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SYMBOLIQ
Reviews
Casino Royale (2006)
Thuggery at it's sharp-dressed best!
My sincere thanks to all those responsible for restoring my faith in my favourite Secret Agent.
Daniel Craig is by far the best Bond, in my opinion. He portrayed JB the way I felt Ian Fleming had actually wanted - cheeky, ruthless and vulnerable.
Casino Royale is a thoroughly welcome departure from the campy renderings of old.
The script was crisp and droll. There were so many memorable lines. Among my favourites were :-
M: You've got a bloody cheek! James Bond: Sorry. I'll shoot the camera first next time. M: Or yourself.
and
James Bond: Vodka-martini. Bartender: Shaken or stirred? James Bond: Do I look like I give a damn?
But the very best line of the movie was:-
Bond: I've got a little itch, down there. Would you mind? (Le Chiffre swings knotted rope into Bond's genitals again) Bond: No! No! No, no, no, to the right. To the right, to the right!
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
The great news is, the Haggis-Purvis-Wade writing team has been retained for Quantum of Solace!
Analyze This (1999)
Laughed so hard that I cried
Being fans of De Niro and Crystal, I wouldnt miss this movie for the world. And boy was I glad I didnt!
It was very funny in it's own way. My favourite scene was during the big meeting when Crystal did his impression of a consigliere (he couldn't pronounce it either).
No big deal about De Niro's crying though. He's a fabulous actor and to do crying scenes is just part of his wide repertoire of "emotions".
Kudrow was "Phoebe" - nothing new. Sabihy (Crystal's screen son) was funny. Hope to see him more of him in the future.
I love mafia movies and this twist to the normal storylines is very refreshing.
Les Misérables (1998)
Meticulously done
I am one of the few people who haven't read the book nor seen the stage production of this movie so can't do any comparison.
However, on the evidence of the movie, I'd have to say it's a gem of a story.
Everything about it was fabulous. Liam Neeson is truly one of the best actors of his generation. Geoffrey Rush was great too. Can't say that much about the others although Uma Thurman has caught my eye.
It is very difficult to pull off a period movie convincingly but this one's an exception.
Loved it, want to see it again.
And now for the book......and the musical....
Entrapment (1999)
Trapped
Trapped was how I felt while watching the film Entrapment. I couldn't wait for the movie to end. I went through the other reviews and was thoroughly surprised to read that there were many people out there who enjoyed the movie. My thinking is that - what was there to enjoy? The plot was unoriginal, the script lame and the acting absolutely soulless. As far as I was concerned, it could have been two unknowns as the lead actors and the effect would have been the same. It is such a waste that big names like Connery and Zeta-Jones were used for a humdrum movie like this.
Much was said about the "chemistry" between the two leads. Romantic, intriguing, charming were some of the words I saw being used to describe the relationship. I beg to differ. I would use more befitting words like contrived, incestuous and downright disgusting. Didn't anyone notice the 40-year age gap between them? Had they kept their relationship purely professional, then the movie would have been slightly more palatable.
There were two reasons why I decided to watch the movie. First was the two leads and second, the filming location. Having being disappointed by the former, I was hoping that the latter would have been the saving grace. Being a Malaysian, I was eager to watch how the Petronas Twin Towers, currently the tallest building in the world, would have looked on the big screen. Of course, a sense of pride enveloped me when the first few glimpses of the majestic towers were shown. It is not often that major movie productions come here for filming. Although some scenes were manipulated (like the scene when Connery and Zeta-Jones were on a boat on the Malacca river with the Twin Towers on the background. Malacca and Kuala Lumpur are over 100 km apart!), I couldn't help but feel a sense of fulfillment whenever a familiar setting was shown. Notwithstanding the fact that none of the actors who potrayed Malaysians were actually from Malaysia. Perhaps "Anna and the King" starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fatt would do justice to talented local actors. This remains to be seen as the movie is still actively shooting here.
In conclusion, I feel that unless you're a Malaysian, there's nothing that the movie can offer that's groundbreaking. You'll leave the cinema with a hollow feeling and will find yourself hard-pressed to recall a scene that will make an impact in your movie-going life.
The Corruptor (1999)
Just Like Any Other Chinese Movie
I do not understand the hullabaloo surrounding Chow Yun Fat's new flick. No doubt, he has the charm and experience but in The Corruptor, he is just like most characters he plays in his previous Chinese movies. The title " The Coolest Actor in the World" is definitely unsuitable.
Comparisons with The Replacement Killers are inevitable, but then again any movie is better than TRK.
His accent may have improved but it's still irritating to listen to mumbled words, especially the ones with lots of "r" and "l".
In summary, the film (and Chow) is mediocre and the room for improvement is too vast to be realised.