DEATH NOTE

Synopsis:

• A young man finds a mysterious notebook where if he writes a person's name in it, that person will die.

Pro:

• Very interesting premise
• One is reminded of two sayings watching the main character's progression through the movie: "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" and "absolute power corrupts absolutely"
• There is a strong detective element in this movie - very clever how the detective deduces who the mysterious killer of criminals could be
• The Death God is a very amusing character
• The main characters have varying shades of gray to them - even the detective uses some morally questionable methods to try to achieve his goals

Con:

• The movie ends as a setup for future sequels a la Pirates of the Caribbean 2
• The pace may be a little too slow for some viewers

Notable:

• This is a live-action movie adapted from a popular manga series
• There are some horror elements, but there is no gore and nothing scary to freak anyone out like The Grudge or The Ring

Bottom line:

• This is an enjoyable detective movie with elements of horror and fantasy thrown in.  That said, as I have not read the manga, I cannot say how closely this movie mirrors the manga series.  There are some good cat-and-mouse scenes where the detective and the character with the notebook indirectly match wits with each other..  It was interesting watching the character with the notebook initially use it with good intentions, but becomes more and more evil as the movie progresses.  Recommended for fans of detective movies who don't mind waiting a year or so for resolution to the story.

gb!

BLOODRAYNE

Synopsis:

• A human/vampire half-breed is mankind's only hope from stopping her evil vampire father from gathering three artifacts that will give him enough power to plunge the world into eternal darkness.

Pros:

• The director's ability to gather funds and attract name actors to make this movie

Cons:

• Just about all the actors besides the main actress is miscast in this movie
• The action sequences are really slow and awkward
• Ben Kingsley seems like he's acting in a different movie, even though he is supposed to the main villain
• Billy Zane's wig is just atrocious - a mop would have been more realistic than that cheesy abomination
• Michelle Rodriguez seems the most out of place in this movie - might have been better if she faked some sort of gypsy accent
• The only contribution of the human side to the main character seems to be insatiable horniess and a desire to have sex in inappropriate places
• The ending doesn't really make too much sense - why is she sitting on that throne now?

Notable:

• This movie is based on the video game of the same name
• There is talk of this movie having a sequel set in the Old West (?!)

Bottom line:

• This is just a bad movie.  Probably only recommended to people who enjoy watching bad movies like Alone in the Dark or House of the Dead.

gb!

DOA

Synopsis:

• The top fighters from around the world enter a martial arts tournament on an island, but the organizer has ulterior motives for hosting the tournament...

Pro:

• Fighting scenes are well choreographed and fast paced
• Some goofy comic moments
• The main characters are all lovely ladies

Con:

• The plot is rather weak
• The movie is pretty cheesy overall
• The villain's secret plan and ultimate weapon are both pretty lame
• The unknown person throwing the ninja star invitations is pretty damn good - too bad the main villain isn't that good

Notable:

• This movie is based on a fighting video game (Dead or Alive)
• Some fans of the game may be disappointed that the characters in the movie aren't as well endowed as their digital counterparts (then again, those fans are probably better off renting a porn movie instead of watching this movie if that's what they really want)

Bottom line:

• This is light summer action fare that has more T & A than plot.  There are some decent action sequences, but the movie is hurt by the unimposing main villain and weak final action scene.  Recommended to fans of cheesy action movies like Charlie's Angels.

gb!

THE HOST

Synopsis:

• A monster attacks people in a sea-side city, and a man desperately struggles to try to save his daughter, who has been dragged away by the monster.

Pros:

• The monster looks pretty good for the most part
• The origin of the monster (and his appetite for humans) is well done
• The movie is well-paced
• There are some good comedic moments
• The movie makes you care about the daughter and root for the protagonists to find her in time

Cons:

• Some of the supporting characters are not well-developed (like the man's unemployed college graduate brother)
• Some viewers may be dissatisfied by the ending
• The conspiracy subplot doesn't quite make sense

Notable:

• The movie is part political satire, touching on or alluding to SARS, the Iraq war, and Hurricane Katrina

Bottom line:

• This is an entertaining monster movie with some good bits of political satire thrown in.  While the last act of the movie suffers a little (the utter incompetence of the authorities stretches the suspension of disbelief quite a bit), this movie is still recommended for fans of those old B-level monster movies.

gb!

THE BANQUET

Synopsis:

• A prince returns to the palace to kill his uncle, who the prince believes murdered his father to ascend to the throne.

Pros:

• Very high production values in the movie
• The fight choreography is smooth and graceful

Cons:

• Plot rambles around quite a bit
• Just about all the main characters are unlikeable
• Not much character development
• The main character is especially weak-willed and seems to wander aimlessly in the movie - one would thing he would be more driven considering he wants revenge for the murder of his father
• The climax of the movie was somewhat underwhelming and the ending seems a bit forced

Notable:

• This movie is loosely adapted from Shakespeare's Hamlet, although it seems to be from the viewpoint of the queen

Bottom line:

• This movie is another artsy-fartsy kung fu movie that looks beautiful, but has a very weak plot and an unsatisfactory ending.  Only recommended for hardcore fans of artsy-fartsy kung fu movies.

gb!