Toy Story 3

Pic source: click here.

Toy Story 3 is by far the most hilarious animation movie I have ever watched. I laughed like crazy throughout the film. I've also watched this about three or five times now. I know, crazy right? Anyway, here's some info as usual.

Director: Lee Unkrich

Writers: John Lasseter (story), Andrew Stanton (story), Lee Unkrich (story), and Michael Arndt (screenplay)

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Casts (voice): Tom Hanks (Woody), Woody Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie), and others. For the full credits on casts, click here.

Summary:

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. (From imdb)

You'd also want to check out the goofs and trivia. They're awesome! :D As always, watch out for spoilers if you haven't watched the movie yet. 

Ooh! A logical explanation for one of the goofs:

The laptop in Andy's room was open when he came in because Hamm and Rex was looking for how much they were worth on e-bay, and they didn't have the time to close it! (I figured this out the third time I watched the movie, lol.)

The great escape.

Reasons to love this movie:

1. Absolutely inspiring family story. There are tons of things you can learn from this movie.

2. A balance of everything. Adventure, comedy, togetherness... you will get sucked into this movie until the very end, and you may not want to get out. :)

3. Amazing plot. The plot can sometimes be unpredictable. It also tells a bunch of stories without anything being nonsense. Every part of the story is important to uncover the plot, and every part is a beauty and excitement.

Reasons to not like this movie:

None. For me. 

All in all, I think this movie deserves 10 out of 10 stars. This is actually the first time I've given a perfect score review for a movie and I don't think I'll regret this. A definite must watch - even though you're an adult or a grandpa, this movie will touch you.

Toy Story 3 is also one of the sequels that actually works. It's rare and ought to be appreciated.

Video trailer:

Toodle-o,

Maria

AVATAR : THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010)

After waiting extremely eagerly for this movie, I sat in the theater and was extremely eager for it to END. Ear-oh? Oong? Soak-ah?! Could they have butchered the names anymore than they did? Worse, the entire movie felt like a string of clips put together for an hour and a half and not like a movie at all. All the major parts of the Book of Water were skimmed over, while things like the freeing of the earth nation village (while important) were given screen time that could have been given to major events like the southern air temple. I was really disapointed after watched this movie.

FOUR NATIONS, ONE DESTINY

Director : M. Night Shyamalan
Writers : M. Night Shyamalan
Release Date : 4 August 2010 (Indonesia)
Genre : Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy
Cast :

	Noah Ringer	...	Aang
	Dev Patel	...	Prince Zuko
	Nicola Peltz	...	Katara
	Jackson Rathbone	...	Sokka
	Shaun Toub	...	Uncle Iroh
	Aasif Mandvi	...	Commander Zhao
	Cliff Curtis	...	Fire Lord Ozai
	Seychelle Gabriel	...	Princess Yue

Plot :

Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. A century has passed with no hope in sight to change the path of this destruction. Caught between combat and courage, Aang (Noah Ringer) discovers he is the lone Avatar with the power to manipulate all four elements. Aang teams with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to restore balance to their war-torn world. Based on the hugely successful Nickelodeon animated TV series, the live-action feature film “The Last Airbender” is the opening chapter in Aang’s struggle to survive.

He will need you... and we all need him.

What I think about this movie :

1. The actors were dismal, with the exception of Dev Patel as Zuko and to a lesser extent Shaun Toub as Iroh, who wasn't an accurate portrayal of Iroh visually but at least captured the character's wisdom much better than many of the other actors on board for the movie. He however failed to provide many of the aspects of Iroh that made him endearing in the series.
2. The music was great. The special effects looked amazing, I don't care what anyone says. The fighting was cool. The sets were adequately spectacular. I will give that the northern water kingdom was gorgeous, but that's about all I have to say kindly about this movie.
3. If you love Avatar: The Last Airbender as the series, I recommend giving this movie a miss. It's heartbreaking how they butchered something that had such fantastic and barely needing change source material.

Trailer :


enjoy ^^

-auReL-

The Myth TV Series (2010)

Okay, I know this blog's name is AM Movie Mania, but I suppose it's okay to review a TV series once in a while...

