Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Goblet of Fire 

This is a great movie for kids. The special effects are stupendous. So far, I've just watched the first movie, The Sorcerer's Stone, and this one. I didn't see the others yet. I'm glad I'm living in the real world and not studying at Hogwarts. They use "Alice in Wonderland" logic. None of the magic really makes sense. I guess if you use imaginary logic, it will work.

There were a lot of awkward moments between the teens during the ball. It reminded me of my first dance.

It was fun to watch the special effects, but since the movie was targeted towards kids, it was hard for me to really get into.

My rating: C, 78. Strictly for kids.

Wedding Crashers

Wedding Crashers 

Two best friends crash weddings to screw as many vulnerable chicks as possible. Owen Wilson falls in love with a beautiful girl at one of the weddings. Owen Wilson's nose looks broken to me. Vince Vaughn gets chased by a nymphomaniac. Later on, he likes it.

I thought there were a lot of hilarious moments, but the movie as a whole seemed too contrived. I guess I was disgusted by their chauvinistic behavior. It had a happy ending at the end, but it just wasn't satisfying somehow. The movie had a lot of empty calories. It was too shallow. It just had a bunch of funny scenes, but didn't have a great plot. When it tries to be sentimental, it flops. I think it would have been better if it was just one long gag fest like American Pie.

The characters were cliches as well. They were just one-sided.

My rating: C+, 79.

Matrix Revolutions

Matrix Revolutions 

Neo finally realizes what he must do to save Zion. Smith's only purpose is to destroy Neo. But, once Smith destroys Neo, then Smith will no longer have a purpose. Without a purpose, programs get deleted by the Machine.

Neo looks like a Christ figure. You can see blatantly see a cross made of light before he dies.

The Sentinels stop attacking Zion and go back home. Everyone is saved.

The Matrix is reloaded again, but now it looks like there is a beautiful new world. The movie ends with the Oracle and Neo looking into the sunrise.

The biggest problem with this movie is that Reloaded's own complex story made it too difficult for even the Wachowski Brothers to come up with a good ending. They made concepts so abstract that had life-changing potential, but they couldn't create a story good enough to rise to that level of expectation. So, in the end, the movie is okay, but not as great as I was hoping for after watching Reloaded.

There's still interesting symbolism in the movie and it all ends in a thought provoking way, but the taste you leave with is disappointment.

The special effects were great, but somehow seemed cheesy. The movie had a self-important feel to it. The fight scenes somehow felt overplayed. We are almost tired of the same fighting style by now. I thought the fighting in Reloaded were much more fun to watch. Smith and Neo were flying around fighting, but it seemed tame instead of amazing. There were millions of Smiths and yet, they didn't do anything but watch. That was not as cool as the burly brawl scene in Reloaded.

There were mech-type machines in Zion used to fight the Sentinels, but they just seemed like another sci-fi war movie instead of the revolutionary movie this could have been.

My rating: B, 84.

Matrix Reloaded 

Matrix Reloaded

I don't know what people were talking about when they said that this movie sucks. This is one of the greatest action sci-fi movies ever made! I went seeing it with lowered expectations, because people were knockin' it. I still wanted to see it because I enjoyed the original Matrix so much. I guess people didn't like it because it was so complicated, and they didn't understand it. I thought it was one of the most thought-provoking movies ever made. It's a very philosophical and cerebral movie plus a kick-ass action flick.

As for me, I love complex movies. This is a very deep movie. It's not a shallow pop-culture movie that just uses random symbols and names to pretend like it's deep movie. This is the real deal. Yes, it is a confusing movie to watch. I've watched it a couple times to try to really understand the movie at a deeper level. Everyone else who knocks on it doesn't know what they're talking about.

This sequel may actually be more complex and impressive than the first film. Whereas the first movie introduced the idea of an alternate reality from the one we live in, this movie discusses the idea of free will vs. predestination, purpose, choice, control, and cause and effect.

I can't think of another film that was so complex and fun to watch as this movie. Blade Runner was good, but not nearly as intricate or exciting. This was almost as convoluted as the videogame Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. That was an awesome game. It was a blast to play, but some people didn't like the plot because of all the elaborate plot twists. With each twist, the story became more involved and it ultimately lead to a mind-blowing revelation. I thought it was going to be about a political cover-up, but it was a hundred times more deep than that. There was another very complicated anime series called Serial Experiments: LAIN. That series was very tangled, but was a great social commentary on life and the development of technology. But, the series' pacing was very slow. It didn't even come close to the excitement of Reloaded. LAIN was more complex than Ghost in the Shell, but not as fun to watch.

Anyway, back to Reloaded. There are only a few films that are as intricate as the Matrix trilogy. None of the other films even come close to the adrenaline thrills of the Matrix series, however.

This may be one of the most important science fiction films of all time, perhaps the greatest. The reason I say this is because of the philosophical elements in the movie. Just like all great philosophical theories, this movie really makes you think about them a lot before you understand them. It's told in an exciting action movie way. People who don't like science fiction lack imagination. Sure, there are a lot of bad sci-fi out there which makes them really bad. Some great sci-fi is more than mere temporary escapism, they are a philosophy, just like the Matrix series. There is no other film that makes you think as much as these films. There might be movies that have better special effects or better acting or better drama, but they don't match the level of complex storytelling. Critics who quickly dismiss this film just don't get it, because they don't want to think. I get this film. I'm still learning more and more about it as I research it.

Yes, this film as its flaws as even the best movies do. The acting is a little too stiff due to the movie taking itself too seriously. The plot is not completely perfect. Some of the minor characters are not very well developed.

The movies that critics are always impressed by are dramas, but dramas are only about the acting. The Matrix is thought-provoking. It can be studied on a whole new level beyond other movies.

The discussion with the Architect is the most important scene in the series. Here, Neo learns that he is the 6th One. The number 6 is also a number that people have theorized a lot about. Some of the theories range from 6 symbolizing that God made Man on the sixth day to 6 being the new testament after Moses' Pentateuch. This is the 6th Matrix made by the Architect and Neo is the 6th anamoly in the system.

The Wachowski Brothers also made the Animatrix and the videogame Enter the Matrix to provide additional background on the series.

In this film, we learn that Agent Smith has replicated himself like a virus. The Burly Brawl scene is a very fun fight to watch in where Neo fights hundreds of Smiths. Smith says that his purpose is to destroy Neo. He was orinally created to balance the equation the Architect made. After awhile, Neo flies away.

Neo and the gang learn that they must find the Keymaker who can provide access to the door to the Architect. First, they must rescue the Keymaker from the Merovingian.

Then, there's the really cool freeway chase scene. That was incredible to watch.

The rave scene at the Zion church showed our human animalistic side. It seems cheesy, but every scene in the movie was purposefully placed there.

We learn that the Oracle can be considered the mother of the Matrix and the Architect is the Father. The Oracle was designed to understand human tendencies.

I know my review sucks, but the movie is great.

My review: A, 94.

