The Karate Kid (2010)

"Jacket on, Jacket off"

To me, this Karate Kid film is one very beautiful piece of artwork. The cast and the people behind the movie has given their best of their abilities. The writer of the story delivered us an amazing, dramatic and inspirational story, the fight choreographers (including Jackie Chan) delivered us plenty of amazing Kung Fu, the cinematographers and principal photographers captured a lot of scenes beautifully and I applaud the actors and actresses, especially the young ones and their first time in acting, they really did put in a lot of effort and their best in their abilities to fleshed out their characters and their role in the film. I am also very impressed at the scale of the movie, as well as the decision to go on location in Beijing to shoot the film.

This is so much more awesome Jedi training!

You can tell that Will Smith has really trained his son, Jaden Smith in the art of acting. Jaden Smith gave an amazing performance as Dre Parker, and I am most impressed with his effort in learning and training in Kung Fu. There was just so much that is required of this 12 year boy, and he delivered it all. Jackie Chan also gave an amazing performance as Mr Han, Dre's mentor. This is unlike his previous American movies, where he doesn't really need to act with his superficial characters but to only deliver crazy and insane stunts and fights. But delivering amazing fights and stunt is his art, especially with adding a comedic flavor to it and we see that only in a scene where he took down Dre's bullies but otherwise his skill is not in the limelight this time but the character he brings out. I absolutely love his chemistry with Jaden Smith as the mentor-student relationship and the emotion and depth he brought into his character, being a man who lost his family in a tragic car accident. His portrayal as Mr Han proved Jackie is more than just a martial artist or a stuntman but also an amazing actor. I'm also very impressed with Wen Wen Han's performance who played Meiying. Her skill with the violin got the limelight and I enjoyed the scenes with her and Jaden together, which was not only sweet but the friendship and relationship they had, I felt really added to the depth of their characters, especially for Jaden's Dre Parker. I really praise her acting skills for a first timer in such a big film and alongside with veteran actors, and I'm going to give her the credit with all the grueling violin practice she has to go through in preparation for the role (not as grueling as Jaden's Kung Fu training).

One of the most beautifully shot scene that I absolutely love, especially the silhouette shots

I'm more impressed with these young acting newbie, Han and Jaden's chemistry than I did with a much older, more veteran actor, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman in Star Wars.

I'm unhappy at some people's negative feelings and reviews about the film as well as the upset over the supposedly misleading title. I really did enjoy and love the film. This is definitely one of the most satisfying film I've ever came out watching in the cinema. I was already amazed from the trailer, and I was blown away while watching the movie. To me, this is definitely a kind of film that Hollywood has lost touch in making. True, it is based on the original Karate Kid, borrowing elements and the formula. It is after all, a "Karate Kid" movie, but remember too, this is not a movie about a kid learning Karate (The movie made that very clear). The movie paid many homages to the original and elements that we loved, and yet introduced something new and fresh. Overall, I give this beautifully made film a 10 out of 10 CD's of Dre's downloaded "Non-Bach" violin music into a CD for Meiying.

Jackie Chan doing the Matrix

Comment below, who do you want Dre Parker to fight with in a future sequel? I don't know how they would do it but I'm rooting for Ralph Maccio's Daniel LaRusso to take on Dre Parker.

The A-Team (2010)

I'm definitely not one of those guys who grew up watching the original A-Team. The only thing I know about the A-Team is that Mr T starred in it. But that's really about it. From watching the trailers, I would expect it to be your typical team of commando story with tons of action and comedy. It was only the day before watching the movie that I began to look up on YouTube about clips and information of the original A-Team, you know, just to get an idea how the original conception was like, then maybe I can appreciate this new remake better. I have to admit the original one was definitely a retro-classic piece, especially with their theme music and having the iconic Mr T. I really have no idea how the filmmakers would redeliver the A-Team in today's generation. I had a very, very low expectation of this remake, especially since we've already been treated with movies like Charlie Angels, G.I Joe and The Losers which all of these movies weren't good at all. So, I expected A-Team to be just another addition to it. Boy, was I wrong. The team behind this movie definitely had a plan.

