Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (3D)

I was totally ogling Johnny throughout the movie! Aww....! Enough said, yes I'm a fan of Johnny Depp. :)

Captain Jack Sparrow is back with a vengeance! Oh no, that should be Captain Barbossa. Jack is still adamant to locate the Fountain of Youth after facing Davy Jones in the last movie. Without a boat, he is unable to progress much till he meets with his former lover, Angelica. Following Angelica and her father, the infamous pirate, Captain Blackbeard, they finally find the mysterious magical fountain where Jack is tested of his own fate.

Jack Sparrow antics seem rather different from the last 3 movies. Captain Barbossa too! I find it hard to believe that a pirate will ignore fortune and youth just for a simple revenge. There is also too much of a modern twists and mannerism of these pirates.

It is still worth a good laugh. Don't forget to stay till the end for the end credit scene. That should be a good hint on the next movie.

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds. Aye Aye Captain! Sail on!

Kung Fu Panda 2

It feels great to have a movie marathon. The first of the movies is Kungfu Panda 2.

Now that Po is living the life of THE Dragon Warrior, he has been busy protecting the villagers. But trouble brews at Gongmen City as Lord Shen plots to reclaim his city and take over China. Po and his comrades, the Furious Five, set out on the rescue mission. But the journey proves to be more than meet the eyes. Po discovers a hidden past about this childhood which has been haunting his dreams. As he learns accept his past, masters inner peace and triumphs over evil.

I still love the animation and the avant garde Chinese style adopted by this animation. Baby Po is so cute! I particularly love the story of Goose sharing how he adopted Po. I do feel a tinge of disappointment as the animation is a little too wholesome, like a typical Disney movie. Is Dreamworks trying to following Disney's formula just to garner mass appeal?

The writers are quite smart to make full use of the various characters to the maximum. On the whole, it is quite lighthearted, entertaining and timely punctuated with subplots and humors.

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds. Go watch this animation with young children. They would deeply adore Po and his friends.

Rango

This weekend, I spent a nice Saturday having a yummy breakfast with some friends and an afternoon movie treat for myself. Friends who know me well are definitely aware of my eternal war with the Lizzies. But I welcome Rango with an open arm. Ok, I admit not in the literal sense. He is still ugly looking.

Rango is a pet chameleon that had fallen out of his owner's car. Lost in the middle of the desert, he meets an armadillo who directs him to the nearest town, Dirt. In this little adventure, he lies about his true identity to impress the outlaws in the little deserted western town and accidentally becoming the new sheriff and hero to the townsfolk.

While the story is quite predictable, it is still entertaining to see how the eccentric and egoistic lizard learn humility and honesty. While the creatures are meant to look ugly and menacing, their sweetness shine through very strongly. I particularly love the minor details of how their pupils dilate and contract to express their emotions.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. Go watch it for fun. I love the mariachi band and the Spirit of the West. Cute, real cute cartoon!

The Last Days of Emma Blank

What would you do if you know that you were dying soon? And how would you spend your last days?

Emma Blank is dying. Everyone in her family knows it. This particularly dying woman is one nasty mistress who is hard to please, demanding and maniac! She forces of husband to be the butler, daughter as maid, sister as cook, nephew as gardener and elder brother as a dog.

As the plot thickens, the comedy reveals an extremely dark and dysfunctional family. The servants eventually turn against Emma after discovering that there is no inheritance for them. They ignore her outrageous demands and plot to hasten her death.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. Dark as it may be, the movie is definitely hilarious and mind-boggling. You can't help feeling sad for Emma Blank and yet rejoice at the triumph against such tyrant. A mind twister which is not suitable for the faint-hearted who cannot appreciate harsh humour.

Ip Man and Ip Man 2

I have finally (yes, finally) done an Ip Man marathon. Wee...! I watched Ip Man and Ip Man 2.

Ip Man tells the story of the martial master himself, Ip Man, during his days in Foshan. The young and wealthy Ip Man is highly regarded by local martial masters but he remains humble and low profile. During the Japanese Occupation, a Japanese General challenges Ip Man to a public duel, which results in his subsequent escape to Hong Kong.

Ip Man 2 continues with the life story of Ip Man. He starts a school to teach Wing Chun and unintentionally incurs the wrath of the local masters in Hong Kong. His unassuming manner and perseverance eventually won him support from local master and the Chinese community.

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds. The martial art is quite the captivating highlight of both movies. The movies certainly will invigorate and inspire you to learn the art. But the Bruce Lee ending in Ip Man 2 is rather cheesy for me.

The Tourist

After a week of working hard, I decided to pamper myself with a movie this afternoon. I have picked The Tourist for this weekend.

Alexander Pearce is a wanted man in 14 countries and also the lover of Elise Ward. For 2 years, Elise leads a routine lifestyle until one day, she receives a letter from Alexander to board the train to Venice, Italy.

On the train, she meets an American tourist, Frank Tupelo. As part of the plan to mislead the Interpol and Scotland yard officers who are hot on her trail, she deliberately includes Frank on her journey, only to discover at the end that Frank is Alexander.

The thriller did not offer me much thrill, nor could I sense any spark between Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. While she still looks stunning, I can't help noticing that she seems to have aged quite a lot.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. Visually speaking, the movie has a beautiful backdrop of Venice. Beyond that, storyline gets more predictable as you proceed into the movie. It's a real pity the on screen chemistry between the two leads aren't there.

Gulliver's Travels

Many of us remember fondly of Gulliver's Travels to Lilliput, the island of the tiny people. But what if you just work in the mail room and you are scared to move outside this comfort zone?

Lemuel Gulliver is such a man. He has been working in the mail room for 10 years, focusing his spare time idolizing all the games and movies as he doesn't have a real life. He was challenged to date Darcy, a colleague whom he has a crush for 5 years.

Instead of bucking up his courage to declare his feelings, he ends up with assignment to the Bermuda to write a travelogue. Through the waves, storm and whirlpool in the Bermuda triangle, he shipwrecked onto Lilliput.

This version of Gulliver's Travels is filled with modern twists and cynicism and lacks a certain mystere and magic from the old book. The movie remains entertaining for as a little to-do item for the afternoon when you have nothing else planned.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. While I enjoyed the humour, I walked away from the movie feeling something is quite missing from it. I guess it is the Hollywood thing which all things end well that irks me this season.