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9
A Nutshell Review : The Bank Job
If I remember it rightly , the very first time I saw Jason Statham star in a movie , it was in Guy Ritchie's Snatch , and since then he's had his fair share of crime capers ranging from the remake of The Italian Job where he starred as Handsome Rob , to mindless , high octane action movies like The Transporter series w...
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A Nutshell Review : Bayside Shakedown 2
I've watched Bayside Shakedown 1 a few years back , and enjoyed it thoroughly , so there isn't any reason not to catch the sequel when it's in town . For those who do not know , this show is set in a small Tokyo police precinct , where cops actually perform routine community policing without arms , and the sexy investi...
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A Nutshell Review : Let The Right One In
The cinematic vampires I've seen to date in cinemas recently have usually been the ramped up sexy versions , where it's either black leather on lithe female frames , or dreamy hunks to whom teenage girls would sacrifice their necks to in order to live with their lover boy forever . While the release of Twilight had mad...
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A Nutshell Review : In the Valley of Elah
I'm not sure why many had loathed Paul Harris ' relatively recent meteoric rise . I had enjoyed most , if not all of his works that I have seen thus far , with his collaboration with Clint Eastwood nabbing Million Dollar Baby a best picture Oscar in 2005 , and his own Crash , which was my movie of the year 2005 , winni...
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A Nutshell Review : Gangs of New York
I guess the one thing on everyone's mind about the show , just what is so NC about the NC-16 rating that is slapped on this movie currently screening in local theatres Your search is over , here are the answers : 1 . The bloody opening gang fight , which one suspects has been snipped at some points ever so carefully by...
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A Nutshell Review : At World's End
First things first , you must stay until the end of credits for a scene which truly ends the movie proper , in a bittersweet manner , full of love and fulfilled promises , especially after you've experienced the double , triple , quadruple crossings in Pirates 2 which carried over onto this final chapter . I can't help...
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A Nutshell Review : King Kong
Peter Jackson nailed Kong ! ( Please pardon bad pun ) In his version based on the 1933 classic , Jackson delivered as promised , sticking close to the source material , yet adding his touches of epic grandeur . Doubling the original's length , clocking in at 3 hours , provided ample opportunity for character developmen...
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A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Hiroshima ( 1995 )
The closing stages of the Pacific Theatre of WWII are revisited recently by filmmaker Clint Eastwood , in his two movie compendium Flags of Our Fathers , and Letters from Iwo Jima , depicting the Battle of Iwo Jima from both perspectives of the Americans and the Japanese . Hiroshima , a made for TV movie in 1995 for Ha...
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A Nutshell Review : The Island
This review is brought to you courtesy of a movieXclusive . com preview session , without which I won't be able to write this so soon . The Island is the latest summer blockbuster offering from director Michael Bay , who brought to you other loud actioners like Bad Boys , The Rock , Armageddon , Con Air and Pearl Harbo...
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A Nutshell Review : Little Miss Sunshine
This is today's GV Surprise Screening . For their debut feature length film , directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris probably couldn't ask for a better script - Little Miss Sunshine is a comedic drama which has plenty of heart , even though the characters are misfits put together in a dysfunctional family . But wa...
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A Nutshell Review : Millions
Director Danny Boyle is known for his stylish films in Trainspotting and 28 Days Later . While the latter talks about the evil of drugs , Millions talks about the root of all evil - Money . Lots of it . To be exact , close to 300 British pounds . This film is about taking and using money that is not yours , the moralit...
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A Nutshell Review : Tom-Yum-Goong
After having watched Tony Jaa in Ong Bak about a week ago on TV , I was waiting for the day when Tom-Yum-Goog finally made its way here . There was a film in between these two , called The Bodyguard , which wasn't released in the theatres here , so I guess I gotta hit the shops to look for it . My friend has likened th...
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A Nutshell Review : Thank You for Smoking
I was attracted to the movie because of its title - Thank You for Smoking . It's not politically correct - where's the " not " ? And the trailer looked like it was a whole lot of fun as well , with a tobacco evangelist spreading the good news about smoking and cigarettes . Coincidentally , this movie also turned out to...
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A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) We Are Marshall ( 2006 )
It's not your usual movie where the hero / team are put together from a bunch of misfits , and learn about camaraderie and teamwork , before charting their successes from the first game to the championship , which they will inevitably take . That's formula , and easily what you'd come to expect . But here , while there...
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A Nutshell Review : Goal !