Superfoods

Doctor Steven Pratt claims that these foods will help stop the detoriations that lead to ailments and diseases. Here's the list of foods:

1. Beans -- reduce obesity
2. Blueberries -- lower risk for cardiovascular disease
3. Broccoli -- lowers the incidence of cataracts and fights birth defects
4. Oats -- reduce the risk of type II diabetes
5. Oranges -- prevent strokes
6. Pumpkin -- lowers the risk of various cancers
7. Wild salmon -- lowers the risk of heart disease
8. Soy -- lowers cholesterol
9. Spinach -- decreases the chance of cardiovascular disease and age-related macular degeneration
10. Tea -- helps prevent osteoporosis
11. Tomatoes -- raise the skin's sun protection factor
12. Turkey -- helps build a strong immune system
13. Walnuts -- reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
14. Yogurt-promotes strong bones and a healthy heart
15. Honey
16. Pomegranate Juice
17. Avocados
18. Garlic
19. Onions
20. Dark Chocolate, not milk chocolate
21. Kiwi
22. Apples
23. Spices
24. Cinnamon
25. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Now, that I'm over 30, I've already noticed that my body is quickly deteriorating. I thought I'd be as strong and healthy as I was in my twenties, but it's not so.

It's also very important to get lots of sleep. I've only been sleeping about 4 to 5 hours per day these days. I feel like a zombie at work. I'm going to try and stop watching movies and I'm going to sleep ealier. It's important to get 8 1/2 hours of sleep per day. This may lead me to write less movie reviews.

My Favorite Movies of All Time

Since I previously wrote about the movies I've hated the most, I thought I should write something about movies that I've enjoyed. Feel free to disagree or tell me about your favorite movies. I know I have forgotten about some. The list is not completely in order. I just made a list of movies that I liked by just writing them down as I went along.

1. Star Wars-All of Them. I'm a hardcore fan.

2. Indiana Jones Movies-All of Them. Indy rocks!

3. Shawshank Redemption. An inspiring movie of hope against all odds.

4. Forrest Gump. Funny and just plain fun to watch.

5. Princess Bride.

6. Lord of the Rings

7. Schindler's List

8. King Kong (2005)

9. Final Fantasy: Advent Children

10. Spiderman 1 and 2

11. Matrix

12. American Pie

13. Mr. Holland's Opus

14. A.I.

15. Terminator 2

16. Superman 1 and 2

17. Revenge of the Nerds

18. Aliens

19. Airplane!

20. Top Gun

21. Wizard of Oz

22. Breakfast Club

23. Ferris Bueler's Day Off

24. Naked Gun

25. Casablanca

26. All the King's Men

27. Rocky I and IV

28. The Blues Brothers

29. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

30. True Lies

31. Moulin Rouge

32. There's Something About Mary

33. Enemy at the Gates

34. James Bond 007: Goldfinger

35. The Thomas Crowne Affair

36. The Fast and the Furious

37. The Last Samurai

38. The Fifth Element

39. Mission: Impossible

40. Cinderella Man

41. Batman Begins

42. Shrek

43. Bed of Flowers

44. Fight Club

45. Romancing the Stone

46. La Femme Nikita

47. The Pet Detective

48. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

49. Saving Private Ryan

50. Heat

Honorable Mentions: These are some of the movies that I've enjoyed, but can't say that they're my favorites.

51. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

52. Elf

53. Kill Bill Vol. 2

54. X-men

55. Alien

56. Shrek 2

57. E. T.

58. Minority Report

59. Chicago

60. Monsters, Inc.

61. Amelie

62. Black Hawk Down

63. Around the World in 80 Days

64. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

65. Titanic

66. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

67. The Sixth Sense

68. The Talented Mr. Ripley

69. The Green Mile

70. Face/Off

71. Speed

72. Die Hard

73. The Adventures of Robin Hood

74. Clear and Present Danger

75. The Hunt for Red October

76. The Karate Kid

77. Gremlins

78. The Gladiator

79. Apollo 13

80. The Maltese Falcon

81. Finding Nemo

82. Ghost in the Shell

83. Princess Mononoke

84. The Lion King

85. Mulan

86. The Little Mermaid

87. Dinosaur

88. Jurassic Park movies

89. Monty Python's The Life of Brian

90. Annie Hall

91. Hannah and Her Sisters

92. The Truman Show

93. City Slickers

94. To Kill a Mockingbird

95. Searching for Bobby Fischer

96. Apocalypse Now

97. Full Metal Jacket

98. Wall Street

99. Do the Right Thing

100. Stand and Deliver

Movies that Are Just Okay:

