TheHarshAndLastWord Reviews

My Sassy Girl (2008)

Interesting try but very lacking

[7/10 · 7 August 2008]

I must admit when I first heard they were making an American remake of My Sassy Girl my stomach kinda churned. I wasn't sure that Hollywood could recreate the amazing korean film from 2001. Now there's good news and bad news... let's start with the good.

I like how they added a bit more playfulness to the movie giving it strange cut-scenes in between the main story. This added to the fun factor of the movie, but some may see it as just a simple waste of time. Using New York as the place setting for this film seemed typical but executed decently. And using one of the most recognizable cities in the world helped users become semi-comfortable. Both leading actors do a decent job, nothing too overly noticeable but decent.

Now the bad news, though the actors did a decent acting job.. you could still tell they're acting. When an actor feels his role and becomes the character the more enjoyable a film can be. For example Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight, he did an amazing job. I wish the actors did the same, but to be honest it seemed to be stale at times.

Overall the movie is 1/2 bad. As a stand alone rom/com it does a pretty decent job. But for the hardcore fans it's really obvious that this movie will just never be as good as the original. It's definitely worth watching once, that way you can develop your own idea on this film. They did an OK job trying to port the movie, a lot of things were lost in translation and unfortunately with that happening it simply makes the movie OK.

Bleach (2004–2023)

Bleach off to a good start in the US

[10/10 · 10 September 2006]

So it's finally hit the US shores. Bleach. What is Bleach exactly? In simple turns it's Yu Yu Hakusho meets 7 Samurai, except substitute the 7 for a much much larger number. The story revolves around 15 year old Ichigo Kurosaki who seems to able to see dead people, except he's not as emo as that 6th Sense Kid. By a chance encounter he meets Rukia who is a Soul Reaper, or to the old fans "shinigami". She cannot be seen by humans, but strangely enough Ichigo and can see her and even touch her. After being completely knocked to the ground she strangely stares at Ichigo surprised and bewildered. Her job is to send souls that are worthy to the "Soul Society" which is a much much less divine heaven. She must also battle and defeat Hollows which are evil souls that have gone astray. A bit much? Not really, this is just the basis of the series but after episode 14 or 15 I guarantee you the excitement factor will jump through the roof. I am glad to say that Cartoon Network kept the original intro Asterisk by Orange Range, same with the ending credits. Bleach has always had the great music w/ the fashionable intros. Overall it's a mystic story with a modern day twist and am sure it'll appeal to anyone any age. The voice acting is on par and decided to use Johnny Yong Bosch, you may remember him as the Black Power Ranger or as Vash the Stampede's voice. Overall I don't see any major problems, good clean fun and clear skies ahead. Let's just hope they don't dumb down Bleach like they did Naruto. So here's to Bleach and it's successful first run on US soil..

ps I'm surprised they kept in the word "Zanpakutou", that's a very good sign.

World Trade Center (2006)

This generations pearl harbor

[10/10 · 11 August 2006]

September 11th, 2001 was a day that none of us would ever forget. Many were offended by Oliver Stone recreating the events of that infamous day because it was considered too early. Personally whether it's 5 years or 50 years the pain of September 11th will always be there. People are still missing, families are still torn apart, what we can do is to honor these people by remembering them and what happened. The movie doesn't focus on the brutality of what happened but rather the unwaivering bravery of those who chose to put themselves in harms way. Though not overly graphic the story is rather heart wrenching, it follows 2 Port Authority Police Officers whom were one of the first authorities on scene. One is a rookie cop by the name of Will Jimeno and long timer Seargent John Mcloughlin. What these two witnessed is truly unexplainable, being trapped 20+feet below ground zero. The movie constantly cuts back in forth between them and their familes, some may find it rather irritating at times but what I believe Oliver Stone was trying to show us was the damage done that day wasn't merely physical. The emotional damage was just as twisted and crushed as ground zero was. What I found inspirational was some of the emergency rescuers were posed a question about their own safety of being down there and that the structure could come down on them at anytime, without hesitation they answered they were ready to give their life to save anothers. Depsite the first immediate reaction when people hear "World Trade Center" it really wasn't about death, but rather life. Overall the movie is amazing, not once did I ever doubt any of these actors. To me Maggie Gyllenhal shines in her role as Mrs. Jimeno. She embodies all the wifes, mothers, sisters, aunts that lost their relatives that day. This a great tribute to those who were lost, but more importantly to celebrate the power of life, love and hope. Watch this movie.

