Salt Review

First off, I’d like to say that the marketing tagline of ‘Who Is Salt?’ is both misleading and clever at the same time. Unfortunately, however, the movie itself tries to be clever but does not really deliver. There are so many plot holes and shortcomings in this movie that even the big star that is Angelina Jolie and the seemingly endless action can’t make up for.

Speaking of action, I’m not going to deny there are lots of it. The thing is all the action sequences are very linear and textbook. People getting beaten up, shooting, explosions, jumping from one moving truck to another; we’ve seen it all. There is nothing new. And the action that is in this movie is quite poorly choreographed and shot. There are on numerous occasions where the camera cuts away just as something important is about to happen. Even during the action stuff, there is too much focus on Jolie as opposed to the people she’s beating up and the stuff she’s blowing up.

Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent who turns out to be a Russian spy (or not, who knows?). The usual formula for films is that the audience is shown the plans for either the protagonist or antagonist but the protagonist has no idea what the antagonist is up to and vice versa. This creates the suspense effect and allows the audience to take sides while watching the movie. None of this happens in Salt. The audience is kept in the dark about Evelyn Salt’s true motives for most of the movie and this creates a big old wall between the character and the audience. We just cannot relate or connect to her character and everything just breaks down from there.

I mentioned at the start of the review that the film tries to be clever. I understand the need to be mysterious but the whole thing is a complete mess. The twists in this film are absolutely absurd. Half the time you don’t know what the hell is going on or why Salt is doing a particular thing. There seems to be no direction in the film. I must say the premise is a clever one (I would never want it to happen in real life) but it just isn’t executed decently enough in the movie. Coupled with the gaping plot holes, there is no saving this movie.

Salt is really just a movie that has such convoluted characters, cloudy plotline, a myriad of plot holes, crappy action and a hot superstar chick playing the lead. I would pick a mindless action movie over this any day of the week. At the end of the day, for a movie named Salt, it really is tasteless.

I give Salt 4 out of 10 Popcorns.

Machete Red-Band Trailer

Robert Rodriguez (Grindhouse, Planet Terror) doing gore and violence at its best. Machete stars Danny Trejo and he’s backed up by a multitude of stars including Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Steven Seagal, Cheech Marin, Jeff Fahey and Don Johnson.

Check out this action-packed, gut-ripping, brain-blasting trailer below. This is a red-band trailer, so without having to say, this trailer is NSFW or kids as it obviously contains gore, violence and nudity but most importantly, awesomeness.

The highly skilled Federale Machete is hired by some unsavory types to assassinate a senator. But just as he's about to take the shot, he notices someone aiming at him and realizes he's been set up. He barely survives the sniper's bullet, and is soon out for revenge on his former employers, with the reluctant assistance of his old friend Padre Benito del Toro, who has become a priest and taken a vow of nonviolence. If you hire him to take out the bad guys, make sure the bad guys aren't you!

Machete gets a September 3 release in the US. But don’t even have a shred of hope for it to ever get distribution here in our lovely conservative nation of Malaysia.

Inception Review

[This review does not contain spoilers. Because of the complexity of the film, you may not understand what the hell I’m talking about in this review. So if you don’t, watch the film and then read again.]

Pushing the boundaries of visual and intellectual creativity, Inception is bound to push you to the edge of your seat. Filled with awe-inspiring effects, complex ideas, explosive action and fast-paced dialogue; Inception, in my mind, is by far Christopher Nolan’s best piece yet, maybe even a masterpiece. I would say this movie is a slight mesh of Memento and The Dark Knight with a tinge of The Prestige but it blows all three movies out of the water. The film is long (two and a half hours) but it doesn’t feel it. The plot moves along very swiftly so buckle up and pay attention to every little detail. You cannot afford to miss 1 minute of this movie because if you do, you will have a hard time getting back up to speed.

Christopher Nolan plays with the idea of being able to invade other people’s dreams and subconscious. It might just be me but I find toying with the concept of subconsciousness for a movie extremely captivating. An absolutely stellar cast including Leonardo DiCaprio. Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine and Dileep Rao sets the foundation for this extraordinary movie. Each actor fits their character almost perfectly well, with the emotionally distraught Cobb (DiCaprio) to the suave, relaxed Arthur (Gordon-Levitt) to the hauntingly psychotic Mal (Cotillard).

Coming back to the conceptual brilliance, the idea for Inception was almost single-handedly conceived and carried out by the genius that is Christopher Nolan. He thoroughly deserves to be called a genius for writing and directing Inception. Aside from the brilliant intellectual idea the movie stems from, Nolan also brings such cinematical grandeur. There are some scenes in this movie that are just so good I was on the verge of tears, not as a result of emotions from the film, but rather because of what I was seeing before my eyes was just some of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen on the big screen. There are so many things in this movie that make you go “wow, how on Earth can anybody even come up with this kind of stuff?”. Having said that, nothing in this film is groundbreaking or never-before-seen stuff. It’s just the way scenes are executed. Just pure ingenuity.

