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514,714 | 317,399 | 380,599 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Oliver Twist | Please sir , may I have some more ? Ah , the immortal line from Charles Dickens ' classic , from the book Oliver Twist , telling the story of an orphaned boy , with sheer incredible luck and a melancholic , likable face . The book has been remade into movies countless of times , and this one is Roman Polanski's take ... |
514,975 | 317,399 | 451,094 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Sympathy for Lady Vengeance | I won't be surprised to see hordes of housewives watching Sympathy for Lady Vengeance , given the Korean drama penetration into Asian households , especially the wildly popular Jewel In The Palace starring the same lead actress Lee Youngae . Then again , given the theme on revenge , filled with its fair share of blood ... |
514,693 | 317,399 | 446,784 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Sketches of Frank Gehry | Frank Gehry is the world renowned architect who designed the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao , Spain . This documentary , directed by his friend Sydney Pollack , takes a quick look into the man himself , as well as to showcase some of the designs of the past 20 years or so , including the Guggenheim , which is given plenty... |
514,834 | 317,399 | 409,184 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Russian Dolls | Russian Dolls are those wooden toy dolls , which can be opened to reveal another doll , and opened again to reveal another , until you reach the final , tiny one . That in essence , is the movie's message on love and relationships . How do you know that the person you're with , is that final soulmate , the final tiny R... |
515,571 | 317,399 | 250,638 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : PTU | The reason why I bought this was simple . Since I was on a DVD buying spree , and had picked up Johnnie To's The Mission ( see review here ) , I thought I might as well pick up yet another of his movies which I have not watched , and so PTU presented itself because of the price , and the uber cool slip case cover . PTU... |
515,279 | 317,399 | 409,904 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Day Watch | We were made to wait for more than 2 years since the debut of Timur Bekmambetov's Night Watch , Russia's groundbreaking science fiction fantasy movie which promised a trilogy with the following two movies , Day Watch and Dusk Watch to follow . The first movie opened to much fanfare here with overnight festivities and a... |
515,342 | 317,399 | 1,032,856 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Band's Visit | The introductory inter-titles alluded this story as if it was a true , and that not many would remember it because it wasn't that important . I'd like to consider that The Band's Visit is however important to highlight and remind ourselves of simple human decency to help a fellow man in need . With little money , no un... |
515,150 | 317,399 | 56,736 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : L'Eclisse | Lorenzo Codelli highlighted to us that this was the first time that Michelangelo Antonioni had back to back to back productions , with the famed Trilogy movies released over a span of 3 years . And they cover distinct cities in Italy too , with the poorest parts of Italy in L'Avventura , the industrial capital Milan in... |
515,321 | 317,399 | 266,425 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Conspiracy ( 2001 ) | It was just as Hitler tasted defeat at the Russian front , that a little known meeting was arranged to mark one of the worst events in humankind . That meeting , known as the Wannsee Conference , was to put into motion the evacuation of the Jews from Germany , then the rest of their controlled territories . 15 official... |
514,542 | 317,399 | 485,863 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Battle of Wits ( Muk Gong ) | The warring states of Ancient China serve as a backdrop for this pan-Asian war epic , starring the charismatic Andy Lau . Going by the literal translation of the Chinese title , it's " Ink War " , alluding to the fact that much of the battles in this movie relies a lot more on superior strategy in order to overcome a m... |
514,704 | 317,399 | 363,060 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Shara | First and foremost , I thought the camera took on a life of its own , and drew a lot of attention to itself . It's free-wheeling , panning , tracking and zooming into noises that call out for notice . In some sense , it took on voyeuristic elements as it seemed we're right there with the characters and witnessing incid... |
514,803 | 317,399 | 340,163 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Hostage | It's been some time since I last saw a movie with creative opening credits . This one is unique , with comic book like panels and graphics , which looks suspiciously like Sin City , capturing different aspects of first responders in a hostage crisis , before dissolving into real life and putting everything into perspec... |
