Dragon Blade (2015)

When corrupt Roman leader Tiberius arrives with a giant army to claim the Silk Road, Huo An teams up his army with an elite Legion of defected Roman soldiers led by General Lucius to protect his country and his new friends.

Director:

 Daniel Lee

Writer:

 Daniel Lee

Stars:

 Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

A massive success this year in its native China, "Dragon Blade" brings action spectacle on a grand scale to US audiences. Featuring an international cast led by Jackie Chan, John Cusack and Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody, the film features the fight for the Silk Road when East and West collide. When corrupt Roman leader Tiberius (Adrien Brody) arrives with a giant army to claim the Silk Road, Huo An (Jackie Chan) and his group of trained warriors teams up with an elite legion of defected Roman soldiers led by General Lucius (John Cusack) to maintain the delicate balance of power in the region. To protect his country and his new friends, Huo An gathers the warriors of thirty-six ethnic nations together to fight Tiberius in an incredible epic battle. The film is written and directed by Daniel Lee ("Black Mask") and produced by Jackie Chan and Susanna Tsang.

User Reviews

I've read some of the reviews -- the bad reviews, I generally agree more, the good ones were often too exaggerated. Although I am not a master of the Chinese language, I'm able to understand both English and Chinese movies without subtitles, so I'd like to first address the title. I've no problem with the English title, whatsoever, but to the reviewer who said that it has something to do with lions? He's WRONG. If you want me to translate it, it's something along the lines of Top Gererals, Brave (Mightly) Armies (Troops).

Now, to my review. First, the good. The actors were good. The fight choreography was good. The cgi was good. That's pretty much it!

So, what was so wrong about the movie? The message of the movie is simple, to promote harmony among people despite the obvious differences in race, ethnicity, culture, creed, etc, etc. I get that! I have nothing against that either. The challenge however, is to incorporate that message seamlessly into the story without it feeling too forced or cliché -- and that was exactly how I felt when I watched some of those scenes.

But the bigger failure... is that the story makes absolutely no sense at all. It makes no sense to me how easily they could move and deploy their armies along the Silk Road from Rome to China or vice-versa. It makes no sense that they were all able to understand a common language, that is English. In ancient China, Chinese don't speak a common Chinese language, they speak different dialects. And if you add to the mix, the European languages, and the Middle Eastern languages, there is just no common ground in there for them to be able to understand each other.

It makes no sense that Jackie Chan is so trusty from the start (almost like a fool). It makes no sense that Adrien Brody would (for the sake of not spoiling) find himself eventually in that predicament. A lot of things that happened in between didn't make hell of a lot of sense either...

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Monster Hunt 2015 film

The cute baby monster Huba is the child of a human man and a monster queen, threatened by both monster-hating humans and monsters attempting to capture the new-born in an ancient world based on medieval China.

Director:

 Raman Hui

Writers:

 Alan Yuen (story), Alan Yuen

Stars:

 Ludi Lin, Wei Tang, Baihe Bai |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

The cute baby monster Huba is the child of a human man and a monster queen, threatened by both monster-hating humans and monsters attempting to capture the new-born in an ancient world based on medieval China.

User Reviews

unpredictable storyline and jokes, with lots of surprise, fantastic jokes. with beautiful settings design, fun and smart fighting scene. good acting, even thou its a comedy movie, but the mood and sad scene really come thru well. some of the monster design is too simple, but the main monster design is quit cute, and relatable. the story and character is well build in this movie. the scenery is very beautiful. and the the set even feel like an RPG and fantasy land in a very realistic way. the concept of the world is very well build. both female and male main character acting is very good, and the relationship story grows in a natural ways. and the expression of the monster huba is also very cute , and his character is very well build as a baby. the CGI is in very good, and each hunter have different sets of skills, and unique equipment, making the fight much more interesting. with unique gimmick, and features. and how they slowly give teach that love is more important than money, is shown very well.

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The Ridiculous 6 (2015)

An outlaw who was raised by Native Americans discovers that he has five half-brothers; together the men go on a mission to find their wayward, deadbeat dad.

Director:

 Frank Coraci

Writers:

 Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler

Stars:

 Adam Sandler, Julia Jones, Taylor Lautner |See full cast and crew »

Storyline

An outlaw who was raised by Native Americans discovers that he has five half-brothers; together the men go on a mission to find their wayward, deadbeat dad.

