Angelus2 Reviews

Boku to tsuma no 1778 no monogatari (2011)

Heart-breaking

[25 August 2011]

A author decides to write a short story every day for his wife after he finds out she has cancer. It is a very sad and moving film, done just wonderfully; I do not cry in films but I shed a few tears watching this, the eccentric writer has a perfect wife, one who adores his 'difficult' mannerisms and loves him for it. Course then you have the journey that both characters go through as cancers tears his wife apart and destroys his world, only finding solitude in his stories that are designed with one simple objective...Make her laugh! The film has some very odd moments...like the 'Octopus' which I just loved and the robot war, quite sad but all that just helps make this film all the more powerful.

Beautifully acted, written and directed...A real heart-breaker!

Sherlock (2010–2017)

Awful

[15 August 2011]

Watson is an ex-soldier in need of a place to stay, he finds a wonderful little apartment. Only there is one problem he has to share with a man named Sherlock Holmes, a private detective.

I thought maybe this would work after seeing the promos, but I have to say I was left a little baffled during the first episode, the episodes tend to have crimes done in the most theatrical manner and then not everything fit together at the end..The chemistry between the actors is non-existent. We are supposed to laugh at their crazy adventures, but instead I spent most of my time laughing at the crazy clues and plot.

Honestly its all a load of nonsense disguised as 'clever programming'.

Australia (2008)

Australia

[2 August 2011]

An English aristocrat hires a Australian outback veteran to work for her.

At first the trailer looked quite appealing, it's the perfect date movie..was my initial reaction and so I took my girlfriend to watch this movie...What we got was something quite dull. In all honesty it does not know what it wants to be..You've got the blatant racism, with a little magic, violence and romance...I just found that the film was trying to do far too much, Hugh Jackman cannot be hated in my opinion, no matter how the bad the films he finds himself in..Nicole Kidman's English accent at the start is quite good, but then she just seems to lose her handle on it and is simply laughable. As a romance film, I think; we the audience have to wait for the longest time for any real romantic vibe between Nicole and Hugh.

Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)

Haunting

[28 July 2011]

The story is quite a touching one. Soldiers from the opposite side end up living side by side in a little town, they help the residents after destroying their crops and find friendship with their enemies.

First of all, I thought this was going to be another 'trying to be profound films that dictates friendship over war' and went in with low expectations..At the end..I was an emotional wreck.

There is something so haunting about that song that sets the tone before the film even starts, we meet the characters a man on the run from his past, a commander who does not know how to lead his men...these characters are beautifully portrayed by brilliant actors..course then there is one of the most wonderful characters..the crazy village girl..whose sweet, innocent nature is heartwarming amongst the ruthless soldiers. Then there is the comedy...Just hilarious...I do not know why..I loved 'The Good, Bad and Weird'...and this gives TGBW a run for its money. I loved the American pilot, Smith..Whose growing bond with the boy is quite sweet.

In essence the message is why are we fighting? Neither side seems to know as to why they are fighting each other..They seem to enjoy the same things and even grow to become very good friends, so good in fact that it feels natural to call another 'brother' or 'uncle, some may feels its a lost message..But I speak only for myself..I thought it was profound and endearing, especially the heart-wrenching end.

Ghajini (2008)

The song 'Guzarish' was the only decent thing about Ghajini

[13 July 2011]

Sanjay Singhaniya forgets his memory every 15 minutes (Something like that) but some how he has been able to compile vast amounts of research and been able to track down the people responsible for the murder of his girlfriend, Kalpana and his memory loss...Jiah Khan plays a medical student who follows Sanjay, for what? I have no idea! I haven't watched a Bollywood film in years, but I remember the promotional work was quite enticing for this movie, so I thought I'd watch it..I found myself skipping an entire hour of the films so-called back-story...First of all, I'm bored of saying it is a copy of a Hollywood film (Memento) so I won't...The film has huge plot holes that are too numerous to name for example how is he able to fight so well if he forgets everything...and the concept of Sanjay being communications tycoon before was far-fetched....and then you have the acting..Jiah Khan and Asin are just awful.. the comedy is so painful. But one thing I hated above all was the random love story..it did not fit..I understand the reason..but it was not executed properly. And then we have the so-called epic 'Fight scenes' which are not very good at all.

