The King's Speech (2010)

8.5/10
[highly recommended]

Marvelous film with fantastic acting and great writing.

I have been wanting to watch this movie for ages but never had the chance to until my flight.

The King's Speech is about the story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it. (imdb)

The King's Speech is very inspirational as we see the struggles that King George VI, portrayed by Colin Firth, went through in becoming king. We all have experienced some sort of struggle during our lives, but we did not have the whole nation watching us when we went through our struggles.

Colin Firth did a astounding job as King George VI earning him a well deserved Best Actor Oscar. Firth is able to embody the character so well that I was inclined to stand up at the end of the movie and clap...despite the fact that i was on a plane. Geoffrey Rush beauti fully supported Firth's character.

The cinematography is worth noting as the film uses many alternating shots in one scene. Watch for the different framing techniques used in between characters.

Overall a brilliantly motivating film that MUST be watched! I loved it :D

The Counterfeiters (2007)

7.5/10

A fascinating movie that focuses on a man's desire to live while struggling with morality.

I heard about this movie from my buddy Cleone and fairly enjoyed it. I have been so caught up with other things that I haven't finished blogging about this movie after finishing watching it so many weeks ago...so here it is!

The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936. It fictionalizes Operation Bernhard, a secret plan by the Nazis during the Second World War to destabilize Great Britain by flooding its economy with forged Bank of England bank notes(wiki)

The movie focuses on Salomon 'Sally' Sorowitsch, a man with a talent in counterfeiting, hence the title of the movie. The film was largely based on Adolf Burger's memoir, a Jewish Slovak who was imprisoned for creating forged baptismal certificates.

Winning the 2007 academy awards for Best Foreign Film, the cinematography and acting in The Counterfeiters are stunning. I love how Karl Markovics, as Sally,is able to communicate such complicated feelings through such simple facial expression. Markovics keeps a very set expression throughout the film but his eyes tells a different story. This simple technique is so effective in demonstrating Sally's personality as the criminal who's all for himself but at the same time has the want to help others.

The cinematography, like the acting, is simple but conveys a deeper message. Simple panning, angles and camera focus coming together to create some interesting effects. Look for it ;)

Definitely worth watching.

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.

Holocaust (1978) mini-series

6/10
Mini-series, 4 episodes, 1978

A Haunting short series

The saga of a Jewish family's struggle to survive the horror of Nazi Germany's systematic marginalization and extermination of their community. (imdb)

The details in using actual black and white pictures and footage from the war, gave this TV series a very haunting effect.

Meryl Streep is absolutely fantastic. I was not impressed with Michael Moriarty performance. He lacks in facial expressions and the entire series it feels as if his face has been pumped full of botox making it hard to read his emotions, but I guess playing a SS captain he needs to be expressionless. Moriarty.

The cinematography is well done giving us a range of different angled shots, close-ups and wide shots.

The story is hauntingly disturbing. The series focuses on the Weiss family and horror of what's happening around them. The jarring impact of the horrors are brought to life. We see the story told from both perspectives, from a Jew family and from a SS officer.

There are a few flaws to this series. Firstly, the poor makeup, which is not done very convincing, but for an late 70s mini-series I can bare with it. I feel that to every character's story is wrapped up at the end of the series, we are left expecting another episode to follow. Also, the audio and dialogue felt very dubbed and not natural. There's also some poor performances from certain actors/actress but none of which sways Meryl Streep's incredible portrayal.

Holocaust, definitely needs some fine-tuning but is worth watching for the content and script. The story will stick with you...

Wild Target (2010)

6/10

Simple and lovable film with an amazing cast

Wild Target is about Victor Maynard a middle-aged, solitary assassin, who lives to please his formidable mother, despite his own peerless reputation for lethal efficiency. His professional routine is interrupted when he finds himself drawn to one of his intended victims, Rose. (synopsis via imdb)

This film is simple, cute and has funny moments sprinkled throughout. The love-story that is created is unconventional but yet very believable. There are many cliches in this film, but none of which deters this film from being enjoyable.

The casting is amazing! Bill Nighy is charming as the middle-aged assassin. Emily Blunt is beautiful and playful as the con-artist/thief. Martin Freeman is great as the rival assassin, creating some funny moments with small gestures. Freeman's overly white teeth gives his character an unrealistically comical appearance, adding to the humor of the movie. Rupert Grint's character is a bit out of place in this film, but his clueless manner only emphasize the silliness in the film.

Overall, I enjoyed this film. Many silly, funny, and cute moments. Not too much focus in cinematography and special effects that is worth noting in this film. Does have many cliches but this only adds to the humor of the movie. I recommend it for those who wants a good laugh, a simple plotline and an unconventional love-story.

Timecrimes (2007)

6.5/10

Exciting but flawed with characters that act outside their common sense.

Timecrimes is about a man who accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.(imdb)

This movie is very suspenseful with elements of horror wrapped around time travel. I enjoyed the suspense and horror elements quite a bit, but this movie has flaws.

The acting is believable and convincing. The sinister elements are all present, however none of these are able to cover the illogical actions and naive decision of the characters. There many instances within the film where the characters act outside of common sense, creating further issues. This lack of common sense makes this film very awkward to watch.

