me

Babylon A.D. (2008)

I saw this earlier and found Babylon A.D. to be a very intriguing and very visual experience. At the same time, a pretty powerful movie.

Sure, Babylon A.D. looks like 2006's Children of Men on steroids, but it's actually pretty different than Children of Men and has a different style to it. EX. IT doesn't use shaky cam 24/7 like Cauron used throughout the film, if anything shaky cam comes into play with the car chases.

In regards to to the action set pieces, they're pretty engaging and hardcore. They don't go into silliness either.

In fact, this whole movie doesn't go into the level of silliness. It remains as a pretty cold and dark film, with a few jokes here and there but nothing over the top. The cinematography's right.

The story itself was pretty coherent( could've used a lot more, but it was solid enough) and so where the action set pieces. But, it's also fast past, so you should try to avoid the method "shutting your brain off" unless that term in a verbal irony. Personally I don't shut my Brain off when I watch or read something, but that's another topic.

Acting wise I thought everybody did a good job. Vin Diesel pulled off a very good performance, better than his usual share of action hero performances. Michelle Yoeh was nice and strong. And Melanie Theirry was very powerful and deep as Aurora, the girl Vin's protecting.

This film has a very visual style going for it which actually blew me away, and I've seen a lot of futuristic science fiction movies. But, it's not quite as visual as films like The Fifth Element, but it is darker than the fifth element I'll tell you that.

The musical score was a bit over the top in some areas, but it didn't ruin the movie at the very least.

I can understand why the director hates the Fox cut of the film, but I actually enjoyed it even despite the harsh comments the director had said in regards to it, like how it was "dumb" and at times a "bad episode of 24." I got much more than what I expecting to be perfectly honest.

Babylon A.D. is a cold science fiction action thriller which has a good heart. One of Vin Diesel's better action films.

Higlhy recommend.

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Pretty good stuff

Journey To The Center Of The Earth (2008)

Don't go and see 'Journey' if you're expecting either a solid interpretation of the Jules Verne novel, or a thrilling summer blockbuster. 'Journey' is light hearted fun, but as a piece of light hearted fun, it excels.

The story centres (no pun intended) around publicly abhorred professor Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) whose lab in New York faces closure just as things are getting exciting (cough cough) with his research into volcanic something or other, a project derived from his obsession with the unexplained disappearance of his late brother. To further complicate things Trevor gets landed with his smart alec techy nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and thus premieres a generic 'odd couple' relationship as the stuffy academic trades words and yo-yos with his post-mod companion.

Anyway, as soon as this gets underway, Trevor finds an excuse to jet off to Iceland where for one reason or another he descends two hundred feet into a volcano and after one big 3D disaster leads to another, he finds himself (big shock) at the centre of the earth, wherein he, Sean and annoying Icelandic guide Hannah (some unknown Icelandic actress making her unconvincing debut) encounter all manner of 3D perils and wonders including carnivorous plants, troublesome fish, massive great geyser thingies, and the impending doom threatened by an up and coming volcanic thermal heating up whereby everything gets roasted...oh, and a dinosaur...he's cool :D.

The good stuff? The storyline is a lot more cut to the chase than I've made it sound, the 3D effects are cracking, and despite being landed with the name 'Trevor', Brendan Fraser makes for a great lead. I've always been a casual fan of his since seeing the Mummy as a child, and whilst this role isn't much of a challenge for the erstwhile Fraser, he commands the screen when he's present and is thoroughly entertaining throughout. The kid who plays Sean is decent support as well. There are some truly great visuals, and although the mine cart chase disappoints, the raft ride does not; it's a visual feast and a great action piece that would be perfect if not for the 'we're on a fishing trip' line thrown in by Hutcherson.

The bad stuff? Hannah Asgeirsson is cringeworthy as the love interest/ guide figure, a character it is impossible to like or even find interesting. The storyline is pretty predictable, and in terms of story and set pieces, 'Journey' doesn't really offer anything that hasn't been done before, and often better. A couple of the jokes fall flat, and the 3D glasses are pretty annoying, although probably not nearly as bad as the film would be in 2D; I can only assume it loses much of its merit.

So 'Journey' is never going to compete with previous genre flicks such as Jurassic Park, but it never really sets out to, which is the salvation of the film; everything is done with a casual wink to the audience; we're all in on the joke that the film is a bit naff. Whilst you're in the cinema it's great fun, but on reflection 'Journey' is little more than a memory jog of better films. Go for the 3D cinema experience, but don't bother with the DVD, because the more you watch this, it's probably going to become more and more tired.

Ultimately, Journey to the centre of the earth is a solid family film that thankfully never tries to be anything more. Good summer fun, and the finest effects you'll see this summer.

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