Apart from the song 'Guzarish' there was nothing else I liked.

The Green Hornet (2011)

The Green Hornet

[1/10 · 4 July 2011]

The son of a billionaire decides he wants to fight crime with his assistant and so they fight crime by committing crime.

I am only aware of the Green Hornet because of Bruce Lee's involvement in the film, unfortunately Hollywood has decided that they needed to bring back an TV show through a movie and make it a comedy and I have one question...Who produced this? This joins that growing list of awful comedy's with a never ending sequence of scenes were Seth Rogen thinks that he's really funny if he keeps talking nonsense. Then you've got the villain..I have no idea why they put that actor in the film, he was not funny or intimidating, while Cameron Diaz appears once more as the eye-candy and thats all...and Jay Chou who actually does a good job, he surprisingly out does funny-man Seth with his brilliant line 'You've been asleep for 11 days'. One thing I found annoying was the fight scenes, I did not understand the need for identifying guns with a colour aid and then the terrible slow motion.

Valkyrie (2008)

The rise of the Valkyrie's

[5/10 · 4 July 2011]

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a German soldier in world war 2, yet he does not agree with Adolf Hitler's policies and feels sickened by the thought that his country is being destroyed by such a fiend and so he unites with others to assassinate Hitler.

I envisioned this movie to be thrilling and a film of epic proportions when considering the line up, Tom Cruise, Bill Nighly and Tom Wilkinson to name a few, but throughout the film I felt that Cruise gave a less than convincing performance, maybe the character of Stauffenberg was not as riveting as others and it was perhaps more to do with killing Hitler. The ending was quite sad with Bill Nighly and Cruise giving the best performances in the entire performance as they wait for the end.

Outrage (2010)

Outrage

[10/10 · 3 July 2011]

Outrage is at times a humorous and mostly violent insight into the Yakuza. The head of the Yakuza crime syndicate, Sekiuchi wants to get rid of someone and so, he pits friends against each other, oaths are broken to uphold the will of their boss and death intertwined with comedy ensues as each character looks out for themselves in a world were the only one they can trust is themselves.

This in my opinion is Kitano's masterpiece, every character is beautifully crafted and portrayed by fantastic actors. This world is murky and dangerous as friends can easily kill each other when given an order, violence can occur in an instant without any warning or even reason. But what I found amazing about this was the comedy that seemed to be just perfect in this serious world. The escalating war between the bigger and smaller clan was quite thrilling when the audience realises that no character is safe.

I do not prefer sequels...but I just feel one film is not enough! A sequel please mister Kitano.

Sucker Punch (2011)

Seriously? You're going to call this film epic?

[1/10 · 2 July 2011]

Babydoll ends up in a mental institution, which magically transforms into a dance club were she uses her imagination to keep her busy as she and her friends go after objects to escape...In her imagination she fights demonic Samurai, Dragons, Robots and Nazi Zombies (Remind you of a certain 'Call of Duty' game?)

Simply put, this film is a mess. The storyline tries to be clever as it weaves in and out of fantasy and reality yet falls flat on its face at the first hurdle, when we realise its a fantasy within a fantasy....(Not the cleverest concept or cleverly executed)...Then you've got the actresses, beautiful to look at, but they lack the acting skills to pull off such a feat...And finally, the visuals...Amazing...But thats about it..300 was visually stunning and it had the actors to give a strong as well as believable performance. Watchmen was bearable as I understood that he wished to show a darker side of the superhero figure...But Suckerpunch is just pure rubbish..the only scene I liked was the fight against the Samurai demons, the rest was a waste of time.

Brother (I) (2000)

Kitano's failure

[1/10 · 2 July 2011]

Yamamoto is a Yakuza boss who is exiled to America and forced to live with his half-brother, but the life of a Yakuza seems to follow you everywhere as Yamamoto begins his violent rise to the top once more.

Sanotine and Outage are perhaps two of Kitano's finest and if I had to pick between the two, Outrage would come on top...Brother is Kitano's transition to the States because apparently you're not a good director if you don't make a Hollywood movie! Brother is missing many Kitano's personal touches, his weird humour and his dark personality. The film seems to be just like all the other weak gangster movies that are churned out, with pointless violence and not a story to be told, I didn't find myself making any sort of connection with any of the characters unlike Murakawa in Sonatine and Otomo from Outrage.

