Building Bridges Between Japan & New ZealandMovies (36)
The Departed: What a combination of actors and action. Of course Jack Nicholson takes the show away and is a guy you love but learn to hate in this movie. A great story with an ending that makes you want to buy the DVD but worth every penny to see these guys working together on the big screen and making it work on the screen as well. A must see!!  http://thedeparted.warnerbros.com/ |
| Eragon: The movie is based on the book but it is not exactly to the book but follows the general plot well enough but also misses out a good part of it (...but to say it was not needed for the movie) and so the movie moves along quickly and by the end of the movie you are cheering with the rebels and are right into the Dragon Rider! I will read the Trilogy and also see all three movies. The life of the Author is quite fascinating as well as this Trilogy developed with him since he was 13 years old. Visit the websites at: http://www.alagaesia.com/index.php http://www.eragonmovie.com/ |
Casion Royale: On the 1st of December I went to see this movie and it is a Die Hard wannabe. It was a good movie but it is going to find it hard to fit into the James Bond franchise I think. Daniel Craig is not James Bond as far as I concerned! But see it for yourself and decide but then explain to me why Q is so old if this is his first mission and why does he carry a heart monitor in his car (now standard James Bond issue? I do not think so!) Yes I was disappointed for sure with this one!! |
| Mission Impossible III: I have been waiting to see this movie since it began production and I was disappointed. I think Tom Cruise wants to be superman and all he need is a red cape and he is in. Even Batman who does not do as many stunts at least got injured and Ethan Hawk (Cruise) gets up without a scratch so many times that it becomes ridiculous!! Great action but leave your reality and brain at home before you see this one!! |
| Fast & Furious 3: Tokyo Drift: The reviews for this movie stated it was average and after number 2 I expected a B grade movie and so I got a surprise. One of the best movies I have seen this year!! Good action, great driving scenes, location is awesome-Tokyo!! The driving scene in Shibuya is one of the best and even the acting is not too bad. This is a must see!! |
| Da Vinci Code: This is a hard movie to rate. Did you read the book? Except for a few things the story is the same and it is like a live book-well done Ron Howard!! And the acting is superb and the movie is fast paced and not boring at all but...my problem is there are no surprises as I know the story after reading the book but still an enjoyable movie. But...if you have not read the book then go and see this movie as you will get to watch a movie full of surprises with an excellent ending. So I disagree with the movie critics and really think it is worth seeing! It gets a 5 and I will buy the DVD and watch it again for sure!! |
Brokeback Mountain: This movies is too long but the development and the story are great. A very good human drama. Heath Ledger is brilliant in this part and has earned my respect as an actor.  |
| V for Vendetta: Not a great movie. Acting was good and yet the story was choppy in many places!! Also you need to know a little bit of history to get into this.
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| King Kong: What a way to start the year!! This is a very well done movie and one of the best of all time. The CGI is great and the action scenes are fantastic. Do not wait for the DVD however-go and see this one on the big screen!! http://www.kingkongmovie.com/ |
| Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire: The best in the series so far. Not worth the R restriction. The CGI is really good and there are some great moments but compaired to KK-see above) it does not quite get there. Wait for the DVD. http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/ |
| The Brothers Grimm: Well how to describe this movie; good? bad? weird? interesting? It is all of those things in one and worth the big screen but also you will need to watch it again to pick up all the pointers to Grimm fairytales through out the movie. http://video.movies.go.com/brothersgrimm/main.html |
The Island: Aah forget this one. It begins well and action is good but oh come on with the inconsistency and sick ending of people in white standing on a mountain-rent the DVD if you dare to part with 300 yen but it is not worth it!  |
| Star Wars Episode III: Well I went and paid 1,800 yen to see very bad acting but at least it is over. Not impressed and the Princess who did such a good job in episodes I & II did a terrible job and who cast this guy as Darth Vader-oh come on get it together George. Rent the DVD. |
| Batman Begins: Well finally another 5 star movie. This is a definite must see and it was Batman as he always should have been. The magic of Chris Nolan, Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman Michael Cain and Liam Nelson is just perfect and everything fits together. Great to see a bad guy with a plan, purpose and common sense. Heck bring on the next one and it will be a hit for sure. Go and see this on the big screen!! Now the best movie I have seen this year! http://www2.warnerbros.com/batmanbegins/index.html |