"I love it when a plan comes together."

There was really nothing new to the story this movie is trying to tell. A matter of fact, the plot lines may have been use several times in the past, especially in the recent movie release "The Losers" which also focus on group of elite soldiers who were frame for a crime they did not commit. So, there was really nothing surprising or fresh about it. But it wasn't so much on the story but the characters themselves. Who cares about the money plate or who exactly the bad guy is? The character's personality, charisma, interaction and chemistry, watching them work together and teaming up to bring a plan to fruition stole the spotlight. That was the trademark of the A-Team. To me, that was gold! The special effects, as much as the film had used, didn't quite steal the spotlight either, although I got a feeling the filmmakers intended for the visual effects to blow the audience away. But let movies for visual effects be for visual effects, and action comedy stay true to action comedy. In this movie however, there's were plenty of CG effects that I felt was overuse, which I really think they shouldn't be too flashy with it. But that said, there were some effects used to really boost the action, the tension and the comedy of the scene. For example, the helicopter chase was awesome and really delivered the punch during the opening scene. The scene with Face using the machine gun on the parachuted tank was overly cliché. Still, the most beloved and iconic scene to me, didn't really need that any special effects. It was the "3D" scene when the team rescued Murdock from the military psychiatric hospital. Coupled with the original A-Team theme, that was epic!

I've seen a dragonfly, I've seen a housefly, I've even seen an elephant fly but now you see a Tank fly!

Among the original A-Team, I really felt that B.A Baracus stole the limelight. Not only was his Mohawk was so prominent, but his baddie attitude and the lines he said that only Mr T can deliver really made the character. It also added flavour to the other characters around him when they interact with him. But it was definitely Mr T's B.A Baracus that really made the A-Team an A-listed team and TV show. But in this movie however, I really felt Liam Nesson's Hannibal was the one who stole the limelight. Because of my low expectation of this film initially, I really wondered how a serious heavyweight actor from Hollywood like Liam Nesson could end up in this film. But after watching his Hannibal, Liam's performance was brilliant (as usual). From his smirks, him pumping the cigars all the way to his "Aslan" voice delivering some quirky lines, he carved John "Hannibal" Smith to perfection. That said, however, I really do need to pick up the original TV show to compare Liam's Hannibal to George Peppard's Hannibal.

Perhaps the next greatest Hannibal in Hollywood since Hannibal Lecter

The next A-Team member I want to talk about is B.A Baracus. Seeing B.A in this movie really made you miss Mr T. You probably had the same feeling, as I did, that the A-Team isn't going to work because this movie lacked Mr T, and the filmmakers are trying to replace him. I was very wrong. The filmmakers were doing their best to bring back the character, not the actor, and I'm very impressed with Quinton Jackson's B.A. As much as Mr T's look and personality made up B.A's, Quinton Jackson and the filmmakers paid homage to Mr T's character indirectly through his Mohawk and the spirit of the character, especially in delivering every line that B.A speaks except for the ones that Mr T is popular for. So, there weren't much "fool"-ing or "jibber-jabber"-ing. Matter of fact, Mr T's trademark line "I pity the fool" were inscribed in Quinton's B.A's fists; "PITY" and "FOOL". If that didn't make you hear Mr T's voice in your head when reading B.A's fist, I don't know what will. Other than that, you've got the whole package of B.A including his Bad attitude, his fear of flying and being knocked out unconscious before being put on to anything that flies.

He need Snickers.

The next guy you gotta love is H.M "Howling Mad" Murdock. He is definitely one of the most interesting characters I've seen in movies. When you get a team of commandos, you would normally get a Tech-guy, a Sniper-guy, a Bomber-man, a Pilot, an engineer or even a Ninja. Here, you get a pilot. But what makes this pilot so different from any previous incarnation of "specialized commando team member" is that he's crazy, insane and not just ordinarily crazy or insane, but extraordinarily insane. Never mind if he tried to jump start an ambulance with defibrillator or barbecue meat with gunpowder. What really stuck to me was the scene when he hanged on the helicopter blades to test the condition of the helicopter. That really defined the character to me. I absolutely love his scene at the military mental hospital when he puts on the 3D movie he got from 'Annabelle' Smith. The chemistry between Murdock with B.A was brilliant! I just love the scenes they were in together, every conversation, every look on their face, they were hilarious! Sharlto Copley really delivered an amazing performance.

