Cars (Movie, 2006)

The story is about a Lightning McQueen who is a stock car racer with a big ego and does not take advice well. You can see his transformation from selfish moron to a caring and loyal friend. 

I had no idea automobiles could be so expressive and could garner such empathy. 

MISS CONGENIALITY (Movie, 2000)

Sandra Bullock has a warmth that gets you smiling even when the material is weak. She begins the film looking unglamorous and then undergoes a transformation. She starts as an FBI agent and ends up as a beauty contest finalist. 

Bullock is funny and charming, she can't overcome a bad script that makes the movie feel too much like a fluffy, unoriginal sitcom.

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS

The film is loud, colorful, frantic in pace, but less than the sum of its parts.

It is an incredibly simple yet irresistible idea for a movie. It's also exactly what you think it's going to be - no more, no less.

Hugo

Martin Scorsese leaves his mean streets behind for this exhilarating family tale inspired by the birth of cinema

"Hugo" is unlike any other film Martin Scorsese has ever made, and yet possibly the closest to his heart: a big-budget, family epic in 3-D, and in some ways, a mirror of his own life. In broad terms, the story of his hero, Hugo Cabret, is Scorsese's own story. 

In the way the film uses CGI and other techniques to create the train station and the city, the movie is breathtaking. Hugo seems somewhat a genius with gears, screws, springs and levers.

Scorsese has made documentaries about great films and directors, and here he brings those skills to storytelling. 

《無雙》

以假亂真的故事，誰才是「畫家」？

電影《無雙》英文名的直譯是古登堡計劃（ Project Gutenberg），古登堡是西方活字印刷術的發明人，印刷術的發明對於文明的演進至關重要。一部關於製作假鈔的犯罪題材電影以古登堡為名合情合理，通過特殊的手法讓假鈔在印刷的過程中顯現出水印是讓假鈔以假亂真的關鍵。

《無雙》是編導莊文強再構思出的一部犯罪動作電影，這次《無雙》故事燒腦，最後結局還來個大反轉。劇中人物就如電影故事，難以分辨的「偽鈔」般，到底是真？還是假？讓人費解誰才是背後的大魔王「畫家」？《無雙》看似有不少費猜疑處，如果未來要拍個前傳或續集，都是可以有的伏筆，因為莊文強真的很會編故事。

大魔王「畫家」仍只有一個，那就是李問，因為造假的故事，都是他帶點分裂人格的自我合理化。李問自己對心裡的「畫家」說，「任何事做到極致就是藝術，有心，假貨也可以做的比真貨好。」，於是更認定了舞台，「這個世界上一百萬人中只有一個主角，當主角的都是能夠達到極致的人，可首先要找到對的舞台。」這舞台就是做偽鈔。

「無雙」的中文意思，獨一無二，這也意即畫家只有一個，看似有畫家和李問兩個角色身份在周旋，但其實只有一個兇手，那就是李問。

Overboard (2018, Movie)

This is a remake. The second overboard was just as entertaining as the first. Anna Faris has some of Goldie's sparkle. Most of the humor was not as funny in English as how it was received in Spanish. 

Entertaining!

Crazy Rich Asians (Movie, 2018)

This movie is unique in that it shows Asian people who are not so one dimensional. It does serve to show that the stereotypes are not indicative of the rich tapestry of the cultures in Asia. It's a movie that follows the American tradition of romcoms while featuring an all Asian cast (a Hollywood first,) It is also in the vein of a Korean soap opera. 

Based on Kevin Kwan’s satirical novel of the same name, is the first major American production since “The Joy Luck Club” in 1993 to feature a mostly Asian cast. 

Mission Impossible: Fallout (Movie, 2018)

Mission: Impossible - Fallout is an unrelentingly consistent action movie, with not a single sequence wasted before the next big stunt. Producer-star Tom Cruise, well into his 50s, scores numerous laughs as the increasingly confused and harried CIA agent Ethan Hunt, leaping into one spectacular stunt after another and then wishing he hadn't. It keeps on going and going, following one exciting sequence with another and then another.

The Grand Heist (Movie, 2012)

The Grand Heist is a rollicking affair set in late 18th Century Korea, during the Josean era. Back in those days, ice, considered a most invaluable merchandise, moved the economy like nothing else. 

This had just the right balance between humor and drama so as not to be slap-stick. 

Movie "Under the Tuscan Sun"

The movie is inspired by Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy, a best seller by Frances Mayes. Diane Lane journeys to Tuscany and jumps into real estate. She does find romance, to be sure, but it's not what she's looking for. 

Consider first Diane Lane. Some people are fortunate to have faces that can be decoded as a sign of good character. This has nothing to do with "beauty" and more to do with ineffables like smiles and eyes. Diane Lane involves us, implicates us. She persuades us that she deserves to be happy. 

Eventually, after Frances has suffered enough, the film slaps on a happy ending like a Post-it note, but her reward is not earned. This conclusion cheapens what Frances has endured and is the equivalent of saying that all the work on her villa didn't raise her property values by a single euro.

Star Trek (Movie, 2009)

This is a reboot of the original TV series. Chris Pine is an awesome Capt. Kirk. Zachary Quinto is a great Spock, and it's amazing to see his scenes with Leonard Nimoy to contrast with the original Spock in their time together. 

However, the lame story line is talking about some guy Nero is pissed at Spock and flies around trying to kill him. Disappointed.

STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH (Movie, 2008)

Stargate trilogy....Hard to follow if not a fan of the show though. 