101. Good Will Hunting

102. Silence of the Lambs-disturbing to watch.

103. Gone With the Wind-classic, but kinda long and boring.

104. Amadeus

105. Kramer vs. Kramer

106. Sex, Lies, and Videotape

107. Bull Durham

108. Boys N the Hood

109. 8MM

110. Halloween

111. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

112. Jaws

113. The Fly

114. Misery

115. Ed Wood

116. The Haunting

117. Exorcist

118. Poltergeist

119. Carrie

120. Bram Stoker's Dracula

121. The Lost Boys

122. The Addams Family

123. Interview with the Vampire

124. Toy Story 1 and 2

125. The Iron Giant

126. Antz

127. A Bug's Life

128. 101 Dalmations

129. Babe

130. The Muppet Movie

131. A Fish Called Wanda

132. When Harry Met Sally

133. Sleepless in Seattle

134. The Sound of Music

135. It's a Wonderful Life

136. Blade Runner

137. Mad Max

138. The Road Warrior

139. A Clockwork Orange

140. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

141. 2001: A Space Odyssey

142. Edward Scissorhands

143. Robocop

144. Men In Black

145. Independence Day

146. Akira

147. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

148. The Abyss

149. Mission to Mars

150. 12 Monkeys

151. Planet of the Apes

152. The Crow

153. Gattaca

154. Excalibur

155. Dreamscape

156. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

157. Waterworld

158. Serenity

159. The Time Machine

160. Total Recall

161. Conan the Barbarian

162. Clash of the Titans

163. Tron

164. War of the Worlds

165. Die Hard 2: Die Harder

166. Heat

167. Crimson Tide

168. Psycho

169. The Godfather

170. Sense and Sensibility

171. Philadelphia

172. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

173. Ghostbusters

174. Risky Business

175. Rambo

176. The Grapes of Wrath

177. Halloween

178. Dirty Harry

179. Ed TV

180. Sleeping with the Enemy

181. The Unbearable Lightness of Being

182. Oldboy

183. Unleashed

184. Who Am I?

185. Rush Hour

186. Risky Business

187. Shane

188. Operation: Condor

189. Throw Momma From the Train

190. See No Evil, Hear No Evil

191. Total Recall

192. Field of Dreams

193. Born on the Fourth of July

194. Gangs of New York

195. Mel Brooks' The History of the World

196. Tarzan: Legend of Greystone

197. The Last of the Mohicans

198. Rumble in the Bronx

199. Legend of Drunken Master

200. Grease

201. Carrie

202. Little Shop of Horrors

203. Hamlet

204. Analyze This

205. Canonball Run

206. Enter the Dragon

207. Kentucky Fried Movie

208. Hot Shots

209. Orca

210. Broken Arrow

211. You've Got Mail!

212. Can't Buy Me Love

213. Romeo Must Die!

214. Mission: Impossible II

215. Highlander

216. Willow

217. The Green Mile

218. Pet Cemetary

219. Dumb and Dumber

220. Star Trek 2

221. Beetlejuice

222. Braveheart

223. Dances With Wolves

224. Driving Miss Daisy

225. Platoon

226. Rain Man

227. Gandhi

228. Chariots of Fire

229. Ben-Hur

230. Back to the Future series

231. Bambi

232. Being John Malkovich

233. Beverly Hills Cop

234. Biloxi Blues

235. Boogie Nights

236. Desperately Seeking Susan

237. Dirty Harry

238. Dumbo

239. The Elephant Man

240. Fargo

241. Father of the Bride

242. The Fisher King

243. The Flamingo Kid

244. The Fly

245. Dracula

246. Frankenstein

247. The Graduate

248. The Grapes of Wrath

249. Great Expectations

250. Hoop Dreams

251. The Hours

252. The Saint

253. Children of the Corn

254. L. A. Confidential

255. The Last Emperor

256. The Last Action Hero

257. The Last Temptation of Christ

258. Leaving Las Vegas

259. Dangerous Liasons

260. Malcolm X

261. Mary Poppins

262. M*A*S*H

263. Miracle on 34th Street

264. Les Miserables

265. Misfits of Science

266. My Left Foot

267. Pinocchio

268. Pulp Fiction

269. Natural Born Killers

270. Raising Arizona

271. Red Badge of Courage

272. Lawnmower Man

273. The Right Stuff

274. Saturday Night Fever

275. Starman

276. A Streetcar Named Desire

277. The Ten Commandments

278. 10

279. Thelma and Louise

280. The Thin Red Line

281. Tootsie

282. The War of the Roses

283. Neverending Story

284. Sinbad

285. V

286. Buckaroo Banzai

287. Armageddon

288. The Black Hole

289. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

290. Cocoon

291. Conan the Destroyer

292. Red Sonya

293. Dark Crystal

294. The Day After Tomorrow

295. Deep Impact

296. Dune

297. Earth Girls Are Easy

298. Edward Scissorhands

299. The Eraser

300. Farenheit 451

301. Flatliners

302. Freejack

303. Godzilla

304. Groundhog Day

305. Hercules

306. The Incredible Shrinking Man

307. The Incredible Shrinking Woman

308. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

309. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

310. Labyrinth

311. The Last Starfighter

312. The Land Before Time

313. Logans' Run

314. Lost in Space

315. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

316. Men in Black

317. The One

318. Pitch Black

319. Predator 1 and 2

320. The Rocketeer

321. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

322. Short Circuit 1 and 2

323. Slaughterhouse Five

324. Species

325. Stargate

326. Starship Troopers

327. Supergirl

328. Swamp Thing

329. The Thing

330. Titan A.E.

331. Tremors

332. What Dreams May Come

333. Wild Wild West

334. Young Einstein

335. Pippi Longstocking

336. Gilligan's Island and the Harlem Globetrotters

337. Pinocchio

338. SWF (Single White Female)

339. Annie

340. The Secret Garden

341. You Got Served-Okay, this movie sucks.

342. Eurotrip

343. Look Who's Talking

344. Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo

345. The Last Samurai

346. Kate and Leopold

347. Crimson Tide

348. Taps

349. Tomb Raider

350. Underseige

351. Blade

352. I Know What You Did Last Summer

353. Scream

354. Bad Boys

355. The Santa Clause

356. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

357. The Serpent and the Rainbow

358. Phantom of the Opera

359. House of Flying Daggers

360. Back to the Future

361. Lethal Weapon

362. Predator

363. Blade

364. The Sound of Music

365. Godzilla-the old ones

366. Independence Day

367. Men in Black

368. Armageddon

369. Phenomenon

370. The Last Action Hero

371. Hellraiser

372. Gone in 60 Seconds

373. Hercules

374. Exorcist

375. Hercules and the Three Stooges

376. Bambi

377. Peter Pan

378. Princess Mononoke

379. While You Were Sleeping

380. Home Alone

381. Shallow Hal

382. Flowers in the Attic

383. The Crush

384. Dick Tracy

385. The Hours

386. Dead Man Walking

387. Dumb and Dumber

388. The Game

389. The Replacements

390. Leaving Las Vegas

391. The Rainmaker

392. The Firm

393. The Witness

394. Rounders

395. The Talented Mr. Ripley

396. Magnolia

397. Theres Something About Mary

398. The Mask of Zorro

399. The Bridges of Madison County

400. Robin Hood, Men in Tights

401. Groundhog Day

402. Stand By Me

403. The Saint

404. Sense and Sensibility

405. Sleepless in Seattle

406. 12 Monkeys

407. Father of the Bride 2

408. Ed TV

409. Se7en

410. Speed

411. Flatliners

412. Sweet Home Alabama

413. The Fabulous Baker Boys

414. Shine

415. A Clockwork Orange

416. 2001: A Space Odyssey

417. Scarface

418. Sixth Sense

419. Ben Hur

420. The Blue Lagoon

421. The Black Stallion

422. Braveheart

423. The Blair Witch Project

424. Platoon

425. Full Metal Jacket

426. The Thin Red Line

427. Fame

428. Lord of the Flies

429. Point Break

430. Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey

431. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

432. Flash Dance

433. The Unbearable Lightness of Being

434. Jaws

435. Piranha

436. Twister

437. Hook

438. The Pelican Brief

439. The Perfect Storm

440. Far and Away

441. One Fine Day

442. Goonies

443. My Best Friend's Wedding

444. Notting Hill

445. Good Will Hunting

446. The Great Gatsby

447. The Elephant Man

448. Anna Karenina

449. Teen Wolf

450. The Bodyguard

451. The Fisher King

452. Scent of A Woman

453. Ghost

454. American President

456. Jerry Maguire

457. Cocktail

458. You Got Served

459. Cold Mountain

460. Dead Poets' Society

461. Miss Congeniality 2

462. The Pacifier

463. Thunderbirds Are Go

464. Beverly Hills Cop

465. The Jewel of the Nile

466. Jumanji

467. Dr. Dolittle

478. Sister Act

479. Austin Powers

480. A Few Good Men

481. Dirty Dancing

482. Mortal Kombat

483. Glory

484. Iron Eagle