G-G-GOAL ! ! ! I'm so pleased that there's finally a decent movie about soccer , a sport which for the longest time , doesn't seem to get movie producers excited to put out on screen . Having FIFA sanction this film means getting some realism injected , and lending to the authenticity of is the English Premier League c...
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A Nutshell Review : The Majestic ( 2001 )
It's a pity that this film did not make it to the local cinemas for public screening . I recall watching the trailer in a theatre , and was eagerly anticipating it , but it never came . The major reason was that after being convinced that Jim Carrey could do drama ( The Truman Show preceded this ) , I couldn't wait for...
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A Nutshell Review : Superbad
Superbad is Supergood ! Many have been lauding high accolades on this teen comedy to be the best thing since American Pie , and guess what , it's true ! Before you roll your eyes at yet another teenage and / or sex comedy , with desperate nerds hatching diabolical plans to get laid , Superbad comes across as a breath o...
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A Nutshell Review : Flushed Away
Hugh Jackman is everywhere these days , from reprising his iconic Wolverine role in summer blockbuster X3 , to starring twice alongside Scarlett Johansson in Woody Allen's Scoop and Christopher Nolan's The Prestige , and now , just lending his voice to a lead character in the animated film Flushed Away , co-starring hi...
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A Nutshell Review : Spanglish
I admire filmmakers who manage to explore powerful relationships and character development in a tight two hours , and Spanglish falls into this category perfectly . As the name goes , " Spanglish " is a combination of two words - Spanish and English , and is one of the major themes covered in this film , which is the c...
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A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) One Day in September ( 1999 )
With the word and controversy out on Steven Spielberg's Munich , instead of settling for a Hollywood drama of the terrorist event that faithful day of the Olympics , you might want to learn more from this Oscar winning documentary . This documentary uses real footage throughout , with archived news reels , pictures , p...
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A Nutshell Review : Brokeback Mountain
Here's my challenge : Watch Casanova and Jarhead ( both now showing in local theaters ) before watching Brokeback Mountain , to appreciate and to keep fresh in your mind , the acting range of both Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal . One plays a king of lovemaking , while the other plays an army grunt , in which both are...
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A Nutshell Review : Mad Detective
Mad Detective had been touted as the long awaited re-team of Johnny To and Wai Ka Fai , who together have made Running on Karma back in 2003 . The return of Lau Ching Wan to a To-Wai movie ( since My Left Eye Sees Ghosts ) is also more than welcome , and Mad Detective to me lived up to its hype , despite having certain...
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A Nutshell Review : The Count of Monte Cristo
Alexandre Dumas is probably more famous for his The Three Muskateers , and in the last decade , that movie has been remade in its latest incantation starring Charlie Sheen , Oliver Platt and Kiefer Sutherland in the title roles , with Chris O'Donnell as D'artagnan . Hollywood followed that up with The Man in the Iron M...
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A Nutshell Review : Saw II
I'm such a fan of the original - I like blood and gore , and Saw had one of the more intriguing and sick stories around , which saw the introduction of an original villain in recent memory , Jigsaw . What worked in the first film was the strange premise of 2 seemingly unrelated characters being put in a life and death ...
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1,173,568
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A Nutshell Review : Slam
I guess in movies with sports themes , it is never really much about the goal and the destination , but rather the journey the characters take in finding strengths amongst themselves , shore up weaknesses and collectively present and mount a challenge , that makes it compelling viewing . And it's little surprise that S...
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A Nutshell Review : Valkyrie
Since it's based on a true event , unless you have your head buried in the sand , you'll know the outcome , or at least the end result , of Operation Valkyrie , an ambitious plan put into the hands of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg ( Tom Cruise ) together with his entourage of high ranking officers and political offici...
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A Nutshell Review : After This Our Exile
This film needs no introduction . The latest work from director-writer Patrick Tam , After This Our Exile took home honours from the recent 2006 Golden Horse Awards for Best Actor , Best Supporting Actor , and Best PIcture , and after watching it today , it's no surprise why it did . As mentioned in one of my recent re...
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A Nutshell Review : Talk to Me
Don Cheadle's star is probably burning a little bit brighter now since the blockbuster hit of this summer's Iron Man had announced that he will take over Terrence Howard's role as Jim Rhodes given the latter being unable to agree on contractual terms with the studios . While Cheadle might be more familiar to audiences ...