| Mr. and Mrs. Smith: What is wrong with this movie? Common sense-leave it at the door. Too many holes-great action no doubt but another movie about Hit men and it feels like Stallone did this before with Sharon Stone. Not a great movie but entertaining. Wait for the video! http://www.mrandmrssmithmovie.com/ |
| Hostage: Bruce Willis is so good in this genre that he needs to stay in it for sure. Looks great for 50. Not a deep movie but very entertaining and I liked it a lot. A few good twists and a couple of twists I thought were coming did not happen which is good because I like to be surprised!! If you do not get to the theater then rent the DVD and relax and just enjoy it. http://www.miramax.com/hostage/ |
| Constantine: I am becoming a Keanu Reeves fan these days so yes I loved the movie. A little bit slower than expected but so interesting that your attention will be grabbed throughout. I only jumped once and was disappointed with that. Still very good movie and highly entertaining!! Visit the website: http://constantinemovie.warnerbros.com/ |
| Ladder 49: Now this is not just another fireman movie. Remember Back draft as being the best fire fighter movie around, well it is not anymore. This one tops it in every respect and John Travolta and the supporting cast are incredible. You will cry towards the end. The best movie I have seen this year!!! |
| Hitch: Well all the jokes have been tried before, the story line is very familiar and is obviously from other movies. I smiled a little but did not laugh once. Come on Will Smith find a part worthy of your acting ability. I give it two stars only because it was fun and say rent the DVD. |
Sideways: This got academy awards? Why? A pointless, boring story that really takes you no where but to an illogical conclusion. Typical of the Academy to give another award to a terrible movie. What they consider depth in a movie is fairly shallow!! Do not waste your money-even to rent it!!  |
| The Forgotten: Wow I like this move. Move over x-files!! This is one of the best suspense/sci-fi movies I have seen in a long time and it twists and turns and the story is not what you expect at all. Thoroughly entertaining and mysterious and ranks up among the best this year. If you like suspense and or sci-fi then this movie is a must for you and even if you do not give it a shot!! |
| Open Water: This is a sad movie!!! That two divers could get stuck in the middle of the ocean stranded and die is beyond me. You will watch it and come away not wanting to do anything else but feel sad and downhearted. |
| Meet the Frockers: Well a combination of Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro and Barbra Streisand cannot go wrong can it? No it can't. It is funny and really enjoyable. Streisand is no longer a sweet Jewish woman; she is a sex therapist now and her husband Dustin Hoffman have to deal with up tight DeNiro...enough said you will need to watch it to find out. Some fo the joke are rehashed but even they work because of the cast and acting ability of everyone involved. |
| Sky Captain & The World of Tomorrow: A fairly entertaining movie bit fairly slow in parts; still the effects are good and it is an enjoyable ride at the most. If you want depth this is not the movie for you but if you want to watch something fun and a little different then go for it (leave any common history sense at home). |
| Blade 3-Trinity: I love the Blade series a lot and Wesley Snipes as well. The story is very good but the comedy relief provided by Ryan Reynolds is just not necessary and takes away from the movie-why put comedy relief in this movie-what a stupid thing to do and it was disappointing. If you can ignore this then you will watch a great movie. Wesley Snipes basically ignores the comedy anyway and is BLADE!!! |
| Bourne Supremacy: I am currently reading the book and hesitated seeing this movie but....it didn't matter as it is not like the book at all; even set in a different part of the world, but I got over that and it was a great movie. I have read reviews on this movie saying Matt Damon is no good as Jason Bourne but do not listen to them, he is perfect for this part and does an excellent job. The story is exciting and keeps you on the edge of your seat and the car chase in Russia of all places in a Russian taxi is fairly original and a great idea. |
| Alien VS. Predator: Well I waited along to see this movie and is defiantly a big screen type movie. A real fight fest and the humans are taken out quickly and it is Alien VS. Predator as the billing says. It is not a horror movie like the first Alien movie and it is highly entertaining. I have seen it but will buy the DVD when it is released. |
| Howls moving Castle ハウルの動く城): The animation is very good and the movie is really enjoyable. A love story, with magic and and an anti war theme (which I am told is a message in all of this guys movies). Of course you need to speak Japanese at this point to see this movie but I am sure it will be translated and released in the USA very soon; happens with most Japanese animation these days. |
| Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2:
I saw this at the movies and also Kill bill 2-review below. Brought the set and watched them together-Aaah incredible. Seeing them together is a must-separately that are good movies but together they are the best movies ever. I really liked both but now my favorite movies of all time. Also on second viewing volume one is not so bloody after all; it is story telling at its best and the dialogue is incredible. Well done!!
