The Bank Job (2008)

Directed by Roger Donaldson
Written by Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais
Produced by David Alper
Starring: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows
Label: Review, Thriller, Crime
I was expecting to see a 'dumb entertainment', an action movie, dominated by car chases, some flashy editing, and gun fight to satisfy dumb members of the audience. What I saw was a 'smart entertainment', no car chase, no flashy editing, and almost no gun fight. Then is The Bank Job is good? Yes, it is!

The Bank Job is a British crime film based on a 1971 true story about bank robbery in London. The title and poster is alittle misleading, at first I expect an action packed movie, with a story highlight a bank robbery. Actually the main story is about the aftermath of the robbery.

Ex criminal Terry Leathers (Jason Statham) is drowned in debt. His ex girlfriend Martine (Saffron Burrows) offers Terry a job to earn money: a bank robbery in London. Then with help with some friends, Terry managed to dig a tunnel in order to reach the bank vault. Unfortunally Terry's friends is not really a pro, they managed to rob the bank, but their crimes uncovered. That's bad, not only they are wanted by the police, but also the MI5 (British inteligence) and some big dangerous criminals, since they take some important photos, about high-ranking government officials are found, in compromising positions with prostitutes.

This movie has a straight-forward plot, the pace is slow at first to built the climax with some scenes that provide the audience with a more captivating and compelling crime thriller where the stakes become huge. Where The Bank Job falls short, however, is that with so much conpiracies going on, certain storylines are not described in detail and to a point, may not have been needed at all.Despite that the story is neat, and the scenes are thrilling. The Bank Job is not a bad movie at all. (reviewed by DL/ 2008)

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Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee (2007)

Directed by Justin Lin
Produced by Julie Asato, Justin Lin, Salvador Gatdula, Joan Huang, Jeffrey Gou
Written by Josh Diamond
Starring: Roger Fan, Sung Kang, James Franco, Dustin Nguyen, Ron Jeremy, Bella Thorne, Mousa Kraish
Label: Review, Comedy, Mockumentary, Hollywood
I make this review right after I finished watching the DVD. Since this blog dedicated to new film like it's name, clearly it's a special treatment. While some people are annoyed by the movie. Some people clearly love Finishing The Game, that's why it win Special Jury Prize at Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, so do I.



A mockumentary which focuses on Bruce Lee's final movie Game of Death. Lee died prior to finishing the movie, having shot only approximately 12 minutes of film. So, the rest of the film was finished using a Bruce Lee double and a new script.

Finishing the Game set in the wake of Bruce Lee's death, as we now know, old footages of Bruce from previous movies, and stand-ins were used to complete the shooting so that it could still be released and sell to the audiences. Finishing the Game, as a mockumentary looking for the next possible Bruce Lee stand in.

The movie highlight the casting process to finish 'The Game of Death' with a young inexperience director Ronney Kurtainbaum (Jake Sandvig), with his mentor/ assistant Eloise Gazdag (Meredith Scott Lynn). The casting (not tobe confused with the REAL cast) contain Breeze Loo (Roger Fan) the overconfident 'famous' B movie star. Cole Kim (Sun Kang) as a enthusiastic new comer, with his manager/ girl friend Saraghina Rivas (Monique Curnen). Tarrick Tyler (McCaleb Burnett) as a caucasian who think himself half Chinese, and many more.

Surprisingly the movie is fun, with such a cheesy formula, at least I like it much. Some people are annoyed that Finishing the Game is silly and irrellevant. But it satirizes the 'Bruceploitation' after Bruce Lee's Death as silly and irrellevant, so being silly and irrellevant IS the whole idea of this movie. (reviewed by DL/ 2008)

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You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)

Label: Review, Comedy, Hollywood
In a raw and rude makeover courtesy of who else, Judd Apatow, Adam Sandler reinvents himself as whining geek turned super-silly action hero Israeli assassin in Don't Mess With The Zohan. A newly hairy and heavily buffed along with heavily accented Sandler sexes up his screen image in a crude Middle Eastern culture wars political comedy that is ultimately no laughing matter.


Sandler is the reluctant Israeli counter-terrorist operative who'd rather be doing dainty stuff like cooking dinner and hair styling. Which doesn't cramp his macho style at all, at least when it comes to impressing the bathing beauties at the local beach, by dropping his swimming trunks or flipping a fish off the grill and directly into his butt, while tending the barbecue.

When he's had his fill of beating up Palestinians, catching their bullets in his nose - I kid you not - and stealing their goats, the jaded closet peacenik fakes his own death at the hands of formidable Arab foe Phantom (John Turturro) while playing ping pong together with a grenade. Then he heads for New York City stowed away in a dog kennel in the cargo compartment. And assuming the name of one of his fellow passenger pooches, Zohan aka Scrappy heads for the nearest hair salon.

After being tossed out of assorted beauty parlors for a litany of indecent behaviors, the swaggering aspiring stylist with a too-much-information bulging prosthetic crotch settles on a salon run by Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui), a fetching Palestinian-American. And while doing mandatory apprentice duty sweeping the floors there, Scrappy educates himself in the trade, which in his mind includes seducing all the senior citizen female customers comfortably over the age of consent. Eventually a confrontation ensues uniting neighborhood Israeli and Palestinian immigrants against an urban removal mean corporate suit, who wants to clear out the area to build a mall.


Don't Mess With The Zohan as a counter-terrorism satire, is its own worst enemy. The story is filled with all sorts of bright ideas, like peace in the Middle East as a promising possibility based on the New York City model, where everybody tends to get along and live in harmony no matter what their historical differences. There are also delightful surprise cameos popping up everywhere. But Apatow's compulsion to talk dirty nonstop and Sandler's eagerness to act out each and every one of those vulgar and raucous fantasies, add up to a marriage of minds far from being made in heaven. Rarely has sex been such a turnoff on screen.

