Review Of: The Lego Movie

I've just watched "THE LEGO MOVIE" yesterday! :D 

Directed By Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Chris McKay

Starring Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Channing Tatum, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Alison Brie, Will Ferrell

Synopsis:
The LEGO® Movie,” the first-ever, full-length theatrical LEGO® adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, opens in theaters beginning February 7, 2014. Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (“21 Jump Street,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”), it stars Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie and Charlie Day, with Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. The original 3D computer animated story follows Emmet, an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.

(Source: GSC Cinemas)

An interesting, weird and yet unique animated film.

Because of Lego having the license to make toys based on famous people  and famous movies, this gives the advantage of making the movie a creative and hilarious twist because of the various characters in the film based of other notable films such as Batman, Superman, Gandalf, characters from Star Wars and etc. Therefore this film is somewhat like "Epic Movie" or "Scary Movie" but with a Lego twist to it. 

Although you shouldn't expect a Disney animated feel kind of animated film, but son't get me wrong, "The Lego Movie" is a fun, unique animated film and brings the wonder of CGI with stop-motion animation.

The storyline at first was rather cliché as a typical you-are-the-chosen-one-and-you-must-save-the-world kind of story, but with that aside, there's a weird twist at the end that may get your attention. (no spoilers here hahah :P)

The plot contains numerous funny puns in the movie and also parody of other notable movie characters that will leave you laughing. I really admire the people you did the stop-motion animation for the film. It is really amazing, as I've watched many Lego stop-motion videos online, but a full-feature movie...got a salute from me. 

The characters are really interesting to watch especially Good Cop/Bad Cop voiced by Liam Neeson, Vitruvius (Initially I mistaken him as Gandalf hahah) voiced by Morgan Freeman, Batman voiced by Will Arnett  and many other characters. They did a wonderful job on creating the characters and the screenplay that gives the characters funny moments that's worth laughing.

Amazing work to the team behind the movie as they literally made a whole Lego world and animating it brick-by-brick.

All in all, "The Lego Movie" is an interesting and unique movie that's worth a watch. Maybe in 3D too! :P But, like I said, don't expect a Disney feel to this movie. "The Lego Movie" is a hilarious animated movie and if you love Lego & stop motion or just want to watch a cool animated film, look no further. (: 

My Rating?

Plot : 4/5

Storyline : 3.5/5

Characters*: 3.75/5 

Effects** : 4/5

OVERALL : 7.75/10.

Trailer:

Review Of: ILO ILO

I've just watched "ILO ILO" (:

Directed by Anthony Chen

Starring Chen Tianwen, Yeo Yann Yann, Angeli Bayani, Koh Jia Ler

Synopsis:

Set in Singapore, Ilo Ilo chronicles the relationship between the Lim family and their newly arrived maid, Teresa. Like many other Filipino women, she has come to this city in search of a better life. Her presence in the family worsens their already strained relationship. Jiale, the young and troublesome son, starts to form a unique bond with Teresa, who soon becomes an unspoken part of the family. This is 1997 and the Asian Financial Crisis is beginning to be felt in the region

(Source: GSC Cinemas)

A "down-to-earth" story that really shows the hardships of a Singaporean family during the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997.

Anthony Chen took a serious and realistic way of diving into the life of Singaporean families during the crisis through the eyes of a Pilipino maid and also giving a serious tone to the film but also adding a tinge of some comedic moments in the film. But I was expecting a bit more from the movie as the ending was quite abrupt, in my opinion.

The story was in a way "genuine" as I said, it dives quite deeply into the family's life and habits, without missing on the small details. The story flow quite well and it was rather relatable to most families in different societies, especially during hardships.

The plot was good, although I expected much more due to the rather abrupt ending. But that can be forgiven considering the genre and theme this movie was going for. Many scenes were well written to show each and every character's troubles and conflict, but still I felt that those scenes could've escalated to something more hmm.