515,122 | 317,399 | 437,800 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Akeelah and the Bee | There are many competitive sports movies out there , and most of them run common story lines either being pro-underdogs , or running along racial ( dis ) harmony themes , believing in yourself , mentor-mentee relationships , you get the drift . Akeelah and the Bee is no different , but like all feel good movies , chanc... |
514,624 | 317,399 | 845,464 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : On The Edge | At first glance , this movie might look like an Infernal Affairs clone , with Nick Cheung declaring he wants to be a " good cop " , and with the element of an undercover cop in the triads . Actually , this could have sort of served as a tangent off IA1 , with keen observations to how undercover cops find it tough to as... |
514,428 | 317,399 | 422,295 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Fur | A photograph is a secret about a secret . The more it tells you the less you know - Diane ArbusNicole Kidman isn't new to taking up roles based on real people , having been casted as Virginia Woolf in The Hours . Here , her role as Diane ( pronounced Dee-ann ) Arbus however , is highly fictionalized , based on the re... |
514,414 | 317,399 | 371,606 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Chicken Little | The little chicken has descended on our cinema screens , having teased us endlessly with its chicken dance to the tune of Dragostea Din Tei ( that numa-ye song ) which preceded most movie screenings , in most theatres , until scratches appeared on that reminder to turn off your mobile phone . Coming from Disney , with ... |
515,175 | 317,399 | 454,824 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Flyboys | This is yet another war movie coming out of Hollywood , but this time it leaves the dramatics and contemplative issues aside , and focus on the action pieces . With its prologue flashing across the screen that we're expecting to learn about the heroes of the war , you know the mood is set for some wham-bam pyrotechnics... |
515,185 | 317,399 | 287,978 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Daredevil | This is the first of a series of Marvel comic heroes coming onto the silver screen this year , before Bryan Singer's X2 and Lee Ang's The Incredible Hulk ( another Jennifer . . . Connelly , . . . . WHOA ! ) To compare it to last year's Spider-man will not be fair , because Daredevil is essentially a dark character , an... |
515,287 | 317,399 | 492,820 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Moon and Cherry | An erotic literature writing club ? Now that's something new ! The closing film for this year's Japanese Film Festival , given the audience's most positive reaction , I'm quite certain that this edition has closed with literally a big bang . While the premise might be refreshing and sexy , at its core is an unconventio... |
514,527 | 317,399 | 814,314 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Seven Pounds | Two years ago , director Gabriele Muccino collaborated with Will Smith successfully in their year end offering of The Pursuit of Happiness , which while based on the struggles of real life struggler made good Chris Gardner , had a saccharine sweet and triumphant ending befitting of the end of year mood of putting the l... |
514,836 | 317,399 | 454,841 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Hills Have Eyes | Hot on the heels of slasher flicks like Wolf Creek and Cry _ Wolf ( so many wolves ? ) this year is The Hills Have Eyes , a remake of Wes Craven's 1977 movie of the same title . Directed by Alexandre Aja , who brought us High Tension ( shown here uncut late last year ) , this remake is surprisingly quite good and blood... |
515,197 | 317,399 | 454,848 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Inside Man | How do you plan and execute the perfect robbery ? Is there even such a thing as perfection in a heist ? There are many unknowns , and with hostages , you never know what kind of complications they'll give you . And what more , when the police are all over you in a matter of minutes ? Clive Owen plays Dalton Russell , w... |
515,076 | 317,399 | 390,808 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : 36 | The opening in 36 has got to be one of the more arresting ( pun not intended ) starters in a movie I've watched in some time , especially if you're a fan of Euro-electronica , where a catchy tune paces the multiple action happening on screen . The French police is stumped by a gang of armed robbers whose fast and bruta... |
514,554 | 317,399 | 810,945 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Live ! | As reality television become staple programming , we have contestants playing games around the world , or just doing so on an island . We have those that propel some into instant fame upon winning a singing competition , and audience participation is key if ratings are to rocket through the sky . Live ! allows the audi... |
514,856 | 317,399 | 481,536 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay | For reasons unexplained , I did not watch Harold and Kumar in their quest to look for White Castle on the big screen , even though movies like these are right up my alley ( I need to destress from time to time , with what a friend of mine would describe movies like these as " cock shows " ) . However , I did catch the ... |