Prairie Miller is a multimedia journalist online, in print and on radio. Contact her through NewsBlaze.

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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Label: Review, Action, Hollywood

The newest Indiana Jones adventure begins in the desert Southwest in 1957 - the height of the Cold War. Indy and his sidekick Mac (Ray Winstone) have barely escaped a close scrape with nefarious Soviet agents on a remote airfield.
Now, Professor Jones has returned home to Marshall College - only to find things have

gone from bad to worse. His close friend and dean of the college (Jim Broadbent) explains that Indy's recent activities have made him the object of suspicion, and that the government has put pressure on the university to fire him. On his way out of town, Indiana meets rebellious young Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), who carries both a grudge and a proposition for the adventurous archaeologist: If he'll help Mutt on a mission with deeply personal stakes, Indy could very well make one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in history - the Crystal Skull of Akator, a legendary object of fascination, superstition and fear.



But as Indy and Mutt set out for the most remote corners of Peru - a land of ancient tombs, forgotten explorers and a rumored city of gold - they quickly realize they are not alone in their search. The Soviet agents are also hot on the trail of the Crystal Skull. Chief among them is icy cold, devastatingly beautiful Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), whose elite military unit is scouring the globe for the eerie Crystal Skull, which they believe can help the Soviets dominate the world ... if they can unlock its secrets.



Indy and Mutt must find a way to evade the ruthless Soviets, follow an impenetrable trail of mystery, grapple with enemies and friends of questionable motives, and, above all, stop the powerful Crystal Skull from falling into the deadliest of hands.

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Iron Man (2008)

Directed by Jon Favreau
Produced by Avi Arad, Kevin Feige
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard
Label: Review, Action, Hollywood
Iron Man is an great entertainment machine. It's lead Robert Downey Jr. is the right choice to play Tony Stark. Well, who better to play a middle-aged, flamboyant playboy than Robert Downey Jr. anyway?



It is a bold move to cast an actor over-40 to be a superhero. Most studios would have said, "no, change the story and make him younger so we can sell this to younger audiences". Maybe because it's Marvel Studio, Favreau could convince the studio to get Robert Downey Jr. to play Stark. I truly can't think of anyone better suited to the role and he proves it.

Downey stars as Tony Stark, a charming billionaire celebrity industrialist whose company is one of America’s primary defense contractors. Visiting Afghanistan to demonstrate the company’s latest technology, a cluster missile. Then, he is kidnapped by a group of terrorists (Taliban?)who are using Stark’s weapons. While on captivity, he creates a powerful armor and manages to escape. Returning to America, he recreate his armor 'Ironman' and begins a new life as superhero Iron Man.

Also join the fun are Gwyneth Paltrow as loyal assistant Pepper Potts, Terrence Howard as a Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes allied with Tony and Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane who is Stark's second in command.

The movie’s plot, will no doubt raise questions about how it sees America’s role in the world. The film is not anti-war, or anti-America, although maybe anti-WMD.

Te other best thing about the film is the visual presentation, both in live action and CGI. The Iron Man suit itself looks cool. The view from inside the Iron Man helmet is even better. In one scene, while he’s flying, it looks like he’s watching the world through an advanced version of Google Earth.

One complaint about Iron Man, it's a slow build up to the action. True, some time they’re fun, but sometimes it's unecessesary. And sometime the action are not worth to take such a long time to wait.

Iron Man is not a perfect film, nor even a perfect comic book adaptation. Bit's one of the best comic adaptation so far. (reviewed by DL/ 2008)

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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

Label: Review, Action, Hollywood
The characters of C.S. Lewis's timeless fantasy come to life once again in this newest installment of the "Chronicles of Narnia" series, in which the Pevensie siblings are magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and an even greater test of their faith and courage awaits them.

One year after the incredible events of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the Kings and Queens of Narnia find themselves back in that faraway wondrous realm, only to discover that more than 1300 years have passed in Narnia time. During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct, Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz, who rules the land without mercy.

The four children will soon meet an intriguing new character: Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne. With the help of the kindly dwarf, Trumpkin, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep, a badger named Trufflehunter and a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, the Narnians, led by the mighty knights Peter and Caspian, embark on a remarkable journey to find Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz's tyrannical hold, and restore magic and glory to the land.

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What Happens in Vegas (2008)

Directed by Tom Vaughan
Produced by Michael Aguilar, Dean Georgaris
Written by Dana Fox
Starring Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher
Label: Review, Comedy, Romantic,HollywoodWhen I was going to watch this movie I expect the worst, I think this is just a typical yet predictable Hollywood comedy. What Happens in Vegas IS a typical yet predictable Hollywood comedy. However at least it's better than my expectation (Remember, I expect the worst).
Ashton Kutcher as Jack Fuller a carpenter who was fired by his own dad meet Cameron Diaz as Joy McNally who was dumped by her fiance, stumble into marriage during a drunken weekend in Las Vegas. They were supposed to do divorce peacefully but due to the $3,000,000 won by Jack with the quarter of Joy, the two must figure out a way to share it since they are still legally married.

May contain spoiler:
Like I said, this is a typical yet predictable Hollywood comedy, but it's also a funny and entertaining movie. The fight of Jack and Joy is the highlight of this movie, and it is the funniest moment in this movie. Now you can pick the most likely ending: a. One of them win the money; b. They both lose the money; c. The money no longer important, because they love each other. If you ever watch Hollywood comedy, you should know the answer. What Happens in Vegas is funny at the funny moment, and not funny at the (supposed to) romantic moment. Sometimes mariage comedies should just stick with trying to be funny. (reviewed by DL/ 2008)

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