Feels like he's wearing that for a pilot episode. Pilot, get it?!... Nevermind

Ok, perhaps the least favourite member of the team to me is Templeton "Face" Peck. I really don't know anything about the original Face in the TV series. I really felt there wasn't much to his character except for being good looking for the ladies, and being a womanizer, kinda like the A-Team's Johny Bravo. I find the only reason, for this movie, for him to be in the A-Team is to introduce and work with Jessica Biel's character. Apart from the opening scene when he comes rolling down in a row of tyres and the closing scene when the team was arrest and put into the van, there really wasn't much else to flesh out his character. The scene when he gets all romantic with Jessica Biel's character or the scene with him blazing the machine gun on the floating tank was really nothing special or iconic. I don't know how the character fare in the TV show, but I really hope Dirk Benedict's Face is much better than Bradley Cooper's one. Still, I give him credit for taking the lead in strategizing the plan in capturing Pike.

No wonder he's called Face

As for Jessica Biel's Captain Charisa Sosa, she's just as important as the money plaits, the CIA dude called Lynch and the antagonist Pike. She only served the purpose of driving the story forward and giving Face a storyline. There weren't any depth to her character and I really think the writers should have developed a better leading lady character for Jessica Biel. Perhaps, the only time I did like her character was when she kissed Face towards the end of the film. And to avoid any spoilers, I thought that was pretty smart with what she did. Expected, but smart. I give her credit for that and that only.

Does this remind you of Lt Kara Wade from Stealth?

Like the original TV show, over the top action was every where and almost throughout the film. I understand that some people found it as a noisy film. But I loved it! I mean that's what I paid my money for! To watch action comedy from an action comedy film. There were moments when the characters got to relax, chit chat and serious moments to put down the foundations for the story and to introduce their mission. They weren't long at all and you didn't need to wait long before the A-Team carries out their plan. That's a good thing... I really wanted to see the A-Team in action. So, I couldn't care about the money plates or the romance between Face and Sosa. If I wanted to watch a conspiracy war film, I'll watch Green Zone. If I wanted to watch a romantic film, I'll go watch Titanic.

"I pity the fool"

After watching this film, I'm pretty much turned into an A-Team fan. I've got now the "A-theme" in my phone and I'm desperately trying to get my hands on the original series. It makes me wonder if there will be a sequel planned for the future, or perhaps a new TV series. Remember there was an "8 years and 80 successful missions later" between the time of the opening scene and before they got their mission surrounding the money plates. I can already imagine a TV series being made during that time line with the A-Team carrying out their missions given by General Morrison. That would be amazing! Overall, I give an 8 out 10 Black GMC Vandura Vans.

 The A-Team Mobile!

So, if you have a problem, if no one else can help, if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team. Jibber-jabber in the comments below, what would be the darnest thing you would have them do?

Yea.. Retro Goodness!

Iron Man 2 (2010)

It's finally the time for summer movies and after being treated with a comic book based movie, The Losers, we finally come to the real biggie for comic book movies. Honestly, I didn't know anything about Iron Man until I watched the first film. I didn't know he was even some form of a comic book hero. I first got a taste of it from the first movie's trailer. The first movie was a real treat. The second, I was hoping it will be just as good as the first or better. Marvel has big plans for movies ahead, after their success beginning with Spiderman and X-Men, both of which are now having little hope of being big again, Marvel is preparing a string of their heroes for the silver screen, beginning with Iron Man. Coming back to this film, I came in to the cinema with a lot of really high hopes after being teased from the movie's two trailers and remembering the first movie.

"Iron-celebration!"

