Good Hair
August 19, 2009 § Leave a comment
This looks amazing, even though I can’t empathize because I was blessed with thick, silky, pin-straight hair.
I wonder where I would be able to watch it when it comes out.
The Ugly Proposal
July 25, 2009 § 1 Comment
On this rainy night, I went to see The Ugly Truth against my will — well, I agreed to see it only because I didn’t have to pay for my ticket. Many movies at least somewhat intrigue me, but I had literally 0% desire to see this one. I despise romantic comedies, and I only watch them if they feature actors or actresses that I really like, which is why I actually wanted to watch The Proposal [I love Sandra Bullock, and Ryan Reynolds has a smoking hot body].
I am relatively neutral about Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, but I knew from watching the trailer that I would not like a movie about an abnormally high-strung woman who pathetically can’t get a man and has to resort to following the advice of a crass maybe-misogynist, and somehow they end up falling in love. Aww, how predictably predictable.
The Ugly Truth is similar to The Propsal in some ways. I don’t know what is is about successful women that makes screenwriters want to portray them as such desperate and lonely individuals. Bullock plays an editor at a publishing company, while Heigl plays a television news producer. Both are uptight, unable to function properly in a relationship, haven’t been laid in a looong time [11 months, ohmygosh], and only manage to end up in a relationship when they resort to desperate measures.
What annoys me the most about this movie was how embarrassingly desperate Heigl’s character is. I know the scene in the beginning with her on that date with that man is supposed to be funny, but really? It is so unbelievable that anybody could act like that; some characters are charmingly ignorant about relationships, but Heigl was unbearable. Her little celebration dance and reliance on Butler’s character [among other things] made me sad because of what they represent.
The second most irritating thing about The Ugly Truth is its predictability. Although the characters might be somewhat original, the formula is not, which is one of the reasons I barely laughed at all during this film. The scene in the restaurant with the underwear incited much laughter from the audience, but they were cheap laughs.
I did find myself caving in a little to the emotional porn. It was difficult not to imagine the guy I like in the driver’s seat as we drive along the scenic hills of San Francisco, and I hated myself for it. In the end, there were some valid bits of relationship advice that could be gleaned from this movie:
1. Don’t be in a relationship if you can’t be yourself.
2. Confessing love is terrifying.
3. I’m not exactly sure how to phrase this the way I want it, but here goes: it is important for a man to proclaim his feelings for a woman, otherwise she will never know whether he is actually committed.
Snape Kills Dumbledore
July 19, 2009 § Leave a comment
My thoughts on Harry Potter VI:
1. Tom Felton successfully portrays a gaunt, terrified and brooding malcontent. He looks really hot in that fitted black ensemble, although it’s a pity he has such bad skin.
2. I always imagined Ron Weasley to be a typical lanky dork, so it was quite a surprise that Rupert Grint got so big in this movie. His lovestruck scene is hilarious.
3. Daniel Radcliffe is not getting better-looking with age. This is very disappointing. It is partly due to the haircut and glasses as well as his diminutive stature — Ginny Weasley looks taller than Harry in some scenes. Awkward.
4. I had forgotten how much I love Alan Rickman.
5. Professor Slughorn appears to have an uncontrollable urge to keep one eyebrow raised at all times.
6. Lavender = hilarious. Luna = absolutely precious.
7. I did not want to watch the last 40 minutes of this movie because I knew what was going to happen. I did get a little emotional towards the end, but the actual ending was soo cheesy.
8. Despite the considerable length of this film, it still seems to lack substance. I’m not asking for a longer movie, nor do I expect for the filmmakers to cram all that information into the script, but I just think it felt kind of hollow. Perhaps I will reread the book to fill in the gaps.
9 I usually talk a lot during movies, but I didn’t at all during this one. I did not want to miss a thing, and it at least held my attention.
10. I cannot believe how many of my friends went to go see this movie without reading the book(s).
11. I cannot believe how many of my friends have not read the books.
乒乓球
July 8, 2009 § 1 Comment
Out of sheer boredom, I decided to choose one of my many bookmarked movies to watch after brushing my teeth last night. I randomly chose Ping Pong Playa — I had never heard of it before coming across it while browsing the site, but a friend recently mentioned that he liked it, so I gave it a try.
Despite the cheesy trailer, I was richly rewarded for the next 1.5 hours. This is, hands down, one of the best Asian-American movies that I have ever seen, as well as one of the funniest films I’ve watched in a long time. I was seriously afraid that I would wake up my family with my laughing.
One thing I greatly appreciated is that everybody speaks the same kind of Chinese to an understandable extent, which is very rare in films that are produced in America. Some of the reviews on Facebook bemoan the use of cliché stereotypes, and I would agree that they are definitely in there. However, there is a difference in the way that they are used in Ping Pong Playa, which is from a viewpoint that understands the stereotype. After all, stereotypes are usually based in some truth, and I did not feel like the Chinese characters misrepresented Chinese people [the douchebag villain and his stupid sidekick were kind of pushing it, but it is a comedy after all]. More successful siblings, gossiping mothers, filial pride and shame — these are a part of the daily life of a 1.5 or 2nd generation Chinese-American, and they are all present in the movie.
On a more personal note, I was very relieved that there was not a big romantic subplot. My love for this film would have decreased by 50%. Also, a friend told me that the protagonist, Jimmy Tsai, is in his 40s [the internet cannot confirm this]. I would believe it, though, having just recently learned that John Cho is freaking 37 [he could pass as 24]. I love that Asians age well; that is a stereotype in which I would be glad to participate.
auradis 