515,056 | 317,399 | 462,064 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : A Wicked Tale | I guess there are at least two sides to a fairy tale . On the surface , it's for the children to fantasize in the realm of the make believe , with magical creatures and powers that appeal to impart good morals and values . On a more mature level , there are layers where adults get to enact their own fantasies , and fro... |
514,630 | 317,399 | 342,984 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) City Sharks ( 2003 ) | When the movie premiered in 2003 , I wasn't interested in the film because it starred Nicholas Lee , whose character I abhorred in Under One Roof . It's nothing personal , but somehow felt that the movie won't be worth my time . How wrong was I , now watching the DVD and looking back . The production's pretty slick and... |
514,879 | 317,399 | 992,911 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Flashpoint | In his black leather jacket and oozing plenty of charisma , Donnie Yen's Inspector Ma Jun quite resembled his other character in SPL , which was also directed by Wilson Yip , because at one point Flashpoint was supposed to be an SPL sequel . But in any case , the character is slightly tweaked . Early in the movie , Ma ... |
515,057 | 317,399 | 1,206,572 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : 12 Lotus | If amongst the montage of song and dance in 881 were I to pick a favourite , it will be " 12 Lotus " , though it was sung to a relatively upbeat tune . Here , 12 Lotus the song became the backbone in which the story unfolded upon , having its chapters make interludes in between scenes , though not always in consistent ... |
514,917 | 317,399 | 443,274 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Vantage Point | First off , a warning . This film is not told in your standard narrative style of having the story told from start to end . I can't figure out why teenagers were chuckling at it , because it's one of the many ways to keep you in suspense as the details slowly get pieced together , with each part of the puzzle from the ... |
514,453 | 317,399 | 484,090 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Alone | Thai writer-directors Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom have shot to prominence in the horror genre with their debut movie Shutter , which I had regrettably missed its theatrical run here , but more than made up for it by being the proud owner of the ( now autographed ) DVD . In my opinion , having mustered u... |
514,443 | 317,399 | 1,043,451 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Delhi 6 | Abhishek Bachchan's character Roshan made a remark relatively early in the movie that made me laugh out loud . While watching a stage play , and not totally well versed in the history nor story , he commented that it was the one about a " golden deer " , and to a certain extent , it was true , but of course totally tak... |
515,100 | 317,399 | 140,352 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) The Insider ( 1999 ) | Directed by Michael Mann , The Insider belonged to the category of movies with a number of nominations for an Academy Award , but won none . Based on a true story ( of course with some dramatic license taken ) involving the CBS hit television documentary series 60 Minutes , this is a rare insight into the time when the... |
515,431 | 317,399 | 495,060 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Abduction : The Megumi Yokata Story | In 1977 , Megumi Yokota vanished without a trace . For 20 years her family had tried to search for an answer , but found nothing , until it was revealed that she was amongst those who were abducted by North Korean spies . The screening today opened with a video address dated in August 2007 by her parents . In it , they... |
514,934 | 317,399 | 406,816 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Guardian | There are many , many films out there about various uniformed folk . The police and fire department probably get represented a fair bit in movies , ranging from heroic stories , to tragedies , and some even featuring them in bad light . In my opinion , first movies should always be sort of a tribute story to the boys a... |
515,351 | 317,399 | 804,522 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Rendition | Think of it as an extreme form of detention without trial . Without commenting and taking a side on the US Foreign Policy , the process of Extraordinary Rendition involves taking persons suspected of terrorist activities to a foreign country , an opposite to an extradition if you wish , to a place where torture is not ... |
515,527 | 317,399 | 445,396 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( SIFF ) The President's Last Bang | I've always enjoyed films which are based on historical / political events , even though they have a fictional element thrown in to spice things up . Films like Oliver Stone's controversial JFK , or Roger Donaldson's Thirteen Days ( hmm . . both starred Kevin Costner ) , are always in my list as definite must watch . N... |
514,876 | 317,399 | 492,931 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The 11th Hour | I guess we can attest that the local weather of late has gone bonkers . More often than note , we have incredibly hot and humid weather with bright sunshine one half of the day , before the skies turn grey and pours heavily on us . We've seen even more occurrences of water spouts emerging just off our shore , and we've... |