Right from the get-go you are thrown around, luring you into confusion with the intertwined worlds of reality and dream. The first 15 minutes or so of this movie is one of the most difficult to pick up on. But once the initial concept is understood, more and more things start to make sense. So here I warn you once more. Pay close attention to this movie. There is no room for zoning out in this movie. You will get lost. The opening act does very well to explain the mechanics and concepts of the movie and the attention to detail in this film is just amazing. Each idea has a structure. Each rule has a purpose.

Everything in this movie including the visceral visual effects, outrageously brilliant ideas, well executed acting, high octane action and Hans Zimmer’s immersive soundtrack so seamlessly come together to stitch up a big thought-provoking labyrinth of a movie. Only every once in a while do we come across movies that make us doubt reality and life as we know it. Inception did that for me. In essence, Inception is a horror movie. Sweet dreams everybody.

I give Inception 9.5 out of 10 popcorns. A definite MUST-SEE film. I urge every single one of you reading this to rush out and see this film. It could very well be the best film of this year. One of the best cinematic experiences I’ve ever had.

Despicable Me Review – Its So Fluffy!

Changing the animated film formula up a little bit, Despicable Me chooses not to follow the regular road of superheroes or anything else of the sort. Instead, its a story about a super villain trying to be the world’s foremost villain while finding the softer side of himself with the help of three little adorable orphan girls. Who would have thought that a big international criminal with a thick, put-on Hungarian accent being the hero with three small adorable orphan girls by his side would be the winning ingredients to a movie? Well, the three small adorable orphan girls, maybe.

Where do I even begin with this one? In a nutshell, Despicable Me is one of the most entertaining animated films I’ve ever seen. The LPM, SPM and APM were all off the charts. (Laughs per minute, smiles per minute and awws per minute). To be frank, you have not seen cute until you’ve seen this movie. The most outrageous, ridiculous things you’ve ever seen is all thrown into this movie - freeze rays, shrink rays, punching giant sharks, little yellow goggle-wearing things that speak gibberish. The whole nine yards.

I went in not knowing what the film was about and I’m glad I did. Everything is almost spot on awesome. The design of the characters is a little more Dreamworks-esque as opposed to being Pixar-esque. The voice acting is incredibly suited to each and every character. And don’t get me started on the jokes. There are well thought out jokes all over the place.

All in all, this movie gets you in all the right spots of your funny bone. And the cute will just not stop. In fact, there may be cute overload in this movie. I have to say that this movie is by far one of the most entertaining films of the year, if not the most. It does so much for escapism that other movies can’t achieve. I implore each and every one of you reading this to rush out and watch this movie. Ahead of Twilight Saga: Eclipse (ugh) and Predators.

Oh, if you’re watching in 3D, don’t leave the cinema hall too soon. There’s a little surprise at the end of the film, before they roll the credits.

I give Despicable Me 8 out of 10 Popcorns.

Let Me In Trailer

Let Me In is based on one of my most favorite foreign films- the Swedish Let The Right One In. I’m horribly dreading this movie just because I loved the original so much. The plot is relatively simple.

Young boy meets young girl.

Young boy likes young girl.

Young boy becomes friends with young girl.

Young boy learns that young girl is a vampire who’s gone around town killing people.

Young boy confused.

Honestly, every moment of the original movie is beautiful. The child actors were great. The wintry tundra setting was amazing. I’m just so afraid Hollywood is going to mess this up. Anyways, here is the trailer to the remake- Let Me In. And then right after that, the trailer to Let The Right One In. Check them both out. I personally found the latter one to be more gripping.

Let Me In is directed by Cloverfield director Matt Reeves, and stars child actors Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Moretz who played the foul-mouthed Hit-Girl in Kick Ass.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Let Me In, tells a terrifying tale about an alienated 12-year old boy named Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who is viciously bullied by his classmates and neglected by his divorcing parents. Achingly lonely, Owen spends his days plotting revenge on his middle school tormentors and his evenings spying on the other inhabitants of his apartment complex. His only friend is his new neighbor Abby (Chloe Moretz), an eerily self-possessed young girl who lives next door with her silent father (Oscar® nominee Richard Jenkins). A frail, troubled child about Owens’s age, Abby emerges from her heavily curtained apartment only at night and always barefoot, seemingly immune to the bitter winter elements. Recognizing a fellow outcast, Owen opens up to her and before long, the two have formed a unique bond.

The film will get an American release October 1, but there is no word of a Malaysian release yet. Chances are, we won’t even get distribution here.