True Blood (2008–2014)

True Blood

[10/10 · 2 July 2011]

True Blood is set in a world were the invention of synthetic blood has allowed Vampires to emerge from the shadows and coexist with humans without having to feed on them. Our real story however revolves around the residents of Bon Temps, a small town in Louisiana; one resident in particular, Sookie Stackhouse a young woman who is able to read the thoughts of others, she bumps into a Vampire named Bill and the two end up dating.

Much of the first is based around their relationship and Sookie's introduction to the world of Vampires, as well as the adventures of her brother Jason and friends; Tara, Sam and Lafayette. Course then their is the introduction of the coolest character on the show, Eric Northman a Viking and owner of 'Fangtasia'.

I've read and been told I would not like it as I was a BtVS and Angel fan...But I nonetheless gave it a try, I did not read the books (Something I regret) but it's what I expected from a show about Vampires, there's sex, blood and whole lot of profanity! Sure BtVS is a great show and it tells a rather tame tale of the undead as its aimed at pre-teens and older...But True Blood is aimed a Adults and its rather satisfying, I personally thought that Season 3 was a slight let down, but season 4 looks promising.

A true Vampire tale.

Sonatine (1993)

Sonatine.

[10/10 · 1 July 2011]

Murakawa is a Yakuza who is sent to Okinawa by his boss, Murakawa suspects that this is a set-up but he goes anyway. When he gets to Okinawa with his crew he finds that things are worse than he previously thought two Yakuza clans are at war. Murakawa dispatches a group through a gun fight and hides out in a beach house with his remaining soldiers.

I've known about Kitano's legacy and so decided to watch 'Brother' his American debut....I found it quite boring and well, a disappointment and so I decided to check out his earlier stuff...and let's just say that I consider him one of the greats..minus 'Brother' which was clearly made for American audiences and required Kitano to abandon what made him great...his weird humour.

Sonatine at first starts off as a typical gangster movie, you have the gangsters and their traditions with violence following and then the film takes a turn. The Yakuza's are left to their own devices having to entertain themselves in a remote beach house, I found this hilarious as Murakawa a man broken by years of violence and unhappiness (My own interpretation) finds a little ray of sunshine as he 'hangs out' with his gang on a friend basis rather than a boss, course then comes the highlight of the film the beautiful Aya Kokumai who falls in love with Murakawa...And then violence follows one more, only this time the violence is truly justified.

My favourite scene is when Murakawa waits for Katagiri and the other guy to fall into his 'trap'...Absolutly hilarious and then there is the brilliant sumo scene! Just wow...

It's truly a masterpiece of Japanese cinema.

The Mission (1999)

Cheung Fo- The Mission

[1/10 · 1 July 2011]

A group of criminals are united by a Triad to protect his brother. I honestly fell asleep after twenty minutes. The opening did not captivate me and I honestly did not feel at any moment that these guys were the best at their jobs...Too many characters in my opinion..Anthony Wong is one actor I admire and have found his performances in the past nothing short of excellent, but even he cannot do justice to this role.

No character really stands out, they're all quite boring, there is no banter nor is there any good strong dialogue, just a bunch of men walking around.

Black Belt (2007)

Great opening...and then the middle...

[4/10 · 28 June 2011]

A Karate Sensei dies leaving his only black belt to his two students, one whom believes that he should use his Karate to become the best...while the other prefers to practise alone. The story ultimately reveals their paths and were it leads.

I thought the opening was magnificent, you truly felt the rich history of Karate through the scenery and the shots of the students practising; you were immersed in the beauty of the art of Karate and then the film took a surprising twist, one character chooses the wrong path and the other is thought to have perished...But then came the middle, while Tatsuya Naka gave a fantastic performance as 'Taikan' the rouge student, his counterpart Akhito Yagi known in the film as Giryu seemed completely lost..his acting was quite weak and the character's sudden realisation of his Karate is tarnished by the fact that he does not stand up for the girl who saved his life..I just found it odd and confusing.

