Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Trailer

Knowing that this is a movie based on Marvel comics, I am interested in watching it.However, the tone of this movie is different from the other Marvel movies. 

Superheros such as Captain America and Hulk are more uptight, comparatively speaking.  The Guardians of the Galaxy are a bunch of fugitives and outlaws who kick-ass and are the unlikely superheros.  This wrong match makes the characters and the movie fun.

Music brings up the atmosphere of the movie.  The songs are catchy and you would want to download the songs to listen after watching this movie.The plot of the story is so-so. 

It's fight after fight but you won't remember who's who unless you read the comic book.The characters are unique and unforgettable.  Star-Lord is the lousy protagonist who is a thief (or bounty hunter?).  It's funny that Zoe Saldana is featured in so many sci-fi movies including Avatar, Star Trek as well as Guardians of the Galaxy.  Rocket is a mean and talkative racoon. Groot is the loyal team-mate who is a tree.  Drax is impulsive but physically strong.  I'm surprised to see Karen Gillan as Nebula.  What a big break through for her acting. All I can remeber the line is "I am Groot". And he did say a thousand times. LOL.The choreography and the martial arts are amazing. 

Gamora has such good shape.This is a fun and energetic movie but is only recommended if you are a sci-fi fan.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) Trailer

I think Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are two under-rated movies.

I enjoyed the movie and I didn't notice that time flew.  The movie is 2 hours 10 minute long.

The premise is set 10 years after the first sequel.  By that time, ape flu has caused millions of death.  The ape tribe led by Ceasar lives in the woods and haven't seen any humans for the last two years.  They think humans are extinct until one day a team of humans comes across with the apes.  Tension is built between the apes and the humans as they both fight for survival.


The characters except Ceasar are one-dimentional.  The exploration team of humans consists of the protagonist, a female medic, a son, a screw-things-up character and another forgettable character.  Such a cliche team.  Even Koba is a cliche character.  I'm only interested in seeing how Ceasar makes his moral decisions.


One thing remarkable is that not only the apes use sign language, they speak in English!  As their secondary language, the apes use simple vocabulary and is easy to understand what they say.


I think the best part of this movie is the cinematography.  I remember the scene which an ape (probably Koba) takes over a tank and shoot the humans.  The camera follows the ape's POV and the shot is almost like a video game!  The effect is stunning.


Overall, I enjoy this movie very much.  I expect there will be another sequel.

Big Country - In A Big Country

First time heard this song because of the television show the Carrie Diaries.  It was the prequel of Sex and the City.  I watched the Carrie Diaries just for Freema Agyeman, who played a companion of the Doctor in Doctor Who.

Like the chorus:
"In a big country dreams stay with you
Like a lover's voice fires the mountainside
Stay alive"

American Hustle (2013)

American Hustle (2013) Trailer

This is a story about a con man and his partner being forced to work for an ambitious FBI agent to bust four more con man.

I think the theme of the story is about surviving and struggling by climbing up the ladder to be someone who you are not born to be.

The premise of the story is interesting because it first explores the life of how a con man and woman work together to run a scam. And then when the FBI steps in, their world is turned upside down. And when the ambitious FBI agent wants to expose the corrupted politicians, which involves dealing with mafia, things start to get out of control.

Plot-wise is only so-so. The plot doesn't go anywhere and is all over the place.

Characters, however, are much more intriguing.  Christian Bale's character Irving is lousy, irresponsible and selfish. However messy his outlook is, he is charismatic enough to manipulate people to get what he wants.  Amy Adam's character Sydney is a very attractive woman who knows how to utilize her assets to also get what she wants. She is clever and sexy. All she wants is Irving to leave her neurotic wife and give his heart to her.  Bradley Cooper's character Richie is ambitious and knows exactly what he wants. He has such a bad temper that he beat up his boss when he denied his request for the investigation. I don't sympathize Irving because he doesn't know what he wants, unlike Sydney and Richie, and he is afraid of changes.  Robert De Niro has a small role, but his role as a mob boss is very funny and unforgettable.

There are quite a number of interesting dialogue in the story. Rosalyn, Jennifer Lawrence's character has quite a number of hilarious lines, especially the scenes which she argues with Irving about microwave and the plan.

Overall speaking, it's worth watching this movie for the acting. All actors and actresses played their part well and are very convincing.  Casting director has done a good job. Maybe the writer wrote the characters especially for the actors and actresses.

Doctor Who 50th Anniversary...anxiously waiting for

The Day of the Doctor - Doctor Who 50th Anniverary Trailer - BBC One


It'll be broadcast on Nov 23! So looking forward to seeing David Tennant, Matt Smith and John Hurt togeter.

The second 50th anniversary trailer reveals a little bit more than the first.

Counting down!

Broadchurch (2013)

Broadchurch (2013) Trailer

I am interested in watching Broadchurch because of David Tennant. He plays a completely different character from the Doctor. Alec is a detective who failed a case before coming to Broadchurch. He is so sick to perform his duties that he is hospitalized during the investigation.

Every character has a (dark) past and each episode explores a different character. It gives depth to them and the characters are well-developed.