[Also to note since Volume 1 I have watched all of Quentin Tarantino's movies and all of them are classic.. Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction just rock and also the others are not bad. His way of story telling takes a little getting used to but once you are in then you are in.] |
| The Missing: Tom Lee Jones at his best. The movie is not fast paced but Tommy Lee Jones is worth watching; a very convincing white man gone Indian. It is a western in genre but not a usual western-more in tune with Dance with Wolves than the Quick and the Dead. This DVD was worth the purchase for my DVD collection. |
| Van Helsing: This is a classic movie-great entertainment and great fun!! Hugh Jackman's lines were not as corny as I expected and that was a pleasant surprise. The CGI is spectacular and the setting of the movie well thought out and it made for a story with a few surprises as well. The end---well my goodness it surprised me a little which was good. Worth the ticket price. |
| Shrek 2: Although I knew most of the story through reviews and stuff the end of the movie was classic with the Fairy godmother and the rescue. a great laugh and I want to see it again. This is a movie for adults and is one of the best movies I have seen this year! |
| Pokemon 2004: You need to understand Japanese to see this one and to know a little about Pokemon. Not as good as Pokemon 1 or 4 but still quite well done and interesting for kids but.....I enjoyed it as well! |
| Spiderman 2: 100% better than the first Spiderman movie and a lot of the mystery is taken away from Spiderman as.......well that would be giving away the movies and so you will need to see it. It is worth seeing and is one of the top 5 movies I have seen this year. Doc-Oc is a great villain as well and is a great actor and so it helps pull the movie out of the silly bad guy blues (Spiderman 1 got stuck there) and make for a good ride. |
| Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban: Not quite as good at part one but a lot better than part two. I could have waited for the DVD on this one but it is still very good. Everyone is grown up now and it makes for a more entertaining movie and the story reveals some really good things that I had been wondering about Harry as I have never read the books. |
| Day After tomorrow: YAWN!!! So we get groovy special effects but the story line is old and does not even make common sense. Rent it on DVD and do not buy the DVD as it defiantly not worth 3,000 yen but 300 yen maybe. |
| Troy: I paid to see this. 3 hours later I had a sore butt from sitting so looong through Brad Pitt trying to be Greek but actually everyone else was Greek expect Brad. He was a surfer living on a beach with a girl without the surf board. Do not pay to see this movie in a theater but rent the DVD-do not buy it!! It is only worth 300 yen. On a positive note-Peter O'Toole is a brilliant actor and so is Eric Banner and this movie shines for them. |
| Kill Bill Volume 2: Well after the volume one I had my doubts but read so many good reviews I decided to give this movie a chance. Well it blew me away and is one of the best movies I have ever seen. To bring back David Carradine into the main role was brilliant and he shines in this movie. It is a must see in a theater and on DVD and worth a 3,000 purchase. If you watch volume one and volume two together you will get the whole picture, but be warned that volume one is violent and full of blood but not so with volume 2. |
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