But the fight scenes are brilliantly choreographed, the fights are very realistic and show Karate at its best in terms of film. It's also ironic that Tatsuya Naka who played the wayward student would go on to star in a film called 'High Kick Girl' in which he is the sensei trying to reign in a wayward student.

Crows Zero II (2009)

Crows Zero 2

[10/10 · 28 June 2011]

Genji now number one in Suzuran accidentally breaks the peace between Suzuran's gangs and Housen a rival school. Genji must unite everyone if he is to remain in his current position and go down in the books as a true legend.

Again, this film has tons of plot holes, character's that go unexplored and some that are given little screen time until the final moments of the film. But, lets take it for what it is...a brilliant fight film. Yes, the fight scenes are repetitive...the same punch...the same kick, the absence of blocking a punch! (I guess they've become hardened after fighting for so long)

Anyway...the fight scenes are still fun to watch...though some tend to go on a little longer than I would have liked.

Crows Zero (2007)

The Godfather of Fight Films

[10/10 · 28 June 2011]

Suzuran High is not your average high school, Suzuran High is home to the worst of the worst students in the city, were your fighting skills are the only thing worth celebrating. Genji is the son of a Yakuza boss and desperately wants to show his father he is just as capable as his father and perhaps even better...But in order to be the King of Suzuran, he must defeat Serizawa another student who is on his way to becoming the King with a fierce army. Genji must not only fight but work on his leadership and strategy to unite classes in order to match Serizawa's might...Fotunatly for him, he has an ex-Suzuran graduate and low level Yakuza for a tutor. Let the war begin!

I describe this as 'Godfather with fight scenes' and in essence thats what it is, a weaker version of the American gangster classic, but this film is more concerned with showing brutal fight scenes. If gritty brutal action scenes is your fancy, then this film will deliver in fine fashion, the fight scenes are very realistic. The actors are all good in their roles, although I feel that there are certain actors such as Meisa Kuroki who appear to be simply used as eye candy...someone who could have been used to a greater degree.

Yes, there are tons of plot holes, unexplored and deserted characters in this film, but in my honest opinion it is perhaps one of the most exciting and well done fight films of all time...and when I say Fight films, I don't mean 'Kung-Fu', I mean a 'Fight film'. There are some brilliant scenes in which the classes make that 'walk' and it genuinely does excite.

This in my opinion is the 'Godfather of Fight Films'.

All-Star Superman (2011 Video)

All-Star Superman

[8/10 · 17 June 2011]

Superman finds out that the thing that gives him all his amazing powers, the sun...is also the very thing that will kill him, after being exposed to too much solar energy and now he is slowly dieing. So, the Man of Steel decides to spend his last days on Earth helping the innocent and spending some time with his beloved Lois Lane.

As a life long comic book fan, I am disappointed in myself for not reading the comic material that this animation movie is based on, if any..So I answer this as an audience member. In essence everything you could possibly want is there...the voice actors are very good in their chosen roles, the dialogue is satisfactory...However, even I a comic book fan found the erratic sequence of heroic deeds quite confusing...when he goes to find a suitable planet for the last Kryptonian survivors and then immediately he returns home to find that another set of Kryptonians have arrived and then he immediately dispatches them.

I felt that more time could have been given in telling a story about who Clark Kent really is...rather than focusing on Superman's amazing feats..I understand its called Superman for a reason, but a little bit more intimacy would have been nice.

Superman/Doomsday (2007 Video)

The Death of Superman

[10/10 · 17 June 2011]

Superman dies after fighting the creature known as 'Doomsday', and so the rest of the world is left to fend itself against his villains, until Superman emerges from the dead...but something has changed within him...

I finally got around to watching 'Superman/Doomsday' and I have to say all those bad reviews I read were in vain. Yes, the story of Superman's death has been around, but for the first time I actually felt saddened by the mere thought. The storyline was done wonderfully, as we saw Superman rise above all else and strike down Doomsday with everything. The voice actors are perfect, Adam Baldwin is Superman! His voice can be both endearing as he portrays the lovable Clark and saviour as Superman; while Anne Heche gives one of the greatest Lois Lane performances ever, better than any of her predecessors and actresses that have come after...She plays the roles as the feisty reporter with ease and the scene in which she confronts Superman's mother Martha was heartbreaking, I actually shed a tear.

