SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

ENGLISH - (N/A) - N/A - Drama

Distributor: Fox Searchlight, Warner Bros, Pathe

Running time: about 120 mins.

Director: Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan

Producers: Christian Colson

Writers: Simon Beaufoy, Vikas Swarup (novel)

Casts: Dev Patel, Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Irfan Khan, Tanay Chheda

Plot: Set and filmed in India, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a young uneducated man from the Dharavi slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" (Kaun Banega Crorepati; though there is no explicit reference to KBC in the movie) and exceeds people's expectations, arousing the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

Slumdog Millionaire - the best film of the year (2008)? Well, almost close. The story is based on the adaptation of an Indian diplomat short story's Q&A which tells a slum's miraculous journey in winning a million cash in a quiz and been interoggated by police for believed to have been cheating his way for the top prize money.

Jamal, a slum from the city of Mumbai was appearing on the famous game show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, in hope he will meet again with his childhood love, Latika. Jamal's story comprises of few segments which co-incides with the three segments featured on the game show. Each tells a different mood and settings. The first; the childhood era describes a happy-go-lucky, comedic and innocent. Jamal's memorable moments include getting an autograph from , the lost of his mother during anti-Islam sentiment, his time been in illegal orphanage. All these miraculously helped him to answered all throughoutly well.

The second part; been an adoloscent, he and his brother worked to disguise as a tour guide in Taj Mahal and doing odd jobs, again helped him to answer all questions. In this stage, the theme of discovery and soul-searching are portrayed. The last part, the step into adulthood - with more serious theme of intense, revenge and sacrifice are portrayed, with his continuous search of Latika brought him into the game show.

WARNING SPOILER! The finale from the last question Jamal need to answered until the moment he met with Latika was among the most exciting ending of any movie of the year!

The film will be celebrated for its well defined, smooth, well crafted, well timed and well written screenplay and story which champions the underdog. This simply the winner for the been among the best screenplay of the year - easily will beat others in the upcoming Oscar award for several categories.The only shades of grey was the uneasiness felt in the relationship between Jamal and his brother Salim.

However, the film just could not be spared from heavy criticism. Much of these critism revolved around the protrayal of a dirty India and all of its community problems. However uneasy the movie may portray the vision of India, there were many to be beautifully seen - Taj Mahal for example. Other than that, this is a sure one of top movie of the year.

JAMAL MALIK IS ONE QUESTION AWAY FROM WINNING 20 MILLION RUPEES. HOW DID HE DO IT?

A. He cheated

B. He's lucky

C. He's a genius

D. It is written

THE RATINGS.....

CAST - 4.5 stars

STORY - 5.0 stars

CINEMATOGRAPHY - 5.0 stars

EFFECTS - 4.0 stars

an overall >> 4.5 stars

GreenTea-O-Meter: 18.8

FROST/NIXON

ENGLISH - (N/A) - 30 April 2009 - Drama

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Running time: about 122 mins.

Director: Ron Howard

Producers: Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner

Writers: Peter Morgan

Casts: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell

Plot: For three years after being forced out of office, U.S. President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) remained silent. However in summer 1977, he agreed to sit for an interview to confront the questions about his time in office, especially the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone by selecting David Frost (Michael Sheen) as his televised confessor, intending to outfox the British TV host and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

You thought this is going to be boring with 2 grown-up peoples chatting and cross-examining each other in the one of the world's most watched interview in television history? The answer is both yes and no. But let us learn some history background regarding Richard Nixon. In early years of his presidency, US was involved in Vietnam war and his final years were tainted by the Watergate Scandal. President Nixon was the only president who had ever resigned from his post in the US history. Properly it would be best for you to read this first.

The reason I would say this is partly bored and not is because of the pace of the story. Boring if you consider yourself a knowing nothing about the background. The pace in the beginning was a bit slow and wordy to follow. Conversation is heavily political arm and maybe too deep. However, the pace normalize and began to pick up as things began to subtle once Frost asked the first question ad the mid-point of the movie.