514,521 | 317,399 | 468,704 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Daisy | Flowers ! If it's one thing you'll take away from this movie , it's gonna be the flowers . They feature so prominently and are used as plot devices , you'll become an expert in identifying with daisies and black tulips by the time the movie ends . Set in Amsterdam , Daisy tells the frustrating love triangle story betwe... |
515,376 | 317,399 | 496,806 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Ocean's Thirteen | 13 is not an unlucky number for this Steven Soderbergh directed franchise . With many a blockbuster presenting their third installments this summer - Spider-Man , Pirates of the Caribbean , Shrek , Bourne and the likes , Ocean's 13 bested those that have already gone before , with something light and breezy , although ... |
515,323 | 317,399 | 98,258 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Say Anything ( 1989 ) | It's weird , but it has happened . I've been subconsciously borrowing DVDs which has John Cusack starring in them , and this time , it's John Cusack together with one of my favorite storytellers ( storyteller , cos he wrote and directed his own films ) Cameron Crowe , in Crowe's directorial debut with Say Anything . Fr... |
515,488 | 317,399 | 479,500 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Nancy Drew | I last read a Nancy Drew book about 20 years ago , so much of my memory of the fictional character is probably faulty . From what I gathered , the books were introduced to me at an era when teenage sleuths were popular to children growing up at the time ( for my case , the 80s and early 90s ) , with Hardy Boys , Famous... |
514,881 | 317,399 | 401,248 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Beautiful Boxer | I suppose many non-Thai action film fans have their first exposure to the Thai martial arts of Muay Thai through movies like Ong Bak or Tom Yum Goong , both starring Tony Jaa . But the Muay Thai scene in Thailand was set abuzz in the 90s when transvestite warrior Nong Toom took to the stage and battled it out with othe... |
514,580 | 317,399 | 76,341 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Perfumed Nightmare | Filipino filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik calls Perfumed Nightmare his " magic carpet " , as over the last 30 years , his first film is still bringing him to countries and film festivals around the world , reintroducing the film to new audiences and film students when it's screened in universities . An unconventional film , it... |
515,322 | 317,399 | 475,179 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : I Not Stupid Too | No , you need not have watched the original I Not Stupid to figure out what's going on . Gone are the major Khoo Family ( with the Hokkien-swearing Richard Low ) and the main narrator , Terry Khoo . Instead , newcomer Ashley Leong takes over the narrator's role , as Jerry , the new addition to the Liu Family , with Jac... |
514,424 | 317,399 | 427,969 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Hollywoodland | Death under mysterious circumstances make good stories for the paper mills . And celebrity deaths all the more so , as they sell . The Curse of Superman is probably one of the well known controversies ( coincidences ? ) of today , and one of its victims was George Reeves , who played Superman in the 50s , and apparentl... |
515,421 | 317,399 | 1,185,420 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Dostana | Dostana scores a number of firsts . One being set entirely in Miami , with the glorious shots of golden beaches and opportunities for the cast to show off their toned bodies ( for the first few minutes , John Abraham seemed too eager to get rid of his singlet every few minutes ) . And the other first scored was that th... |
514,639 | 317,399 | 765,443 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Eastern Promises | David Cronenberg's previous offering , A History of Violence , was hailed by many as a work of genius and made it to the mainstream paper's top movie of 2005 . But I thought the original story in the graphic novel form was far superior , as he injected his own take for the second half of the film , which earned William... |
514,481 | 317,399 | 439,630 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Initial | Just to set the expectations from this review , I have not read the Initial D manga , nor watched any of the anime . Therefore this review's point of view will be from the cinematic experience , and there will be no comparison on how true it stays to the manga / anime . Despite all the star power in the film , from tee... |
514,742 | 317,399 | 204,007 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Lost in the Wilderness | Watching Lost in the Wilderness would have undoubtedly bring about comparisons to our very own adventurer Khoo Siew Chiow , who is the fourth person in the world to date to complete The Adventure Grand Slam , which is to conquer the highest peaks in all the 7 continents , and cross the North and South Poles . A bio-pic... |
