anngeewoo Reviews

Beastly (2011)

It takes a teenager to admire this movie, perhaps

[1/10 · 4 April 2011]

Didn't knew it's based on a novel before I saw the movie, and didn't know it's such a teen movie - pretty faces, college scenes - it makes me relate to Twilight, the storyline starts with how perfect the leading boy looks and leading girl seems to be mediocre only.

I didn't expect anything before the movie, I just saw the poster and found it interesting, thought it'd be some kind of a romance to have a girl falling in love with such a scar-faced man.

But the story didn't convince me how the beast and the beauty fall in love. To me, it just seems to be "written" in such way, Kyle and Lindy are just performing their roles as written in the screenplay, with not much emotions involved in acting. I don't see Kyle getting much upset turning from such flawless face (as he thought) to a seriously scar-faced; and Lindy not being surprised when she saw Kyle's face - as Hunter, a total stranger - this just doesn't quite make sense. I think the acting plays an important role in terms of touching audience's emotions and connection to the movie, but the casts in Beastly fail in such area. The leading casts maybe good with simple teen love story, but the storyline in Beastly seems to be a heavy topic for them to handle, so now it just appears to be a shallow love movie with no sentiments triggered.

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Is it written, is it by chance, or do we have free will?

[7/10 · 26 March 2011]

Is it written, is it by chance, or do we have free will?

Perhaps all three. The Adjustment Bureau is a team of people working for "the chairman", they are meant to make sure things happen as written. But the whole story ain't as simple as that, there could be flexion points which make people deviate from the written route, and the bureau is to bring people back on track.

This is an interesting and thought-provoking movie. Have you tried hard enough to fight for your dream in life before you just give in?

What makes life exciting is that we never know what is meant to be, and what is supposed to be the correct choice. How much we lose for the choice that we make, and how much ripples we create by making such a decision? Unknown. Do we live a better life being with a certain person, or do we miss all the glamor losing that particular one? Unknown. But what is a "better life"? Are we a better person excelling at work or are we better ones finding a person who reciprocates love?

Perhaps, even deviation is a kind of destiny.

Last Night (I) (2010)

Disappointed

[1/10 · 19 March 2011]

I almost left mid-way.

Honestly I was attracted by the nice poster with Keira posing in bed, hoping the movie to be a touch of sentiments. Just to find that she was a disappointment in the movie. Bad acting, too pretentious, accents too strong (can't blame her for that, but it's a turnoff to the role). The whole movie tried too hard to be arty (thanks partychic_99 for lending the term), but not getting anywhere; the overall sensation was just dangling nowhere, not touching no matter how hard they tried. It just seems that something concrete was missing in the movie, we never got to know better of each role to build our linkage to it. With such a storyline, though nothing new, it could be a way more touching movie.

Bad cast. Eva isn't as attractive as said and expected, she's not a persuading candidate to play the role.

Ended odd.