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Cat City (1986)

In the year 80 AMM (After Mickey Mouse) on planet X the crime-syndicated Cats try to erase the Mouse-population once and for all. A scientist of the mice, prof. Fushimishi seems to have ... See full summary » 

Director:Béla Ternovszky

Writer:József Nepp

Stars:Miklós Benedek, Gyula Bodrogi, Ilona Béres | See full cast and crew » 

 

Storyline

In the year 80 AMM (After Mickey Mouse) on planet X the crime-syndicated Cats try to erase the Mouse-population once and for all. A scientist of the mice, prof. Fushimishi seems to have found the weapon against the threat - so Intermouse calls it's best, but now retired agent - Nick Grabowsky - to get the plans. As a distraction for the Cats, they also send a second agent - Seargent Lazy Dick - for the mission.

 

User Reviews

 One of the best movies I've ever seen. The interesting thing about it is that you can watch it again and again (I've seen it at least 50 times) and never get bored with it. The reason for it is probably the complexity of the theme: adventure in a James Bond style combined with romance, comedy, philosophical issues and more.

The action takes place on an imaginary Planet X, about "100 years from the birth of the emperor Micky Mouse I" and yet the city of Pokyo is clearly identified as Tokyo, the "Alpha-Julia" car model needs no explanations, the vampire bats resemble the Mexican bandits and so on.

Clearly it brings up a lot of political as well as moral issues of the modern world, but, despite that, it doesn't get less fun: rich with first class action, hi-tech car chases, massive battles and in the same time - incredible humor, combined with excellent animation and music makes it a perfect entertainment for both children and adults from all around the world.

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Toy Story 3 (2010)

The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.

Director:Lee Unkrich

Writers:John Lasseter (story), Andrew Stanton (story), 2 more credits »

Stars:Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack | See full cast and crew » 

 

Storyline

Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear to plan their great escape.

 

User Reviews

 I attended a special screening for Toy Story 3. I went in with HIGH expectations. I LOVED the first two Toy Stories movies. Toy Story is a beloved franchise that almost everyone that I know loves the first two films. Now how about the 3rd film? Well all I could say is that it lived up to my unbelievably HIGH expectations and then some. This is such a good film. It has the laughs, magic and best of all the entertainment. The new characters in the movie feel like they were in the previous two films, they were that engaging and really worked well in the movie. The best part of the movie has to be the ending, I almost cried and was moved to just about to tears. I truly believe that this is one of the best Trilogies of all time. It might even rival the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

This movie has a real chance to become the First Animated Film to win Best Picture. I surely would not be surprised.

10/10 An Amazing End to a Fantastic Series Go Watch It

 

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Inside Out (I) (2015)

After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness - conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.

Directors:Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen

Writers:Pete Docter (original story), Ronnie Del Carmen (original story), 8 more credits »

Stars:Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black | See full cast and crew » 

 

Storyline

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley's mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school. 

 

 

User Reviews

Before I start, I will say this; I'm writing this after coming back from a second viewing of Inside Out. Both viewings were out of choice. That's not a unique thing, but I very rarely watch films more than once at the cinema, mainly because life is short, or rather, life is too quick for me. But there's two main reasons why people watch some films more than once at the cinema, especially where I come from; either the film was interesting, detailed, or multi-layered and needs to be seen again to sink in properly, or, it was really, really good.

In this case, for me, it's the latter. That's not to say that the film isn't interesting, detailed or multi-layered, but the reason that was repeating in my head to see it again was 'it's really, really good.' But is it? Yes, yes of course it is... Speaking with a bunch of friends with whom I saw it the first time, a risky phrase was unanimously agreed upon, which was that we 'trust the Pixar team to do the right thing.' Needless (totally needless) to say that expectations were high, and frankly, they were surpassed.

Even though the film is what we come to expect from Pixar (the universal moral themes, the perfect balance between comedy and sadness, and visually stunning animation and action sequences), I didn't feel that I had seen it all before, and neither was it repetitive nor 'ordinary'. The film hits all the high notes, with perfect intonation, and with discipline and passion. As touched on before, the balance between humour and sadness is strong and impressive; the amount of emotions that the film displays and takes us through is varied and immersive, yet not overwhelming. The film executes such clever ideas with simplicity and ease, leaving us to feel for the characters rather than worry about the 'science' of it all, or even being worried about 'not getting it'.

The animation is constantly eye-drawing and detailed; the characters' glistening skin is particularly wondrous. And what great characters they are. Riley is brilliantly sympathetic throughout, even with her difficult mood swings, and the supporting characters are perfectly entertaining. One might think that the superficial nature of the characters (Anger is angry, Fear is always scared etc.) would become old quickly, however the fun never diminishes, thanks to a witty script, expressive animation, and very strong voice performances from the entire cast.