514,617 | 317,399 | 179,626 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) 15 Minutes | I had borrowed this DVD countless of times , but somehow it didn't manage to make it to the player , until tonight that is . Starring Robert De Niro and Edward Burns , 15 Minutes take on an extreme look at reality media , where rival stations would chance upon to scoop one another at short notice , for ratings , fame a... |
514,636 | 317,399 | 831,884 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Reservation Road | You wonder what goes through the minds of those involved in hit and run accidents . In that split second after impact , you are presented a choice , and your life will change , one way or the other . One probably has to consider whether to stop and render assistance , and in doing so owning up to the accident , but hav... |
515,319 | 317,399 | 416,320 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Match Point | Written and directed by Woody Allen , it surprisingly doesn't feel like what I would have expected from an Allen film , nor did I think that I had the patience to sit through one . However , this movie had converted me to wanna watch what Allen had to say in his earlier movies , not that this movie , in my opinion , is... |
515,128 | 317,399 | 439,650 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Letter | Korean movies have become so popular that they are high on the export list to the film industries abroad to be remade for local audiences . Leading the pack is Hollywood , and we've recently seen The Lake House . The Thai film industry too took a Korean movie - 1997's # 1 Korean film , The Letter ( Pyeon Ji ) , and gav... |
514,727 | 317,399 | 382,357 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Land of Plenty | This is my maiden foray into the Singapore International Film Festival ( SIFF ) , and my first review of a film featured in the SIFF . The film tells a story of Lana , who is going to LA after her mother passed away , in search of her uncle . She has been travelling the world with her missionary father , and her last p... |
515,522 | 317,399 | 342,735 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( SIFF ) Manderlay | Manderlay is the second of a trilogy series called " USA - Land of Opportunities " by director Lars von Trier . If you're already familiar with Dogville , then the techniques used in the sequel Manderlay will not surprise you . It's similar , using bare sets , chalk markings on the floor to denote rooms , imaginary doo... |
515,389 | 317,399 | 384,369 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Napola - Elite für den Führer | Napola refers to elite military National-Political Schools , set up to train promising young German talents into potential future leaders for the Third Reich - Man makes History , but Napola makes the Man . Set at the peak of Hitler's Nazi regime in 1942 , this film explores the very different lives of two youths enrol... |
514,788 | 317,399 | 422,091 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Dhoom ( 2004 ) | Said to be loosely based on Taxi and Point Break , I thought Dhoom ( Blast ) seemed to be a whole lot more like the original Fast and the Furious , with a gang of robbers pulling of heists and escaping in their high octane machines charged with nitrous oxide gases , only this time , the sports cars are replaced with sp... |
514,483 | 317,399 | 940,709 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : CJ7 | It's been a long and almost 3 year wait for the coming of Stephen Chow's new movie CJ7 , on the heels of his international success with Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle , both of which were adapted / parodied / copied in the other two competitive movies this holiday season in Kung Fu Dunk and Ah Long Pte Ltd . If imit... |
515,326 | 317,399 | 414,387 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Pride and Prejudice | I'd say I must thank Heavens for bestowing upon me , a second chance to finally watch the most excellent Keira Knightley version of the timeless Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice . Most of you would already be acquainted with the rich story about the sweet romance amongst the wonderfully beautiful Bennet sisters ... |
515,240 | 317,399 | 463,998 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Freedom Writers | It's easy to dismiss at first glance that Freedom Writers as yet another run off the mill troubled teenage class with an inspirational teacher story where the latter whips the class into shape for graduation with some unorthodox teaching methods . In fact it is , except that it's based on accounts of real persons , and... |
515,348 | 317,399 | 441,761 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Free Zone | Directed and co-written by Amos Gitai , Free Zone is the first Israeli movie to be shot in Jordan , and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival . Without a doubt my interest in watching the film is for the performance of the luminous Natalie Portman at her birthplace , and one which spotted a ... |
514,692 | 317,399 | 434,139 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Last Kiss | When you're in your twenties , you feel invincible . Fresh out of school , and with a world of opportunities ahead of you , the general feeling is that nothing can go wrong . At least that's how I felt . And so far , nothing drastic has knocked me off my feet , or grounded my perceived progress to a halt . That is , un... |
