Slow Motion

2008 upcoming movies: is it still worth waiting?

As a “premature” answer to my own question above, I’d say I really don’t think so.

It’s because if I can take a guide from some lists of “the most anticipated movies in 2008”, like the one from Film School Rejects here, most of the movies were already released. In fact, in the Yahoo! Movies list, there’s no remaining of all the 10 titles.

Secondly, “anticipated” itself doesn’t really mean the list will be as good as it sound. Well, at least some of them aren’t actually as expected, which is often reflected by the viewers’ comments as well as critics’ previews and reviews. Cloverfield, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystall Skull, The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Sex and the City, and Harold & Kumar Escape for Guantanamo Bay are just a few samples.

So, again, is it still worth waiting? Now, I’d like to say “maybe”, but “maybe not”.

It will depend on what kind of movie a person is looking for. While for some people in general, perhaps the most anticipated movie within the remaining three months of 2008 is Quantum of Solace (scheduled in November), there are still several other titles for a more specific audience. Superheroes lovers for example, would also impatiently wait for the Punisher: War Zone, which will be released in December.

And yes, there’s still a list of some quite interesting movies to be released ahead. And it includes movies with big names of actors and actresses. While on the other hand, there will always be a few “un-anticipated” movies that may catch viewers’ attention at the end.

So, for a moment, I think I’ll just forget about the question of “worth or not worth it”, and just look at the list for this month. Hmm… besides Burn After Reading, Appaloosa seems interesting. And so does Battle in Seattle. The Duchess? Well, how about Eagle Eye? OK, I guess I need to write another list then.

The last 10 movies I saw

Below is simply a list of 10 movies that I watched within the last couple of months, in chronological order. It’s really just a list, which I used to do as well on my other blog. I mean, I won’t be reviewing them here at all – well maybe there’ll be some light comments.

Oh, and yes, I watched almost all of them in cinemas, while there’s one that I saw through DVD just last week. Here they are:

Not the best of Steve Carell’s movies perhaps, but I think Get Smart is OK. Supported by Anne Hathaway, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Alan Arkin, this adaptation of the ‘60s spy parody TV series still has some laughable-though-not-so-smart scenes. Anyway, Rotten Tomatoes gives it 5.5 out of 10 of average rating based on 184 reviews – at least when I write this post.

I can’t really tell which one is better: this movie or the 2003 Ang Lee’s creation. But for some reason, I guess I find more drama in The Incredible Hulk, which features Edward Norton and Liv Tyler as the replacements for Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly. Well, 6.2 is the number in RT rating.

Another superhero movie based on Marvel characters, but actually released earlier than Norton’s Hulk, and apparently is a better movie. Here, Robert Downey Jr plays nicely as John Stark – who also appears at the end of TIH – along with Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges. Iron Man gets 7.6 rating based on 215 reviews from RT.

The Forbidden Kingdom is basically just another typical martial art movie based on some Eastern-legend story. A little bit difference it has is that the top two Chinese actors, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, are there to support Michael Angarano as the young man who’s entering their world. RT gives it 6.1.

Some say Angelina Jolie was a bit excited with this movie directed by Timur Bekmambetov, since she can finally get back to “action” after a while. And she does, though it’s not really special, since Wanted seems to be more for James McAvoy and [perhaps] Morgan Freeman. RT rating is 6.6 out of 10.

Most people would relate this movie with Heath Ledger’s good performance. And I think The Dark Knight is surely for him actually, though the hero in the story is played by Christian Bale. In RT, it has 8.5 of average rating with the “tomatometer” measuring 94 percent. And as I recall, Elmo has a post to a full review about it.

To be honest, I don’t really get all the jokes in Tropic Thunder, though I can still consider it funny enough. Well, maybe it’s because I already read a bit about the “retard” thing controversy before watching the movie. Anyway, Ben Stiller is laughable as usual here, and so is Jack Black, while Downey Jr’s play is just great. RT gives it 7.2, and here’s Elmo’s post for another review.

A sequel of the 2004’s – and some say better – movie about the boy from hell, featuring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones etc., Hellboy II: The Golden Army is perhaps a not-so-well-explored movie. Yet, I can still say I enjoy this movie, at least as a fan of superheroes. RT has 7.2 rating for the movie, while actually Andrew has also write about it.

As another movie to make us laugh this year, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay is perhaps also a mix of several aspects in American life or culture, while as another sequel it is considered not as good as the previous one – isn’t it just a typical critic. Yet, I believe John Cho and Kal Penn may still have their better “kicks” on the next one. It only gets 5.6 in RT.