However, to top all this off, the real gem comes from the character of Joy, surely a strong contender in the list of Pixar's greatest characters. Even though we are inside the head of Riley for the majority of the film, and the events that drive the movie are essentially her reactions to her new world (moving from Minnesota to San Francisco), the story is Joy's. Being probably the most flawed character in the film (paradoxically, maybe), it's her journey we care about the most, and she ends up being the most in-depth character in the film, occasionally questioning her actions in the first half (well, the cynics will be), and becoming the most sympathetic by the end. Amy Poehler's outstanding performance makes Joy simultaneously the strongest and weakest character in the film (emotionally, that is).

After all of this, the freshness of the ideas, the simplified neuroscience, the technical brilliance (saying that, Giacchino's score is probably the most subtle thing in the film, exquisitely putting the finishing touches on the most emotional scenes), fleshed out characters and universal themes, all of this comes together simply to entertain us, to let us escape, and to release us emotionally, which it does by making us laugh and cry in an even and fair manner.

And you will laugh. And you will cry. And it is fun to do so. Thank god we're living in a time when Pixar is making these films.

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WALL·E (2008)

In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

Director:Andrew Stanton

Writers:Andrew Stanton (original story by), Pete Docter (original story by), 2 more credits »

Stars:Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin | See full cast and crew » 

 

Storyline

In a distant, but not so unrealistic, future where mankind has abandoned earth because it has become covered with trash from products sold by the powerful multi-national Buy N Large corporation, WALL-E, a garbage collecting robot has been left to clean up the mess. Mesmerized with trinkets of Earth's history and show tunes, WALL-E is alone on Earth except for a sprightly pet cockroach. One day, EVE, a sleek (and dangerous) reconnaissance robot, is sent to Earth to find proof that life is once again sustainable. WALL-E falls in love with EVE. WALL-E rescues EVE from a dust storm and shows her a living plant he found amongst the rubble. Consistent with her "directive", EVE takes the plant and automatically enters a deactivated state except for a blinking green beacon. WALL-E, doesn't understand what has happened to his new friend, but, true to his love, he protects her from wind, rain, and lightning, even as she is unresponsive. One day a massive ship comes to reclaim EVE, but WALL-E, ...

 

User Reviews

 WALL-E, Pixar's latest film, is about a robot named WALL-E (or 'Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth-Class'), who is the only thing left on earth with some sort of emotion. He meets another robot named EVE, and the trip begins.

It's hard to describe in words how incredible I personally find this film.

The animation is flawless. Absolutely flawless. Especially on earth and the robots. It looks real. Much of the time it's impossible to tell whether or not it is real. The few slightly-shaky styled shots that appear a few times in the film only makes the animation that much more amazing and realistic. The humans are really good, too, while not realistic in the sense of you seeing it right now in real life, but they do have a realistic feel to them. The thing with the humans, I believe, is that they were purposefully meant to have this slightly rounded, slightly unrealistic feeling.

I believe the reason is to take a satirical look at humans, and what our goals for a future, perfect utopia, is. It questions what we want, and shows you what is a very, very likely outcome of our desires for a 'better' world, showing both positive and negative effects. The animation for the humans, I believe, was made rounded and slightly more cartoonish to emphasize that that is how we will become. Fat, lazy, yet so perfect. At times, especially with that perspective on the humans, they actually do look very real.

The story is brilliant. There are many little things in the film that have so much meaning to them. There are things that will be nostalgic to older viewers, and things that younger viewers will love to look at. However, it does steer for the cheesy, cliché aspects of a child's film, yet still remaining a completely G-rated film.

I don't call this a child's film at all. Not because it has adult material, because it doesn't. I say this because the film is perfect for everyone. Literally, everyone. There are things in it every person can enjoy, no matter who they are. It has obvious homages to Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", and any adult who remembers seeing that film will notice this.

WALL-E is such a lovable character. I've never felt so much emotion for one character. He will definitely go down in history as iconic as Darth Vader, or Indiana Jones. I was so close to crying at pivotal parts in the film, and although I didn't fully break out and cry, I have never felt so much emotion in my heart with any other film as I did with this one.

EVE is very fun and interesting. One scene in particular, with her, was so beautiful, that my eyes got teary. Her chemistry with WALL-E is so oddly perfect. They are so different in appearance and personality, yet they work so well together.

The other robots are all lovable, except for the "enemy" robots, who still add much depth to the film. In particular, M-O was the cutest, obviously not counting WALL-E.

Pixar has always made great animation films. But this, without a doubt, tops all of their own films, and most other films. It restores faith in the animation films. It captures the magic and wonder as past Disney films, which is something I have not seen in most modern animation films.

I would not be surprised at all if this won for best picture of the year. It deserves it more than anything.

This is one of greatest achievements in cinematic history, and I encourage everyone to see this.

10/10

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