514,549 | 317,399 | 464,022 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Glastonbury | Glastonbury is seriously for fans only . One of Britain's best known music festival , if you don't dig the type of music played , or if you don't enjoy unleashing the party animal inside of you , then steer clear of this movie . Otherwise , you're in for one hell of a ride , presented in a very different way . The scre... |
514,735 | 317,399 | 429,589 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Ant Bully | First , let's get the obvious out of the way . The ants in The Ant Bully look suspiciously similar to those in Antz ( 1998 ) . Powered by voices from recognizable stars , Antz had a more direct romance theme applied to it , whereas I felt The Ant Bully had a stronger social message to put across , given atrocities that... |
515,080 | 317,399 | 1,135,985 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Sex Drive | Despite what I would deem as a glut as far as teenage sex comedies are concerned , it's easy to have seen one to have seen them all , but Sex Drive still managed to arrest some attention from start to end because the screenplay by John Morris and director Sean Anders , based on the book " All The Way " by Andy Behrens ... |
515,086 | 317,399 | 1,263,797 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Muallaf | Yasmin Ahmad's Muallaf finally hits the screens , and it scores a number of firsts from her filmography thus far . For starters , it's a departure from the Orked storyline which the last three ( or four if you count Rabun ) had centered around , and quite amazingly , it's predominantly in the English language . Save fo... |
514,500 | 317,399 | 454,921 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Pursuit of Happiness | Will Smith has come a long way since his Fresh Prince of Bel Air days . Starring in an average of 1 movie per year , ranging from action to serious drama , it's without a doubt that he's one of the world's most bankable stars , and turns in an Oscar nominated performance for his role as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of ... |
514,643 | 317,399 | 770,214 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Kabul Express | Kabul Express had been in a number of local festivals here , as well as in the Asian Festival of First Films , and I rue the missed opportunities to have watched this on the big screen . I guess a DVD with extras would have to do , and my interest was initially piqued because it was one of the first films to have been ... |
514,559 | 317,399 | 1,179,271 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : 10 Promises to My Dog | You probably cannot count just how many doggie movies are out there , with its fair share coming out of Japan . Neither can I , and ever since Hachiko I thought none could stand up to the loyalty of that dog , but I guess I was wrong . You think you know the usual drill when it comes to stories about man's best friend ... |
514,841 | 317,399 | 420,238 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Tale of Despereaux | Never did I think that The Tale of Despereaux would have all it takes to be a fairy tale in the spirit of Stardust , and I had actually found myself enjoying this tale from once upon a time , which provided entertainment to children , and not leave the adults in the lurch thanks to its rather mature story that spread o... |
515,219 | 317,399 | 819,785 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Matrimony | I usually get perturbed when I watch movies with Hong Kong actors , because our Speak Mandarin campaign here dictates that these movies if in Cantonese have to be dubbed into Mandarin . Add to the fact that most times , the audio and lip movements on screen rarely sync , besides the frequent use someone with a poor voi... |
514,817 | 317,399 | 432,021 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Resident Evil : Extinction | With Extinction , the Resident Evil franchise perhaps have made its mark as the most enduring computer game turned movie to date . Most of such movies usually make for cheesy lazy weekend entertainment , little in depth but filled with plenty of set action pieces , which for the most parts are nothing groundbreaking . ... |
514,775 | 317,399 | 1,093,824 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Encounters at the End of the World | Trust Werner Herzog to come up with an engaging documentary such as this , where he was on the invite of the National Science Foundation to visit the community of scientists at McMurdo Station over at the Antarctica , and of course , couldn't pass up not documenting his exploration of the ice continent , which was show... |
514,959 | 317,399 | 462,200 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Black Snake Moan | This movie oozes sexiness , attitude and wacky fun , with loads of quirkiness all round . With stars Justin Timberlake , Christina Ricci and Samuel L Jackson , Black Snake Moan is a movie with some of the more unconventional characters put on screen , and with Jackson on board , you can be sure that he brings forth som... |
