Pages

Sunday, August 28, 2016

July Movies

Yes, i know it's almost the end of August.

And yes, i also know that i am writing July movies reviews -___-.

I just feel extra lazy to do so this month (actually, when do i never?) but i can't just not write it either *sigh*, i am weird that way.

Anyhoo. Watched quite a lot of movies last month so better get started!

So i've never liked Tarzan. I think i mentioned this before when i reviewed Jungle Book, but a little boy living in the jungle raised by animals is simply not my cup of tea. The last recreation of the Tarzan movie almost puts me to sleep so i was super reluctant when hunny dragged me to watch this new Tarzan movie. I never bothered reading the synopsis or whatever so i was pleasantly surprised when i realized that this is not just another recreation kind of movie but actually a sequel?

The story follows Tarzan who now identify himself as John Clayton and back to England with  his (now) wife Jane where live as noble royalties. He is then asked to come back to Africa by Belgian King Leopold (it's a trap and it's not even a spoiler, the Belgian king invades half of Congo and is going bankrupt, Tarzan's old enemy offers him priceless diamonds in exchange for Tarzan), he was reluctant but persuaded by an American called George Washington Williams to go with him because he believes the Belgians enslaves the Congolese population. Tarzan, Jane and George goes to Congo only to be attacked on the very first night at the village by Rom (Leopold's envoy). Rom kidnaps Jane and now Tarzan has to safe both his wife and the enslaved Congolese as well as facing a ruthless old enemy (and blood thirsty gorillas that used to be his pack). Tarzan got his plate full, obvi.

Well, i like this movie much better than the original one! Of course i am not comparing it to the Disney animation because that'd just be ridiculous, i'm talking more of the storyline (and maybe in comparison with the newer, more serious animation version). It's just far more interesting and engaging for me, super thrilling and action packed that i forgot to be bored :p. And how sexy is Alexander Skarsgard's body here??? I never found him attractive but i might change my mind after this movie... I was just super disturbed by the harsh censors, some scenes were just cut out very abrubtly and i'm just confused on the base of how they censor movies because there are some movies where you can see heavy tounging and even breast fondling but a simple kiss scene would be cut out in others. Be consistent, Indonesian censorship!!! You're ruining good movies, what about being more strict with age restriction instead zzzz.

All and all, pretty good and entertaining movie. I would recommend it if only to gawk at Alexander Skarsgard's half naked form :D.


This one is quite disappointing for me. Maybe it's my fault that i never do any research before going into the cinema and just assumed that the movie would be as funny as other Raditya Dika's movies. I've written before that i like pretty much all of his movies that we watched, the ones that are based on his real life better than the completely fictional ones-what i didn't know was... Dika decided to stop being funny??? I was so confused after i finished watching the movie that i immediately googled the review on the book that it was based on. Apparently i wasn't the only one expecting his usual crazy hilarious story-telling and became sorely disappointed...

So Raditya Dika plays Dika (i don't think it's Dika as in him per se tho, actually i'm not very sure la), a guy who's about to get married only to be jilted by his fiance just a few moments before the D-day. Broken hearted and bewildered, he has troubles finishing up his book. On a strange coincidence, he meets a weird girl named Trisna and somehow, although very unlikely-they become close friends. Trisna is determined to help Dika find his closure (and maybe some revenge) because she never got any closure from her ex boyfriend and they go through some weird moments trying to do just that.

Seriously, this movie was far from his usual entertaining movies, it was more similar to those cheesy, nauseating chick/teenlit. There are probably one (or maybe two tops) hilarious moment and that's when Dika makes a complete fool of himself (which he never shied to do before) towards the end of the movie. From the beginning to near the end, i kept on thinking... Where's the punch line??? Seriously Dika, i understand maybe you want to be taken more seriously-to be a legit writer (or actor? Nahh, the later's never really gonna happen), but your strength lies on your funny bone. When you snuff out that funny bone, i'm afraid we're not buying that you're selling anymore. If you expect anything like his usual silly movies, skip it.


I think i said this before... But damn, Mark-Paul Gosselaar sure ages well!!! He looks nothing like his teenage heartthrob-self that he was in Saved by the Bell-but in a very good way! I'm not much of a pretty boy lover (with a few exceptions... Eh maybe more than a few lah) and this mature, rough and sexy Mark def rocks my boat!


A seductive thief Karen (Claire Forlani) crossed a big time, ruthless crime boss (Bruce Willis, i'm not used to see him being so annoying btw) and he will stop at nothing before she pays him what he thinks she owes him. Karen has no choice but seek out her ex-lover (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) to steal a cargo of rare precious gems. Of course, this woman who is obviously cannot be trusted from the very beginning has a much bigger agenda than she lets on and now they are all the  target.



So it's the usual action-thief-con movie formula, nothing new-but it's still good! It has a good pace, engaging story and likeable characters (not Bruce Willis' or Claire's tho)-plus Mark Paul proves that he is charismatic enough to be the leading man so... It's not bad at all! Recommended if you are looking for action packed, entertaining pop corn movie. It's funny too!


4. Star Trek Beyond
Speaking of handsome boys that age well, Chris Pine (who's oh so fine :p) is definitely one. He used to be so pretty that it annoys me (no girl likes boys who are prettier than them... Or at least, i don't hahaha) but now that he's older he has this edge, roughness that is oh-so-manly and appealing. OMG, this is supposed to be movie reviews #Pink, not fangirling time :P. So sorry. I'm getting on with it. It's good, best Star Trek movie yet for me (not counting the TV series please, i'm so scared that their fan will attack me and my horrible taste), it's a lot darker and more serious than the previous two. But it's also very sad because it's Anthon Yelchin's last :(. 

Kirk is now the captain in USS Enterprise, he is feeling lost and unsure of himself in the midst of a repetitive life. On the third year of their five years mission, they arrive in Yorktown (a massive space station that looks more like a town in space) and sent for another (supposedly) short mission to rescue  Kalara's crew. The rescue turns out to be an ambush, the Enterprise is almost destroyed and his crew were taken by the enemy-Kirk and a handful of his trusted confidantes must work to rescue their crew and also save Yorktown which is their enemy's actual mission to destroy.

You know i don't know much about Star Trek, but i did manage to enjoy the movies and like i said earlier, i like this one best out of all of the movies so far. It has a very interesting story, it's entertaining, still funny but also darker and more engaging than the previous movies. And i also really like the new character Jaylah, she kicks ass! I really enjoyed it, and i would recommend this... But if you know less than me about Star Trek then maybe it's wise to have a friend who understands Star Trek watch it with you so you won't be completely lost *LOL*. 

5. Ghostbusters
Hunny had been waiting for this impatiently (because he loved Ghostbusters as a kid) and while i definitely don't share his enthusiasm (Ghostbusters never really appealed to me, i prefer hard core ghost movies since i was a kid. Yep, i'm one weird cookie what can i say?), the trailer looks good. And after watching it? Well, hunny enjoyed it, me...? I don't it's (that) bad or whatever, but it's not really my cup of tea. This surprise me because it's Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, whom i really love but yeah, i guess the whole protoplasm or whatever, the gear, the cheesy story are just too much for me. I guess i never really be able to enjoy movies made from such comical TV series... I still prefer this than TMNT, but i still don't love it.

Erin Gilbert is a psychics professor who used to be a paranormal enthusiast and even co-wrote a book on the theme with her old friend/partner Abby. As Erin is about to get promoted, she realized that Abby's been selling their book online. With her promotion on the line, she decided to confront Abby-but then they witness a real paranormal activity (well, Erin even got puked on by a ghost) and that ended up in Erin reuniting with Abby (who already has another partner-the engineer Jillian). They are eventually joined by subway worker Patty Tolan (and get themselves a handsome but dumb as a brick male assistant) in trying to prove to the world ghosts are real while facing endless problems thrown to their faces including some crazy dude who wants to open the portal between the ghostly world and our world as well as become the ghosts' leader.

I feel confused and tired when i try to explain the plot, i guess it's just easier to digest in animation form and when you're 10 *LOL*. Not that i even remember watching it when i was little. Anyway, way too cartoonish and cheesy for my liking, i find myself getting bored in parts and not even Kristen Wiig or Melissa McCarthy could save it for me. It's about taste though, hunny and Little O enjoyed it-it's just not for me. I'd prefer to see the duo in a more normal comedy movie i guess...

6. Skiptrace
I hardly (well, at all actually) heard about this movie and it went straight to the smaller studios immediately which is a bit surprising because usually any Jackie Chan action movie would pretty much be a big deal-i went in feeling very skeptical and was pleasantly surprised that it's much better than i thought it'd be. It's quite cheesy of course (Jackie Chan movies do tend to be cheesy, not always in a bad way tho), but it's funny, it's entertaining and the chemistry between Jackie and Johnny Knoxville is great too! 

Bennie Chan is a HK detective that is pretty much obsessed with a mysterious crime boss called Matador who's responsible for his partner's death. He is certain that the Matador is in fact a millionaire named Victor Wong. When his late partner's daughter gets into trouble with the Matador's syndicate, Bennie has track down an American conman Connor Watts who he thinks can save Yung (the partner's daughter) but then he realizes that Connor is actually a key witness to prove that Victor is the Matador himself. However Connor is fearful for his life and would do anything to stop himself being dragged back to China (while also being chased after a Russian kingpin).

I guess the movie can be chaotic and all over the place, but i am used to Asian movies (which can be quite crazy) and i am used to Jackie Chan's antics *LOL*. I actually think this movie is hilarious and entertaining. Not much of a plot of course, everything's totally predictable-but it's still a good, mindless kind of movie. If you want to spend a few hours laughing at incredulous antics, go watch this one.

 7. Jason Bourne

Okay this one i actually quite enjoy. I know that some die hard Bourne fans actually got disappointed and even wished they did not make this movie instead, hunny also said it's not as good as the last one (not Jeremy Renner's) but for a girl who can't even remember what the last movie was all about-i actually find this one quite good. I did not get bored, it was gripping and i think Matt Damon still got it.

So Jason Bourne has been under the radar for years, living his new life (or more like existence) as a street fighter until Nicky Parson (hunny reminded me that she was a former CIA operative who helped Bourne in previous movie and now works to expose CIA's black ops. Not that i remember anything but how much Julia Stiles has aged) look for him. She hacks into CIA and downloads everything on their Black Ops including Treadstone (which Bourne was part of) but Heather Lee (CIA agent, very ambitious) discovers the hack and alert the CIA director Dewey (who's behind the black ops)-he orders to find Parsons and hopefully Bourne too. So the chase begins again, but now Bourne finally starting to understand who he really is.

It receives a pretty good rating of 7 at IMDb but the reviewers on the first page is super harsh! I can't speak for Bourne fans coz i certainly am not (lots of them find it disappointing?), but from a girl who now learns to enjoy gripping and teeth gritting action movie, it's good enough for me. Will you be confused to watch it if you never watched the previous movies? Probably, but it might pass as a standalone movie since i can't remember much other than CIA is always hunting Bourne and he always outsmart them! In my opinion, it's a pretty good and interesting movie to spend your time on. If you're a die hard Bourne fan and now feel compelled to burn me, please ignore my clueless rambling!!!

So the movies on July are mostly just okay for me, i most enjoyed Star Trek and my least fave would be Koala Kumal tied with Ghostbusters! What about you?

#Pink

No comments:

Post a Comment