Compared with American detective dramas such as the Mentalist and CSI: NY, the pace of the story is quite slow. Many of the scenes are about exploring the mental status of the characters or showing how they feel. Most characters are either mourning the dead or somehow upset with their lives. The music is very powerful in bringing those emotions. I think the first episode was quite boring. But I grew more and more interest in understanding the characters and I wanted to solve the case.

The writers tried very hard to mystify the case and almost all of the characters are suspicious. You wouldn't know who the killer is until the last episode.

This is such a quality show.

Secret Diary of A Call Girl

Secret Diary of A Call Girl is a British TV drama based on the books of a real call girl. The call girl is played by Billie Piper.

I have seen the poster many times before but I couldn't recognize that the girl is Billie! She is Doctor Who's companion, never think of her in that role! The poster doesn't look British at all! I've seen the same girl in martini glass thing in CSI:NY.

It's funny that Matt Smith stars in one of the episodes in Season One. Doctor and his ex-companion, huh! And they will star together in the 50th Anniversary special. Once stars are outside Whoniverse, I couldn't recognize them. The characters they play are so different (as you may know DW is a children's show).

Billie is quite a good actress. She can play both the wild side and nice girl thing. 

Story-wise, unwinding the escort/call girl/prostitute theme is catchy already. It's entertaining though I know things are dramatized. I like Belle breaking the forth wall and telling us the tips of the trade. We all like to know the secrets, the dark side, the tips of the trade. TV shows are always about doctors, attorneys, police. That's why the books of less-seen-on-TV-professions, such as flight attendants are best-sellers. Wonder if they would do something for accountants or regulators...hear someone yawning. LOL

Christopher and His Kind (2011)

Christopher and His Kind (2011) - BBC Two


I am interested in seeing other works by Matt Smith who plays the Eleventh Doctor. Then I found this BBC TV movie Christopher and His Kind. Quite surprised to see him cast as a gay character.

The movie is based on the same-named biography of Christopher Isherwood. A biography is different from stories as characters come and go, serve their purposes and may not appear in the protagonist's life again. That's real life vs drama.

I am quite inspired by the story and I read more about the biography of Christopher Isherwood. He was the author of A Single Man, which happens to be the adapted movie that I like. He was also friend of Capote, who is the writer of Breakfast at Tiffany's. I recently watched the movie Capote as well. It's like everything is connected.

To succeed in an area, fine arts, screenwriting, acting, writing, etc., first you need to realize where your talent lies. Then you need to find a way to showcase your talent. Not everybody can do that. That's why I admire people who become someone.

And along the way, you need buddies and friends. People come and go. But you still need the right people at the right time. And keep one or two for life.

I've found my interests in oil painting and cinematography. And I learned about screenwriting and electric guitar. I want to keep focused and be good, very good some day.

Now You See Me (2013)

Now You See Me (2013) Trailer

Magic.

Always like magic stories, such as The Prestige, but not so much for Harry Potter's kind of magic.

I think the trailer of the movie is so successful attracting people to watch it in the cinema. I like the fast paced and information-loaded opening. The exposure of the story is very good. It keeps telling you the theme of the story, "the more you look, the less you see". (This parallels the first line in The Prestige, "Are you watching closely?")  It also defines what magic is, explains how important distraction is. (As in The Prestige, the three stages are the pledge, the turn and the prestige.)

After watching the trailer, I guessed how the Four Horsemen "robbed the bank". As I watched a lot of tv shows on exposing the secrets of magic, I have a brief idea of how they do it. I guessed that the robbery actually happened before the show, and the show is just a distraction. But the details are always the most difficult to sought out, that's why one big magic trick worths so much money.

The story and characters are well-developed as more and more characters are introduced which helps building the layers of mystery. A lot of CGI in post-production, including some magic tricks, also the typical car chase scene...all these elements are typical commercial Hollywood best-sellers tricks.

There are twists within a twist. Some plots are rather baffling. How would they betray their billionaire sponsor? The most disappointing part of the story is the ending. How could the "I'm-tracking-myself" stupid agent turns out to be the mastermind who is always three steps ahead? And there's too much coincidence in the story. How could Jack faked his death? The timing of blocking the cars behind is too good to be true. And why would the Four Horsemen take the risk of going to jail just to get the entry ticket to the Eye, which is an unknown secret organization? The writers seems to have over-used the coincidence quota.

The Adventures of Tintin(2011)

The Adventures of Tintin (2011) Trailer

A superb animation by Steven Spielberg. The adventures come one after another and leaves the audience breathless. I like the action-packed storyline. It is different from a Bond movie as there is less sex and violence. Yet there are a lot of thrilling shots and car chases (chasing a bird, LOL).

A lot of the camera shots are thinking-out-of-the-box and complicated as they are made in post production. This enabled the director to creatively manipulate the shots to tell the story.

Character-wise, Tin Tin is composed and have a high integrity. He found the clues for the coordinate but he didn't keep it for himself. Even though he had a plane crash and was fired from a plane, he didn't get hurt at all.

The Captain still has another treasure buried in the sea to find. I'm so looking forward to the sequel, if any.