515,130 | 317,399 | 364,961 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Assassination of Richard Nixon | What will make a man snap , go out of control , and want to kill the President , by flying an airplane right into the White House ? While the setting of this tale is pre-911 , watching it in a post-911 era does send some unnerving chills down your spine . Life is bad for Sam Bicke . His American Dream is falling apart ... |
514,860 | 317,399 | 490,210 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Sarkar Raj | To kill is a crime , but to kill at the right time is politics . Sarkar Raj is the sequel to the 2005 movie Sarkar by Ram Gopal Varma , which is said to be the Indian equivalent of The Godfather starring megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the titular role where a gangster gets elected to political power . You don't really ... |
514,376 | 317,399 | 486,358 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Jesus Camp | Jesus Camp is a horror movie . And the horror is real , not made up , doesn't rely on cheap special effects or tried and tested techniques to make your heart jolt . What's horrific is the systematic brainwashing of children , to have them believe something so abstract , by using devices such as toys , and fear . Childr... |
514,659 | 317,399 | 120,116 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : 12 Storeys | 12 Storeys is Eric Khoo's follow up to Mee Pok Man . The opening montage of various scenes around the residential estates prepares the audience for things to come , that the focus will be on the everyday man , and their supposed challenges they face in their daily lives . We start off with lingering shots of a man , wh... |
514,491 | 317,399 | 399,095 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Trade | The plight of innocent victims of human trafficking for sex has moved filmmakers enough to make movies addressing the issue . The last two in recent memory that I've watch are Your Name is Justine , and Lilya-4ever , both which put the spotlight specifically on the characters created , highlighting the abuse they recei... |
515,328 | 317,399 | 307,681 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) I Not Stupid ( 2002 ) | OK , I admit that the reason why I'm watching this - it's homework for the upcoming sequel which I intend to watch when it's released in the local theaters . Therefore I needed to be acquainted with the source material other than bits and pieces from the extended television serial . Jack Neo has made movies which have ... |
515,234 | 317,399 | 424,136 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Hard Candy | Hard candy is an internet slang for an under-aged girl . And this actually reminded me of a social experiment that a friend and I conducted in the internet chat rooms some 5 years back . There were always plenty of talk and reports about how dangerous the Internet is , with the chatrooms being a gold mine for pedophile... |
514,435 | 317,399 | 819,765 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Dog Bite Dog | First things first , Edison Chen did a fantastic , believable job as a Cambodian hit-man , born and bred in the dumps and a gladiatorial ring , where he honed his craft of savage battery in order to survive , living on the mantra of kill or be killed . In a role that had little dialogue , or at least a few lines in Cam... |
514,750 | 317,399 | 1,034,303 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Defiance | My first thoughts about the film , was of Ken Loach's The Wind That Shakes The Barley , the Palme d'Or winner in 2006 . Similarly , Defiance has brothers leading a rag-tag group of Jewish refugees in guerrilla warfare and a quest for survival , where being alive everyday means a middle finger to the Third Reich during ... |
514,828 | 317,399 | 475,394 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Smokin ' Aces | I've enjoyed Joe Carnahan's earlier movie Narc when it was shown here years ago , a gritty undercover narcotics cops and robbers story with Patric Jason and Ray Liotta as a crazed unorthodox cop . Here in Smokin ' Aces , a few of the same techniques are employed as to the presentation and style in which the movie was s... |
515,281 | 317,399 | 783,238 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Dead Girl | The story brought memories of an old television cult series called Twin Peaks . A dead , blonde girl's body is being discovered in the grasslands of an idyllic village , and this provides the catalyst for the movie as the plot unravels to tell of the stories that centers around that discovery . In summary , it had a to... |
515,491 | 317,399 | 421,994 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Imagine Me & You | I'm not sure if that bubblegum tune can belong amongst the gay anthems , given that Wong Kar Wai's had a gay themed movie titled Happy Together and used the same song too . Yes well , as you would already know , GLBT movies from UK are emerging , from Kinky Boots earlier ( one of my faves for the year ) , and now Imagi... |
514,736 | 317,399 | 809,469 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Umizaru 2 : Test of Trust | Umizaru belongs to the kind of movies glorifying whichever the uniformed group under their spotlight . Those which I have enjoyed include the obvious US Navy pilots in Top Gun , the firefighters in Backdraft , and the Secret Service in In The Line of Fire . While those are Hollywood movies , Japan also had in 2004 made... |
