The Ultimate Gift (2006)

4/10

touching concept but not well put together

The Ultimate Gift is about Jason, who was about to receive his inheritance with money and lots of it. Was he ever in for a big surprise...(imdb)

I like the concept of how a rich kid is made to realize the importance of life, friends and love over money. However, this movie is not well put together. It feels like each segment was roughly thrown into the plot line just to make it all work. For example, like how Jason and Emily met is bit odd and farfetched. The way everything seems to work after Emily met Jason just doesn't make sense.

This movie is lingered with messages and lessons, which makes this film sweet. But the plot doesn't seem to flow very well. The bit where Jason ended up in the jungles, was quite random and seem to have been put into the film just to add excitement.

Abigail Breslin is amazing as always. Her performance in Little Miss Sunshine and Zombieland are both great! She never failed to give a believable and excellent performance.

This film is predictable, which doesn't seem to surprise me as it isn't a thriller/mystery. The ending is pretty much laid out for us from the beginning, with the main emphasis on the journey of the film.

Overall not epic but not bad either. The Ultimate Gift lacked in a solid heartfelt storyline and is not very well pieced together. However, this film did deliver a very touching message that it set out to create, which makes this film a worth while.

Uprising (2001)

8/10 (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!)
TV movie

Riveting and inspirational

Uprising is based on the true story of the revolt by the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto against the Nazis in 1943.(imdb)

Though this movie has its flaws, it is delivers an atmosphere of sorrow, determination and pain. A fantastic TV movie!

The characters and actors made Uprising very impacting. The relationship between the characters are so real and raw making it very realistic. The each character responds at a time of desperation with such determination is very inspiring and riveting.

Leelee Sobieski or David Schwimmer are amazing in this film. At no point during the film, did I see Schwimmer as Ross Geller. Uprising has three cast members from Friends (Hank Azaria, David Schwimmer and Alexandra Holden) and they all gave a absolutely stunning performance.

The cinematography and music usage in this film is so well done that I am surprised this is only a TV movie. There are moments in the film where music takes over and without a single word a somber tone can be felt.


I highly recommend Uprising! A heartfelt sorrowful movie that is wonderfully done and portrayed. Of course this film has flaws, but the energy that is create far out-weighs the flaws.

Unbreakable (2000)

6/10

M. Night Shyamalan and Bruce Willis strikes again, this time with Unbreakable. The duo that made Six Sense, the awesome thriller/mystery/horror film, teams up again in Unbreakable, a story about a not so typical hero.

Most of the storyline of Unbreakable is quite slow and would be considered dull for audiences who like action and explosion. The film requires viewers to be patient and see past the slow built up of suspense at the beautiful character development and cinematography. The idea of the film is gripping but the way the purposely executed style lacks in excitement.

When I was viewing the movie, I have to admit, I was quite bored and had to fight to stay focused. HOWEVER the best part of the film is the carefully planned and executed cinematography style. The camera movement in the train scene, for example, is wonderfully done as it not only explains the back and forth of the conversation but also directs your attention to the different perspectives of the camera. The framing of the movie is just fantastic. The different angles and focuses of the camera gives this film a very unique appeal. We see low( near the ground) shots, close up shots of characters and objects, reflection shots, fish eye shots...so forth. Pay careful attention to these elements when you're watching this film, it is a very astonishing aspect of this film.

The movie deals with its comic book style in a very sophisticated and unique that is never seen before in comic book movies. Unbreakable balances a comic book world and reality world, but not specifically explaining which world is really being depicted. On top of the camera angles, framing, comic style...you have M. Night Shyamalan's known story line ending.

Character development is very dense in this film, playing its part in slowly building up the suspense.

I recommend this to viewers who are interested in a sophisticated and different take on comic book movie. If you can withstand the slowness of the film, you'll quite enjoy this.