Movie Review: The Other Woman (2009)

 Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

My Rating:

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This evening I saw the movie The Other Woman (aka Love and Other Impossible Pursuits) at UA Cinemas, Times Square, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. One of the movies from my Must See Movies list.

This movies stars the Academy Awards Best Actress, Natalie Portman. It was filmed in 2009 and general released early 2011, I wonder if this has anything to do with Portman’s Best Actress win in 2011.

Portman’s character is very similar to the role she played in Black Swan that won her the Best Actress title in 2011. The actor who stood out in the movie was the young Charlie Tahan, brother of Daisy Tahan, who played a very believable boy stuck in the middle of a bad divorce and remarriage of his father, played by the TV actor, Scott Cohen.

The plot of the movie is simple and Portman’s character is the “other woman” who caused the break up of her boss’ marriage. Ironically that was the same reason her mother divorced her father. Portman also struggle with the guilt of her 2 weeks old baby dying in her arms.

I was more mesmerized by Tahan’s character and his struggle to cope with the changes in his life more than Portman’s character.

For Portman’s fan this may be a must see but for me I think Tahan is an up and coming actor we can expect much from. Hopefully he does not fall into the traditional child actor predicament like Gary Coleman or Dana Plato, but shines like Drew Barrymore.

This is a good movie to go to if you don’t have anything else to choose from at the box office.

Rating Legend:

 Must watch before you die
Must watch before you die
 Wait for the Blu-ray
Wait for the Blu-ray
 Buy from iTunes Store
Buy from iTunes Store
 Rent it on iTunes
Rent it on iTunes
 Waste your time elsewhere
Waste your time elsewhere

Movie Review: Just Go With It

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My Rating: 4Stars

This evening I saw the movie Just Go With It at AMC Cinemas, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong. One of the movies from my Must See Movies list.

It is a romantic comedy starting Adam Sandler as Danny and Jennifer Aniston as Katherine where Nicole Kidman has a supporting role as the evil Devlin Adams. Danny is someone who lost fate with marriage and decides to use marriage to get into the hearts of women.

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Movie Review: No Strings Attached

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My Rating: 3Stars

This evening I saw the movie No Strings Attached at AMC Cinemas, Admiralty, Hong Kong. One of the movies from my Must See Movies list.

It is a romantic comedy staring Natalie Portman (Emma) and Ashton Kutcher (Adam), playing two life long friends who have sex one morning. In an effort to protect their friendship, they decide to make a pack to keep their relationship as “no strings attached” (aka. friends with benefits). The movie has made popular a quote among the social networks.

What I need is someone who’s going to be in my bed in 2 a.m. who I don’t have to lie to or eat breakfast with… Use each other for sex at all hours of the day and night, nothing else.

Portman definitely carries this movie where the rest of the actors done an okay job of supporting her. Even though Kutcher has an equal billing for this movie, his role is nothing special. It’s similar and at times identical to all other roles he played in the past: Killers, Valentine’s Day and What Happens in Vegas.

On the other hand I have enjoyed Portman’s performances since her role as Mathilda in Luc Besson’s The Professional, then as Queen Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Evey in V for Vendetta.

This a fun entertaining movie to watch with your love one. It is definitely a good option if there’s nothing else to choose from at the theater.

Rating Legend:
5Stars Not to be missed
4Stars Wait for the DVD
3Stars Buy from iTunes Store
2Stars Rent it on iTunes
1Stars Waste your time elsewhere

Movie Review: Date Night

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My Rating: 3Stars

This evening I saw the movie Date Night at AMC Cinemas, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong. One of the movies from my Must See Movies list.

This is a cops and robbers story with a nice twist. The main characters are mistaken for the robbers when in fact they are just a boring suburban couple (“The Fosters”) played by Steve Carell and Tina Fey. The Maxwell Smart character of Get Smart that Carell played in 2008 was all over the Phil Foster character. Don’t get me wrong it was the perfect way to play the Foster character.

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Movie Review: The Time Traveler’s Wife

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My Rating: 3Stars

This evening I saw the movie The Time Traveler’s Wife at UA Cinema, Times Square, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Another one of the movies from my Must See Movies list.

The movie’s plot is different from what the title implies and not unlike the 2001 Kate & Leopold with Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman, or the 2006 The Lake House with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. All three movies use the concept of moving between times to deliver a love story that cannot happen.

In this latest movie, Eric Bana (Henry DeTamble) of Hulk fame, delivered a very good performance playing the time traveller who has no control of which time he jumps to or when.