Last year’s best animated movie, Ratatouille, another creative product of collaboration between Disney and Pixar, basically just “combines” two things: food and rat. But of course, featuring the voices of some not-so-high-profile stars like Patton Oswald and Lou Romano, the movie has more than that recipe. And with 8.4 rating scale, most of RT’s reviewers seem to like it as well.

All the movie posters are from Wikipedia.

Hollywood

A view of Hollywood Boulevard. Picture from Wikipedia.

Hollywood. In spatial term, it’s probably just a [special] district in the city of Los Angeles. But in a more common term, it’s different. It means the centre of cinema world; a busy place where moviemakers work, as well as a glamorous place where actors live. A very famous place in short. A hot spot.

Nothing more to say about this place (or the name) actually, as it is so well-known, even by people who only have dream to go to the State (like me). It is of course because of the movie industry, with products that have touched almost every people in the world – something which Hollywood plays a great role in.

And the internet has made the knowledge about Hollywood a lot easier to get. Any knowledge. Including the history of it (the past), the current existence (present), or even perhaps a couple of its next developments (future).

To know more about Hollywood, especially regarding movies and anything related to them, just open this fancy site. Or try checking out this less-fancy site based in the UK for a different perspective. Want to specifically read about the history of the famous sign on the hill? Here’s the official web source. Another interesting historical reading about Hollywood – in a quite long article – can also be found on this American Heritage site.

But at least for me, Hollywood’s history or daily stories may also be found through some other forms. Some of the movies themselves for example. Or there are also a big number of songs about the place. Such as the songs from the Jonas Brothers, Nickelback, P.O.D, System of a Down, Madonna, The Cranberries, or even from Beyonce and Jay-Z. Similar titles, typical lyrics, but what can we say, that’s the truth about Hollywood they [and we] know.

List of actors and actresses with big money

Pictures originally copied from Flixster’s gallery.

Now, to begin with, these names should be familiar: Daniel Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom, Will Smith. Not enough? Well, how about Tobey Maguire, Tom Cruise, Shia LaBeuf, or Hugh Jackman?

Right! They’re all famous actors. Better yet, they’re actually on top of the list provided by The Movie Times, called “Top actor by average box office gross of all movies” at the moment. Or in simple words: they are some famous and rich actors. So, yes, money speaks here now, guys!

But wait, I’m not trying to do gossip here, OK! Just mentioning names. Simply the names – well maybe not quite.

Over several names I mentioned above, perhaps not all are actually on the top 10 of the list. But at least by checking the list, we’d now how much those “to-die-for guys” have earned from their films.

However, to say that the site can be a bit more interesting, by doing some other sort-outs through different categories, e.g. “total gross of all movies”, another list with different ranks would appear. We would even be able to know how many movies a certain actor has that “worth” over US$ 100 million.

And that’s just the same case with the list for actresses. Keira Knightley might be on top of the list based on average box office gross right now, but for total gross of all movies, Julia Roberts is [still] the lady-of-the-throne.

Lastly, with another kind of interesting “accounting method”, Forbes.com has a slightly different list in its article, which is called the Ultimate Star Payback (mostly are about male actors). Have a look, perhaps imagine their fortune – but don’t get carried away.

Responding to Mai (and about Mai's blog)

Well, Mai, that’s a nice brief comment from you (August 28) regarding my blog. Thanks.

However, I’d like to re-emphasise a bit here, about the reason why my blog is all about movies - something Mai said she’s unfamiliar with. It’s simply because this is the chosen “specific theme” I’d like to talk about here (in this blog). It is also because I like the topic, alot, and that I think perhaps some people might also have the same interest in it.

As Mai’s suggestion to write more about common stuff, like daily life’s experiences or thoughts, or perhaps something about Indonesia, I’ve actually been doing it in my other blog on WP. You may well check it out (and give comment as well on it).

Now, regarding Mai’s blog contents, which I think are mainly about experiences as a “newcomer” in Australia (particularly Sydney), they’re actually great and interesting. And I can say I have a pretty much similar experience or knowledge as well, like some of what Mai had written about.

The topic about “low-paid economy” was even my previous investigative story last semester, though I wasn’t able to finish it due to lack of valid sources. And yes, based on my initial research back then, a lot of friends and collegues around us  actually still do it despite the disadvantage they get from it.

One thing that I found also interesting in Mai’s blog, is that there are some stories about Vietnam - or news from the country. Like that story about the little boy, where Mai writes with a deep sympathy. Touching.

So, keep up the good writings, Mai. At least, your blog will be a reflection of you, for me and others to know.