485. Deep Impact

486. Gangs of New York

487. L.A. Confidential

488. Lord of War

489. Superman Returns

490. Silent Hill

491. The Hills Have Eyes

492. X Men

493. X Men 2: X-Men United

494. The Fast and The Furious 3: Tokyo Drift

495. The Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest

496. Final Destination 3

497. X-Men 3: The Last Stand

498. Mulholland Drive

499. Capote

500. My Super Ex-Girlfriend

501. Cars

502. 007: The World is Not Enough

503. 007: Tomorrow Never Dies

504. Napoleon Dynamite

505. Brokeback Mountain

506. Hostel

507. Hellboy

508. Jackass

509. Jackass 2

510. Tomb Raider 2: The Cradle of Life

511. Kung Fu Hustle

512. Super Size Me

513. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended Edition

514. Date Movie

515. Scary Movie 2

516. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

517. Old School

518. Scary Movie

519. Appleseed

520. Flightplan

521. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

522. Fearless

523. Grudge 2

524. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban

525. Animatrix

526. The Ring

527. Flight 93

528. King Arthur

529. Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe

530. Borat

531. An Inconvenient Truth

532. Steve-O Vol. 3: Out on Bail

533. Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices

534. Accepted

535. The Da Vinci Code

536. Casino Royale

537. Star Wars: The Clone Wars Vol. 1 and 2

538. Ghost in the Shell

539. American Pie 5: The Naked Mile

540. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

541. Da Vinci Code Decoded (Documentary)

542. The Real Da Vinci Code

543. Who Wrote the Bible?

544. A War on Science

545. The Blind Watchmaker

546. Horizon-Most of Our Universe is Missing

547. Parallel Universes

548. National Lampoon's Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj

549. Children of Men

550. Kids

551. Eragon

552. 007: Die Another Day

553. The Departed

554. Little Miss Sunshine

555. Ali G in Dahouse!

556. Chicken Little

557. Aeon Flux

558. Bad Santa

559. Crank

560. Little Miss Sunshine

561. Ice Age

562. Epic Movie

563. Meet the Parents

564. I, Robot

565. Dracula: Dead and Loving It

566. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

567. Steve-O Out on Bail 2

568. 007: Goldeneye

569. Not Just Another Teen Movie

570. Van Helsing

571. Bridge to Terabithia

572. The Zodiac

573. The Monster (AKA The Host) Korean movie

574. 300

575. Pan's Labyrinth

576. Run, Lola, Run

577. HBO Presents Robin Williams

578. True Romance

579. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

580. Hot Fuzz

581. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

582. The Descent

583. The Bourne Identity

584. Blade Runner

585. The Devil Wears Prada

586. Hero

587. Office Space

588. Idiocracy

589. Shooter

590. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

591. Bourne Supremacy

592. The Hills Have Eyes II

593. Blood Diamond

594. Lucky Number Slevin

595. The Illusionist

596. The Prestige

597. Blades of Glory

598. Hidalgo

599. Donnie Darko

600. Shaolin Soccer

601. Pi

602. eXistenZ

603. Grindhouse

604. Bulletproof Monk

605. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

606. Ocean's Eleven

607. Oceans' Twelve

608. Shanghai Noon

609. Spiderman 3

610. Cinderella (Korean)

611. Disturbia

612. Iron Monkey

613. Cowboy Bebop

614. DOA: Dead or Alive

615. Grindhouse

616. Redline

617. Shanghai Knights

618. Next

619. Pathfinder

620. Initial D

621. 28 Days Later

622. 28 Weeks Later

623. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Special Extended Edition

624. Shrek the Third

625. Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End

626. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen

627. Airplane!

628. Akira

629. Airwolf

630. Akira

631. Amsterdamned

632. An American Werewolf in London

633. Apocalypse Now

634. Appleseed

635. Armageddon

636. Basic Instinct

637. Beetlejuice

638. Behind Enemy Lines

639. Being John Malkovich

640. Beverly Hills Cop

641. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

642. Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey

643. Bio-Dome

644. Blade

645. Blade II

646. The Blue Lagoon

647. Bloodsport

648. The Breakfast Club

649. The Cannonball Run

650. Casablanca

651. Charlie Brown Christmas

652. Children of the Corn

653. Clueless

654. Commando

655. Con Air

656. Conan the Barbarian

657. Conan the Destroyer

658. Cradle 2 the Grave

659. Creepshow

660. The Crow

661. Cruel Intentions

662. Dead Poet's Society

663. The Time Machine

664. Die Hard with a Vengeance

665. Dirty Dancing

666. Dracula (1931)

667. Driving Miss Daisy

668. Drunken Master

669. Dude, Where's My Car?

670. Dumb and Dumber

671. Dumb and Dumberer

672. Enemy Mine

673. Enemy at the Gates

674. The Eraser

675. Eyes Wide Shut

676. Far and Away

677. Fargo

678. Ferris Bueller's Day Off

679. Fists of Fury

680. Friday the 13th

681. From Russia with Love

682. Full Metal Jacket

683. Ghost Busters

684. Ghost Busters II

685. Godzilla

686. The Goonies

687. Gremlins

688. Gremlins 2: The New Batch

689. Groundhog Day

690. Herbie

691. Hercules

692. Hercules and the Three Stooges

693. Highlander

694. Home Alone

695. Hook

696. The Incredible Shrinking Woman

697. Independence Day

698. Jaws

699. Orca

700. Karate Kid

701. Kentucky Fried Movie

702. Mary Poppins

703. The Lost Boys

704. The Lion King

705. The Little Mermaid

706. MASH

707. Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous

708. The Mask

709. Monsters, Inc.

710. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

711. Monty Python's Life of Brian

712. Notting Hill

713. The Neverending Story

714. Octopussy

715. The Pacifier

716. Pitch Black

717. Platoon

718. Point Break

719. Police Academy

720. Porco Rosso

721. Predator

722. Pretty in Pink

723. Rain Man

724. Rambo

725. Rocky

726. Red Sonia

727. Red Heat

728. Reservoir Dogs

729. Romeo Must Die

730. Ronin

731. Star Trek

732. The Talented Mr. Ripley

733. The Wedding Singer

734. White Men Can't Jump

735. Who Am I?

736. Knocked Up

737. Ocean's Thirteen

738. A Nightmare Before Christmas

739. George Carlin: Again!

740. George Carlin: Complaints and Grievances (HBO) (2001)

741. George Carlin: You Are All Diseased (1999)

742. George Carlin: Back in Town (1996)

743. House of Flying Daggers

744. Rush Hour

745. Family Guy Movie: Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story

746. George Carlin: Carlin on Campus (1984)

747. George Carlin: What Am I Doing In New Jersey? (1988)

748. George Carlin: On Location (1977)

749. Shaun of the Dead

750. Road Trip

751. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

752. Mickey's Twice Upon Christmas

753. A Cinderella Story

754. South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut

755. Reno 911!: Miami

756. The Hobbit

757. Reign of Fire

758. Lord of the Rings (Animated)

759. Ratatouille

760. 1408

761. Live Free or Die Hard

762. Transformers

763. Legend of Earthsea

764. Ghost in the Shell 2: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society

765. Georgia Rule

766. Sicko

767. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

768. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

769. Hairspray

770. Zodiac

771. I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

772. Meet the Robinsons

773. The Simpsons

774. My Wife Is A Gansgster

775. The Bourne Ultimatum

776. Rush Hour 3

777. Stardust

778. AVP Alien vs. Predator

779. High School Musical

780. High School Musical 2

781. 200 Pound Beauty (Korean)

782. Go, Go Sister (Korean)

783. Superbad

784. Shoot Em Up

785. 3:10 to Yuma

786. Cowboy Bebop

787. Ghost in the Shell 2: Stand Alone Complex

788. Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse

789. King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

790. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King Extended Edition

791. Wedding Singer

792. Titanic

793. A Cinderella Story

794. Futurama: Bender's Big Score

795. Bee Movie

796. Lions for Lambs

797. Beowulf

798. The Golden Compass

799. Battlestar Galactica: Razor

800. Enchanged

801. Ella Enchanted

802. I am Legend

803. Jackass 2.5

804. American Pie 6: Beta House

805. National Treasure

806. (To Be Continued. . .)