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A Nutshell Review : Breach
Breach is directed by Billy Ray , who also wrote Flightplan and directed his only other movie , Shattered Glass , also based on real events . Based on the true story of the greatest security breach in US History , it traces the events leading to the arrest of decorated and respected FBI agent Robert Hanssen , who is on...
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A Nutshell Review : The Wrestler
All the world's a stage , and all the men and women merely players . For one who lived his known life on the stage , or in this case , the ring , providing mass sporting entertainment to thousands live and through video re-runs , being at the pinnacle of his sport , rigged and staged or perhaps otherwise , nothing woul...
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A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) About Schmidt
Retirement can be a scary thing . I suppose it's about 40 years before I hit retirement age ( given that it's a moving target on the increase ) , but I do confess at times I think about it , a time where I presumably have the opportunity to do whatever I please - travel , read , and of course watch more movies at disco...
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A Nutshell Review : Snakes on a Plane
For the record , I hate snakes , and have this phobia of snakes . I can even freeze in my tracks at a bloody picture . And it goes without saying that the Snake House is never a place I'll visit in any zoo . What's my fear about ? I don't know , just that I attach this sense of evilness and danger to these slimy ( yes ...
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9
A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Love Letter ( 1995 )
Love Letter is an unconventional love story . For starters , there isn't an direct romantic interactions between the lead characters it wants to focus on . Most stories would have romantic scenes played out in chronological order , and the audience journeys together with the leads on their road to togetherness . Love L...
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A Nutshell Review : The Longest Night in Shanghai
I won't deny that the draw toward this movie was its star billing with Zhao Wei in the leading role , playing a blue collar taxi driver in the city of Shanghai . But of course again to my surprise in not reading the fine print , I had to muster my limited abilities to read the subtitles of the movie , because this Japa...
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A Nutshell Review : Luck By Chance
The opening sequence montage is beautifully designed , paying a quiet and dignified homage to the upline and downchain support functions of the entire film industry , like the guards protecting film studios and film sets , and cashiers at the box office , with the song Yeh Zindagi Bhi as a backdrop . But this serene an...
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A Nutshell Review : Kontroll
Kontroll opened the Singapore Fantastic Film Festival last Thursday , and it is no surprise why . Its intriguing setting in an underground metro system is familiar everyday territory that probably everyone can relate to if you're commuting by train . Having been on some of Europe's metro systems ( London , Paris , Muni...
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A Nutshell Review : Garden State
Garden State marks Zach Braff's feature film directorial debut , based upon a story written by him , and starring himself , Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard . His later work The Last Kiss might have struck a chord in me with his characters looking at life entering the 30s , while this one's more about a younger man ...
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A Nutshell Review : Fantastic Four : Rise of the Silver Surfer
I've written almost two years ago that I adored the movie adaptation of Fantastic Four , despite many out there who hated it to the core . Back then , what I found was right about it was its spot on characterization and its capture of the spirit which was FF , the bickering amongst its members as well as its theme on u...
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A Nutshell Review : The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story is probably the most staged skit / play / musical in the month of December in most churches , and everyone who has been to Sunday School will definitely be all too familiar with the humble birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem . With Christmas becoming too much of a commercial farce ( in my opinion anyw...
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A Nutshell Review : Kabei Our Mother
My introduction into Yoji Yamada's cinematic world is through his famed and recent Samurai Trilogy with The Twilight Samurai , The Hidden Blade and Love and Honor . I had enjoyed all three films , and looking at the prolific , veteran director's filmography , I think it'll take me a very long while to watch all his fil...
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A Nutshell Review : The Constant Gardener
Finally ! After such a long wait , this movie has finally made it to our shores ( I have been lamenting the same fate of other acclaimed movies recently ) . Directed by Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles ( who did City of God ) , The Constant Gardener finds itself sandwiched between two others movies released here i...
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A Nutshell Review : Munich
The Munich 1972 Olympic games will forever go down in infamy for the killing of Israeli sportsmen by a terrorist group known as Black September . If you wish to know more about the motives and happenings on that fateful day , including the ineptness of the Germans to manage the entire situation , resulting in the death...
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A Nutshell Review : Body of Lies
If you'd believe the angle the trailers adopted for this movie , I guess you're more than likely to deem it an adversarial duel between DiCaprio and Crowe , with the latter being some armchair smarty-pants willing to risk it all to " save civilization " by betraying the former . Well thankfully , the story is a lot mor...
