It is coming quite to the very end of the years. It has been a hectic year running this blog alone. Over the past 2 weeks, GREEN TEA MOVIE has watched and reviewed several movies but due to the time constraint, it seems a little proper to post up a bunch of reviews together. The year end is particularly hectic just like years back. In this post, GREEN TEA MOVIE will look at a few movies:
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (English/18)
While it doesn't make any sense that this movie has came out of expectation as a runaway hit, the story feels a little cliche. The whole story of unaffectionate love of seemingly functional family but tampered with a lot of internal conflicts and unauthorized affair takes exactly from some family drama, but managed to grab some distinction of its own by portraying a dilemma in a family headed by lesbians. Although predictable, it manage to capture some heart-warming story that essentially brings a different approach on family values. There are plenty to talk about - from points of the parents and the kids; where questions, doubts and concerns about life, sexuality and virtues are dealt brilliantly. It looks normal despite those rave reviews!
GULLIVER'S TRAVEL (English/18)
THE VERDICT
Gulliver's Travel is fun-looking on its external but feels bitter on its interior. The new remake of beloved Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travel's adventure feels misguided, uninspired and did not gave the original source material some respects. If there is a simple word to describe the whole plot of the movie, that could have been non-sense and rubbish (okay, that's three). Gulliver's Travel is missing the right combination of good chuckles and feels good, rather the whole short journey of 86 minutes resulting in a dreadful experience, sleazy and lazy movie to be watched. LUCKY ENOUGH, it's not the worst movie of the year.
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Release Date: DVD on 16 November 2010, unreleased in Malaysia
Distributor: Focus Feature
Running Time: 106 minutes
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Producers: Gary Gilbert, Jordan Horowitz, Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Philippe Hellmann
Writers: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg
Casts: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson
Plot: Nic and Jules are in a long term, committed, loving but by no means perfect relationship. Nic, a physician, needs to wield what she believes is control, whereas Jules, under that control, is less self-assured. During their relationship, Jules has floundered in her "nine to five" life, sometimes trying to start a business - always unsuccessfully - or being the stay at home mom. She is currently trying to start a landscape design business. They have two teen-aged children, Joni and Laser, Nic who is Joni's biological mother, and Jules who is Laser's biological mother. Although not exact replicas, each offspring does more closely resemble his/her biological mother in temperament. Joni and Laser are also half-siblings, having the same unknown sperm donor father. Shortly after Joni's eighteenth birthday and shortly before she plans to leave the house and head off to college, Laser, only fifteen and underage to do so, pleads with her to try and contact their sperm donor father. Somewhat reluctantly, she does.
THE VERDICT
While it doesn't make any sense that this movie has came out of expectation as a runaway hit, the story feels a little cliche. The whole story of unaffectionate love of seemingly functional family but tampered with a lot of internal conflicts and unauthorized affair takes exactly from some family drama, but managed to grab some distinction of its own by portraying a dilemma in a family headed by lesbians. Although predictable, it manage to capture some heart-warming story that essentially brings a different approach on family values. There are plenty to talk about - from points of the parents and the kids; where questions, doubts and concerns about life, sexuality and virtues are dealt brilliantly. It looks normal despite those rave reviews!
THE RATING
Story: 3.5 stars
Casts: 4.0 stars
Cinematography: 3.5 stars
Effects: 3.0 stars
OVERALL : 3.5 stars
GREEN-TEA-O-METER: 14.3
Genre: Comedy
Release Date: 23 December 2010
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Running Time: 88 minutes
Director: Rob Letterman
Producers: John Davis, Gregory Goodman, Ben Cooley, Jack Black
Writers: Joe Stillman, Nicholas Stoller, based on series by Jonathan Swift
Casts: Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jason Segel, Amanda Peet, Bill Connolly
Plot: The big-screen adaptation of "Gulliver's Travels" has Jack Black taking on the title role of Lemuel Gulliver, a free-spirited travel writer. During an assignment to the Bermuda Triangle, he suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he is washed ashore on the hidden island of Liliput, home to a population of industrious, yet tiny, people.
THE VERDICT
Gulliver's Travel is fun-looking on its external but feels bitter on its interior. The new remake of beloved Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travel's adventure feels misguided, uninspired and did not gave the original source material some respects. If there is a simple word to describe the whole plot of the movie, that could have been non-sense and rubbish (okay, that's three). Gulliver's Travel is missing the right combination of good chuckles and feels good, rather the whole short journey of 86 minutes resulting in a dreadful experience, sleazy and lazy movie to be watched. LUCKY ENOUGH, it's not the worst movie of the year.
THE RATING
Story: 2.0 stars
Casts: 3.0 stars
Cinematography: 3.5 stars
Effects: 3.5 stars
OVERALL : 2.5 stars
GREEN-TEA-O-METER: 10.2