My list is pretty long, I know. I didn't realize I watched so many movies in my life. Did I waste my life by watching so many movies? I could have studied so much more and gotten better grades with all the lost hours I've wasted watching movies. My list may change as I continue to see more movies. I'll update it as I remember them, if I have time. These are just some of the movies I remember watching. I've seen more. Some of them I don't like, and others I probably forgot to mention or forgot I've even watched. I hope I didn't repeat some movies. I might have because I've forgotten what I wrote now. Actually, since I'm remembering more and more movies, I want to go back and change the order they're in now. I think some of the movies I've listed in the later numbers should be higher up. It's going to take me a long time reorganizing all these movies though.


[Edit: Added movies: 1/17/06, 1/18/06, 8/9/06]

[Edit: This list has now turned into a list of all the movies I have watched. 11/8/06]

Worst Movies I've Ever Seen

Since I'm in a movie watching phase right now, I think it's a good time to talk about the worst movies I've ever seen. You guys can let me know what movies you've hated too. I'm interested in reading your opinions. I'm in a movie frenzy right now, because I'm trying to make up for all the years I've gone without seeing any movies. Or perhaps, I'm depressed over not being able to get my videogame fix. I love movies, but I just didn't watch that many in the past few years. This list is just about the movies that I remember watching and hated. I've avoided major bombs, like "Gigli", thanks to everyone warning me about how bad they were. That's why your opinions count--to save others from movie watching misery. There might be some movies that I've failed to mention, because I've totally forgotten about them.

Anyway, here are the stinkers:

1. Mars Attacks!

This movie was so bad that I think I lost IQ points after watching it. I can't remember much, but I know I really hated it. It was supposed to be a sci-fi comedy, but I think I was groaning the whole time instead of laughing even once. It was so stupid. There were all these big name stars in the movie, but there was no plot. It didn't make sense at all. One example of utter stupidity was when Pierce Brosnan's head was attached to a dog's body. I still want my money back! F, 30.

2. Mystery Men

This is another movie that I paid full price for and felt robbed. This film was about a bunch of misfit geeks that had stupid powers. The Mystery Men had to fight a villain named Casanova Frankenstein. They starred characters like Mr. Furious, The Bowler, The Blue Raja, The Shoveler, The Spleen, The Sphinx, and the Invisible Boy. These dunces didn't have anything that one would call "super powers." They should havae been placed in mental hospitals instead. The movie was really bad. I was groaning with pain in my seat the whole time. There were a couple instances of funny scenes like when they attacked Casanova Frankenstein's car by farting and keying it with forks. I wanted to leave the theater, but I was there with a bunch of church people from Choong Hyun Mission Church so I sat there and took the torture. F, 40.

3. 2069: A Sex Odyssey

Trust me-this movie isn't what it sounds like. It's some stupid foreign film that made no sense at all. It was ultra low budget. Back in high school, Chris and I thought that it would have been a funny flick to watch instead of our usual routine of watching Saturday Night Live. That's how we spent our Saturday nights back in high school. It looks like they just put some clips together and packaged it as a movie. I wish I got those 2 hours back somehow. Aagghhhh!!!!!!!!!! There was one scene with a female space cadet with an outfit that exposed her nipple area. The rest was filled with drunk Norwegian ugly dudes in long johns running around. God awful! F, 4.

4. Backstage Pass Uncensored

People, do not ever watch a really bad movie even if it's free. This was a really bad documentary about rock stars and the things that go on backstage. I came upon it by accident and now I am severely traumatized. I wouldn't even watch this film if they paid me $100. That's how bad it was. It showed rockers telling stories of their disgusting sexual escapades with their groupies. Now, I have utter disdain for rock stars. The thing is that I wouldn't even call these guys "rock stars". They featured all these terrible bands that played satanic heavy metal noise. Everyone knows this is the worst music in the world. One of the worst scenes that I'm still trying to clear from my mind is the Insane Clown Posse talking about their nasty deeds. Their faces. My God! Their heinous faces! I feel like I've been under the frightening nightmare of the Scarecrow from Batman Begins. F, -10.

Dishonorable Mentions:

5. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

You guys know I love Final Fantasy videogames. I loved the movie FF7: Advent Children. The Spirits Within was a major disappointment, however. Sony hyped this movie up so much at the 2000 E3 Convention. I couldn't even get into Sony's private viewing area to watch a preview at the Electronic Entertainment Exhibition because of the long lines. They were talking about how realistic the CG effects were, especially how realistically they can make human faces. The characters' faces were damn fugly though. We're still a long way from creating realistic human CG faces. It's much better to make them a little bit more anime-style like in Advent Children. The CG special effects animation in Spirits Within was okay. The voice acting was mundane even when it featured big name actors. The story was mediocre. Final Fantasy X was so much better even though it was a videogame that came out about the same time. The cutscenes from FFX blew the Spirits Within away. The Spirits Within's characters' faces were just plain weird, because the human eye sees faults with anything that isn't perfectly human. This movie was a huge letdown. F, 55.

6. Galaxy Quest

Tim Allen is a dolt. This sci-fi comedy blows. It had very few humorous parts. It was another big groaner. They tried to parody Star Trek, but it just wasn't funny. They should have picked better subject matter. Everyone knows Star Wars is better than Trekkies. This movie was absolutely dull. Don't watch it. F, 56.

7. Rocky Horror Picture Show

I really don't know why so many people liked this movie. I guess it's for all the freaks out there. Transvestites dancing and singing? Yuck. I tried to force myself to watch the whole thing, but couldn't. Actually, my mom saw me watching it and told me to turn that crap off. This movie was hard to stomach. Only weirdos like this type of stuff. F, 49.

8. Dracula: Dead and Loving It

I liked Mel Brooks' other movies, but this one was awful. It parodied Bram Stoker's Dracula, but it wasn't funny. All the jokes were lame. I just walked out of the movie after seeing about half of it. F, 50.

9. Chucky

A movie about an evil doll that kills people? Come on! I guess it's good to show kids that love dolls too much. Maybe, they won't want dolls after seeing this. I didn't like this movie at all. F, 58.

10. Nightmare on Elm Street-All of Them!

Maybe, the first one wasn't so bad. The rest were really terrible. I've seen episodes I through IV. This is supposed to be horror? Some of the stuff like people turning into meatballs on pizza and being eaten alive by Freddy Krueger seemed to be more disgusting comedy than horror. It was just so far out there that it wasn't scary at all. The horror genre is usually pretty bad, but this series takes the cake. F, 58.


Share your abhorrent movie stories with me by commenting below. I really want to read your opinions.

[Edit: Friday, Jan. 13, 2006]

Simply put, superhero movies don't get any better than this. This sequel is even better than the first, which usually doesn't happen in movies. Videogames tend to get better with sequels but not so in movies.