The movie played out quite differently than what I expect of a sequel. A lot of movies in the past followed the Star Wars' formula with having the second one being darker and bigger in scale. However, this movie felt episodic, with probably the intentions of making more than three film. Like the first, the story has plenty of character development, especially on Tony Stark. He has problems in the first movie. He has problems in this second one too. And that's good, as heroic as a superhero can be, he is still human. We see him trying to deal with his health problem, his relationship with Pepper as well as trying to keep up his company and what his father has establish, dealing with an old family's enemy from Russia, his friendship with Rhodes and dealing with rivalry from the government, while at the same time, he got this really cool toy and loads of money that he wants to enjoy. What's a guy to do? I'm really impressed by Robert Downey Jr's performance. He nailed his role as Tony Stark. Forget Sherlock Holmes and Tropic Thunder, Robert Downey is Iron Man.

Makes you feel small with your Macbook now, eh?

Like the first, this story is character driven. There's plenty of character development from Tony, Pepper and Rhodes. Tony's one is what I mentioned above, we have Pepper dealing with her new position as the CEO of Stark Industries and Rhode's trying to look out for Tony as well as trying to deal with the pressure from the government. What I love about this sequel is not only we got to explore more on our main characters introduced in the first but we also get plenty of new allies and new villains. For those die-hard comic book movie fans who waited after the credit end in the first Iron Man knows who Samuel L Jackson's character is. He has a much bigger role now in this film but doesn't really play a big importance just yet, aside from helping out Stark in some issues and dropping a piece of history on Tony's lap. He is really there to tease us of a great and epic 'Avenger' movie in the future. We are also introduced to Scarlett Johansson who plays Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff a.k.a Black Widow, being the new assistant to Tony replacing Pepper Potts, and an undercover agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. Natalie took the limelight as the leading lady in this movie, indeed replacing Pepper's place as the leading lady in the first movie. I personally felt she was put into the movie and worked into the story for two reasons, an eye candy for the film and a change in leading lady much like how a Bond girl is. When Pepper takes on a boring CEO job, the filmmakers gave us a lady who can 'kick butt', giving us much jaw dropping action moments with some of her moves and a much needed comic relief in some moments. However, I am very impress with Tony's personal bodyguard and chauffeur, Happy Hogan played by none other than the director himself, Jon Favreau. I'm pretty sure he was meant to be a cameo in the first movie but his character here really provided the comedy in this film, and his chemistry with Scarlett’s character in some scenes was really good.

Mace Windu gone bad. He most probably lost his left eye from a lightsaber battle.

Like every superhero movie, a hero needs a villain to do his hero thing. We were introduced to Ivan Vanko, who is Whiplash in the comic, played by Mickey Rourke. A person like Mickey Rourke whose face and looks, as well as his tattoo, will now be the representative of Whiplash in the movie version. I'm a little disappointed at the lack of creativity of designing his character. We have Scarlett Johansson who needed to dye her hair red and Samuel L Jackson who needed to wear and eye patch. Mickey Rourke's look is used as the villain look for the character. Attached him with those Whiplashing stripped down version of the Iron Man suit, probably a little smaller than what Doctor Octopus wore in Spiderman 2, and you get the character Whiplash. That aside, I'm surprise he has quite a small role. He was quickly introduced as a villain from the start, pretty much being made a villain by his father, and it's quickly develop that his purpose in life to bring down Tony. He pretty much clashed with Tony only in two occasions, one in the racetracks and one towards the end of the film. So, not only did he have such a short screen time, he probably has one of the least lines in the film as well. Yes, given that's his character is Russian. That's just sad. Like in Hulk and in the first Iron Man, Vanko pretty much used the same formula to how Tony Stark got his "powers". Vanko with his genius Russian brain, developed tech based weaponary similiar to that of Tony's Iron Man. So much for creativity in this one.

Poster motivation to be more villainy during work

Another villain introduced that I felt pretty much stole much of the villain screen time and lines (Yes, he talks way too much) is Justin Hammer, played brilliantly by Sam Rockwell. He is DE rival to Tony Stark, like Belloq to Indiana Jones, like Mac to PC, like Plakton to Mr Crabs (Spongebob Squarepants). Like Tony, he has his own weapon making industry and he has his very own narcissistic personality. The only thing he lacked is the Iron Man suit which he wants to either steal it or get someone to duplicate it. He reminded me of your comical villains of the past, something like Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor in Superman. Annoying sometimes, but I do enjoy his character and some of the comedy he brought to the movie. Another lesser known villain with his bookend scenes (appearing in the beginning and then in the end) is Senator Stern. He represents the United States of the America and wants Tony to give the Iron Man suit 'to the people of America'.