Again, if you think this is just an interview involving 2 peoples, then you are wrong. It is more than that, involving a crash of two titans, whom one offensively searching for evidences while one furiously and strategically defending. It is a big strategy and mind game to play and indulged in. This big game seems to work well with many considered it among the best movie of the year. The screenplay was well delivered and intelligently worked its way out. Kudos to long-time pals of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.

Michael Sheen whom we recently saw in Underworld played the interview master-mind of David Frost while Frank Langella imposing as President Nixon. Sam Rockwell took up the role of stern James Reston Jr, one of the man behind the passion to sort of humbling down Nixon. The actings were good and I was rather surprise to see Sheen not on the actor nominations for Oscar. The Oscar nomination for acting role was nevertheless still grabbed by the extra-ordinary performance by Frank Langella. Overall, their performances were powerful, intriguing and intense.

Although it would be less exciting for not mentioning that the art direction and cinematography were great as well. This would be a hard call if you ask if this will be the best picture in Oscar, since strong challenge from Slumdog Millionaire.

THE RATINGS.....

CAST - 4.0 stars

STORY - 4.0 stars

CINEMATOGRAPHY - 4.0 stars

EFFECTS - 4.0 stars

an overall >> 4.0 stars

GreenTea-O-Meter: 16.0

UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS

ENGLISH - (18SG) - 22 January 2009 - Action Adventure

Distributor: Sony Pictures (Screen Gems)

Running time: about 86 mins.

Director: Patrick Tatopoulos

Producers: Len Wiseman, Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Skip Williamson

Writers: Len Wiseman, Danny McBride

Casts: Rhona Mitra, Bill Nighy, Michael Sheen, Kevin Grevioux

Plot: The prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian (Sheen) emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja (Mitra), in his battle against the Death Dealer and his struggle for Lycan freedom.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

The Underworld zero - 0, not 3. The reason is without knowing much of the first two installments, you will think that this movie ended with a cliffhanger. The other reason is that it was actually a prequel for those who didn't know. Well, either you did watch or not the first two Underworld, it is time to watch back Underworld and Underworld Evolution to continue the saga.

The movie tells the introduction of Viktor as the leader of the Vampires clan while having Lycans, a part of the werewolf clan as the Vampire's slave. However, it is important to note that the vampires and werewolves were from the same ancestor. Due to the Vampire's faulty treatment to the Lycans and Lucian, a destined leader of the Lycans was romantically involve with Sonja, Viktor's daughter, the Lycans fought back against their master. Things only get worst when Viktor had Sonja been executed after discovering that Sonja bore a child with Lucian which will allowed a cross between the Vampires' and Lycans' bloodline. Because of that, the war forged between Viktor's Vampires and Lucian's Lycans.

I would said the acting was okay. Bill Nighy, famous for his role as Davy Jones in POTC, was a legend. In this movie, his portrayal as Viktor was awesome. A stern, credibility and headstone leader, he did great job to the movie. Others been (Sonja) Rhona Mitra, relatively unknown but you may found her in Nip/Tuck; and the opposite Michael Sheen as Lucian were equally good. However, the legacy left over by Kate Beckinsale and Micheal Speedman are still felt while I was watching the movie. I bet you don't know this, all three of them are British.

The story in this movie is vital to explain what really happen in Serene (Kate Beckinsale) in the further story in Underworld. Therefore, I would give a highly appraisal for crafting a story to merely to explain but in a much understandable manner. I find it hard and confused when I first watched Underworld back in 2003. I like that they maintain the dark Gothic style of the movie which made Underworld the kind of mood you would love to be indulged. The weaponry and costume were stylish and elegant.