This is a Chinese TV series. The entire series is spoken in Mandarin, so prepare for a bafflement if the subtitle suddenly went poof (.. like mine did a couple of times) but if you can speak or read Mandarin fluently then it's no problem. Hahaha.

First thing first: THIS REVIEW CONTAIN SPOILER. And not just any spoiler, the ENDING's spoiler. So. If you want to watch it yourself and not know the ending now... stop reading this review. Right here is the line.

Another warning (yes, even this warning contains spoiler): if you hate sad-but-beautiful-heart-crunching-tear-jerking type of ending, don't watch this TV series. It contains 50 *damn* episodes. Each beautiful except the ending.

WHY WHY WHY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY -

Ehm.

As usual, some info:

Director: Jeffrey Chiang, Yuen Bun (action director), Stanley Tong (creative director)

Writer: Li Haishu

Genre: Science fiction | Romance | Historical drama | Fantasy

Casts: Hu Ge (Yi Xiao Chuan / Meng Yi), Bai Bing (Princess Yu Shu), Chang Shih (Gao Yao / Zhao Gao), Alina Zhang (Gao Lan / Xiao Yue), Ren Quan (Yi Da Chuan), Xu Di (Yi Mama), Xu Min (Yi Suo Chang), Tan Kai (Xiang Yu), Li Yi Xiang (Liu Bang), Chen Zi Han (Lu Zhi), Jin Sha (Lu Su), Allen Ting (Meng Tian), Yang Shu Tian (Chui Wen Zi), etc.

Country of origin: China

Language(s): Mandarin

No. of episodes: 50

Summary:

Yi Xiao Chuan finds a tiger pendant by coincidence and the pendant sears a mark onto his chest when he wears it on his neck. Meanwhile, Xiao Chuan's older brother, Yi Da Chuan, discovers a 2000-year-old treasure box at an excavation site. Xiao Chuan unlocks the box using his pendant and opens a time portal by accident. Unknown to everyone else, he is transported back in time to the Qin Dynasty period together with Gao Yao, his girlfriend's brother.

Back in history, Xiao Chuan meets the historical figures Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, and becomes sworn brothers with them. He encounters the Qin general Meng Tian, who mistakes him for his long-lost younger brother Meng Yi, because the mark of the pendant belongs only to members of the Meng clan. Xiao Chuan also meets Princess Yu Shu of Tu'an, who becomes the new love of his life. However, the lovers are unable to be together, as Yu Shu has become the Qin emperor's concubine in exchange for peace between the Qin empire and Tu'an. Xiao Chuan is unwilling to give up and he meets Yu Shu in secret inside the palace.

On the other hand, Gao Yao is separated from Xiao Chuan and sent to the palace, where he is forcefully castrated and becomes a eunuch. After enduring humiliation and bullying, he wins the favour of the emperor through his excellent culinary skills and becomes a high-ranking official. He is renamed to "Zhao Gao" and starts abusing his authority by seeking vengeance on those he perceived to be responsible for his plight. Zhao Gao is gradually corrupted by power and turns against his old buddy, Xiao Chuan, whom he sees as a threat to his plans for dominating the Qin empire.

In the present-day, Da Chuan, Gao Lan (Xiao Chuan's girlfriend), and Da Chuan's parents, work closely together to open the treasure box. Following clues from the box's engravings and a map, they need to embark on a treasure hunt to find the five secret keys to unlock the box. However, a mysterious masked man in black is also after the box's contents and he sends his lackeys to harass them.

This TV series is based on a 2005 movie by the same title. Click here for more info. After reading the synopsis of this movie, I want to watch it. And compared to the TV series, I think it's less heart-crunching because Meng Yi and Jack are two different persons (reincarnation), while in the TV series, Meng Yi and Yi Xiao Chuan are the very same person who waits 2000 years to find his love.

Lists!

Things I love in this TV series:

1. It's a historical drama. I've always loved Chinese historical drama. The Kung Fu, old times of China, emperor thing-y... I love them!

