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G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra



"Lean, mean, and plenty of fun, G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra will bring out the child in you."

It’s official, G.I Joe brings “cool” to a whole new level. Seeing how well Transformers transitioned to the big screen, Hasbro did the most logical thing, which is bringing their “other” big franchise to full live-action glory! I admit I wasn’t a diehard fan of the original TV series, despite catching most episodes on Saturday mornings in the late 80s, along with Transformers (which kid back then didn’t?). That didn’t stop me from enjoying the movie. In fact, I believe those who are unfamiliar with the franchise will love it, while fans will have a ball of a time seeing their favourite characters on the big screen.  

Taking place in the not so distant future, the movie focuses on US soldiers Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans - yup, the dude from White Chicks), who were tasked on transporting a highly dangerous new nanotechnology-based military weapon. When a mysterious bunch of terrorists armed with (cool) high-tech weaponry start killing everyone and steal the weapon, it takes (you guessed it) another bunch of guys with equally cool high-tech weaponry to beat them. The good guys later introduce themselves as elite anti-terrorist organisation called G.I Joe (the new acronym stands for Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity), and Duke and Ripcord somehow find themselves roped in. Most of your favourite Joes are here, like General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), Scarlett (sizzling Rachel Nichols), Snake Eyes (Ray Park aka Darth Maul), Breaker (Saïd Taghmaoui) and Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). 

The bad guys go by the name of Cobra, and are led by Scottish arms-dealer James McCullen aka Destro (Christopher Eccleston), who wears a smart-looking suit and doesn’t wear his iconic metal mask (don’t ask why, you’ll find out later on). He is assisted by the creepy, rather mysterious “Doctor” (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), slick ninja Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee), master of disguise Zartan (Arnold Vosloo aka The Mummy) and the sassy Baroness (Sienna Miller). These are not your stereotypical terrorists; they have the money, technology, and seriously, evil has never looked so good. And oh, another iconic villain reveals himself later on, much to the delight of the audience. 

The movie is good, cheesy fun. It doesn’t attempt to take itself seriously, and succeeds as a popcorn escapist flick. It doesn’t need a genius to figure out the plot. It’s the traditional tale of good vs. bad, but there were a number of pleasant surprises along the way, like betrayal, love lost and rivalry. A welcome touch is the addition of flashbacks on a timely basis to provide some back-story for certain characters (Michael Bay, please take note!). The acting is mostly uneven, with some doing better than others. Tatum’s performance was pretty dull, but I still felt it was a notch up from his role from that awful Fighting movie. Wayans showed that he could churn a solid performance and not just the slapstick comedy he is better known for (there are still witty laughs though!), while Miller seems to be the one enjoying her role the best, portraying the Baroness with joyful glee and stealing every scene she’s in (she's so super-freaking HOT!!!). There are some twists to the characters and story that might annoy diehard fans, but I believe the average viewer wouldn’t care less. Do watch out for the various cameos that include Brendan Fraser, Jonathan Pryce and Gerald Okamura. 

And what is G.I Joe without the awesome gadgets, weaponry and vehicles? Director Stephen Sommers certainly got this part right, and you’ll marvel at all the technological eye-candy, however illogical they may be. The CGi isn’t the best, but has its moments. Most of the big scenes will leave you in awe, while some are just too cheesy for words. I hate to admit it, but I could actually comprehend the action better than in Revenge of the Fallen. It isn’t a perfect movie, but you’ll be enjoying yourself so much you wouldn’t care about the silliness of it. If there’s one gripe I could remember, it was that anyone and everyone could fly or drive anything, regardless of whether it belonged to friend or foe. Perhaps a nod to the action figure toy-line the movie was based on?

Notable moments to watch out for include Ripcord checking out Scarlett photos using his accelerator suit, a superb car (well, technically Hummer) chase scene through Paris and Cobra Commandahhh~~!. 

Besides the guilty pleasure of watching good-looking men and women battle it out in high fashion, the best trait of the movie is the pacing and action, which is fast, creative, and oh-so-cool without doing it in excess. In fact I lost count of the number of times I said “awesome” during the movie. If in 2007 Transformers brought out the child in you, G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra will certainly do the same this year. 

5 out of 5 Stars

BoA - Energetic - Music Video

BoA's 3rd single off her US album... Energetic is one of the more addictive tracks, she collaborates with Sean Garett in this. Cool music video too... she sizzles~!

She's Not What it Seems

The Uninvited



Sometimes it’s hard to accept someone new into our lives. There is fear and anxiety for the worst, but what if those fears are real? The Uninvited is a remake of the Korean horror flick ‘Tale of Two Sisters’, but takes its name from another unrelated Korean film. The story revolves around worried-looking teenager Anna, played by Emily Browning (yes, the girl from the "Lemony Snicket" movie). Anna just got released from a mental institution 10 months after witnessing her sickly mother die in a horrible fire. Her loving dad, Steven (David Strathairn), has a new girlfriend, who coincidentally was his wife’s former nurse Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) who is "helping him cope, three times a night".