Timecrimes' only redeeming factor is its horror/suspense element, but that does not hold up very well as the film progresses. Also this film lacks the complexities of time travel, making it very one dimensioned.

This film could have been so much better. If you want to watch a good time travel film, watch Back to the Future, Groundhog Day, 12:01 or FAQ of Time travel. If you want something mindless and suspenseful, you could try this film.

Tell No One (2006)

9/10 [Highly Recommended!]

Tell No One is the story of the pediatrician Alexandre Beck who misses his beloved wife Margot Beck, who was brutally murdered. Eight years after the fact he suddenly becomes the prime suspect after two bodies are found.

This film is one of the most engaging, entertaining, beautifully acted, thrilling, mystifying and wonderfully written movie I have seen in some time. It has made it onto my Highly recommended/ Must see movie list.

The synopsis seems simple, but there's more to the story than what's on the surface.

The performance by François Cluzet is absolutely incredible. Every moment of his performance on screen captured my attention. The chemistry between Cluzet and Marie-Josée Croze is very real and well established.


Written, directed and acted (small role) by one of my favourite French filmmakers, Guillaume Canet once again does a fantastic job and has put Tell No One on to my list of favourite films!

The movie is based on the novel with the same name and the script has gone through many alterations from the novel. All these alterations has even won the liking of the author himself (Harlan Coben) who stated in an interview "that the movie's ending was better than his original ending".

I really enjoyed the drama and relationship that is created amongst the characters, succeeding in tying together all the characters in a stylish manner.

The script is strong, powerful, and intense while never being overly cliche and cheesy...a fault that often haunts Hollywood films.

Do yourself a big favour, and watch this film. The cinematography, music, acting and script are brilliantly beautiful! A MUST SEE!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IT!

Timescape (1992)

5.5/10

Not spectacular, has some enjoyable moments

Timescape revolves around Widower Ben Wilson and daughter Hillary, before finishing renovations of their new inn, are visited by a woman seeking immediate lodging for her strange group of travellers who isn't who they say they are. (imdb)

This film had a lot of potential, but failed to drive it home. The emotions, time-travel and suspense all seem to have been left half-baked.

The film starts off very suspenseful and mysterious but this suspense changes towards the later half of the film. This film is softer and revolves less around the time travelling element than previous time-travelling films I've watched. From watching the trailer I pictured a more sinister outcome, but received a more spectator's perceptive...this felt somewhat disappointing.

Timescape is not a great nor is it a bad film. How much you would like the film depends on what you perceive time-travelling films to be. This film is very different from Back to the Future, 12:01 and Groundhog Day as there are less actual time travelling taking place and a more simple storyline. The film has heavier focus on moments revolving family.

Acting is believable and Jeff Daniels reminds me a lot of Bill Pullman in this film. There are very little special effects and some goofy costumes donned in the movie, but nothing stands out.

Mediocre. If you're looking for some lite entertainment with bits of heartfelt moments, give this a shot. But if you want action, time travel, humor, more knit storyline...check out FAQ of Time Travel, Back to the Future, Groundhog Day or 12:01.

12:01 (1993)

7.5/10

Groundhog Day with action/suspense

12:01 is a TV movie about Barry who witnesses the murder of Lisa and goes to a bar to get drunk. Later that night, there is a storm and Barry gets a shock from a lamp's faulty power wire at exactly 12:01 am. The next morning, he realizes that everything is happening exactly as it did the previous day. The next morning the day is repeated again.

Action, check. Twist, check. Time-travel, check. Romance, check. Comedy, check. Suspense, check.

12:01 moves quickly and is very exciting, following a similar concept as Groundhog Day. 12:01 does a good job of keeping an atmosphere of mystery and suspense while at the same time injecting elements of subtle humor when possible. I was very entertained throughout the film pondering what would occur next and smirking at some subtle of the humor. There are car chases, gun shots and twists knit into the film. I found myself at the edge of my seat for most of the film.

The cast consist of mainly of unknown faces, but they do a great job of driving the story and suspense. The cinematography and sound editing are not bad but are not fancy either.

12:01 is good and well knit TV movie that is very entertaining and definitely worth the watch! If you like Back to the Future and Groundhog Day...then this will definitely be a gem.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)

7.5/10 [Recommended]

Hilarious, very underrated film that has an underlining message!
Memoirs of an Invisible Man is about after a freak accident, an invisible yuppie runs for his life from a treacherous CIA official while trying to cope with his new life.(imdb)

This film sums up those childhood dreams of wanting a superpower...especially the one of wanting to be invisible... it is not all it's cut out to be.

I don't understand why this film received such low ratings. Memoirs of an Invisible Man is a simple and light feel good movie that is made to be funny. It has witty dialogue and many hilarious scenes involving an invisible guy. I felt this movie succeeded in being exactly what it is suppose to be: funny, romantic and goofy with clever dialogue. If you are seeking a complicated storyline with lots of action, then pick a film in that genre.

Chevy Chase does a good job in creating the humorous elements as always.

This is a hilarious and very entertain movie that shouldn't be put off just because of the low ratings. The dialogue isn't cheesy, has the perfect amount of humor and gives you a look at what 'being invisible' actually is like.

Recommended for everyone!