Movie Reviews

The following are some recent movies reviews.

» The Parent Trap

» Something About Mary

» Ever After - A Cinderella Story

» The Wedding Singer

» The Prince of Egypt

» A Bug's Life

» What Dreams May Come

» The Holy Man

» Expect the Unexpected («D±`¬ðµM)

» Patch Adam

» Never Been Kissed

» Notting Hill

» Tarzan

» Toy Story 2

The Parent Trap            

(WALT DISNEY PICTURES) - "The Parent Trap" tells the tale of identical twin sisters, separated shortly after birth by the break-up of their parents. "His and hers" kids, the twins are raised on different continents by their two successful parents. Hallie (LINDSAY LOHAN) is growing up in Napa Valley with her vineyard-owner father, Nick Parker (DENNIS QUAID). Annie (also LINDSAY LOHAN) is raised in fashionable London by her mother, Elizabeth James (NATASHA RICHARDSON), a renowned wedding gown designer. Unaware of each other's existence, fate intervenes when the girls coincidentally meet at summer camp in Maine. Eager to meet their respective parents, the girls devise a scheme to switch places and ultimately, reunite their mom and dad. Their plan takes on urgent proportions when they learn their father has fallen for the young, beautiful and opportunistic Meredith Blake (ELAINE HENDRIX).

"... I couldn't believe it when someone told me that the twins, Annie and Hallie, are actually acted out by just one pre-teenager, Lindsay Lohan. They are soooo real and convincing! I really like her a lot because she is real cute. She played both characters real well considering that she is 12 years old  (born in 2nd July '86). The father is very handsome, and the mother is so pretty, an the movie is funny. The last part where their parent had a long kiss, I felt like hidding down the chair because I was watching alone and there were three couples sitting just beside me. They were embracing each other..."    - Abe   ratings: 9/10

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There's Something about Mary          

    (FILM INK) A decade after their "disastrous" prom night, a young man (Stiller) still yearns for
    his one true love (Diaz), so he hires a cheesey private detective (Dillon) to track her down. The
    private eye succeeds in finding her, and himself becomes infatuated with the girl in the process.

" ..... Real funny movie. It kept me laughing throughout the whole show. The 'disastrous' prom night really made me laugh until I nearly fell to the ground in the cinema (I was sitting in the corner ). Some of you might find the dog cute, he is the poor pet of Mary who was tortured by the private detective.... "     - Abe    ratings: 9/10

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Ever After            

A unique 16th century woman, Danielle possesses a love of books, and can easily quote from Sir Thomas Mores Utopia. An
    intriguing mix of tomboyish athleticism and physical beauty, she has more than enough charm to capture the heart of a prince
    ... after beaning him with an apple.

    This spirited "Cinderella" is certainly no victim - against all odds, she stands up against a forceful and scheming stepmother,
    while honoring her late and beloved father.

    With her keen intelligence and independence, Danielle definitely is not waiting around for the prince to rescue her; in fact, she
    often comes to his aid, offering him guidance, and even saving the prince's life by carrying him on her back.

    When Danielle does receive help, it comes not from a "fairy godmother," but from one of history's most renowned figures,
    Leonardo da Vinci. And, while she does don a gorgeous pair of glass slippers, the words "magic pumpkin" are not in her
     vocabulary.

"... Woww.. it's a good show. I have friends who watched it twice! Actually me too! As usual there are some humor in the show, it kept me laughing. There is a part where Danielle's step-sister,  Marguerite, threw her most treasured possession, Utopia, down the fireplace. I don't know whether to feel sad or to feel angry. Serves her right for the punch that was bestowed by Danielle. What is also funny is that she saved the Prince from the robbers using her wits. She was also able to free herself when she was being sold to a evil merchant, the poor prince looked stupid when he finally arrived to save her, she walked out of the castle all by herself..."     - Abe    ratings: 9/10

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The Wedding Singer

Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) is the ultimate master of ceremonies... until he is left at the alter at his own wedding. Devastated,  Robbie becomes a newlywed's worst nightmare -- an entertainer who destroys other people's weddings.

It's not until he meets a warm-hearted waitress named Julia (Drew Barrymore),   that he starts to pick up the pieces of his heart. The only problem is Julia is about to marry a stooge, and unless Robbie can pull off the performance of a lifetime, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever.

"... Simply love it! A wonderful love story! I recommend this to everyone! It is one of my most favourite.  My friend knew that I would like this movie very much, he recommended me to watch it. As the show has already ended here in singapore cinema, I had to buy the VCD. I really had some laugh, despite that I was watching it 2 a.m in the morning when everyone else were sleeping. Robbie (Adam Sandler) has a handsome face, and the dreamy eyes that he has are gonna crush so many young girls' hearts. Julia (Drew Barrymore) is very attractive and the couple are really made for each other. The songs that Robbie sang was so good. When Julia asked Robbie to sing the song that he wrote ("Somebody Kill Me"), that was the most funniest part, that was a song of a new dimension! It's so good that they made up at the end with a wonderful song ("Grow Old With You")...."     - Abe    ratings: 9.5/10