2. Lovely cast of characters. Hu Ge is really into his character (Yi Xiao Chuan). As the main protagonist of the series, the audience must endure his face and acting for approximately 40 hours. He did a wonderful job. From Yi Xiao Chuan who can only play to Yi Xiao Chuan-slash-Meng Yi who knows love and mature. He totally deserves a huge round of applause. 

3. Beautiful setting. Needless to say, most of the scenes are in Qin Dynasty of China, where everything is still ancient... I really, really, really like it! The music, dances, places - everything. Ooo, hopefully none of the horses got hurt during the shooting of the scene!

4. Wonderful lesson to be learned. If House TV series is about truth, then this TV series is about patience. Xiao Chuan has to wait effing 2000 years to meet his love, if he's not patient then I don't know what he is.

One thing I hate in this TV series:

The ENDING. It's not an effing happy ending and I wasted my tears and 40-ish hours of my life watching something that's just so.. so... uuuuggh! I mean, if a movie has a sad ending it's okay because I only traded two hours for a sigh of disappointment. But 40-ish hours?! *sob*

I cried my eyes out (not literally) during the scene where Xiang Yu and Xiao Yue fight for their lives. I don't know why, I think it's the most tear jerking scene for me because Xiang Yu's character really appeals to me. His way to love Xiao Yue is just too sweet. Meng Tian character also appeals to me, mainly because Allen Ting is so handsome. The moustache, beard, and hairdo totally suit him! Hahaha.

Anyway... if you like historical drama or just have nothing to do, you should definitely watch this TV series. It's really, really beautiful... in a heart-crunching way. However, the 50 episodes thing needs a little commitment. 

Unfortunately, I don't find any trailer for this TV series. My rating for this TV series is 8 out of 10 stars. Not 10 out of 10 because of the ending. *sob*

Toodle-o,

Maria

ECLIPSE (2010)

I watched this movie with my brother and cousins. To tell you the truth, I really had no attention AT ALL to watch this movie. I've watched the two previous movies (Twilight and New Moon) and I always out of the cinema feeling regret. Its true that I dont like the movie, but it doesn't mean I hate the cast. I love SOME of them, like Kellan Lutz who played as Emmett and Ashley Green who played as Alice. They're really easy-going and fun to be watched. Oh, not forget to mention all the sexy and well-build body owner, Cam Gigandet (James, Twilight) and Taylor Lautner who played as Jacob Black and became the main cast of New Moon and Eclipse.

I also love Cameron Bright (Alec the Voltury Clan) and also the new comer, Xavier Samuel (Riley, the newborn).

OK. Enough with the crazy bubbling. I just LOVE the cast. The best thing in this movie is all the handsome guys! BUT, in my opinion, the main cast, Robert Pattinson who played as Edward Cullen, doesn't suit at all with my imagination. That is what make me regret most.

It all begins ... With a choice

Director : David Slade
Writers : Melissa Rosenberg (Screenplay) and Stephenie Meyer (novel)

Release date : 30 June 2010 (Indonesia)
Genre : Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Cast :

Kristen Stewart	...	Bella Swan
Robert Pattinson	...	Edward Cullen
Taylor Lautner	...	Jacob Black
Bryce Dallas Howard	...	Victoria

	Jackson Rathbone	...	Jasper Whitlock
	Ashley Greene	...	Alice Cullen

	Peter Facinelli	...	Dr. Carlisle Cullen
	Elizabeth Reaser	...	Esme Cullen
	Kellan Lutz	...	Emmett Cullen
	Nikki Reed	...	Rosalie Hale

	Xavier Samuel	...	Riley
	Kiowa Gordon	...	Embry Call
	Tyson Houseman	...	Quil Ateara
	Bronson Pelletier	...	Jared
	Alex Meraz	...	Paul
	Julia Jones	...	Leah Clearwater
	Tinsel Korey	...	Emily

	Daniel Cudmore	...	Felix
	Dakota Fanning	...	Jane
	Cameron Bright	...	Alec

Plot : Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life. Written by Summit Entertainment

