Infernal Affairs I, II and III

It is a great lazy Sunday to have a movie marathon. Today I plunged deep into Infernal Affairs I, II and III.

Infernal Affairs I
The story of 2 cops, one is an undercover for the police in the triad society while the other is a undercover for the triad in the police force. When their paths cross, what should you do and who should you trust? The covet fight between two strong actors, Tony Leung and Andy Lau is rather enjoyable.

Infernal Affairs II
Part II shows the young version of Andy Lau and Tony Leung as a prequel to the 1st movie. The plot is captivating and will most definitely keep you in suspense. It gives you a better understand of the 2 main lead actors and their attitudes and thinking of why they become who they are in time. But I do find the some of the twists a little far fetched, making some facts in the 1st movie rather incoherent and unacceptable.

Infernal Affairs III
Part III sees Andy Lau suffering from guilt and delusion in his attempt to redeem himself as a good man, a good cop. The story flashes between the past and present which can be confusing for an average movie buff. It is an unusual artistic direction for a commercial film. I do enjoyed the movie except for the mushy bits between Kelly Chan and Tony Leung. It does not add any value to the movie except to draw the parallel between Andy Lau ad Tony Leung, the same misery of having to betray people around them in order to survive.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. Taking an average of the 3 movies, I do find the 2nd and 3rd one more interesting. The 1st movie is quite like the typical triad-police movie which has overwhelmed the movie market in the early 90s.

Saving Private Ryan

I finally got to see Saving Private Ryan today! Oh yes, I know it is 11 years late. But it is better late then never.

The beginning of the movie is very hard for me. I do not like war movie and I most certainly do not like to see death. Though it is just a movie, it brought tears to my eyes to see people dying in war. The landing of the US troop on Omaha Beach is a disaster even if they manage to take hold of the area from the German soldiers. It is very heart saddening for me as I can vivid imagine the horror of these young man who sign up to be a soldier only to be killed before they even enter the battlefield.

Caption John Miller (Tom Hank) is assigned to rescue Private James Francis Ryan. This assignment from the top (Colonel) is ordered simply because the US military is "heartbroken" to send the telegram to a mother who has lost 3 sons to the war. To redeem themselves, an order has been issued to escort Private Ryan home safe and sound. Oh so touching, isn't it? In reality, I doubt the government really gives a hoo. But this is a romanticised Hollywood movie, why we should just take it with a pinch of salt.

Overall, it is a pretty decent film. The killing is just too much for me to tolerate personally. But I can understand the charm and the reasons why it has been such a popular movie. In all fairness, it is still worth watching at least one. More for those who can stomach the bloody scene.

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

"I was born under unusual circumstances..." claimed Benjamin Button.

There is nothing unusual about Benjamin Button if you eliminate his reverse aging. Benjamin Button is born an old wrinkly baby. As he grows up (physically growing), he becomes younger and more youthful, before he dies as a baby.

The movie has a good cast of actors including Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton. Sadly, I'm rather disappointed by the plot development. There are obvious key situations and turning point of Benjamin's life but the director has failed to highlight these significant events. The movie comes alive only in the last 30min of its run.

It is a 3 hour long movie and I find it rather challenging to sit through it. I can imagine two kinds of people will enjoy this film, i.e. 1) value for money movie buff and 2) die-hard romance who feels true love transcend time and continents. Oh yes, I forgot about the 3rd kind, fans of Brad Pitt.

The movie is really kind of crappy and I'm surprised that some sites claimed it to be "a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time. " To me, it is just a tale of an ordinary man whose path crosses with major changes of the world, and finally coming term with his ideas of life and closure of his own personal struggles.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. I'm not impressed due to its austereness and lack of depth.