Persuit of Happyness (Review)

The title is really a pun. You have to really watch the movie to notice where exactly it is. Still it is not a comedy by a long shot. What it is is a real life drama about a man's struggle for happiness. Here is Will Smith's best acting yet... it seems he has reached a new level in his acting career and this movie portrays him in such an emotionally gripping drama.

So the setting is the 80's New York and Chris Gardner essentially made a bad investment by getting into the direct selling business of some bone density scanner. Thandie Newton plays Linda, a wife and waitress who does double shifts just to make ends meet. The kid is played by Jaden Smith....son of Will Smith naturally.

This movie is sad and I bet some fathers out there can relate to the scenario pretty well. What happens is men tend too promise a bit too much and the waiting of something great to happen proves to be too much for the wife...so....she leaves. From there onwards it's a really touching tale of a father and son relationship. Jaden seems so well adapt to the acting thing and the connection between father and son does not get any better than this.

The movie itself does not break new ground but it is a very realistic portrayal of a single parent. If you are a Will Smith fan....you might be a bit disappointed. He is hardly funny....but he is damn good in this one. Life does evolve around money somewhat and this movie is a good example. Somehow the movie does manage to put across the message that money can never buy happiness. Only love can.

For what the movie stands for it is rally touching and good. Jaden is really cute and I bet the little brat will act alongside great actors in the future. And perhaps even surpass his dad's skill when it come to the silver screen. It's a 4 and a half out of 5 for Jaden Smith.

Dreamgirls (Review)

If any of you hate the history of music please stop reading now. Even with Beyonce if you have no passion for the music highlighted it will truly be a waste of your money. For me I enjoyed every bit of it. From Broadway to the silver screen this is a magnificent effort~!

The actors are mighty accomplished and the music directing is...astonishingly good. Imagine four fifths of the movie is singing and music all the way. If you have not already known this here movie is about the struggle to stardom for a girl group of the 70's and how they evolve together to be at the top. Jamie Foxx is really a good actor...he plays his real to absolute perfection. Eddie Murphy as we all know is a funny goof in his own movies but in this one he is a mix of laughter, bitterness and sadness.

Now I can't deny that the star of it all is Beyonce but above all else the movie really stands out for the way it is delivered is something so out of fashion 20 years ago. And for once being out of fashion this time is a bloody hell good thing. The story is tight....the pace is near perfect and the soundtrack is stuff that makes history comes alive and in living colour too.

Watching it makes us understand the music industry then and how it is now. It has not changed much I bet. And the evil greed that consumes everything, including love takes centre stage here courtesy of Jamie Foxx. Each and every other actors that are involved besides the ultimate stars here gave their best ever...Danny Glover, Jennifer Hudson, Keith Robinson bloody hell all were good. But the best performance has to be Jennifer Hudson.....she will win the silverware no doubt.

My ultimate movie rating and I think first ever...5 over 5 plus a must have movie soundtrack the the RnB ans soul fans out there~~!

Dreamgirls Official Website

Music and Lyrics (Review)

We are a bunch of sad romantics aren't we? How many times are we bombarded with kids singing to the tune of High School musical? Or some other Disney teeny bopper series or movie? Well I can tell you honestly this is not much different but thank god it's not Disney who did it. Or else it would be too....Disney.

Hugh Grant (yes ladies swoon all you want) and Drew Barrymore (I know some guys go for her too) in this movie is not that bad an effort. But I keep having this vision of it being in a London setting rather than in New York. Must be Hugh's stark British accent that got me. It's an entertaining movie nonetheless. I love the intro.....it will make you squirm with the garish 80's pop MTV-ish feel.

The story line? Well...Hugh plays a has been pop idol and Berrymore is a ...urm....the one that waters his plants. I wonder what would they come up with next. The British dry sense of humor does wonders in what could have become a really terrible movie. Still I'll rate it so and so and is a good laugh to watch with all the puns that Hugh has for his part. A must watch for couples in love....too bad it just missed Valentines. A 2 out of 5...and Hugh saved the day on this one.

Ghost Rider (Review)

Chopper bikes are cool again~! A Marvel comic adaptation...what else right? Well for those who don't know what is this skull on fire is all about here is a 60 seconds low down. Every 150 years or so the devil comes and makes a deal with a mortal to sell their soul to him in return he does a favour (never trust devils). So yes the devil did what a devil does well.... and this dude becomes a hit man for the devil anyways.

So obviously there is the villain which is the son of the devil who wants to take Daddy devil for retirement prematurely. So this skull on fire dude is tasked to get rid of devil junior. Pretty simple storyline and very straight forward. Nicholas Cage is so-so and Eve is well.....phew hot~!

But the show stealer is the bike that the hero rides....damn cool~ I mean hot~! It is a normal custom chopper by day and a hellbent fire snorting bike by night. The effects are nothing really new but it got the job done.

One thing.....they have to get the translation of titles right man. "Penunggang Motor Hantu" i mean...what is that? It might as well be "Pelesit~". It's a good movie for the family....to comic lovers just stick to your comics on this one. Its pretty much a no brainer. I give it a 3 out of 5 just because the bike is a cool thing.

Ghost Rider Official Website

*p/s:Sorry no image captures because I didn't have snagit frm where I wrote this.

The Holiday (Review)

I think this is a light comedy romance drama. Lacking romance is more like it. But it's what you get when you have American and English cast.... I still love the British accents from British actors. Yes ladies.....Jude Law is a hottie....thanks to my shoulder the girlfriend managed to wipe her drool with.

As the title already suggest it's a holiday kinda movie....Christmas and New Year. Not that I don't fancy it but I think we have seen too many movies with this setting. Anyhow, take the holiday thing out of the equation and you have a good movie for the whole family to enjoy.

2 women living in 2 separate countries and very different lives between them. With the help of the Yaaa-haaaa-hooo Internet they thought why not swap houses for the holidays for very depressing reasons. So one goes here and the other goes there....simple.

The story is not that complex....but it's a bit too easy for my liking. Kate does the British woman reporter some justice while Diaz acts her best as some rich, American workaholic. Disappointing to you Jack Black fans out there...he is not that funny here. Well, he is after all not the main character of this movie. Compared to Jude Law....well....I can say hit the road Jack.

There are moral stories and there are moral stories.....and the warm moments are well...warm moments. If for some reason you might think of bringing out someone for a date and maybe ice-cream afterwards this is certainly the movie. Owh...and guys....do wear something that you won't care much if it stains. And slight shoulder cramps after is a normal side effect. This is a so-so 2 out of 5.