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A Nutshell Review : Once in a Summer
My cinematic memory of South Korean actor Lee Byung-hun was in macho action movies like JSA and A Bittersweet Life , so Once in a Summer appeals because I am curious to know how he would do in an out and out soppy romance , released in time this month for Valentine's Day . And the verdict is yes , it will hit the right...
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A Nutshell Review : Campfire
Campfire ( Medurat Hasevet ) marks the last film for me during the Israel Film Festival , and personally , I thought this film was the most mature of the lot , being honest in exploring the lives and relationships in all members of a single parent family . Being all women in the house , recently widowed Rachel Gerlik (...
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A Nutshell Review : The Tin Mine
Set in 1950s after WWII , The Tin Mine is set in Southern Thailand , and chronicles the lives of tin miners as seen through the eyes of Arjin Panjapan ( Pijaya Vachajitpan ) , whose autobiographical short stories form the basis of this movie . It's no wonder , after watching this movie , that it's Thailand's official e...
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A Nutshell Review : Paradise Now
Paradise Now was the Palestinian film which won the Golden Globes this year for best foreign language film , and it's no wonder to see why it did . Touching on very real , contemporary and the sensitive issue about the relations between the Israelis and the Palestinians , it takes on the much talked about and feared we...
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A Nutshell Review : Gabai Granny
Gabai Granny is based on the bestseller Saga No Gabai Baachan ( Gabai Granny from Saga ) , which is penned by comedian Shimada Yoshichi as he recounts his childhood memories of growing up under the care of his grandmother . And without a doubt , this is possibly one of the crowd favourites given the high turnout of Jap...
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A Nutshell Review : Arthur and the Minimoys
Director Luc Besson is probably synonymous with movies laden with violence , like Nikita , Leon the Professional , and the science fiction fantasy The Fifth Element . The Taxi franchise too is associated with the French director , as are the other diverse variety of movies written by him , ranging from Danny the Dog to...
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A Nutshell Review : Evangelion : 1 . 0 You are ( Not ) Alone
While I knew a little about the Japanese anime Neon Genesis Evangelion through the reading of various fan sites dedicated to it , I've never actually sat down and watched an episode of the series . So when opportunity came by to experience the Rebuild of Evangelion , why not start the slate clean ? Rebuild of Evangelio...
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A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) ( 2002 )
It's true that you always remember what you were doing at a point when disaster or tragedy strikes . And none more so that September 11 , 2001 , a date which changed the entire global landscape in its fight against terrorism . No , this documentary didn't set out to be dwelling on the events leading to . Rather , the f...
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1,060,277
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A Nutshell Review : Cloverfield
OMIGAWD ! OMIGAWD ! RUN ! OMIGAWD ! HELP ! GET THE HELL OUT ! OMIGAWD ! You'd be expecting to hear a lot of that , but not to fret , the rest of this review is spoiler free , guaranteed ! So we've weathered a six month wait since the teaser trailer premiered with Michael Bay's Transformers ( and draws some parallels , ...
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A Nutshell Review : Lars and the Real Girl
I'd bet almost everyone during their childhood years would have interacted with their toys somehow , be it outwardly verbal , or playing it all in the mind . Conversations with dolls , teddy bears , or even with G . I . Joe himself beating up Cobra Commander , these are stuff of what a rich imagination would be made of...
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A Nutshell Review : The Wind That Shakes the Barley
The preview for this movie played to a full house at Picturehouse , no doubt with almost half those in attendance being Caucasians , and I'd bet almost everyone is curious to the pedigree of Ken Loach's latest film that snagged that Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival . The Wind That Shakes the Barley is a m...
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A Nutshell Review : The Tune
This is a story about a song writer called Del ( voiced by Daniel Nieden ) , who's working on the latest hit for his boss , Mr Mega ( Marty Nelson ) . However he's suffering from creator's block , and couldn't find the inspiration to finish the tune . At the same time , his relationship with Mr Mega's secretary , Didi ...
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A Nutshell Review : Click
With comedies , I half expected the best bits to make it to the trailers . They always do these days , and leave the actual movie much to be desired in the laughs department . Click however , was a totally different ball game altogether , not that it was lacking in laughs , but never did I expect the 2nd half of the mo...
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A Nutshell Review : The Incredible Hulk
The crowded streets and cluttered housing on the streets of Rio De Janeiro provided some reminiscence of Jackie Chan's Police Story , where you could be sure of a chase scene zig - zagging the streets to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities presented for an exhilarating chase . And Leterrier doesn't try not to...