10/10

and that's the final word.

Death Trance (2005)

Final Fantasy meets Storm Riders

[10/10 · 8 August 2006]

So what can I say about Death Trance, personally I loved it. I am huge fan of anime and most importantly of the final fantasy series and to see someone have the balls to pull off this sort of genre is a statement in itself. Unfortunately we do get the bad apples like "ultraviolet". The overall story is comprehensible to a certain point, only real problem I see was there was not enough back story to support what is going on. It's like being kidnapped and strapped onto a roller-coaster with a blind fold on, you know what's going on around you but you're not exactly sure how you even got there in the first place. Tak Sakaguchi does well as Grave, his demeanor suited this character more so than his counter part in "versus". The supporting cast do a great job of filling the void of this somewhat empty world and in typical Sakaguchi fashion the fight scenes can be somewhat lengthy. But seriously seeing a lone samurai smacking the crap out of Zombies with a stick in a forest full of vampiric spidermen is just classic. The heavy metal music sets the mood for the battles and fit in perfectly. It's not the greatest movie in the world but I guarantee you play this at a party and people will have their eyes glued. Death Trance's special fx is without doubt AMAZING, no ands ifs or buts. If the lack of story is what hinders the movie, the SFX more than make up for that. If you're looking to run through a quick final fantasy-esquire like story then rent it at blockbuster. If you really like it then keep it and pay the rest. That's what I'm doing, this is definitely a good "unknown" movie to pull out on your friends. Overall I dig this movie, they stepped out and tried something new with this movie and I think they pull it off nicely.

9/10

and that's the final word.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)

A story of life, love and death

[10/10 · 1 August 2006]

I randomly picked this movie up at Blockbuster and though not exactly the most entertaining movie what I found interesting was the rather the clash of simplicity with complexity. We all look for a reason to live, some look for a reason to be redeemed, while some don't need a reason at all. This is what "Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall...Spring" represented, people's innate aptitude to feel life. It's all around us and whether we accept it or not it passes us by with out wane or warning. It's life lessons is pure and can be raw, but an overall great and enjoyable movie.

10/10 That's the final word

You Stupid Man (2002)

Great Indie flick definitely worth watching

[10/10 · 17 July 2006]

"You Stupid Man" isn't exactly a ground breaking film, the lead man of the movie isn't considered to be Hollywood's best, but what makes this movie work is the story. It's not complicated, it's something we all can see this happening to ourselves at one point or another. What I also loved about this movie was the cohesiveness of the film. The dialogue didn't seem scripted, at times it felt like they had a cameraman just following them around and seeing what would happen. The magic really happens once Jovovich hits the screen, if anyone ever criticized her acting ability then they really need to see this movie. The way her and David Krumholtz chemistry come together really made it seem like they really "disliked" each other, and at times, really "loved" each other. Denise Richards does a great job portraying the confused girlfriend who has yet to come to terms of who she really is and William Baldwin balances things out by playing the rude over the line older brother who doesn't really give a crap about rules. How the story plays out is rather interesting but once things get complicated it kind of blands out for a bit. Luckily not for long. Overall a great movie, whether you're on a date or just relaxing at home. I don't say this very much but I really really enjoyed this movie.

10/10

that's the final word

The Lake House (2006)

A romance movie minus the typical

[10/10 · 25 June 2006]

By first view the Lake House looks like any another typical romance movie. Lonely man meets lonely woman and their journey coming together. Yet something distinctifies itself in The Lake House. The unique storyline really sets up the whole situation, yet it's the chemistry between the actors that really moves this movie along. Yes there's talking, a lot of it. So what.