Acting was great. The actors portrayed the characters really good and realistic. For some moments, it really felt like a documentary of the family's real life. Fyi, Yeo Yann Yann was really pregnant in the movie. 

The cinematography was good, simple and not too flashy. The tone of the film make it really seem like a film made in the 90s. 

In a nutshell, "ILO ILO" is a genuine, realistic movie which touches on many family and individual values. If you enjoy those real-life stories about people and society, or enjoy "International screens/Foreign films", you should give this a go. 

My Rating?

Plot : 3.75/5

Storyline : 4/5

Characters*: 5/5 

Effects** : 3.5/5

OVERALL : 8/10.

Trailer:

Review Of: Delivery Man

I've just watched "DELIVERY MAN" a few days ago thinking I just 

wanted a couple of giggles, instead I was presented buckets of laughters. :P

Directed By Ken Scott

Starring Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders

Synopsis:

From DreamWorks Pictures comes “Delivery Man”, the story of affable underachiever David Wozniak, whose mundane life is turned upside down when he finds out that he fathered 533 children through sperm donations he made twenty years earlier. In debt to the mob, rejected by his pregnant girlfriend, things couldn’t look worse for David when he is hit with a lawsuit from 142 of the 533 twenty-somethings who want to know the identity of the donor. As David struggles to decide whether or not he should reveal his true identity, he embarks on a journey that leads him to discover not only his true self but the father he could become as well.

A hilarious and somewhat bizarre/unique movie. :P

The already bizarre storyline makes this comedy film stand out from some other movies of similar genre. The movie is not some slap-stick comedy but it have a rather good story & message in dealing with choices and responsibility, although not delivered strongly but the message is there, and hey, it's a comedy, just go in and laugh your hearts out! :P 

For a comedy, a somewhat interesting undertaking in terms of story-line. To think of such a scenario for a character to undergo, is just interesting to watch. Something different I'd say. (:

The plot is filled with a fair amount of laughters for audiences' enjoyment! Both slapstick and funny scenes. It's a comedy film, so don't expect such a solid and strong plot though hahah.

Vince Vaughn, a great comedy actor, most of his comedy films he starred in are real "laugh-out-loud"sI remembered "The Internship" was hilarious! And "Delivery Man" will not disappoint.

There's no use going all technical for movies this genre I think. As comedy goes about, "Delivery Man" is one of those rather good comedy film to start off the year! (Unless, you prefer CNY movies hahaha :P) 

My Rating?

Plot : 3.5/5

Storyline : 3.75/5

Characters*: 3.75/5 

Effects** : 3.5/5

OVERALL : 7.25/10.

Trailer:

Review Of : Police Story 2013

A friend of mine decided to guest blog at my blog by reviewing on the movie "Police Story 2013". I have yet to watch this movie yet though hmm. 

Check out his blog at www.wongzeeway.blogspot.com (: 

Directed by : Ding Sheng

Starring : Jackie Chan, Liu Ye, Jing Tian

When I saw Jackie Chan on the movie poster, I thought the movie was going to be a comedy movie mixed with a typical cop story. Instead, POLICE STORY 2013 is a serious movie on how a cop from mainland China, who goes to a bar looking for his daughter, gets caught in a plot to discover truths and seek revenge. The cop, Detective Zhong Wen (Jackie Chan), has to try and make amends with his daughter (Jing Tian) for not playing his role as a good father, negotiate his way out of life-threatening situations, while finding a way to subdue the mastermind (Liu Ye) and saving everyone. Not an easy task.(P.S : Jackie Chan looks older in the movie)

Compared to many other Jackie Chan movies, the amount of actions and stunts performed are significantly less and are more serious. However, the action starts at the early parts of the movie as Zhong Wen (Jackie Chan) spies on the criminal and the hostages.

Throughout the movie, Detective Zhong Wen also converses with Wu (the mastermind played by Liu Ye) to try and figure out his motives and plans. Flashbacks are inserted subtly at suitable moments to develop the plot and unveil the story line bit by bit. 