The ending is definitely one of the best, as he; the true Man of Steel returns and defeats 'himself'.

Battle Royale (2000)

A Masterpiece

[10/10 · 12 June 2011]

A group of students find themselves on a island and are given instructions to kill each other, until only one remains. Let the killing begin! I could have explained the plot a lot better, but I cannot be bothered...This is my opinion is one of the finest action and horror flicks of our time, the director does a wonderful job in capturing the fear of the students as they embark on a journey of no return as they kill their fellow classmates to get off the island. The action sequences are just spell-binding while the gem of the film is Mitsuko Soma played by the talented Ko Shibasaki who is terrifying as the femme fatale.

Unknown (I) (2011)

"I didn't forget everything. I remember how to kill you."

[7/10 · 10 June 2011]

Dr. Martin Harris travels to Berlin with his wife Liz, after remember that he's forgotten a suitcase he leave his wife at the hotel and goes back to the airport only to end up in a car accident.

When Martin awakes from a coma, he finds out that there is someone else who has replaced him as Martin Harris...Why is this happening? And is he the real Martin Harris? I felt the overall plot was quite intriguing but there were certain plot holes within the film. Liam Neeson has become the action star for a new generation since his outing as a highly skilled spy in 'Taken' and he does a satisfactory job here as a man trying to find answers. The ending has been done before in a few films but its still nice to see Liam beat the living daylights out of the bad guy. January Jones and Diane Kruger do little to move the plot forward and their characters but Liam makes up for it. There are moments when the character Liz seems scared of the other 'Martin Harris' but its never explained why when we find out her connection to the fake one...

Watchable.

Easy A (2010)

Easily not an 'A'

[1/10 · 10 June 2011]

Olive decides that she's tired of being a 'Virgin' and makes up lies that she has lost her virginity to a boy...But then she makes the mistake of saying that she has slept with a fellow friend to help him from being bullied in school...and soon it seems that all the boys in school want her to do the same.

I thought the plot was quite intriguing from what I saw in the trailer, I thought that Olive was making up stories in order to get A's, but it was not..Instead what I got was a lame comedy that does not know what it wants to be. At first I thought Olive was quite clever, but she doesn't seem to understand the repercussions of her actions. People try to pass this off as intelligent...but I didn't see any of that.

There are a few meagre laughs but its not for me...And I felt that Christians were portrayed badly...I am not a Christian but why does Hollywood have to portray any group of people continuously through stereotypes?

The Social Network (2010)

'Like' me!

[10/10 · 4 June 2011]

I've heard everyone around me say that this is the 'true' story as to how Facebook came to be...the truth is we will never know..But this presents a picture of how the pursuit for wealth can destroy us.

Mark Zuckerberg sits at his desk one night after being dumped by his girlfriend, out of anger he begins to furiously type away at his computer that talks about his girlfriend and then publishes it online through his blog....Then, he has an idea..He compiles a database of the girls at Harvard by hacking into the school system and acquiring their photos, his act of anger proves to be very popular among his fellow male students....and thus he meets three senior students who want to design a site were friends can create a page and meet other friends....Mark agrees only to delay their so-called project and begins work on 'FACEBOOK'...when he unleashes the social network, his troubles seem to have only just begun.

I thought that for a fictional representation of what could be, it was quite compelling. Jesse Eisenberg does a marvellous job as his greed for power overshadows everything including his only friend played by the future Spiderman 'Andrew Garfield'. Their is a sadness to Eisenberg's portrayal as he yearns for someone who is gone forever. While Garfield outshines any other actor in the film because of what happens to him at the end...it's a heartbreaking scene when he realises of the great deception; wonderfully done by Garfield. While Justin Timberlake is surprisingly quite irritating as the Napster creator, Sean Parker. I loved the ending, it does not provide any closure; but we get to see that even Zuckerberg refreshes his FB page continuously!

Deadwood (2004–2006)

Deadwood.

[10/10 · 4 June 2011]

Deadwood is a fictional account of what may have been and could have happened concerning the original and most prominent Deadwood residents, Deadwood began as a place were only the worst of the worst survive. The show begins with Sheriff Bullock (Timothy Olyphant) who decides that he must try to make his fortune in Deadwood before its too late with his business partner Sol Star. Al Swearengen (Ian Mcshane) is a Pimp who controls Deadwood with an iron fist, but his grip begins to loosen as new villains and heroes begin to emerge along the horizon.