The story blossoms much like a rose, and like a rose there's many layers. Yet what twists The Lake House is the time warp factor. The ability to fall in love with someone despite the unusualness of the interaction. A love like that is something rare to find now a days and would appeal to those hopeless romantics. It's something everyone wants to have, a true meaningful relationship with no strings or boundaries. The Lake House is beyond those "coming of age" movies, but the tone fits all ages. Love is possible no matter what age, time or place.

It isn't exactly ground breaking, but definitely a winner for a first date or a good night out with your loved one. When the situations play out you feel as if you are right there with the characters and can't wait to see what happens next...

thumbs up from me.

and that's the final word.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

An "OK" movie, but not for everyone

[6/10 · 5 June 2006]

So it's finally here folks, X-men 3: The Last Stand. This is one of the few marvel films that I have been anticipating for awhile. With X-men being Marvel's first major franchise in the release of the new films I simply could not wait to see what happens! Sadly I was put through a roller coaster that I was eagerly getting ready to jump off of.

these sections below contain spoilers

-The Story

Wow, what do I say about it. They suddenly FOUND a cure for the mutant gene. It just seemed TOO convenient. You got to remember X-men was a comic that was written around the time of the civil rights movement in the 60s. The comic stories were powerful and seeing their struggle past the segregation of certain factions is what ultimately fueled the fire for X-men, so yes. It seemed to let me down to say "hey we found a cure". It just was never plausible to me.

-The Acting

Majority of the acting is okay, okay for an action flick. The quirky one liners make a vengeful return in X3 and is actually more memorable than the story itself. sad really. Halle Barry portrays Storm once again, but sadly her performance is STILL lacking. She is definitely more of a key player in the film but ultimately the extra 5-10 min of extra screen time does nothing for her. She's still plays a relatively WEAK Storm. Her comic counterpart was seen almost Godly. She pales in comparison to bring that to big screen. She does much of the same change the weather and shock of a couple of people.

-Errors and rewrites

Most people won't understand this section, but the fans of the comics will. The MAIN flaw to X3 is they tried too hard to meld the regular X-men universe with its "Ultimate" universe counterpart. For those not well versed in the Ultimate series allow me to give you a small run down of what it is. The Ultimate Universe takes a lot of the key characters that we know of and change and refashion their story line. Perfect example pertaining to X3, Juggernaut and Xavier are not related like in the Ultimate series. Yet it choosing to do this RATNER confuses and bewilders a lot of the hardcore fans. I expected the story to be rewritten JUST AS LONG as the story they replace it with is not something a 1st grader came up with. Funniest continuity error is when dear old magneto severs the golden gate bridge during day time. A couple of minutes later the sun is setting and night fall has arrived. Lets just be glad Magneto doesn't work for the post office otherwise we'd get our mail extremely late.

-Character Development

In choosing to do this Title Brett Ratner had a mountain of responsibility sitting on his shoulders. Yet again RATNER confuses people by introducing a wide plethora of new characters. Another main problem is all these characters are vying for screen time, but there simply is not enough time. Ratner never really elaborates on a individuals storyline. Wolverine obviously got the most exposure and still his storyline was slim to none existent. Jean Grey refits her new role as the phoenix, a darker evil split personality. In removing the cosmic fiery look of the phoenix it ultimately lessened the impact of the character. Not too mention she spends half the film standing around just staring at everyone. I could go on and on but if you're a reasonable viewer you'll catch much more problems.

-Music Score

Like most Fox titles the movie is accompanied with a beautiful orchestra, and X3 is no exception to that. Despite the problems X3 had the music was set just right. It helped build a scene and definitely distinguished when something important or climatic was happening. No problems here.

-Overall

the movie was good, but the shortened filming time definitely affected this movies story telling. They wanted a summer block buster and they got it. too bad its also a forgetful one. Its seems Ratner's main focus was for the action junkies, the extremists, those that love pointless fighting with no real storyline. If that's you're kind of cake then by all means take a slice. Personally I didn't enjoy it, there were too many things wrong with the movie to really enjoy. And no its not because it didn't follow the comics but simply because it failed to deliver as a whole movie. It almost felt as if they shot different story lines and tried to paste them all together at the last minute.

6/10

and that's the final word.