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A Nutshell Review : Street Kings
So I continue my foray into the theatrical releases this week as a break from the Festival proceedings , and choosing Street Kings is a no brainer . It was in Speed that Keanu Reeves donned a Kevlar vest and a devil may care attitude to save a speeding bus from annihilation , and after that he's gone on to other blockb...
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A Nutshell Review : Billu
Billu Barber had already courted some controversy because some hairstylists protested that the term " Barber " was offensive . I don't understand it , but this meant the word has been dropped , and it's now known simply as " Billu " , still after its titular character . A remake of the Malayalam film " Katha Parayumpol...
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A Nutshell Review : Apocalypto
The passion of the predator braveheart blair witch fugitive gladiator who dances with wolves in the temple of doom . That in essence , is the summarized version of Mel Gibson's Apocalypto , written , produced and directed by the man himself ( see if you can spot the references above during various points in the movie )...
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A Nutshell Review : March of the Emperor
This film is a celebration of life , love , danger and death , as seen through the eyes of Emperor Penguins in the Antarctica . Most people will come to know of this documentary from its quiet successful ascension on the American Box Office . For those who do not want to know the story , you may skip this part SPOILERS...
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A Nutshell Review : Citizen Dog
Oh my , I love this movie so much , and I'm wondering where should my gushing start from . Director Wisit Sasanatieng has weaved yet another beautiful film in terms of visuals in this romance-fantasy story , and it's not difficult to see the progression and retention of the plus points made from his earlier feature Tea...
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A Nutshell Review : Hairspray
Teenager Tracy Turnblad ( Nikki Blonsky ) has a dream , and that is to join a group of hip teenagers in a dance programme on television called the Corny Collins ( James Marsden ) Show , especially when she has a crush on the show's heartthrob Link ( Zac Efron ) . But as you know , despite being pleasant , blessed with ...
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A Nutshell Review : Batman Begins
No disrespect to Tim Burton , but Batman Begins blows away ALL the previous films , even Burton's . This is THE Batman film to date , and though Christopher Nolan did take some creative liberties on certain issues ( i . e . deviate from canon ) , he managed to distill the essence of the character ( make that all the ch...
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A Nutshell Review : Le Amiche
Lorenzo Codelli introduced this film as the only real literary adaptation by Michelangelo Antonioni , based on a short novel written by Cesare Pavese , whose short life but impressive career had a largely influential impact on Antonioni's works . It's a film about women ( the literal translation of the title of the sto...
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A Nutshell Review : Nanking
If I am going to recommend a documentary , then Nanking will be it . The Rape of Nanking just prior to World War II is examined in this film , which contains real stock footage of clips smuggled out of China during the time of Japanese occupation . Interviews with surviving Chinese victims , and a number of Japanese Im...
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A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) A World Without Thieves ( 2004 )
A world without thieves is close to impossible , at least not in our modern world where there are those who covert what others have , and given no means of obtaining those items legitimately , seek the easier way out and give in to temptation . But there are those who naively think that such an utopia is possible , per...
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A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Tokyo Godfathers ( 2003 )
I've never been a really huge fan of Japanese animation , but Satoshi Kon's Paprika , shown here in last year's Animation Nation festival , is a different story , and opened up my eyes altogether . It was richly animated with plenty of striking details , an eclectic soundtrack , and a story which cuts at many levels . ...
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A Nutshell Review : My Magic
There's plenty of buzz overseas surrounding Eric Khoo's latest movie My Magic , which has recently been selected as Singapore's official entry to the 2009 Oscars in the foreign language film category , hence the rush to have it screened this month to qualify . While his previous effort Be With Me was disqualified on a ...
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A Nutshell Review : Death at a Funeral
Funerals are serious business , where the mood is usually grim and sombre , and friends and family come together to commemorate the passing of their loved one . The proceeding is usually prim and proper , with some protocols to adhere to , for fitting tributes given in a dignified manner . Death at a Funeral however , ...
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A Nutshell Review : The Simpsons Movie
I'm a big , big fan of the Simpsons , and word that the movie version of the hit TV series would be made had been out for the longest time possible . Toying between trying to cast actors in a life-action movie ( rumoured at one point to have Bruce Willis playing Homer because of the err , balding pate ) , and sticking ...
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A Nutshell Review : Priceless
Transportation S$3 . 00 Movie Ticket S$9 . 00 Fried Chicken S$3 . 80 A Good Movie That Entertains ? Priceless . Directed by Pierre Salvadori , Pricess is one heck of a delightful gem . It is playful , cheeky , and boasts excellent chemistry between its leads , which is crucial to pull off a romantic comedy so dependent...