First of all the dialogue is perhaps one of the strengths of the show, it really captures a time long ago with Old English immersed in American English, at first I agree its hard to understand but you begin to grow accustomed to the language and in turn are rewarded by such dynamic description of events and people by the characters. Then we have the actors, an amazing ensemble who have gone on to better things, Timothy Olyphant now graces our screens as 'Rayland Gibbons' in 'Justified', too be fair he may not have gained the experience as a gunslinger if it were not for Deadwood! Then the true gem of the show, Ian McShane who plays the ruthless crime boss 'Al Swearengen', a character that could scare the daylights out of 'Tony Soprano' in a heartbeat, as well as the terrifying Cy Tolliver who lacks the tiniest humanity that we see in Al, the rest of the cast are just as brilliant and amazing in their respective roles, but these three were my favourite and I felt that they outshone the rest of the cast, but only by an inch...

I watched this entire show in 2010-11, but too be far I was Fifteen when the show originally aired and would not have understood a thing, nor comprehend the enormity of the show's themes! The racism is quite shocking towards prominent Black and Asian residents, but unfortunately that was the past something that should be shown, not tiptoed around so we the audience realise that this vile discrimination should never occur again!

The third season by far was the most exciting but as the show never saw past season three, I assume it was the creators last attempt at bringing in more viewers. The greatest moments in the show were perhaps when Al Swerengen cleans up for Joy his adopted sister, revealing that there is some good in the dangerous cutthroat, second epic scene is when Dan gets to fight the Captain...Perhaps one of the greatest build-ups to a confrontation and when Al Swearengen beats down a 'Pinkerton Agent' for hurting his fellow Deadwood residents. Course there are hundreds of wonderful scenes, like Al Swearengen and Wu's meetings, the towns elders meeting to discuss affairs and protecting Alma Garrett.

One of the all time great television shows that could have become as powerful as 'The Sopranos' and greater!

Troy (2004)

History remembers Heroes, not Kings

[7/10 · 22 May 2011]

Based on the Greek tale, 'Troy' yearns to find success that has bestowed itself upon Gladiator, and it nearly accomplishes that task but yet it falls short.

The story is essentially based on a poem in which two armies go to war because of a woman, not just any woman the beautiful Helen, whose beauty made the God's drool. Troy is a film that tries to invoke the feeling that this is an epic story with great drama but I am unconvinced. The film has a whole host of talented actors yet they all seem to fail in giving a truly remarkable performance, then you have some of the weird accents, it's not entirely English nor American... One of the biggest flaws was Diana Kruger, I found her to be very wooden.

One aspect I did find quite entertaining was the fight sequences, when the fake Achilies goes to war, just a magnificent scene and the outcome...as well as Achilies and Hector's final fight, just brilliantly choreographed. Brad Pitt was probably one of the likable characters a man on the verge of being a 'hero', yet he questions himself and his allegiances with a corrupt King..Brilliantly done.

Overall a satisfactory attempt at bringing forth the tale of Troy, but rather overshadowed by the great Achilies.

First Daughter (1999 TV Movie)

Taking into consideration that it is a low budget movie. It's pretty good.

[9/10 · 22 May 2011]

The President's daughter wants to have a 'normal' life, so the President appoints his number one agent Alex McGregor in charge of watching her. But coincidently some terrorists visit the same place who despise the President and decide to kidnap his daughter.

Now first off, it is not the greatest script, the dialogue is very cheesy and the storyline has been done over and over again. But as I watched this movie on a random afternoon with nothing to do, I found myself rather enjoying this movie as Alex McGregor went after the kidnappers...Some recognisable faces appear along the way, Dominic Purcell (Prison Break) Alan Dale (OC, Lost) Diamond Dallas Page (WCW) and Doug Savant (Desperate Housewives).

First Daughter is quite funny at times with Doug and Mariel playing off each other wonderfully as the romance blossoms between the two in the most disastrous of situations. Due to the budget constraints the film could not be as lavish as one would hope, but still it is rather enjoyable and is perhaps greater than some of the more expensive movies that are constantly churned by the film industry.