Things I hate in this movie :
1. Full of RIDICULOUS kissing scene. The fans and NO-fans are already know that Edward and Bella is a couple. And they're really full of love, blaa blaa blaa. But do you think that it has to be shown by kissing all the time when they met?! It so disturbing and annoying.
2. I found that this movie used too many words (and dialogue from the novel) to describe what's going on instead of showing (acting) us. And It made all the chemistry gone and also made the movie is a plain awful and boring! (no offense. This is just my opinion)
3. It's a good thing that David Slade has crafted a beautifully shot movie with some excellent action pieces. Sadly, even with a whole army of vampires and werewolves fighting in the final, this small increase in action doesn't take away from the fact that the film drags in more than one place with blocks of dialogue that feel as if they're going to last a lifetime. It's unfortunate as the action pieces look excellent and the CGI, especially in the werewolves has improved leaps and bounds between New Moon and Eclipse.

Not that I hate it ALL. but most of them. I can't enjoy it as much as the novel. And I already know that it's really impossible to put all of the details from the novel to a two-hours movie. And I won't say much about it. You may as well just enjoy "the view" of the handsome guys! ^^

The trailer of the movie :


enjoy ^^

-auReL-

Shrek Forever After (2010)

I watched this movie on Thursday. One reason was because a blogger friend of mine said it was awesome. I, on the other hand, wasn't very impressed.

Average plot, average characters. Like I said, wasn't impressive.

Here's some info. As usual, from imdb:

Director: Mike Mitchell

Writers: Josh Klausner, Darren Lemke

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Casts (voice): Mike Myers (Shrek), Eddie Murphy (Donkey), Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), Julie Andrews (Queen), and many more. See the complete list of casts here.

Summary:

A bored and domesticated Shrek pacts with deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin to get back to feeling like a real ogre again, but when he's duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away -- where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona have never met -- he sets out to restore his world and reclaim his true love.

The Final Chapter.

Maybe the reason I'm not really liking this movie is because it's too fairytale-ish. I'm sure it's perfect for kids half of my age but I guess it's just not for me. There's no 'cool' factor in this movie, just lots of educational factors, which are important for the targeted audience, but again, not for me.

And the story is like repeating the previous Shrek series. All about true love's kiss, getting Fiona's love... blablabla... *sigh*. Again and again and again, not for me. I even don't really like Shrek.

You should watch it if you're a Shrek fan, and/or you're... about 9-11 years old. Or if you're six. Or if... you just want to watch it because it makes you curious!

Tam ta-tara -- It's four stars out of ten!

Trailer:

Toodle-o,

Maria

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)

I just had to watch this movie two times (both in theatre). It's just so good. Definitely a must watch! (I'm gonna say that again at the end of this article, count on it! :D)

As usual, a couple of info:

Director: Mike Newel

Writers: Boaz Yakin (screenplay), Doug Miro (screenplay), Carlo Bernard (screenplay), and Jordan Mechner (screen story and video game series "Prince of Persia")

Casts: Jake Gyllenhaal (Dastan), Gemma Artenton (Tamina), Ben Kingsley (Nizam), Toby Kebbell (Garsiv), Richard Coyle (Tus), Gísli Örn Garðarsson (Hassansin Leader), and many more. See the complete list of the casts here.

Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

Summary:
Set in the mystical lands of Persia, a rogue prince and a mysterious princess race against dark forces to safeguard an ancient dagger capable of releasing the Sands of Time -- a gift from the gods that can reverse time and allow its possessor to rule the world.

Defy The Future.

Prince of Persia is a game originally created by the wonderful Jordan Mechner in 1989. Through various titles it has been developed and published by different companies. The first two (Prince of Persia and Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and The Flame) by Brøderbund, the recent years' games by Ubisoft. 

There are many stories about the Prince of Persia.The movie is based on  a game by the same title, which was created in 2004. Oh, there are certainly some changed characters' names, different settings and a little twist on the subplots, but the main plot is basically the same. The Prince himself never even has a name in the games. But it would be weird if he's still referred to as 'Prince' in the movie, right? Seeing as there are two other gorgeous princes as well.

The game itself is the first of The Sands of Time trilogy. The second one is Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, the third is Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. Some elements from those two are also incorporated in the movie.

Good news for iPhone users! Prince of Persia Retro is released in iPhone OS. Well, I guess that's good news for iPod touch user like me too. Teehee.