Rachel seems to care and tries to bring the family together, but something makes Anna feel otherwise. Perhaps it is the weird feeling whenever she says that she hopes to be friends. After being haunted by visions and dreams of her dead mother (looking disturbingly burnt) calling Rachel "murderer!", she comes to the conclusion that her new stepmother might be the one responsible for her death. Alex (Arielle Kebbel), Anna’s rebellious older sister (and smoking hot eye candy) seems to support her loathe for Rachel, and the two are determined to figure out who she really is. This is where Google comes to play, and the more they find out, the creepier it gets.
It also doesn’t help that Anna keeps seeing spooky dead children warning her of Rachel and telling her she’s next. Who is Rachel really? And are the two sisters all that stands in the way of what she wants? The Uninvited does have its scary moments, although they mostly consist of unsettling scenes and sudden scares, best of which is probably the kitchen scene! The characters are well-cast and fit the roles well. Banks plays a convincing stepmother with ulterior motives, Browning is convincingly worried, Strathairn is constantly calm despite his daughter’s concern and Kebbel is the smart one who steals every scene with her bikini. The way the movie is shot is also interesting, some scenes make it seem like everything’s okay, but you can feel your guts telling you, it’s not.

The Uninvited is scary at times and plays with the mind but is essentially more of a "seeking the truth" type of movie. Scare-freaks might not appreciate the spread-out scare pace but it should be something for the average viewer. While it has its fair share of predictable moments, the movie does have a gem of a twist at the end, making you rethink and replay the events of the entire movie.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Security Underdog

Paul Blart : Mall Cop



Sometimes it’s nice to see a movie that doesn’t try too hard. Paul Blart : Mall Cop centers on Paul Blart (Kevin James), a simple, single dad who works as a security officer in a shopping mall. Blart dreams of becoming a state policeman, but has failed exams numerous times due to hypoglycemia, a condition in which he needs sugar or he would just blank out and sleep.

No one takes his job seriously at the mall, but not Blart. A veteran in his field, he rolls down aisles enthusiastically in a Segway, and makes sure everything is orderly and trouble-free. He does get bullied more often than not though, and many look down on him. Often, he finds himself in funny situations with customers.

Things are spiced-up when he meets new kiosk operator Amy (Jayma Mays), whom he instantly has the hots for. Blart is easy to relate to, and I’m sure many will go rooting for him.

Then comes Black Friday, considered by many to be the busiest shopping period of the year. Blart doesn’t drink, but gets drunk on the eve and makes a total embarrassment of himself in front of (gulp!) Amy. A mall heist ensues on this Black Friday, where the criminals are so over-the-top it’s hilarious. To make things worse, Blart’s daughter and Amy are held captive by them. This is arguably where the most fun lies. Watch out for the numerous amount of creativity applied here, it’ll leave you in stitches. With armed robbers on the loose, SWAT team ready to strike and only armed with a Segway, can Paul Blart fight-off the bad guys, save his beloved mall and redeem himself with Amy?

At first glance, Paul Blart : Mall Cop might not seem that exciting to some, but if you give it a chance, you’ll see that it has a certain hidden charm , much like the character himself.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

New Model, Original Parts

Fast & Furious



Love it or hate it, the Fast and Furious franchise is back yet again for a fourth installment, and this time we see all the stars of the original returning to reprise their roles (hence the clever tagline, ‘New Model, Original Parts’). Taking place between 2Fast2Furious and Tokyo Drift, the movie is simply titled, ‘Fast & Furious’. Once again we Malaysians get an inaptly added digit (4) to the title, but let’s not delve too much into that.

Taking place approximately five years after The Fast and the Furious, the movie opens with ex-con fugitive Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his gang attempting to hijack a massive road train in the Dominican Republic. Dominic is joined by his trusty tough-as-nails (and uber-hawt!) girlfriend Leticia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez). What follows should please action fans, with an adrenalin-pumping explosive action sequence, arguably the best in the movie. Director Justin Lin has certainly outdone himself this time. As the police start getting dangerously close, Dominic starts going solo to protect those he cares for, but later receives a call from his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) regarding a murder of someone dear to him. Information leads to a drug kingpin named Arturo Braga. Dominic is not one to be messed with, especially when those he cares for are involved.

We are also introduced once again to Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker), a former police officer who’s now an FBI agent hot on the trail of a notorious drug gang and their leader, which happens to be the same guy Dominic is after. Walker’s acting still leaves much to be desired, but is admittedly better than in previous installments. Despite their differences, Diesel and Walker have great onscreen chemistry and it’s fun seeing them together again. While the dialogue and plot of the story isn’t something to scream about, the franchise was never intended to be a Shakespearean piece. The main points here is the action and the cars, and these are delivered in droves. In fact, the movie is an absolute thrill-ride from front to back.

The special-effects are well-used, and while some CGi isn’t that convincing, they do not deprive you of the excitement and sense of speed. Perhaps the only gripe is that Brewster and (the totally hot & gorgeous) Rodriguez seemed rather under-used despite the hype of having them back in the game.

While the returning stars are causing a huge buzz, the cars are attractions in their own right. Car buffs should spot plenty of gems, including a Nissan Skyline GT-R, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, Ford Torino, Porsche Cayman and a BMW M5 among others. Even the 1970 Dodge Charger and Chevy Chevelle SS from the first movie make a thunderous appearance. Plenty of high-velocity action is guaranteed as there are no less than three different racing sequences throughout the film.

Those unfamiliar to the franchise need not worry; you can actually enjoy the movie even after missing the other installments. If you like nerve-breaking thrills and excitement, this is the movie for you. Story takes a slight backseat as fists and gearshifts do the talking. It should be noted however, that the experience is more fulfilling and even emotional if you have watched them all, as you’ll also relate to the characters better and understand the numerous inside jokes and references. This is a movie for action buffs and thrill-seekers, and of course fans of the franchise. Finally they made a movie that matches, if not tops the original.

PS: They DID do something that I can't forgive, but that'd be a spoiler...

4.5 out of 5 Stars