Spiderman 2 has more of everything the original movie had: more action, better special effects, more character development, drama, romance, and humor. The first movie seemed tame in comparison to the second.

This was a total visual rollercoaster ride. But, it had more than just great action and eye-candy computer generated effects. This movie had much more heart to it than other movies in its comic book hero action sub-genre. I liked it even more than Batman Begins, which is a much darker movie. The biggest difference between Batty and Spidey is their net worth. Bruce Wayne is a billionaire's kid. Peter Parker can't even afford to pay his rent.

The story takes place, appropriately, 2 years after the end of the first film. Peter Parker is still a very likeable nerd who is a reluctant hero. He struggles with leading a double life. He's a superhero crime fighter, a college student, and works as a free-lance photographer and a pizza delivery boy. He is totally burned out. He always looks tired. He can't keep up with his homework and his grades suffer. He's always late for work and meetings with friends. He has reached the lowest point in his life. He decides to quit being Spiderman.

Unfortunately, a danger emerges that only Spiderman can handle. A brilliant scientist, Dr. Otto Octavius, who is hired by Peter's friend, Harry (son of the billionaire scientist and founder of Oscorp who was the Green Goblin in the first film) tries to invent a machine capable of harnessing fusion energy. He miscalculates and the fusion energy starts sucking in anything metallic. Dr. Octavius' wife gets killed. The tentacles he attached to his spine which he used to place Trillium, an element used to create fusion energy, gains control of him. The tentacles had its own A.I. and the inhibitor chip used to control it was destroyed in the accident. He becomes Doc Ock (Doctor Octupus). Those tentacles of his were super powerful. I don't know how Doc Ock himself developed super powers. When he fell to the ground from a building, he should have died. Apparently, having super tentacles makes him strong all around.

The fight scenes between Spiderman and Doc Ock are one of the best CG special effects I've ever seen. Doc Ock's super tentacles are more than a match for Spidey. He gets beat up pretty badly.

Between the action sequences, Peter goes through a lot of angst and faces tough choices. He remembers what Uncle Ben told him about how sometimes when you have to do what is right, you have to give up your dreams. Even though he loves Mary Jane, he can't be with her because he doesn't want his enemies to attack her. There's a lot of emotional sequences between MJ and Peter.

These types of movies won't win any Oscars for acting, but I thought the acting was great given the context of the movie. The acting is as good as it will get in these types of movies. How else were they supposed to act given fictional superheroes? The movie shows that it doesn't take itself to seriously with a lot of one-liners during the action scenes. There's also a lot of character development in the main characters and the characters are complex. They're not one dimensional like in other comic book films. Doc Ock was struggling with doing what was right. He said that the intelligent had a responsibility to do good for the benefit of society. Supervillains all seem to be cheesy. Doc Ock was less cheesy though because he didn't have as much over-the-top monologues between his schizophrenic personalities and had a less goofy costume than Goblin. In the end, he snaps out of the tentacles' mind control and sacrifices himself to save New York.

Mary Jane also becomes a runaway bride and decides to risk being with the one she loves even though it poses an extreme danger to her. She's probably going to get kidnapped again in the next film.

Also, Harry discovers his father's secret chamber full of bombs and his Green Goblin outfit.

This is one of the best popcorn movies you'll ever see. It's an amazing blockbuster. I hope Spiderman keeps improving in the sequels to come.

A, 92.

Spider-Man 2 

Spiderman

Spiderman 

This was a great comic superhero movie. The special effects were amazing. It's one of the best superhero movies ever made. It's right up there with Superman 1 and 2. Batman Begins was also very good. The other Batman movies sucked big time. All the other superhero movies were also a waste of time.

But, this movie stands out. It's also a pretty good love story between Peter Parker and Mary Jane "MJ".

I didn't like the Green Goblin, however. Like most supervillains, he was really cheesy. It would have been so much better if he didn't act like such a joker. Stan Lee should have just sticked with making comicbook heros instead of voice acting. I thought the acting was good, except for when the Goblin was going schizophrenic and talking with himself. The part where he was looking and talking to himself in the mirror was goofy. He reminded me of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. I like when the villains are portrayed in a more darker light than when they come off as Batman villain clowns.

Spiderman, however, had a good sense of humor. What I didn't get was how a super spider bite can give you super powers. If that bit you, then you'd be super dead. Then, that spider can turn someone else into another human spider.

In the end, why didn't Peter accept MJ's love even though he loved her so much? Does he want to be like the 40-Year Old Virgin or something? I guess he didn't want to make the same mistake Superman did in Superman II. Although Superman had an even weaker disguise. Come on, glasses??! I guess it was because he remembered Uncle Ben's advice, "With great power comes great responsibility."

A-, 90.

American Pie 2

American Pie 2 

If you like raunchy crude humor, then this is the movie for you! This movie cracked me up! There were so many hilarious situations that made the movie into one long laugh-fest.

It was almost as good as the original film. The first American Pie should become a classic. This movie is in the same category with Porky's and Revenge of the Nerds.

This movie begins with friends from the original movie reuniting after their first year in college. They decide to stay at a cabin by the lake and they get jobs painting homes to pay for their cabin. Their only ambition is to get laid.

Okay, so the plot is dumb. This movie is just about crass humor, which I think is the funniest kind of humor. Come on, everybody loves dirty jokes.

There were a lot of embarassing situations that the main kid, Jim (Jason Biggs), went through that would cause most people to kill themselves from shame. In the first scene, he gets caught by his parents and his girlfriend's parents having sex. This was similar to the first film's scene where he gets caught masturbating with a sock by his parents. The first film was the best since it pushed the envelope in terms of what can be shown in main stream movies.

There were a lot of forced situations, but they were still funny. That Stifler guy is a jerk, but every movie needs one, right?

This time, Jim accidentally superglues his hand to his penis, because he mistakenly grabs it instead of the lubricant while watching a porno flick. Then, his dad waits with him at the hospital. After everyone finds out, would you be able to show your face in public ever again? But Jim seems to be able to get over this situation. This should be an encouragement to anyone who goes through totally embarassing situations.

Everyone in the movie seems to be totally focused on sex. Are people really like this? All my friends seemed to be good kids. Maybe, I just didn't know what was going on. I thought they were all Christian nerds, until I heard some juicy gossip about them later on. I guess things like this really do happen in real life since you hear about how something like 3 out of 4 teens these days are not virgins.

This movie is not about the acting nor the story. It's just about the jokes. In this respect, it delivers what it sets out to do. I give it a B, 84.

Happy Birthday, Sis!

My sister Christine's birthday party. Her birthday was on January 7, 2006. We had a party at her house on Jan. 8. We also celebrated Sae Woon's birthday which was on Jan. 1, 2006. We like to kill two birds with one stone. It's very efficient. You can also check out more pictures by clicking on the link below.  

My wife, Sarah, and her friend, Kang Mi (Christina) at our house for dinner. This was on Thursday, December 29, 2005. Sarah made salad, pasta, and other good stuff. Kang Mi (Christina) was one of Sarah's bridesmaids.  

War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds. Oh no! 

This was interesting to watch at first. Then, it went all down hill from there.