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The Prince of Egypt

In "The Prince of Egypt", the movie tells the story of two men - one born a prince, the other born a slave. A lie made them brothers; the truth will destroy a kingdom and forever separate them ... in faith ... in heritage ... in destiny

" ... Good effects... it was a breathtaking scene when Moses divided the red sea into two..."    - Abe    ratings: 7.5/10

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A Bug's Life

Life is no picnic for the ants on Ant Island! Each summer, a gang of greedy grasshoppers - led by the menacing and manipulative Hopper - descends upon the colony to demand a hefty portion of the ants' hard-earned harvest and generally make life miserable for this peaceful community. Our hero Flik, an original thinker out of step with the rest of the more traditionally minded colony, takes it upon himself to get outside help and mistakenly enlists an unemployed troupe of bug performers from a second-rate flea circus to join the fight against the grasshoppers. Working together in their new-found friendship, the ants and the circus bugs prepare for a climactic confrontation with the grasshoppers. When Flik's plan starts to unravel, the action and comedy turn fast and furious as he attempts to save the colony and his reputation.

"..... It's a really cute movie, and like everyone tells me, it is much better than ANTZ! The environments are very colourful and life-like, the texture, or the skin of the bugs looks so real. The movie is very funny with lots of cute characters. I like the baby princess. She is sooo cute and she 's the only one who trusted Flik from the start.... "    - Abe    ratings: 9/10

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What Dreams May Come

After his untimely death, Chris' memory of loving and being loved creates a personal prism through which he transcends earthly life and experiences a world bound only by his imagination. His transition into this visually breathtaking place is puzzling at first, but soon abates when his afterlife guide Albert (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) tells him, "You didn't disappear, Chris, you just died!"

In this alternative realm, Chris delights in the knowledge that Heaven for him is existing within one
of Annie's magnificent paintings. He rejoices in the awe and majesty of this Painted World, replete with the memories and romantic dreams he once shared with her. Yet even in this paradise, Chris feels unfulfilled without his wife, Annie. And on earth she is not whole without him. The creative vitality that is so penetrating in Chris' world paradoxically confines Annie in dark disillusionment.

When Chris is told that Annie can never join him in his Heaven, he vows to find her. Guided by a sage Tracker (Max Von Sydow) and his unconditional love for Annie, he embarks on an epic odyssey through a tapestry of timeless illusions to try to free her from the endless torments of Hell.

"....(i heard a lot of bad comments from frens who have watch this show)....And i was not disappointed....Robin Williams was great and the leading actress had a certain charm in her dat i like... But..... i think it's becoz i am a christian dat i do not find the story convincing..... i mean the potrayal of heaven and hell and how it works was not real for me. But on the whole it was a very beautiful film....in dat there were a lot of beautiful sceneries and the love story of the two was indeed what i would liked to have ..... for them, their love was really "tian chang di jiu". I also like the song at the end of the show....heehee... Here's a quotation in the movie dat i like very much.... :"sometimes when u win, u lose...... sometimes when u lose, u win......"    - Jamie

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The Holy Man

Ricky Hayman (Jeff Goldblum) seems to lead the sort of life that would turn most men green with envy. A top executive at the "Good Buy Shopping Network" (GBSN), Ricky lives in a beautiful Miami apartment, drives a flashy convertible, wears custom-made suits and dates a different gorgeous woman every night. When it comes to life, for Ricky, what's not to love?

A lot, actually. He also faces a staggering pile of bills, and suffers from a stress-induced ulcer to go with the all that high living. The fragile balancing act that is his daily existence seems about to come crashing down around him, when GBSN's new owner, Mr. McBainbridge (Robert Loggia), appears with media analyst Kate Newell (Kelly Preston) to assess the network's sagging financial prospects.

Aware that his job is on the line, Ricky desperately needs an innovative idea to boost his network's sales or else it's poof! Goodbye glitzy life-style, hello unemployment line!

Enter "G" (Eddie Murphy), an itinerant "holy man," on a personal spiritual pilgrimage. A chance encounter with "G" causes a light bulb to go on over the frazzled Ricky's head. Why not give the charismatic and inspirational street guru his own TV show? What better way to make shopping via the tube a truly "religious" experience? If everything goes right, "G" could be bigger than Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker put together!

".... I never expect much from this film in the first place, but when I came out from the theatre I tried not to look at other people, I was hidding the little bit of moisture and redness in my eyes.. :-) It is quite touching at the last part of the show. Don't be mistaken, this show is more humourous than it is touching. One lady was laughing so hard behind me that her voice covered the laughters of all the guys in the theatre. I thought my seat was shaking. This movie has simple plots, you might even gain enlightenments in the Zen way!....."    - Abe    ratings: 8/10

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Expect the Unexpected («D±`¬ðµM)

"... Like the title suggested, I tried to expect the unexpected. But the unexpected still ambushed me! I did not know anything about this movie when I bought the tickets... I thought it's money down the drain again when I realised it's a chinese film, as I was expecting an English film. However, the show was quite funny, you really cannot predict what is going to happen next. Some may not like the ending very much though, again its unexpected. :-) ....".   - Abe    ratings: 8/10

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Patch Adam

Laughter makes better medicine

Answers are everywhere to be found, you just have to be open to them. When Hunter Adams sought help for suicidal depression by checking into a psychiatric hospital he found help not with the inattentive, self-important doctor, but by reaching out to his fellow inmates (Michael Jeter, Harry Gould).