515,107 | 317,399 | 383,574 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest | It was peculiar , but it might be signs of things to come . When I entered the theatre this evening for the Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man's Chest gala premiere today at Cathay , on screen was this static frame of the PoTC logo , with the words : " Singapore , Home of Pirates of the Caribbean : At World's End , Ma... |
515,553 | 317,399 | 952,640 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Alvin and the Chipmunks | Or at least that's how the theme song of the cartoon series sounded like , dug out from my subconscious . For those , like me , who have grown up in the 80s watching television cartoons like Mask , Transformers , He-Man , there are those which are less action based , such as Peanuts , and of course , Alvin and the Chip... |
514,661 | 317,399 | 190,377 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Eating Air | That's the gist of most of the dialogue in this made-in-Singapore film , and it is the earnest dialogue that kept this film " real " and not cringeworthy if it had been polished English language skills used instead . Following the chronicles of Ah Bengs , Ah Boy , our anti-hero protagonist played by Benjamin Heng , int... |
514,789 | 317,399 | 71,544 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : General Idi Amin Dada : Autoportrait | After watching this documentary on Ugandan dictator Idi Amin , you'd come to think that Forest Whitaker's award winning portrayal in The Last King of Scotland had given the military general more intellect , more cunning and definitely a more clear cut look at the nature of the man's evils . But in fact , from what you ... |
515,184 | 317,399 | 362,269 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Kinsey | The movie's tagline says " Let's talk about sex " . And it really does - talk . This is the other bioepic that opens this week in Singapore's shores ( besides The Aviator ) , and it presents to you the life of Dr Kinsey , sex researcher , well , not by chance . Starting off as a zoologist with intense and devoted resea... |
514,840 | 317,399 | 1,194,670 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Panda Diary | The immense popularity of wildlife documentaries once reserved for National Geographic or the Discovery Channels have made their way to the big screen , in no doubt having their path cleared by the success of March of the Penguins . Of late , the foxes got the spotlight in a more fictional take with The Fox and the Chi... |
514,421 | 317,399 | 187,393 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Patriot ( 2000 ) | Brought to screen by the creative team behind Godzilla , Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin bring on board 2 actors of Australian descent ( Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger ) to tell you a tale of the American Revolutionary War , set in the year 1796 , where the British are whipping the Continental soldiers real bad . It doesn... |
514,748 | 317,399 | 79,182 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Vengeance is Mine | Shohei Imamura's multi award winning film Vengeance is Mine follows after the dismal performance of The Profound Desire of the Gods , this time being a film that is more accessible . Based on a novel which follows the life of crime of real-life criminal Iwao Enokizu ( played by Ken Ogata ) , at one time the most wanted... |
515,024 | 317,399 | 498,311 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Re-Cycle | Be careful what you wish for , because sometimes , they just might come true , whether you like it to or not . A writer's inspiration can also be adapted from real life events , with a dash of dramatic license added to spice things up for the reader . And an environmental message which is worked quite effortlessly into... |
515,574 | 317,399 | 995,819 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : F . | F . ' s World Premiere at the Goethe Institut opened the Free Programme , and the SIFF itself . As Philip Cheah puts it , there's a significance to this 60 minute documentary opening the festival , as the film's subject Toh Hai Leong has for many years , saw himself as the local flipside to Rainer Werner Fassbinder , w... |
515,567 | 317,399 | 988,047 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Traitor | It sure took a long time for this film to debut here , and if memory serves me right , it took almost a year , and the DVD has already been released . If not for a press screening already held , I would have thought that the film would be one of those that are difficult to pass by the censors and required some lengthy ... |
515,298 | 317,399 | 397,614 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Robocon ( Robokon ) | Robocon is today's third movie , and the most satisfying one of the day's selection . Written and directed by Tomoyuki Furumaya , this movie's premise allowed for a sneak peek into one of Japan's many robotic competitions . The pretty Masami Nagasawa ( last seen in Crying Out Love at the Center of the World ) stars as ... |
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