The only problems were that its plot flow were always interrupted by a quick shots of climax and anti-climax. The fights were brief and compelled little excitement. Even compensate with a stylish angle of cinematography, the movie like its predecessors was pretty much overacted. Clocking only 86 minutes, this is an understandable movie with many respect for resolving audience blurriness while watching the first two.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 3.0 stars
STORY - 3.0 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 3.5 stars
EFFECTS - 3.5 stars
an overall >> 3.0 stars
GreenTea-O-Meter: 12.6

News Edition 17.01.2009

KEANU REEVES IN COWBOY BEBOP
[sources: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=24013]

Cowboy Bebop is a popular Japanese anime TV series that was popular back in 1998 when it was first released. The premise, it tells a story of a futuristic bounty hunter that leads a team to bring in the worst offenders following human's success to colonize the solar system. The story sets in 2071, 50 years after the astral gate accident that destroyed half of the moon and killing over 4.5 billion of the world population. It was one of the Top 25 Best Anime ever made. Last year, 20th Century Fox gave a greenlight for the development of the movie. The news is Keanu Reeves is confirmed to take on the lead role of Spike Spiegel while Peter Craig will write the scripts. However, no release dates been confirmed and so do who will be consider for the roles of Jet Black, Ein, Faye Valentine and Edward (a girl). So, will it be another Matrix or another Johnny Mnemonic?

WATCHMEN REJOICE!!
[source: http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=24014]

Legal dispute sets to overshadow the prospect of the movie sonce the Christmas Eve. But rejoice and be merry for The Watchmen legal dispute saga has settled and everything is set for March 6. 20th Century Fox challenged the breach of copyright by Warner Bros, while the judge trial the case ruled in favour of Fox at Christmas Eve and pending. Both studios went into negotiation that came to an agreement on January 15. The settlement was believed to involve a large sum of unspecified payment upfront to Fox with further allocation of the film's profits.

"Warner Bros. and Twentieth Century Fox have resolved their dispute regarding the rights to the upcoming motion picture Watchmen in a confidential settlement. Warner Bros acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography. Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith in defending against those claims. Warner Bros. and Fox, like all Watchmen fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film's March 6 release in theatres."

McG WANTS WILL SMITH
[sources: http://www.latinoreview.com/news/exclusive-mcg-wants-a-bad-boy-to-go-20-000-leagues-under-the-sea-5987]

This summer, McG will presents another termination mission into the theatre. Christian Bale will be John Connor in the battle against machines in the apocalyptic world in the near future. Also in the movie, Sam Worthington will play Marcus Wright, a human resistance soldier against the machines. We do hope to see how great McG will bring Terminator Salvation into the theatre this summer. In an recent interview with Latinoreview.com, McG next project is possibly a prequel to the Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The Disney production is trying to court Will Smith, fresh from his dramatic role on Seven Pounds to play the title character, Captain Nemo. Well, everyone knows that whatever Will Smith in, the movie will turn into a box office gold.

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (Preview #2)

Last November, the author put up a post to summarize some of the rumours to be in the second installment of Transformers. 2 months have passed and new rumours replacing others keep emerging on the net. Here is the first post that we have 2 months back and this is the current most. Do note that some of the informations are true based on the writing time. The author will try to make it as close to the sources as possible but with Michael Bay's efforts to trick us into believing it's real although it's false, the author cannot guarantee at first that these infos are correct. [Sources: Based on the large resources I gathered around at Wikipedia, IGN, Transformers official website, Michael Bay's blog]

PRINCIPAL INFORMATION

Distributor: DREAMWORKS, PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Director: MICHAEL BAY
Executive Producer: STEVEN SPIELBERG
Producers: LORENZO di BONAVENTURA, TOM DeSANTO, DON MURPHY
Writers: ROBERTO ORCI, ALEX KURTZMAN, EHREN KRUGER
Casts: SHIA LaBEOUF, MEGAN FOX, JOSH DUHAMEL, TYRESE GIBSON, JOHN TURTURO, MATTHEW MARSDEN, ISABEL LUCAS, more...