Welcome to Hammer Industries! Behold the Stormtroopers of tomorrow!

Another character that I want to talk about is Lt Colonel James Rhodes. I absolutely love the character and the friendship he has with Tony in the first film, and it is a pity when the original actor Terence Howard was replace with Don Cheadle with reasons unknown. I find it quite odd and find it somehow difficult to reconcile both actors in one character, especially when both actors look very, very different. It was easier to reconcile Katie Holmes' Rachel Dawes with Maggie Gyllenhaal's Rachel Dawes in Batman, but not so with James Rhodes. But halfway down the movie, you become more familiar with Don Cheadle's James and forget about Terence Howard's James. There's plenty of character development of this character like I mentioned above. You feel his turmoil as he struggles between his friendship with Tony and the pressure he has from the government, as well as trying to look out for Tony. Still the best part about his character is that he is the second Iron Man in this film. He gets to don a heavily weaponized Iron Man suit and be War Machine. He stole the limelight in the trailers, posters and finally in the film itself. Don Cheadle in the War Machine suit probably makes him the coolest looking sidekick in movie history. He provided a lot of friendship drama with Tony, plenty of action and fighting with Tony, plenty of special effects eye candy and some laughter among the audience at a particular scene. I felt Rhodey here is a well polished sidekick character written for a superhero movie. He pretty much beat Robin is to Batman.

Son of Robocop!

Balancing out the drama, character's development and relationship part of the story, there's plenty of action installed as well. I understand a lot of people were disappointed at how little action was there between Iron Man and Whiplash, but there were plenty of action I felt people might have overlooked. Tony and Rhodey had a good fight, Natasha Romanoff/Natalie Rushman had the spotlight as she takes down plenty as she storms into Hammer Industries, there were enough of Robot soldiers for Tony and Rhodey to take down as well as provided an awesome flight and chase sequence. Action aside, it's also the visuals that really stole the lime light from this film. When you think the scene when Tony first don the suit or his household computer named JARVIS holographic screen wows you, the filmmakers pushed it further in this movie. The transformation scene at the race course still blows me away (you can see it at the end of the second trailer) and the holographic lab at the basement of Tony's house has dwarfed your Macbook. There are plenty of Whiplashing actions, Robots firing, War Machine exhibiting every arsenal he has and plenty and plenty of explosions. Perhaps another less noticed special effects that we should give credit for is erasing all the wire work that allow Scarlett Johansson to do all her impossible physic defying moves.

Pepper who?

To all those comic book fans, especially Marvel, I feel that this movie does a good job in teasing all of you. I'm not really a big fan of Marvel, I'm more of a DC comic fan. But I've never been more excited to see Captain America's shield taking the limelight, seeing Samuel L. Jackson's Avenger's initiative for the future and if you wait after the credits, Thor's War Hammer! I've never been more thrilled to wait for Captain America and Thor to come out, and I've never been more disappointed at what Warner Bros is doing with their DC licensing. Where are the Batman and Superman movies? I cannot believe we're going to be treated with Jonah Hex soon and we've been treated with The Losers. Marvel is taking the lead....for now. (My hopes are in Christopher Nolan's third Batman film and Christopher Nolan overseeing the upcoming Superman film)

Overall, I left the cinema feeling quite happy with the film. It didn't leave the same impact as it did for the first movie, but I felt the film was good for a sequel. It didn't feel like a second movie, more of a continuation from the first, the feeling of "the continuing adventures of Iron Man", rather than the second act of the bigger story than will soon come to a conclusion. I would give this film a 6.5 out of 10 "Ex-Wife" bunker buster missile.

Comment below, if you were to weaponize your Iron Man suit, what would be the craziest thing you would install in your suit?