Something I don't really like is the conflict between flashbacks and imaginations in the movie. Because there's no indicator whether it's a flashback or an imagination, it's hard to discern between them and left me a little confused at the end of it. Maybe the director was trying to build up more suspense but I think its just annoying. (You'll see what I mean if you watch the movie)

Nearing the end of the movie, the action dies down to highlight the story and the motive of the criminal. I like how the movie has a balance between action and plot development, instead of some movies which only focus on one particular aspect. 

In terms of the scenes and cinematography, I think they did a good job as most of the scenes were realistic and vivid. The background and setting was prepared really well and that's something I appreciate. The subplots also blended well with the big picture and although the emotions were different, I think they blend in just fine.

The ending wasn't the best but I guess it's alright. Something else I didn't really like was that the plot became a little predictable at the end, but I guess there really aren't many variations for a revenge story. 

To sum it up, if you're looking for decent cop story with a little mystery, action and emotion, this is a suitable movie.

Rating : 

Plot : 3.5/5

Storyline : 3.5/5

Characters : 3/5

Effects : 4/5

Overall : 7.5/10

Time-lapses | 2013

Happy New Year 2014! (: 

Hope you all had a great 2013 and a greater 2014! 
Here is a short video collection of time-lapses I made throughout the year. Hope you enjoyed it! 

Time-lapse photography is basically taking photos of a subtle moving object/scene and using all of those shots to make a video. Like a stop-motion video or a slideshow (in a way)

I used my Nikon D3200 with an intervalomater (a gear attached to a camera that automatically take a certain amount of shots at a given interval through a given time-span) and mounted on a tripod.

Thank youu! (:

Review Of : The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty

Just watched " THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY" yesterday! :')

Directed By Ben Stiller

Starring Ben Stiller, Kristin Wiig and Shirley MacLaine

Synopsis:

THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY is an adventure-comedy celebrating the true potential in everyone. Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) who also directs) leads a life filled with adventure and romance… but only in his serial daydreaming. In reality, he is a timid photo processor at Life magazine too afraid to even ask out his pretty co-worker. But when his job is put on the line, Walter must at last spring into action and he soon finds himself on a global adventure, living a life more extraordinary than he could have ever dreamed.

Truly a subtle inspiring film yet humorous and heartwarming.

Ben Stiller pulled this movie off! The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is well written and contains a rather simple yet strong message. It tells how sometimes we live mediocre lives but we tend to slip of into dreaming of the "what ifs", both realistic and unrealistic hahah. :P 

The minimalistic cinematography and creative editing makes the film really beautiful. 

Beautiful sceneries, beautiful music, beautiful story. Great for the holidays and for the upcoming New Year! (:

With a rather simple story and concept, Ben Stiller and the writers did a great job on adding humour into the film with funny scenes and some parodies hahaha, making it memorable and funny. 

There really are many quotable lines from the movie like "Beautiful things don't ask for attention." and "To see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls & within rooms, things dangerous to come to, to draw closer, to see and be amazed.”

Although some of the character's traits may not be fully realistically played out in the movie, but hey, the message was well said through the film and each character was given fair screen time and they delivered good acting. 

There are a number of scenes that is truly a picturesque moment that made me want to get out of my seats and go travel! Visually breathtaking. Great cinematography and editing. Kudos to them for truly bringing the movie to life!

The movie's cinematography and story is made better with the beautiful score by Jose Gonzales especially the end credits; "Stay Alive". It reminds me of the OST from "We Bought A Zoo" and a little of Radical Face's songs. 

If you like movies about life, or enjoy spectacular cinematography or just want a great movie to end the year, look no further. It's worth it! "The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty" is one amazing film. I really don't mind watching it again, really. (: 

My Rating?

Plot : 4/5

Storyline : 4/5

Characters*: 3.5/5 

Effects** : 4.75/5

OVERALL : 8.5/10.

Trailer: