My Love For Life Review

1 hour to the new lunar year. The new year will be the year of the ox. The forecast for me this year is not good and I need to maintain a low profile. Gotta watch my finances carefully too.

I wish all my cherished readers happy chinese new year and may the new year of the ox brings you many good fortunes and health! Gong xi fah chai! (That roughly translate to wishing you lots of wealth and prosperity!) 5/5 even though its raining now.

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Here is a late movie review on one of last year's blockbuster movie, Hancock. Will Smith plays the role of Hancock, an alcoholic drifter with super human powers ala Superman. Instead of being the protector of peace and guardian of public order, Hancock pretty much behaves like a homeless guy sleeping on roadside benches. Only after constant pestering from the concerned public does Hancock reluctantly springs into action in his half drunken state. To much of the public's dismay, Hancock has caused massive collateral damage during his pursuit of the criminals. Hence a warrant of arrest was issued for Hancock to be put behind bars.

Accompanying Will Smith in Hancock is a star studded cast of actors including Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman and Eddie Marsan. Hancock brings a fresh comedy element to the superhero movie genre which it manages to blend in nicely with the movie's storyline. There are some heart touching emotional human drama in Hancock which successfully show Hancock's human side to the audience. And that is a welcome relief from the bigger than life action sequences which Hancock serves up now and then.

Hancock Movie Trailer


Frankly I am pleased with Hancock as a movie and how things played out in the end. The CGI effects used in Hancock is good but sometimes they can be quite outrageous(in a good way)! My Love For Life Movie Review Rating for Hancock: 3.5/5

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Imagine an overweight clumsy panda who desires to learn kung fu. This would surely result in lots of comedic drama and story telling. And when you got DreamWorks Animation at the helm of production, the chances of creating a blockbuster movie is greatly enhanced.

I am an avid fan of CGI movies so I was very interested in watching Kung Fu Panda. With a high profile cast of voice over hollywood stars including Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu and Jackie Chan, the production value of Kung Fu Panda is truly astounding. It is rare nowadays to find a movie that truly entertains and also appeals to all audiences and Kung Fu Panda manages to achieve all that and more.

Kung Fu Panda Movie Trailer


If you haven't watch Kung Fu Panda yet do yourself a favour and pick it up the next time you have a chance. IMHO Kung Fu Panda provides wholesome movie goodness to the whole family and is an ideal addition to any home entertainment library. My Love For Life Movie Review of Kung Fu Panda: 4.5/5

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Having watched and liked The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I saw the second movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian over the weekend last week. Like most people I have never read the original books by C. S. Lewis where the series of movies are based on but I really like how the story is unfolding as portrayed in each of the movie so far.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a continuation of the first movie which takes place roughly 1 year(human Earth years) after the events of the first movie. However in the world of Narnia 1300 years have elapsed and the balance of power has shifted ever since the Telmarines invaded. The Narnians have gone in hiding waiting for the return of their Kings and Queens. I can't help it but compare The Chronicles of Narnia to The Lord of the Rings. IMHO, The Chronicles of Narnia is like a toned down version of The Lord of the Rings to cater for a younger audience, meaning less violence and gore.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Movie Trailer


The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a good movie by its own right and if you have not seen the first movie I would still recommend that you pick this up and watch it. My Love For Life Movie Review Rating for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: 3.5/5

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What do you get when you take a highly versatile seasoned actor and cast him as the lead in a remake of an acclaimed asian action movie? In truth the answer to that question depends heavily on whether you have seen the original movie or not. Bangkok Dangerous starring Nicholas Cage is the remake of a 1999 Thai crime action movie written and directed by the Pang Brothers.

Bangkok Dangerous centers around a hired assassin Joe (Nicholas Cage) who is in Bangkok for a month to carry out 4 assassinations for Surat, the Bangkok crime boss. While carrying out his "work" he encounters a love interest who rekindles his sense of longing for another in his cold heart. And we all know that an assassin who is in love will usually spell disaster for his career. You have to watch the movie if you want to know the ending :)

Bangkok Dangerous Movie Trailer


To sum it up Bangkok Dangerous is a passable remake of a good movie. The plot is nothing to shout about but having Nicholas Cage does bring it up a notch. My Love For Life Movie Review rating for Bangkok Dangerous: 3/5

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Here is another late movie review of one of the more prominent movie of last year: Wanted. Released on 27 June 2008, Wanted stars big names such as Morgan Freeman and the sultry Angelina Jolie together with James McAvoy. To say the least I am pleasantly surprised by Wanted.

Before watching Wanted I had anticipated that it was another "Fast & Furious" clone with some "Mission Impossible" essence thrown in for good measure. Well this is one time when I am glad that my assumption about a movie is wrong. Wanted breathes new life to the action adventure genre. The term "bending bullets" has been escalated to newer heights in the movie with outrageous but well executed head shot sniping action sequences. Oh, did I mention Angelina Jolie plays a foxy super assassin in Wanted called Fox? Superb performance from Angelina Jolie as throughout the movie I never felt like I was watching Lara Croft(Tomb Raider). And that is a compliment to her unique portrayal of her on screen character Fox.

Wanted is a worthy title to add to your personal collection. Even if you have missed the theatrical release I highly recommend that you pickup a copy in DVD or blu-ray format.

Wanted Movie Trailer


My Love For Life Movie Review Rating for Wanted: 4/5

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Welcome back my most cherished readers! It is time for another movie review and this time it is for an obscure movie which I think most of you have never heard of, Rise: Blood hunter. Remember Lucy Liu from Ally McBeal and Charlie's Angels? It has been a while since I last saw her onscreen and looks like she has been keeping herself busy filming Rise: Blood Hunter.

I watched Rise: Blood Hunter over the weekend with my boo. She picked it out because she previewed it and said "Hmmn... this looks interesting". To be honest, after sitting through the entire movie I think Rise: Blood Hunter is much more suited as a meant-for-tv movie. I can't help it but compare it with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and that too has better appeal than Rise: Blood Hunter. For those who are interested in the plot, let me just say it is about how the victim took revenge on the blood suckers who killed and raped her(the uncensored version has nudity so not meant for the minors).

Throughout Rise: Blood Hunter, it is pretty obvious that the producers are banking very heavily on the sex appeal of Lucy Liu with numerous incognito "red lighting" topless scenes. I guess Rise: Blood Hunter will appeal to fans of Lucy Liu and to those who just cannot pass on any vampire flick no matter how generic the storyline is.

Rise: Blood Hunter Movie Trailer


My Love For Life Movie Review rating for Rise: Blood Hunter: 2/5

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Time for a review of a chick flick a.k.a. romantic comedy movie: Made Of Honor. Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monoghan as the leading couple, Made Of Honor features a generic plot of good friends and how the playboy male lead is in denial of his true feelings for his "best friend". And from there I guess most of us can probably predict the turn of events that is going to happen until the end of the movie.

At its best, Made Of Honor is kinda like a feel good movie if you are in the mood for some lovey dovey romantic drama with some comedy elements thrown into the mix. I watched Made Of Honor with my boo and halfway through the movie she was getting sleepy. I guess the main characters in Made Of Honor need to add much more depth to their respective personalities to pique the interests of viewers. IMHO I think the best way is to create unique characters that will appeal to audiences by breaking free from the generic norms usually tied to this genre of movies. Break free from the confines of the "chick flick" analogy and make romantic movies that appeal to both sexes.

Made Of Honor Movie Trailer


My Love For Life Movie Review rating for Made Of Honor: 2.5/5

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Mention the name Dororo and die hard anime fans will associate it with the anime series based on the original thriller Manga. The main plot of Dororo centers on an orphan thief, Dororo, who came in contact with Hyakkimaru, a powerful rogue demon slayer. Hyakkimaru has to seek out and defeat 48 demon gods to restore back his original human body parts that were pawned off by his greedy feudal lord father in exchange for great power. Hence during birth Hyakkimaru was without limbs, eyes, ears, a nose or mouth and left to die in the river. Intriguing yes? Well to find out how Hyakkimaru, barely a human creature survived to become a powerful demon slayer you have to watch Dororo the live action movie.





Kou Shibasaki

Dororo the movie stars Kou Shibasaki as Dororo the orphan thief and Satoshi Tsumabuki as Hyakkimaru. Both of them did a superb job of portraying their respective on screen characters. The CGI effects in Dororo were average though, but still passable. Dororo is a good oriental fantasy action movie to watch.












Dororo Movie Trailer


My Love For Live Movie Review for Dororo: 3/5

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I know what most of you guys are thinking right now when you see this review: "Why do a Dark Knight review now when the movie has been out since July 2008?" To tell you the truth, I am one of the few people who didn't watch The Dark Knight on the big screen and instead opt to wait for its home release on DVD. The production quality for the Dark Knight DVD is excellent. I got hold on the two-disc Special Edition DVD, where the first disc contains the entire movie formatted in 2.40:1 aspect ration. The bonus second disc contains the IMAX sequences formatted in the original 1.44:1 aspect ratio.

With Christian Bale taking the lead as Bruce Wayne / Batman for his second time round, The Dark Knight is the current best Batman movie IMHO. With a darker tone to the story containing fatal tragedies befalling main supporting characters, The Dark Knight is a heart wrenching movie underneath layers of action sequences of high production values. One of the minor disappointment for me in The Dark Knight is the fact that Katie Holmes is no longer playing the role of Rachel Dawes. I got accustomed to Holmes as Rachel Dawes during Batman Begins so I was eager to find out how her relationship with Bruce Wayne would develop in The Dark Knight. To be fair, I think that Maggie Gyllenhaal's portrayal of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight is passable.

Coincidentally The Dark Knight was Heath Ledger's first and last outing as The Joker. Shortly after he had completed filming The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger passed away on 22 January 2008 due to prescription drug overdose. He had garnered much acclaim and praise for his last role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. R. I. P. Heath.

The Dark Knight Movie Trailer


My Love For Life Movie Review Rating for The Dark Knight: 4.5/5

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Went to Batang Ai to relax during the new year celebrations? Sarah Palin visited China during the Beijing 2008 Olympics? Nasza Klasa is a real huge fan of reebok hockey and rosebowl? Are we all trapped in the twilight zone? With so much violence and craziness taking place during the 2009 new year celebrations around the world recently, it goes to show that each and everyone of us must be responsible for our own actions. Luckily for me I chose to stay at home and watch Eagle Eye during the 2009 new year celebrations.

Eagle Eye stars Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monoghan as two complete strangers who are brought together under some "carefully orchestrated" turn of events set in motion by the US government. Not giving away Eagle Eye's story plot too much, the movie centers around anti terrorism counter measures gone horribly wrong due to the flaws in human judgment.

Shia LaBeouf's protrayal of Jerry Shaw in Eagle Eye is passable as a more mature version of his "scrappy kid next door" on screen persona. I can't help it but sees him as an older version of his character, Sam Witwicky in Transformers. Michelle Monoghan looks great on screen as Rachel Holloman, a single mother who is out to ensure the safety of her son, Sam Holloman. All in all I find that Eagle Eye is a good movie to watch, full of superbly executed on screen action sequences.

Eagle Eye Movie Trailer


My Love For Life Movie Review rating for Eagle Eye: 3.5/5

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