This was Steven Spielberg's retelling of the classic novel by H. G. Wells. It stars Tom Cruise. And as you may know, Tom Cruise runs in nearly every movie he's starred in. He runs a lot in this movie. I used to like Tom Cruise until he started getting weird in public. Now, we really know he's a jerk. It's a shame the movie sucked, because I usually like Spielberg movies.

The special effects were good, but the story just didn't add up. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, not even science fiction fans. I can't believe it did as well as it did at the box office. I guess there weren't that many good movies out last summer.

It may be a good social study of panic and mob behavior. I couldn't believe how the crowd acted when they saw Cruise and his kids in the minivan. They wanted it so bad, that they tore through the windshield with their bare hands. I guess things like that do happen when people are desperate. We've all seen similar things happen like in Hurrican Katrina.

What didn't make sense was how those aliens planted those tripod machines underground a million years ago. Then, the aliens came back when they were ready to invade earth. The aliens came down in lightning bolts to go underground to operate those machines. And humans never noticed those machines down there before?

The aliens start killing everyone in the beginning by zapping them into dust. Then, the aliens wanted to harvest humans for food and energy. What was the point of all that killing in the beginning then?

Warning. Spoiler ahead. Do not read if you still want to watch this dud of a flick. After going through all that trouble, the aliens start dying off because of germs. It was great in the book, but seemed so random and anticlimactic in the movie. Come on.

How they heck did that bratty kid come back in the end? It was almost disappointing to see him back again.

David Kim's movie rating: D, 63.
Special effects: Nice building explosions.
Sociological studies on mob behavior are about the only redeeming thing about the film. The characters were hard to love. The story was not compelling.

Cinderella Man

Cinderella Man 


I thought this was a great movie, and I highly recommend watching it to anyone. This was much more than a boxing movie. It's similar to Rocky, but has more depth to it.

The movie is based on the life of James J. Braddock who became a hero during the Great Depression of the early 1930's. He is played by Russell Crowe. Renee Zellweger plays his wife. It's directed by Ron Howard.

Braddock was the light heavyweight champ until he broke his hand. He and his family lost everything during the Depression. They didn't have enough money to buy food or pay for the heating bills. During all those difficult situations, he never compromised his values. He was like a saint. When he got a second chance to fight in the ring, he overcame all obstacles for the sake of his family. This was a truly moving film. Just like Cinderella though, you know what happens in the end.

David Kim's rating: A, 92.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Don't ask me how I'm watching all these movies all of a sudden. I'm just addicted to movies now. I guess movies have replaced my videogame addiction. . .for the time being. Now, I'm a zombie at work. I need to get some more sleep.

I thought director Tim Burton did a great job of retelling Roald Dahl's classic children's fairytale story. I don't think it will ever replace the original film, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" starring Gene Wilder. That film has been embedded in my mind ever since I watched it as a kid. The freaky boat ride and the catchy oompa loompa song is forever etched in my brain.

Tim Burton's film was weird, whimsical, and wonderful just like the rest of his films. The story is a bit darker than the previous film, thanks to Burton's style.

Entering Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory is like entering Wonderland. It's weird and magical and nothing makes sense.

Willy Wonka, played by Johnny Depp, is a big weirdo. He reminds me of Michael Jackson. He acts real feminine and looks freaky. He has a sort of gray skin tone. He doesn't really seem to be able to relate or socialize with people in the outside world. He's lost in his own little world.

I think this film is very similar to the original film. It had more similarities than differences. Thanks to modern technology, the visuals of the film look fantastic. The colors are very bright and surreal. The old film's technicolor was awesome too.

The story is pretty much the same as the old film's, but I think it's closer to the book than the old one was. All the memorable scenes from the old film are here in the new film, except with a modern twist. This film had a slightly different ending than the first film though. I think the ending gave this film more meaning than the original.

Charlie, played by Freddie Highmore, was a great kid. I think he did a superb job of acting, especially near the end when he had to choose between his family and the chocolate factory. He was very likable. The other kids did a good job too. They did their job well of acting like spoiled brats. You almost wanted them to get what they deserved. Yet, in these litigious times, how can you do that to kids without being sued for everything you've got? It's almost unbelievable how they walked away looking like that. Maybe they were on their way to see their lawyers afterwards. Are those kids ever going to be back to their normal bodies later? I don't think any hospital can fix them up.

Deep Roy did a good job of playing all the Oompa Loompas. He must have been very busy getting into all those different costumes. I kinda got tired of looking at his face though. It was a good way to save money on casting, but he wasn't easy on the eyes.

I love Willy Wonka's Nerds candy. You can still buy them today. Too bad you can't buy any of the really cool candy you see in the movie.

This is another great Tim Burton movie. The film has his signature trademark style to it. Too bad it's geared more towards kids than adults.

When are they going to make a sequel about "Charlie and the Glass Elevator"?

David Kim's movie review: B, 87.

Serenity

Serenity 



Here's my movie review for "Serenity". Serenity is based on the the t.v. series, "Firefly". It's a space cowboy movie set 500 years in the future. The earth has become no longer inhabitable. Humans have learned how to terraform other planets in the universe to make them livable. The Alliance is a type of intergalactic government that seeks to bring order and unity to all the civilized planets. The Alliance wants to make every planetary society a type of utopia. There are other planets that seek to be independent. They want to be free to live as they see fit. A motley crew of space cowboys on the ship, "Serenity" lead by Captain Mal, fly around the galaxy like Han Solo.

One of the members on the ship, River, has strange psychic abilities and kick ass fighting powers. She was a secret experiment by the Alliance. Her brother, the ship's doctor, helps her to escape.

The Alliance try to stop Captain Mal, River, and the rest of the Serenity crew. River had developed schizophrenia from the experiments that the Alliance conducted on her. Her crazy behavior eventually leads them to search for the answers to her nightmares. The Serenity crew eventually discover a shocking secret that may change the course of the universe forever. . .



Anyway, I thought this was an okay movie. I didn't think this movie even came close to the Star Wars movies like some critics say. There were some fun space chase scenes, but not many. I just felt like it was closer to a made-for-tv movie than a blockbuster hit. I think it would have helped if you saw the Firefly series before watching the movie in order to know more about the story. I didn't really feel any emotional connection with any of the characters. The spaceships kinda sucked. The Reavers, gross humanoids that eat people alive, were scary but not that interesting.

The fight scenes were also blase. Nothing special. There seems to be a fascination these days with small young girls who kick butt when they fight. It may be due to the influence of Japanese anime. For some reason, in the future, people use Japanese Kanji as the main written intergalactic language.

Also, what's the deal with people just falling to the floor when walking on a ship that is spinning out of control hurtling towards a planet? I would think that if a space ship is out of control, it would be worse than when someone is walking during an earthquake. Come on. We need more attention to details like this to make movies more believable. You can't just shake the camera and make people think "Oh no! We're losing control!"

There was humor in the movie too, but it was dry. It was mostly just witty one-liners. There wasn't anything too funny. There was less comedy than Star Wars and Star Wars wasn't a funny movie either.

I give this movie a C, 77. I was going to give it a B right after watching it, but while writing this review, there were too many flaws with this movie for it to be a good one.