STARGATE: CONTINUUM (Movie, 2008)

The SG-1 series may be over, but new material keeps coming out. Stargate: Continuum is the second motion picture after the series finale. This is unlike Stargate SG-1 TV series, it is a little more self-contained and is easily accessible for me that I have never watched the series. Stargate and time travel, which are 2 fantastic concepts come together to form this motion picture. 

It's entertaining, for me as a non-SG-1 fan.

life Itself (Movie, 2018)

The rambling “Life Itself” is a multigenerational drama about the messiness of life, but the emotional impact of the movie gets lost in the messiness of its screenplay. It’s an ambitious film by Writer-director Dan Fogelman, but unfortunately, an unqualified misfire. It covers multiple generations, but all the stories (and art direction) seem thoroughly modern. 

The movie uses unreliable narration as a way to pass off poor storytelling as a feature. This movie was told in five chapters of mystifyingly uneven length. All of it leads to heartbreak, betrayal, and an entire sequence designed to make fun of a minor character who didn’t look both ways before crossing the street, and it’s all interconnected to everything that came before. 

This is a film so obsessed with death that it hasn’t bothered to give us any reason to care for the living.

Arrival (Movie, 2016)

It is more about grief, time, communication and compassion than it is warp speed, and it’s a film that asks questions. At its best, and largely through Amy Adams’ performance, the film proposes that we’ve all had those days in which communication breaks down and fear over the unknown sets in. 

Denis Villeneuve is without a doubt an upcoming director who had minimal use of computer generated images, and main focus on story, characters, acting and thrilling scenes. In Arrival there is no action, no explosions, just some amazing acting performances combined with good directing, editing and cinematography.

INCREDIBLES 2 (Movie, 2018)

It's impressive for a movie whose predecessor came out 14 long years ago. The new movie sees the Parr family little changed by the passing of the years, though much improved by technological advances. The family has barely aged, however, and the plot is basically the same. In the new film, superheroes are explicitly described as “illegal.”  But the Incredibles have their particular charms. These superheroes—Bob and Helen Parr, aka Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, and their children Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack—are cast in the traditional mold of comic-book champions. 

In this second movie, the roles are reversed: Helen gets a chance to shine, while Bob tries and fails to keep the domestic machinery rolling. 

The Incredibles 2 is an undeniable triumph, but it is also so keenly aware that it becomes exhausting. 

Ant-Man and the Wasp (Movie, 2018)

This movie is fun to watch and funny. Paul Rudd returns as Scott Lang, Like the original, this is a fun, lightweight Avengers adventure, with lots of jokes and less death and destruction. And it marks the firstt time a female superhero has been included in the title of a Marvel film.

It is a hilarious return to the shrinking heroes, but with elevated action and a heartfelt story, it's a well-rounded Marvel sequel.

花戰

花的存在並非只是陶冶性情或是修身養性，而是以花的力量削平有如戰爭般的歪斜世道。

改編自鬼塚忠以日本歷史傳說編寫的同名原著小說，《花戰》描述16世紀後葉，織田信長於本能寺倒下，天下第一之座讓給了豐臣秀吉，戰亂時代終於結束。不過，秀吉實施的高壓政策卻讓人民十分痛苦。在這之中，有一名叫池坊專好的僧侶挺身而出，將以美麗的花朵為武器挑戰秀吉…。

《花戰》著實是一部令人又哭又笑、大快人心的娛樂時代劇。從池坊專好在前田宅邸家，向織田信長展現的「大砂物」（大型插花藝術）的傳說；千利休與豐臣秀吉的愛恨情誼。

從中國傳到日本，日本花道／華道開始不同於西方以形體之美為重，而是更偏向「形式」與「內容」，以少量、簡潔的花材，將意境深遠的內含包覆其中。千利休與專好兩人之間的關係，仍有互相以茶道、花道切磋與交流，兩人關係密切的說法。插花和茶道就通過兩位大師間的友誼相通了。雖然池坊專好的個性，似乎和原著小說稍有差異，然而看似記憶力極差的怪人，但是他對於花的熱誠，卻也成就了他的為人。

《花戰》就像是一場藝術vs政治的戰爭，以池坊專好為代表的市井小民，如何以自身的力量抵抗外來高壓之力，而池坊專好的武器，就是花朵。先以大砂物喻人進而諷刺當官者，沒有武打或動作戲，一切的戰，全來自於無形的心理之戰。

狂言師野村萬齋的演技，著實令人見識到在喜劇與嚴肅之間，取得絕佳平衡的典範。稍嫌誇張的表情，反而才能突顯出池坊專好對於花道的一心一意。他是純粹沉浸於自己的插花世界裡的那種人。

Annihilation (Movie, 2018)

The plot concerns 5 women entering a dimensional rupture ( The Shimmer) a place where previous teams have not returned until recently ( this is within a 2-3 year period). Natalie Portman plays an ex soldier and current Biologist and the rest of her all female led team have science or emergency backgrounds. In my opinion, they are all young mentally damaged professional women. 

Why did they go into what is almost certainly a contaminated area with no hazmat equipment whatsoever? Why was an "all-female" group being sent in?

At the end, after weird laser lights and body snatcher themes being over, we are still puzzled with not much being resolved. 

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Movie, 2008)

It proved to be a huge disappointment. Li looks absolutely bored in his role as the first Chinese emperor. He is underused and seems more a reinforcement of cliche than anything else. And the CGI quality is strictly middle-of-the-road and frankly, it's not enough to overcome the crumby dialogue and superficial story.

This third entry into the Mummy franchise is a complete waste of time.