For game users, the most recent development of Prince of Persia is Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

You can look it all up here. Don't you just love wikipedia? x)

Trailers for those who are curious:

Why I love this movie so much:

1. Great story. Smart ending. A tiny bit similar to Shrek (next post... hopefully), but nonetheless nice.

2. Wonderful choice of actors. Jake Gyllenhaal is drop dead gorgeous and Gemma Artenton is simply perfect for roles like Tamina. Yes, their acting is superb too.

3. Awesome special effects. They could do a little better on the sand-surfing scene but it's still worth it. 

All in all, 8 stars out of 10. And fulfilling my promise from the beginning of this article: This movie is definitely a MUST watch! 

Toodle-o,

Maria

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

This movie is based on Cressida Cowell's book with the same title, although the story is very different. 9 out of 10 stars, I'd say. The story is well developed, the animation beautiful, and the characters enticing.

Love it.

Info, taken from imdb:

Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

Writers: Cressida Cowell (based on a novel by), William Davis (screenplay)

Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

Casts: Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Gerard Butler (Stoick), America Ferrera (Astrid), Craig Ferguson (Gobber), and others. Check out the complete cast list.

Summary (taken from imdb): 

Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup, wants to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast, will not allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his invention, but can't bring himself to kill it. Instead, Hiccup and the dragon, whom he dubs Toothless, begin a friendship that would open up both their worlds as the observant boy learns that his people have misjudged the species. But even as the two each take flight in their own way, they find that they must fight the destructive ignorance plaguing their world.

What I think about the movie:

1. The animation is fantastic.

2. Characters are very memorable.

3. Story is well developed. In fact, the story development is so good I haven't seen a movie like this for so long. It develops the characters wonderfully, creates a very understandable main story and the other story 'branches' are also finished beautifully. I definitely love the ending. It was so real.

The only thing I wish at the end of the movie is MORE HICCUP! :) Definitely a must watch.

Toodle-o,

Maria

CLASH OF TITANS

Directed by : Louis Laterrier

Released by : Warner Brothers Picture
Duration : 188 minutes
Genre : Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Rating : 2.5 of 5

The Synopsis :
"The Clash of the Titans" is set in the Greek city of Argos where a war is about to explode between man and the gods. Perseus (Sam Worthington) raised as a fisherman, but is actually a demi-god. Perseus is the son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) who is about to take on the gods after the death of his family. Zeus' brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) was the one who killed his family, and Perseus wants to kill him. However, it is Perseus's destiny to rescue the city of Argos from the ruthless rage of Hades and his Kraken monster. With nothing to lose, Perseus leads a band of soldiers on a quest to defeat the Kraken. In doing this, Perseus will prevent Hades from overthrowing Zeus and in turn destroying mankind.

Cast :
Sam Worthington as Perseus
Liam Neeson as Zeus
Ralph Fiennes as Hades
Jason Flemyng as Calibos / Acrisius
Gemma Arterton as Io
Alexa Davalos as Andromeda
Mads Mikkelsen as Draco
Tine Stapelfeldt as Danae
Luke Evans as Apollo
and many more

OVERVIEW :

This movie is actually the remake of the first movie with the same title. Released in 1981, the first "Clash" starred Sir Larry as Zeus alongside titans of the stage and screen like Claire Bloom (as Hera), maggie Smith (as Thetis) and Ursula Andress (as Aphrodite). And Harry Hamlin, wearing the "dry look" and robes so voluminous he could have rigged the entire Greek fleet, played as Perseus, the demi-god and son of Zeus.
If you don't remember the film or the myth, not to worry : there are titans, they clash. Simple as that.
FYI : If you have watched the movie, you also have to know that there is no woman named Io in the Greek mythology. And actually, in the end, Perseus was supposed to marry Andromeda beside Io. In the myth, Andromeda (the queen of men) and Perseus were married. She even followed him to Tyrins, Argos and ruled at Tyrins through their son, Perses.

Memorable quotes :
Spyros : " One day, somebody's got to make a stand. One day, somebody's got to say enough..."
Perseus : " If I do this, I do it as a man! "
Ozal : "Death should be afraid of us."

The trailer :

-auReL-