Karate Kid (2010)

JACKIE CHAN. This single name is the important thing why I want to watch this movie. Everytime I watched his movies, I always going out smiling. Regret?? Never. I watched this movie with my fam. At XII Kelapa Gading. My mom is a fan of Jackie Chan. Since I was in elementry school, we've never missed his movies! So I end up as his fan too.

Director : Harald Zwart

Writers : Christopher Murphey (screenplay) and Robert Mark Kamen (story)
Release Date : 10 June 2010 (Indonesia)
Genre : Action | Drama | Family | Sport

Cast :

	Jaden Smith	...	Dre Parker
	Jackie Chan	...	Mr. Han
	Taraji P. Henson	...	Sherry Parker
	Wenwen Han	...	Meiying
	Rongguang Yu	...	Master Li
	Zhenwei Wang	...	Cheng

Plot : 12-year-old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.

You hit him, don't let him hit you

The best and very memorable scene in this movie is when Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) told Dre (Jaden Smith) to "hang it up, take it down, drop it on the floor, and pick it up". Don't you think it was a little bit ridiculous? Kung-fu teacher just ask you to do "simple" thing which we do all the time in our life. But, after we watched this movie, we are all know that "the simple thing" which we do is have its meaning.

What the funny thing when I watched this movie :
1. My mom and dad thought that Dre Parker is a GIRL!! Haha.. They were also just realized that he was Jaden Smith! A son of the famous actor Will Smith.
2. My sister was really like Cheng! The bad one. And I do too. I really like his "bad" and "insulting" expression.. hehe..

-Wen Wen & Zhenwei-

This movie is actually the remake from the movie with the same title in the past. BUT, There are A LOT of differences between the two movies.

1. The "kid" in 1984 movie was not actually a kid. He was around my age, maybe a senior high school student, by name Daniel Laruso. And he is WHITE. While in the 2010 version, it is really a kid! Name Dre Parker, he is BLACK.
2. In 1984 version, the kid and his mother were actually not going far. They were going to Los Angeles, California. And in 2010 version, They're moving to CHINA!
3. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. And it really make a good discussion. The original one, 1984's, The teacher (Mr. Kesuke Miyagi) was actually teach the kid KARATE. And what make me confuse, the 2010 version, It's KUNG-FU what we're talking about. So, Why didn't they change the title?
4. There are more more differences! You actually can look at :
- 1984 version : Karate Kid (Daniel Larusso and Mr. Kesuke Miyagi)
- 2010 version : Karate Kid (Dre Parker and Mr. Han)

The Trailer :



enjoy the movie ^^

-auReL-

The A-Team (2010)

I watched this movie with some of my friends : Nje-Giov, Ditya, Vivi & her siblings. At first, we wanted to watch Karate Kid since the main actor is Jackie Chan. But, Nje has watched the movie, so we decided to take the other movie, which is The A-Team. I already watch the trailer, and I also have read about the movie from the magz : Cinemagz. I know that the movie must be really funny and full of action.

Director : Joe Carnahan
Writers : Joe Carnahan, Brian Bloom
Release date : 11 June 2010 (Indonesia)
Genre : Action | Adventure | Thriller
Cast :

	Liam Neeson	...	Hannibal
	Bradley Cooper	...	Lt. Templeton 'Faceman' Peck
	Jessica Biel	...	Charisa Sosa
	Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson	...	B.A. Baracus
	Sharlto Copley	...	Murdock

Plot : A group of Iraq War veterans looks to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed.

They are the best and they specialise in the ridiculous!

This is a fun movie. I couldn't help laughing all the time when Baracus cried and shouted when he was supposed to ride helicopter with Murdock. So everytime he went, the others have to make him unconscious.

Sgt. Bosco 'B.A.' Baracus: Aw hell naw, I ain't steppin' foot in any type of aircraft
Lt. Templeton 'Faceman' Peck: Man up! Now get in there, we've gotta finish the escape! Man up and get in there!

The characters who made you laugh are Baracus AND the 'mad' Murdock. The one whom you think is sexy and handsome is Faceman (p.s : SPOILER! Lt. Sosa who is played by Jessica Biel, is Face's girlfriend). The the smart and jenius one is Hannibal.

His motto : "I believe no matter how random something may appear, there's still a plan." So, you will know that he is the brain of the team.

This movie is the re-make movie from the tv series in the past, 1983, with the same titled. My dad and I talked about this movie. He said that this movie was really popular back then. It was played on TV everyday. So, when I read about the review from other people (mostly 'pops') said that this movie is bad. It can't be compared with the movie in the past. It was A LOT better than this one.

The trailer of the movie :



enjoy the movie! ^^

-auReL-

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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

Chloe (2009)

Aurel and I watched this movie together when I was staying over at her house. It was... well, a rather surprising movie. One warning: it's very, very graphic. But since we're both over 18, I guess it's kind of okay. Lol.

Here's some general info, taken from imdb:

Director: Atom Egoyan

Writers: Erin Cressida Wilson (screenplay), Anne Fontaine (motion picture Nathalie)

Genre: Drama | Thriller

Casts: Julianne Moore (Catherine Stewart), Liam Neeson (David Stewart), Amanda Seyfried (Chloe), Max Thieriot (Michael Stewart), etc. For the complete cast list, click here.

Summary, taken from imdb:

Catherine and David, she a doctor, he a professor, are at first glance the perfect couple. Happily married with a talented teenage son, they appear to have an idyllic life. But when David misses a flight and his surprise birthday party, Catherine's long simmering suspicions rise to the surface. Suspecting infidelity, she decides to hire an escort to seduce her husband and test his loyalty. Catherine finds herself 'directing' Chloe's encounters with David, and Chloe's end of the bargain is to report back, the descriptions becoming increasingly graphic as the meetings multiply.

If the one you love is lying to you, how far would you go to find out the truth?

What I think about this movie:

1. It's for mature audiences only. It has a couple of sex scenes in it and very close to being a porn movie.

2. If you hate lesbians, don't watch this movie.

3. Seeing through the sex scenes and the lesbians... this movie is actually quite great. It's beautiful, for one thing. Great people are playing in this movie (I have a tendency to squeal when I see Liam Neeson lol), and the moral issue of this movie is real. I think people are able to relate to Catherine's problem. And that's the most important thing.

4. I'm giving it a 3.5 stars out of 5.

A trailer, from youtube:

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