STORY

• The premise of the story from Wikipedia: Sam Witwicki discovers something about the ancient origins of the Transformers and their history on Earth. There is something hidden within the Egyptian hieroglyphs that contained some hidden messages or informations vital to both Autobots and Decepticons. The Decepticons returning to Earth to formulate a mission to capture Sam for the informations before the robots engage in a climatic battle at Giza, Egypt where a secret temple is located.

CAST

• Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) - he will enrol into Astronomy course at East Coast (presumed as Princeton) college and somehow will have a long-distance relationship with Mikaela (Megan Fox). Shia himself injured badly twice - a car accident that required him to undergo hand surgery and been hit on eye by a prop which required 7 stitches. Due to that, the scripts were re-written to protect his hand for the remainder of the shoot.
  
• Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox)
• Captain William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) whom will assume a major task for gathering an international taskforce battling Decepticons.
• Master Sergeant Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson)
• Reggie Simmons (John Turturo), the ex agent for Sector 7.
• Graham (Matthew Marsden) is the member of UK Special Forces whom will join Captain Lennox's team.
• Other roles include: Leo (Ramon Rodriguez); unkown principal role (Steve Tom); Ron and Judy Witwicky (Kevin Dunn and Julie White); university professor (Rainn Wilson); unnamed role (Kym Whitley)
• Alice (Isabel Lucas) who become Sam's college-mate is later rumoured to be a pretender (see robots)

ROBOTS

• Production teams have confirmed that this time all the robots, be it Autobots or Decepticons will have more robots in number, more dialogues and more screen times especially the Decepticons. Producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura said that there will be around forty robots in the film. Autobots will be in blue highlight while the Decepticons will be in red.
  
• Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) - leader of Autobots transformed into a blue and red flame Peterbilt Model-379 track
• Bumblebee (Mark Ryan) - a 5th Generation Chevrolet Camaro
• Ironhide - the weapon expert of Autobots transforms into a GMC Topkick C4500
• Ratchet - the Autobot medic and transforms into a Hummer H2 SUV
• Arcee - a female Autobot that can seperate into 3 motorcycles, presumed to be Bruell Firebolt
• The Twins - arguably faked by Bay, consists of an initially an ice-cream van that later reformatted into a Chevrolet Beat (possibly called Skids) and Chevrolet Trax
• Sideswipe - a Chevrolet Corvette
• Jolt - a blue Chevrolet Volt which should not be confused with the Jolt from Decepticons
• Jetfire - a SR-71 Blackbird from initially a Decepticons that later turn to help Optimus
  
• Megatron - seems to be a fake piece of information in which the character was killed and thrown into the Laurentian Abyss in the first film was though to have been resurrected as a Cybertronian tank, claimed to be just a new toy
• Starscream - Megatron's second-in-command that fled in first film and trasnforms into a Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor jet
• Soundwave - a Decepticon's communication expert that can transforms into a satellite. It is later believed to have two minions attached to it - Ravage and Laserbreak
• Barricade - a Saleen S281 police car that disappear in the first film
• The Constructicons (possibly Devaststor) - which comprised of several construction vehicles that can combine into a single robot
• unidentified Audi R8
• Alice (Isabel Lucas) was heavily rumoured to be a Pretender, a robot that able to mimic an organic form including human, which the presence was confirmed for the film
  
• An extra robot, which serves as a servant of Unicron called The Fallen will also made a feature

TRAILERS

• The teaser trailer will likely to premier during the Super Bowl on February 1

FIRST LOOKS
Pictures are courtesy of Empire Online, Yahoo....

THE 66th GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organizer for the Golden Globe Awards had announced the winners for the recently 66th Golden Globe Awards which will be held on the 11th January 2009. The full list of winners were available since then. Following are the winners of the categories in the film categories. The winners are highlighted in colour-codes. For full list, including the television categories, click here.

BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button // Frost/Nixon // The Reader // Revolutionary Road // Slumdog Millionaire

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married // Angelina Jolie - Changeling // Meryl Streep - Doubt // Kristin Scott Thomas - I've Loved You For So Long // Kate Winslett - Revolutionary Road

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA

Leonardo DiCaprio - Revolutionary Road // Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon // Sean Penn - Milk // Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button // Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

BEST MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Burn After Reading // Happy-Go-Lucky // In Bruges // Mamma Mia! // Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Rebecca Hall - Vicky Cristina Barcelona // Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky // Frances McDormand - Burn After Reading // Meryl streep - Mamma Mia! // Emma Thompson - Last Chance Harvey

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Javier Bardem - Vicky Cristina Barcelona // Colin Farrell - In Bruges // James Franco - Pineapple Express // Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges // Dustin Hoffman - Last Chance Harvey

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Bolt // Kung Fu Panda // Wall-E

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany) // Everlasting Moments (Sweden/Denmark) // Gomorra (Italy) // I've Loved You So Long (France) // Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams - Doubt // Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona // Viola Davis - Doubt // Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler // Kate Winslet - The Reader

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

Tom Cruise - Tropic Thunder // Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder // Ralph Fiennes - The Duchess // Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt // Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

BEST DIRECTOR - MOTION PICTURE

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire // Stephen Daldry - The Reader // David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button // Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon // Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road

BEST SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire // David Hare - The Reader // Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon // Eric Roth - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button // John Patrick Shanley - Doubt

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MOTION PICTURE
"The Wrestler" - The Wrestler

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MOTION PICTURE 
A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

OUTLANDER

ENGLISH - (18SG) - 1 January 2009 - Action Adventure / Science Fiction

Distributor: The Weinstein Company

Running time: about 115 mins.

Director: Howard McCain

Producers: Barrie M. Osborne, Chris Roberts

Writers: Dirk Blackman, Howard McCain

Casts: James Caviezel, Sophie Myles, Ron Pearlman, John Hurt, Jack Huston

Plot: During the reign of the Vikings, Kainan, a man from a faraway world, crash lands on Earth, bringing along with him an alien predator known as the Moorwen. Though both man and monster are both seeking revenge for the violent wrongs committed against them, Kainan leads the alliance to kill the Moorwen by fusing his advanced technology with the Viking's Iron Age weaponry.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

This is a movie that resembles much of a Star Craft game. A cross between science fiction and medieval adventure seems to be a good idea until you found out that the match does not work well in Outlander. It's too weird and too lambast to be accepted.

In this movie, an outer-space humanoid creature or man - crash land somewhere around the Viking land in 700s while a beast was carried in the space craft at the same time. Therefore, he needs to embark in a journey to kill the monster beast, named Moorwen from terrorizing the human. Thus, he lead an alliences with the Vikings to destroy them.

How many of you will realize that James Cazeivel is the Jesus from the Passion of the Christ? Yes, he turned himself from a holy-gorgeous title character of our beloved prophet into somehow an emotionless and agitating hero that lead the Vikings into war against beast. It seems that James Caviezel did not put enough glitters into the movie thus made it less stellar. The only best part is that the first human language he spoke (in English) was F*** and if he did tell you a story of his past, the emotion does rolls in. The employment of Ron Pearlman od Hellboy is nothing but a distraction. He only played a small cameo role of a rival Viking tribe.

The story is a little bit out of its usual shape. I would only said the idea and concept used in the movie are good but displaying a very rare excitement to ignite the movie. The pace can be sloopy and it can be too quick; it is just inconcsistent. Other than that, illogical story!! Imagine a high tech metal from the extra-terrestrial world been forged in fire and made into Viking's weapon? Or imagine how the Moorwen can breed in few days into a few younglings suggesting that they are higly breed-able? Also, the plot is a bit tricky and very random at most of the time.