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影評:《收錯愛情風》He’s Just Not That Into You

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My Rating: 4Stars

今晚睇完套戲《收錯愛情風》,有一個好強烈的體會,也是感覺,更加強化了自己和好朋友的一套的理論…當你的男人真的愛你,想同你共渡此生的時候,不用你開口,他就會娶你;當他仍然不想放棄這個森林時,無論你怎樣要求,怎樣歇盡所能地要求-結婚,他寧願放棄,也不會妥協。這並不代表他不愛你,只是時間上彼此的需求有差距,不配合。一個很多人覺得是人生自然的階段,說來自然,但是,對一些拍拖多年的情侶來講,卻並不是那麼來得得心應手,從心所欲!我相信沒有一個正常未婚女人不期待婚姻…

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Movie Review: Mamma Mia!

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My Rating: 4Stars

This evening I saw the movie Mamma Mia! at AMC Theater, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong.

I had not had much expectation for this movie. I didn’t even had it in my Must See Movies list. But I was presently surprised.

I believe much of my enjoyment was the direct results of the actors in the movie. They sure went all out and included some of the biggest in the industry: , and even Tom Hanks pitched in as one of the Executive Producer for the movie.

Reportedly the female lead, Amanda Seyfried had never heard any of ABBA’s songs prior to staring in the movie.

I went to the record store prior to going onto the theater to see if I recognize any of the songs. Since I was of that age (grew up in the 80’s), I did recognize most of the songs, but I did not find any of the songs that good. My opinions changed during and after the movie, where I found most of the songs to be catchy and enjoyable.

Like in Music and Lyrics and all musicals, the actors in this movie sang their own songs. Not that any of them were any good, but you will hardly notice as the lyrics become part of the dialogues.

Pierce Brosnan was surprisingly, at least to me, good. He wad kind of out of character. Not playing the typical Remington Steele, Thomas Crown or James Bond character.

The multiple Oscars awards actress, Meryl Streep was no exception. She was her typical but much much older self.

Overall this is a very enjoyable movie with a present mood throughout the movie, if you want to feel all happy coming out of a movie, then this is definitely the one to go see.

Rating Legend:
5Stars Not to be missed
4Stars Wait for the DVD
3Stars Buy from iTunes Store
2Stars Rent it on iTunes
1Stars Waste your time elsewhere

Movie Review: Made of Honor

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My Rating: 3Stars

This evening I saw the movie “Made of Honor” at AMC Theater, Pacific Place, Admiralty, Hong Kong.

I had not plan to see this movie hence, I did not include it into my Must See Movies list. I was happy to say that I was presently surprised.

Patrick Dempsey played a perfect playboy, Thomas ‘Tom’ Bailey who did not have a care in the world because he invented the coffee cup collar and now lives off its royalties. Michelle Monaghan from The Bourne Supremacy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Mission: Impossible III and the soon to release Eagle Eye was a perfect match to Dempsey’s character.

Like movies that came before it, Julia RobertsRunaway Bride and My Best Friend’s Wedding it had the hero not realizing the best thing he has is right in front of him. So the plot of the movie tells the story of how the hero tries to win the heron over.

If there was more to the plot I would have given this movie more penguins. In either case, it is an enjoyable women’s movie.

Rating Legend:
5Stars Not to be missed
4Stars Wait for the DVD
3Stars Buy from iTunes Store
2Stars Rent it on iTunes
1Stars Waste your time elsewhere

Movie Review: Penelope

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My Rating: 3Stars

This evening I saw the movie “Penelope” at UA Cinema, Time Square, Hong Kong.

I was presently surprised by this movie. I went into the movie thinking it was just going to be another lesson-learned movie. It did have the black-swan element to the movie that one would come to expect. The several twists in the story were nice touches to give it the unexpected elements.

I don’t normally enjoy this sort of movies; I am more of the action adventure, thriller kind of a guy.

The acting was fair, but I think the story has much to convince me to give it a 3 penguins rating. If you were looking for a light hearted entertainment for a present afternoon, then do give it a try. Of course, as my rating states, if you can rent it even better.

Rating Legend:
5Stars Not to be missed
4Stars Wait for the DVD
3Stars Buy from iTunes Store
2Stars Rent it on iTunes
1Stars Waste your time elsewhere

Movie Review: Miss Potter

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My Rating: 4Stars

This evening I saw the movie “Miss Potter” at UA Cinema, Time Square, Causeway Bay.

This is a movie about the English writer, Beatrix Potter who created the popular and famous “Peter the Rabit” story book character and many others. The Oscar winning, Renee Zellweger played Beatrix Potter, and the Golden Globe nominee Ewan McGregor played Potter’s junior publisher, Norman Warne. They were quite good.

Each and every time I see a Zellweger movie I am surprised and impressed with the wide range of characters she is able to portray and made believable on the big screen. My first was

Like her other movies, and this one in particular is very suitable for the whole family.

Rating Legend:
5Stars Not to be missed
4Stars Wait for the DVD
3Stars Buy from iTunes Store
2Stars Rent it if you can
1Stars Waste your time elsewhere