Change Your Image
caged_insanity
Reviews
Underworld (2003)
No bullet time!!!!
My god, an action film without bullet time?!?! Could this be? Filmakers not copying the matrix fight scenes? WOW. When I saw the trailer I was expecting another run of the mill matrix copy, but imagine my surprise when there was not a bullet trail in sight! Although they do wear leather trenchcoats and catsuits etc, which is a bit matrixy, the film itself is in fact quite original. They try to stick to a storyline but they also weave the action into it very well, creating a nice cinematic experience. The idea of modern day vampires, which although is not new, is very cool and it is in my opinion much better than the age old rubbish vampires that were killed by wooden sticks, and were scared of two pieces of wood stuck together in a cross shape.
A very nice part of the film is the fact that kate beckinsale is in it, therefore making the film much better :D heehee...
But seriously, I think this film is very good, bu for those of you expecting a bloodbath, you're going to be disappointed.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
A disgrace to martial arts...
When I first heard about this film I was extremely excited, having heard about the amazing martial arts and the brilliant wirework. Being a martial arts movie fan, I've seen loads and loads of them, and this was going to be the film that proved chinese cinema to be just as good as hong kong cinema, and possibly even hollywood. What a disappointment. I absolutely hated this film, completely and utterly. Is it good when films are rubbish? seemingly all the film critics think so.
The first 5 minutes started terribly, with pathetic floating around like ponces. I was cringing my head off during all the flying sequences, they were so terribly done it wasn't even funny. I mean, if they had given some sort of explanation as to why people can fly and jump miles and walk on water, then maybe I would have liked it more; but no, I know, we'll just start flying for no reason.
Arg, in so many chinese films people can jump really far and run across long grass and such, but they don't float, and they actually make an effort to jump. The bar scene, being the most cringeworth of all, even sees Zhang zi yi take off on one foot without jumping at all and fly out through the roof. Good luck attempting that.
The fighting that wa supposed to be amazing turned out to be okayish, but the wires were seriously overused and made it seem tacky and laughable. I'm so glad Jet Li turned down the role of Li-mubai, cos i don't know if I could have stayed a loyal fan if he had been poncing around like a ballerina.
Airspeed (1999)
Wasted 2 hours of my life (spoilers)
Oh my god! what a pathetic film! It's so so ridiculous, I mean, where did they pull this storyline from? Stupidplots.com? I just watched it on TV and I'm still annoyed about it. I mean, why exactly would a lightning strike blast a hole in a plane? I'm, sure they are loads of planes that fly through storms and end up fine, so what's so special about this one? Maybe it's made out of paper? The camera-work was pathetic, I mean, the plane's meant to be in a storm, yet it seems perfectly still, only the other rescue plane shakes...shouldn't it be the other way round? They obviously just shook the camera a little. Nicole's shoe gets sucked out of the hole, but why was there a danger of them getting sucked out of the cabin when it's already been depressurised? And conveniently, her mobile phone doesn't get sucked out, when it's dangling by the edge of the hole. And the idea that she can land a jet with absolutely no experience...that speaks for itself. Overall, insanely predictable and a pathetic attempt at glorifying heroism, but failing miserably. What was the point in this film?
Hwasango (2001)
Prepare to watch in awe...
This is just one of the most amazing films ever. I watched a trailer 3 months ago, and I finally watched the film yesterday. I was far from disappointed, in fact I was awestruck. This film's special effects and fight scenes make the matrix look like a B-movie. The storyline isn't the best, and leaves some unanswered questions, but who even cares? This film is all about extreme martial arts and telekinetic powers and does not disappoint. I watched the longer korean version and I must admit the first half could have been better, but the second half more than made up for it, with some of the most over the top action sequences ever. There are little things that they do fantastically, unlike some hollywood counterparts where the main characters never use their telekinetic powers, causing hours of frustration and annoyance. Volcano high however, makes use of telekinetics at every possible opportunity, ie: opening and closing doors. The coolness factor of this film is just immense.
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
What a load of rubbish
When I first heard that my hero, Jet Li was in Lethal Weapon 4 i thought "YESSSSS!!!!!" but the disappointment came almost straight away. The fact that Jet Li was given the role of the bad guy was fine...it was just that he didn't actually do anything. I mean, what's the point in getting the best martial artist in the movie industry if he doesn't do anything. They even made him slow down his punches and kicks so that Gibson and Glover could "seem" as though they could beat him. The plot itself was so so so rubbish. I quite liked the original lethal weapon series, but I think they went a bit far with 4, ruining the series.
Kap ba ba dik sung (1995)
Love it!
This is one of my all time favourite Jet Li films, and I've seen all but 4 of them (that have been released anyways). I thought the plot was VERY good and the acting was top notch too. The fight scenes were very good and well...it was just amazing. Most importantly, an incredible rarity, it didn't have a kid who annoyed the hell out of me! Quite an impressive feat.
Batoru rowaiaru (2000)
The best film ever
When I first read about this film just before its release date in the UK, I knew it was going to be good. However, when my friend lent me the video I realised that it wasn't just good. It was the best film ever and instantly became my all time favourite. I watched it at the age of 15 (woo, naughty me), the same age as all the characters so I really related to them and the story. I thought the acting was amazing and the kids really did pull off an incredible feat, to make fantasy seem like reality. The story itself is possibly the most thought provoking of any film, because it asks the question, "would you ever kill your best friend?" The film answers this question with style and fluidity, diving into the depths of human psychology. Some things are very well thought out, such as how the social rejects all go completely mad and fight all out for survival, and how even best friends turn on each other after just losing the slightest little bit of trust. The tension and the atmosphere created leaves you sitting there feeling incredibly sad and leaving you thinking "what would I do in that situation?" I found that I could really relate to the characters, such as the fat people no-one likes and the circles of friends. Another impressive thing is how they made the love and the friendship parts of the story non-cheesy, which is quite rare in films with teenagers in. The ending is unpredictable and leaves you wanting more. And more.
Jason X (2001)
I just ended up laughing at the deaths and screaming at how stupid it was.
Another pointless sequel to countless other "Friday the 13th s", this film offers little in the areas of suspense and terror. It's not going to have you jumping out of your seat or hiding behind a pillow, because it uses the age old method of scaring you with gore. nowadays, this just isn't enough to scare an audience of horror fans who have seen it all before. There are some original ideas, such as the first "single" death, which in my opinion, is the best in the entire series, but in the end you just get annoyed at how Jason is absolutely invincible. It is one of the better sequels, but in the end I just ended up laughing at the deaths and screaming at how stupid it was.