Two years later, Patch is starting medical school, and from the Dean's opening address is questioning the accumulated crust of hundreds of years of medical-messiahs.

"Indifference is a disease"

One of his first questions is the absence of human (patient) contact in the first two years of training. He makes his way into the wards and into the hearts of the people he finds there. To Patch, they are people, with names, not cases with diagnoses. He wins over the kids, the nurses, even some of the toughest cases, and in doing so reduces the use of pain medication, and relieves some of the distress associated with disease.

But people who rock the boat upset those who are afraid to swim, and he quickly frightens Dean Walcott (Bob Gunton), who feels his pedestal collapsing under Patch's doctors-as-peers philosophy. He understands that a book-learned doctor with no people skills can't succeed at human-based medicine. He cannot connect with people as people, he must be a father, trusted by child-like patients, set up as "something better" than human -- a medical doctor.

" ... This movie really touch me. I was trying hard not to cry but I could not prevent the tears from rolling to and fro on my eyes. I heard my friend sniffing, I wonder if it he was crying or really having a running nose. Patch Adam was teaching his friends to care for the patients, to be happy and to influence others to be happy too. It was like reading reading another Chicken Soup story.. It was so sad when disaster struck, and Patch nearly gave up his cause, but it all came to a happy...... or funny ending. This is based on a true story, and if you want to see the real Patch Adam, go to The Gesundheit Institute ..... "    - Abe    ratings: 9/10

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Never Been Kissed

Josie Geller is a talented copy editor at the Chicago Sun-Times who yearns to become a reporter. But when she finally gets her wish, it turns out to be the assignment from hell: Josie, a self-described 'geek to the core,' must go undercover at a local high school to report on today's teenagers. Now, at age 25, Josie must figure out her story ' and a potential new love ' while reliving her horrific adolescence.

".... My friend had high recommendation for this movie, so I went to watch it. It was not disappointing at all. Many of you will like this very much. No tears involved!..."    - Abe    ratings: 8/10

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Notting Hill

"It was another hopeless Wednesday" when Anna Scott (Julia Roberts), the most famous movie star in the world, wanders into his shop. She buys a bad book. They smile. She leaves. Is this is the beginning of .... romance? Being English and Hugh and frightfully-actually, the jokes have a cringe factor above the blush line. He can't make a move. She does. And then waits. And waits.

"Halfway through this show, I suddenly think that this is like Four Weddings and a Funeral! The way the lead actor and actress met and liked each other, and went their separate ways, and met again. Some people said that there are a lot of dialogue, but to me it was okay. It is a very humorous movie. I laughed so hard until the tears ran down my face! The part that I like when Hugh Grant apologized to Julia Roberts and asked her to stay ...."    - Abe    ratings: 8.5/10

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Tarzan

"Tarzan" is an adventure that traces the story of a human baby who is orphaned in the African jungle and lovingly raised by a family of apes. Tarzan's peaceful and sheltered world is turned upside down by the arrival of a human expedition and the revelation that he is one of them. 

As he struggles to decide which "family" he belongs with, his dilemma is further complicated by his feelings for a beautiful young woman named Jane and the discovery that a trusted member of his new human "family" is plotting to harm the apes. With an inspired cast of vocal talents and new technological breakthroughs that bring added depth and dimensionality to the jungle settings, Disney's animated version of "Tarzan" captures the fantasy, excitement, and imagination of this literary favorite as never before.

"The graphics are SOLID, the characters are CUTE, the show was FUNNY. It will not waste your money. Go watch it! hehe...."   

- Abe    ratings: 9/10

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Toy Story 2

"Toy Story 2" is the exciting, all-new sequel to the landmark 1995 computer-animated blockbuster from Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios. This time around, the fun and adventure continue when Andy goes off to summer camp and the toys are left to their own devices. Things shift into high gear when an obsessive toy collector kidnaps Woody -- who hasn't the slightest clue that he is a greatly valued collectible. It's now up to Buzz Lightyear and the gang from Andy's room -- Mr. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex, and Hamm -- to spring into action and save their pal from winding up a museum piece. There are plenty of thrills as the toys get into one predicament after another in their daring race to get home before Andy does.

"Have you seen Toy Story 1? I don’t remember much of it now but I liked it sooo much. I like the realistic animation, the humorous content and the cute characters. The picture was so real.

I saw the preview Toy Story 2 and it looked more exciting. So I bought the tickets for the show at Lido. And tell you what, I loved it! It was exciting, impossibly real, colorful, and simply marvelous! It put everyone rocking on his or her seats laughing hard. Even the most unmoving souls would manage a snigger. I love it … and so will you!"   

- Abe    ratings: 10/10

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