Xtreme Downhill Skateboarding

Don't try this at home! It's very dangerous. I twisted my ankle when I bailed and it was sore and swollen for days.

Leave this stuff to the professionals.

"Skateboarding is not a crime."

David Kim's Movie Review

Whenever I get a long break (in this case, a 3-day weekend), I try to catch up on all the movies I haven't seen during the year. I love watching movies, but I only go to the theater about once a year. Then, I do a movie marathon all at once.

This weekend I watched "King Kong", "The Chronicles of Narnia", "The 40 Year Old Virgin", and "Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children".







Kong 


"King Kong"
David's Ratings: Both thumbs up, A, 91.

I thought this was a great movie. The movie was visually stunning. It was a remake of the classic 1933 movie. It was also similar to the one made in 1976 starring Jessica Lange. Thanks to modern technology, this version is the most fun to watch. We all know how the movie ends. Naomi Watts' character, "Ann", does not end up marrying the big monkey.

It started off slow, but the story grew in suspense perfectly. The middle of the movie was a nonstop rollercoaster ride. There were several great chase scenes all linked together very well.

There were a lot of unanswered questions in the movie though. What was King Kong going to do with Naomi Watts if she wasn't pretty? Was he going to play with her like a doll until she died? It didn't look like he was going to eat her. I think he just ate bamboo trees. I don't think he liked people at all, except for Naomi Watts. He probably shook all the previous virgin sacrifices to death. I don't think anyone could survive that kind of shaking. I can't believe she wasn't crushed when Kong had to catch her several times during the T-rex fight scenes.

When they finally captured Kong, how the heck did they carry him back to New York? There were only about half a dozen of them left when they got off the island. There was no way five or six guys can lift Kong up on the boat and take him all the way to N.Y. It would have been fun to see them transport him back on the boat.

I felt bad for the blonde girl who was tied up at Kong's show in NY. He just threw her across the theater when he found out she wasn't Naomi Watts.

All in all, it was a great action movie filled with great special effects.







Narnia: Aslan about to eat Edmund 


"The Chronicles of Narnia"
David Kim's rating: C, 75.

This movie was based upon my favorite novel series as an elementary school kid. This was based upon the first of seven books in the Narnia series, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". I was more fond of the memories of the book than this movie. Maybe it's because I'm an adult now, but I just don't like movies where kids are the heroes. I think this would be a great movie for kids though. It is a fun movie, but it does appeal to children more than adults. The special effects were good. The computer generated animation was better than those found in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but not by much.

C.S. Lewis, the author of the series, was the preeminent Christian apologist. Christian symbolism can be found in all of his fictional works, including his "Space Trilogy". He was good friends with "The Lord of the Rings" author, J.R.R. Tolkien, another Christian author.

It is obvious to see that Aslan, the great lion, symbolized Jesus. Aslan sacrificed himself in the mischievous boy, Edmund's, place. The White Witch represented Satan. Aslan was resurrected soon after his death.

I don't know what was so special about the wardrobe. It just happened to be a gateway to Narnia. In Narnia, time moves differently than in our world. The kids were there for about ten years and when they went back home, only seconds had passed.

I thought the animation was well done. I just think that when the girls were riding on top of the lion, they should have been bouncing a lot more than they were. It looked like the girls were hardly moving at all and they were talking effortlessly. I thought that looked so fake.

Kids will absolutely love this movie. Unfortunately for adults, the talking animals and stuff will keep them from relating. Adults can relate to Shrek 2 better than this, because Shrek has a lot more inside jokes. This movie leans more towards the Winnie the Pooh side than Shrek.







Virgin 


"The Forty Year Old Virgin"
David Kim's rating: B, 82.

This was a nice little comedy about Andy, a man who was a 40-year old virgin. It had its funny moments. It had its awkward and uncomfortable moments. It would even be a good comedy for the whole family if not for the subject matter. It had its laughs, but it just didn't have the guffaw-inducing funniness as in American Pie.

Andy was a nice guy, but just didn't have a way with women. He just wasn't comfortable with having sex. His co-worker friends at Smart Tech, kinda like Circuit City, tries to help him get laid. Later on, he meets a hot young grandma and falls in love. He realizes that all this time, he was just saving himself for her.

Andy looks like Brian Dowdy's brother to me.

If I didn't marry my wife Sarah. I might have ended up being like Andy.







Final Fantasy 7 



"Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children"
David Kim's rating: A, 93.


Okay, first off, you have to have played the original Final Fantasy VII game on the Playstation I. The original was made in 1997. This movie is actually a sequel to the game. If you played and finished the game, then you will absolutely go bonkers over this movie. You will appreciate the movie so much more if you played this. I think people who love anime and action movies will also like this movie.

Final Fantasy is probably the most well known and most well respected role playing game (RPG) in video games today. At the time of writing of this review, Final Fantasy XII is the next game to be released sometime towards the end of this year. Out of this greatly beloved series, Final Fantasy VII is arguably the most revered. It can even be argued that FFVII is the most important game in recent times. In 1997, the whole world was blown away by the way this game brought story telling and animation together in a video game. This game took me about 80+ hours to finish. People who finished this game, spent quite a significant chunk of their lives playing this. They were really emotionally invested in the characters. I cried when Aeris died and when Tifa was stabbed by the evil Sephiroth during the CG cutscenes in the game.

This movie totally brings all the characters back and brings joy to all the FFVII fans.

The graphics and animation in this game is superb. The format of this movie is in Sony's Playstation Portable UMD (Universal Media Disk). Don't ask me why it's called "Universal" when it can only be played on the PSP.

The fighting and action sequences are one of the most stylish you will ever see. FFVII is heavily influenced by movies like the Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I'm not sure why or how they can fly like that in the movie. The characters must have leveled up significantly since the original game, 'cuz they couldn't fly like that before. Oh well. It is cool to watch even though it is unbelievable.

The main character, Cloud Strife, is so cool. He rides a bad ass motorcycle and carries enormous kick ass swords. He's a reluctant hero that is haunted by the past. He keeps having flashbacks of the friends he lost, Aeris (Aerith Gainsborough) and Zack.

This movie is just pure eye candy. The story is okay. It's interesting, but kinda confusing in the way most Japanimation sci fi is.

The movie takes place two years after the end of the game. These mysterious silver haired dudes try to bring back Jenova, an alien life form, that they call "Mother". People are being affected by a strange disease, called Geostigma. The Shinra Corporation had found a way to use the planet's energy source, called the Lifestream. However, in doing so, they have been killing the planet. When someone dies, his spirit gets sucked up into the Lifestream. When Cloud and his buddies defeated Jenova, Jenova effected the Lifestream like a virus.

The silver haired dudes try to bring back Jenova, in what they call "Reunion". They think that people are viruses that are destroying the planet. They want to destroy all the humans on earth. They get children, who are most vulnerable to Geostigma, to become their helpers in time for the great arrival. Cloud and the gang try to stop them. When Zadaj, the main bad buy, gets Jenova's DNA, he turns into the wicked Sephiroth. Sephiroth is back! Cloud and Sephiroth get into an awesome sword fight. You'll just have to see what happens next.