The story may be not as good as it seem but it was well compensated by the effects and cinematography. The visualization of the beast works well and seems awesome. Again, cinematography saves the movie a little.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 2.5 stars
STORY - 2.0 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 3.0 stars
EFFECTS - 3.5 stars
an overall >> 2.5 stars

GreenTea-O-Meter: 10.1

2008 Summary List

The List For Movies Watched And Reviewed For 2008

Hello readers, sorry for the lack of update at this site recently. The movie reviews are still happening here and it just that I just unable to spare time to write any new reviews. Right now, I'm owing everyone 2 movie reviews BUT they will be featured soon. The two posts will be up this weekend so stay tune...

Followings are the catalogue of movie I have watched over the period of 2008. Here's a recap of all the movies I have watched.

01. RENDITION (2.0)

02. IN THE NAME OF THE KING (1.0)

03. GAME PLAN (3.0)

04. CLOVERFIELD (4.0)

05. EASTERN PROMISES (2.5)

06. JOHN RAMBO (2.0)

07. AMERICAN GANGSTER (3.5)

08. THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLE (3.5)

09. SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2.5)

10. MEET THE SPARTAN (1.5)

11. JUNO (3.5)

12. P2 (2.5)

13. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2.5)

14. JUMPER (3.5)

15. VANTAGE POINT (4.0)

16. REDLINE (1.0)

17. THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE (2.0)

18. DR SEUSS' HORTON HEARS A WHO! (3.0)

19. 10,000 BC (2.0)

20. CJ7 (2.5)

21. KUNGFU DUNK (2.5)

22. THE EYE (2.5)

23. GONE BABY GONE (4.0)

24. SHUTTER (2.0)

25. 27 DRESSES (3.5) 

26. THE WATER HORSE: LEGEND OF THE DEEP (2.5)

27. AWAKE (2.5)

28. NIM'S ISLAND (3.0)

29. DEFINITELY MAYBE (3.5)

30. THE MIST (3.0)

31. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (3.5)

32. AH LONG PTE LTD (2.5)

33. THREE KINGDOMS: RESURRECTION OF THE DRAGON (2.5)

34. STREET KINGS (3.0)

35. ESCAPE FROM HUANG SHI (3.0)

36. THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (2.0)

37. L: CHANGE THE WORLD (3.0)

38. IRON MAN (4.0)

39. THE BANK JOB (3.0)

40. 21 (3.5)
41. SPEED RACER (2.5)

42. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN (3.5)

43. WHAT HAPPEN IN VEGAS (3.0)

44. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (3.0)

45. SUPERHERO MOVIE (1.5)

46. KUNGFU PANDA (3.5)

47. THE INCREDIBLE HULK (3.5)

48. THE HAPPENING (3.0)

49. PROM NIGHT (2.0)

50. GET SMART (3.5)

51. WANTED (3.5)

52. RUN FAT BOY RUN (3.0)

53. HANCOCK (3.0)

54. WAR OF DRAGON (1.0)

55. JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH (3.0)

56. HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY (3.5)

57. THE DARK KNIGHT (4.5)

58. THE X-FILE: I WANT TO BELIEVE (2.0)

59. THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON (3.0)

60. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (3.5)

61. WALL-E (4.5)

62. STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (2.5)

63. YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN (3.0)

64. DEATH RACE (3.0)

65. BABYLON AD (3.0)

66. LOVE GURU (2.5)

67. BABY MAMA (3.0)

68. DECEPTION (3.0)

69. THE STRANGERS (2.5)

70. THE RUINS (3.5)

71. DRILLBIT TAYLOR (3.5)

72. THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (3.0)

73. TRAITOR (3.0)

74. MAMMA MIA! (3.5)

75. MONEY NOT ENOUGH 2 (3.5)

76. CONNECTED (3.5)

77. PAINTED SKIN (3.0)

78. BLACK WATER (2.5)

79. EAGLE EYE (4.0)

80. THE HOUSE BUNNY (3.0)

81. MAX PAYNE (3.5)

82. DISASTER MOVIE (1.0)

83. BANGKOK DANGEROUS (2.5)

84. TROPIC THUNDER (4.0)

85. RIGHTEOUS KILL (3.0)

86. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR (3.5)

87. MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (3.5)

88. QUANTUM OF SOLACE (3.5)

89. STEP UP 2 THE STREETS (3.0)

90. QUARANTINE (4.0)

91. BURN AFTER READING (2.5)

92. TWILIGHT (3.5)

93. PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (3.0)

94. IGOR (3.0)

95. BODY OF LIES (3.0)

96. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (3.0)

97. TRANSPORTER 3 (3.0)

98. YES MAN (3.5)

99. IP MAN (4.0)

100. BEVERLY HILL CHIHUAHUA (3.0)

101. THE SPIRIT (2.0)

102. THE DUCHESS (3.0)

103. AUSTRALIA (3.5)

Looks like I have watched 103 movies in the year 2008!!

GRAN TORINO

ENGLISH - (N/A) - N/A - Drama

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Running time: about 116 mins.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Producers: Clint Eastwood, Bill Gerber, Robert Lorenz

Writers: Nick Schenk (screenplay); Dave Johannson, Nick Schenk (story)

Casts: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley

Plot: Disgruntled Korean War veteran, Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.

THE VERDICT:

Green Tea says:

What could be the priceless possession you ever have in your life? For Walt Kowalski a.k.a. Harry Dirty - Clint Eastwood, his only greatest possessions are his rifle and a Gran Torino of Ford which he bought back in 1972. But other than that, he also discovered a new friendship with someone he never even bother to care. That is the magic of the movie, the latest offering by Clint Eastwood, known for his patriotism which again he poured in the movie as much as he offered another anti-heroism. Do note, patriotism and anti-heroism, are what made Clint Eastwood a legend.

In this movie, a Ford Gran Torino is portrayed as an object to unite two strangers from a different setting of background. Clint Eastwood plays the role of a Korean War veteran whom seems to live outcasted from his sons and their family, proud of his days as a US soldier at Korean war and his days of jobs at a Ford vehicle plant. This is another strong performance and rather critically acclaimed for his portrayal. At the age of 78, nothing stops him from becoming an icon to a Hmong teenager. In case you don't know, most Hmongs were from Vietnam. Bee Vang plays the role of Thao whom discovered a wholesome new life under the care of Kowalski. Equally praised is the role of Sue (played by Ahney Her), which becomes the guide for Kowalski into the Hmong community.

The story drew a few themes to be tackled with; (1) patriotism, (2) family virtue, (3) respect, mentor-mentee relationship and community conflicts. Set at Detroit, well known for its used to be glorious Ford vehicles era and a rising number of immigrants in that city. (1) Kowalski love his nation so much that he proudly owned an American made Gran Torino, despising his son which had a Toyota, much to his displeasant. (2) His sons and him seems to be a little rattled in relationship as his sons and their family were more interested towards gaining his assets. (3) Kowalski learnt to respect the Hmong community whom he earlier called them 'barbarian' due to the conflicts in culture. (4) Kowalski trained Thao so well on how to become 'a real man'. (5) The gang street in Detroit was portrayed due to the conflicting poverty and discrimination as they were immigrants and Black communities.

I think the story crafted well to illustrate all of these issues. The main points were delivered well and I was able to catch these messages easily. The audience will find it a great deal to accept Gran Torino as this piece of inspiring is the best ever since his another inspiring Million Dollar Baby which garnered Oscars. The race for the Oscars this year seems a little tight but this heart-warming tale of unlikely relationship works well in time when people need to understand that living with other groups of people is what we are in today's world.
Tolerance and understanding are what we need to restore the peace and harmony over the difference cultures background.

THE RATINGS.....
CAST - 4.0 stars
STORY - 4.5 stars
CINEMATOGRAPHY - 4.0 stars
EFFECTS - 3.5 stars
an overall >> 4.0 stars

GreenTea-O-Meter: 16.5