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A Nutshell Review : The Secret Life of Bees
It's been two years since we last saw Dakota Fanning on the big screen here , in a film which was a adaptation of the literary classic Charlotte's Web . And what a career it had been for this child actress , now an adolescent , to have grown from scream queen ( no thanks to her stint under Spielberg's War of the Worlds...
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A Nutshell Review : This Film Is Not Yet Rated
The Motion Pictures Association of America's ratings system comes under scrutiny in this documentary . The judgement that movies are given G , PG-13 , R or NC17 are taken a look into , as its deemed quite biased and with great mystery that films are rated based on some arbitrary criteria , from a group of chosen anonym...
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A Nutshell Review : Paprika
Adapted from a science fiction novel by Yatsutaka Tsutsui , Paprika is probably my favourite film from this year's Animation Nation . The closing film ( technically , since it's the last film to be screened tomorrow ) , it is one heck of a thrill ride , and will definitely engage an audience at different levels . In co...
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A Nutshell Review : If You Are The One
I'm a keen admirer of versatile Chinese director Feng Xiaogang and am a fan of his films , which covers quite a vast range from War ( The Assembly ) , Period martial arts ( The Banquet ) , and a good old thriller in World Without Thieves , amongst others in his filmography . I've yet to watch something that had disappo...
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A Nutshell Review : Die Hard 4 . 0
John McClane , USA's supercop , returns to the big screens . being at the wrong place at the wrong time yet again , kicking some major terrorists ass since the original Die Hard way back in 1988 . It has been almost 12 years since Bruce Willis last starred in the definitive cop role , which some would arguably state th...
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A Nutshell Review : Lagaan
Having won multiple awards and gotten itself nominated in the 2002 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category , my interest in Lagaan was actually in wanting to discover more of writer-director Ashutosh Gowariker's works , having seen his latest movie Jodha Akbar , and having bought Swades : We , the Peo...
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A Nutshell Review : Volver
I met Penelope Cruz when she was in Singapore way back in 2001 , for the local premiere of Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky , but too bad for me I don't speak any Spanish , so I can't communicate anything beyond a smile and a request for an autograph from the beauty , amid hordes of folks who paid no attention to her and Cr...
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A Nutshell Review : Bridge to Terabithia
Based on a children's fantasy story written by Katherine Paterson , and produced by the same company that did the latest Chronicles of Narnia , I thought that the movie would probably be mediocre given my lukewarm response to films of similar genre like Pan's Labyrinth and The Last Mimzy . And how wrong was I . Bridges...
514,505
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808,417
10
A Nutshell Review : Persepolis
It is not difficult to understand the growing number of accolades that are being bestowed upon Persepolis , directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi , which is based upon the graphic novel of the same title by Marjane , as it recounts in autobiographical terms , the growing pains of the author in a world that ...
515,101
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118,694
10
A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) In the Mood for Love ( 2000 )
It's beautifully depressing . How someone you come to love , in a relationship that's forbidden and socially frowned upon from the onset , has decidedly moved on , while you cling onto and yet distract yourself from it , until the day you finally choose to call it quits , by trying hard to forget the bittersweet memori...
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A Nutshell Review : $9 . 99
Personally I dig stop-motion animation , for the simple conscious fact that there's a lot of blood and sweat going on behind the scenes just to get an object to move . You can imagine what it takes to get a character to move an arm , and you extrapolate that effort into a feature length film with a lot more things happ...
515,437
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991,183
10
A Nutshell Review : How to Become Myself
Based on a story by Kaori Mado , How to Become Myself touches base with what it means to understand oneself , and being very comfortable with it . To be honest , everyone plays different roles in different situations with different people encountered . I can be a brother , friend , soldier , employee , reviewer , son ,...
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120,363
10
A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Toy Story 2 ( 1999 )
There are few sequels that can equal or even surpass its original , and for an animated feature , perhaps Toy Story 2 is the first of its kind that didn't end up going direct to video . I'm unsure why I hadn't caught this in the theatres , given that I've thoroughly enjoyed the first Toy Story . I've taken 7 years to f...
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914,798
10
A Nutshell Review : The Boy in Striped Pyjamas
At the risk of sounding stupid , while I knew that this was based on a book by John Boyne , not having read it meant I had initially thought that it would be one of those childhood based film on fantasy . And I guess so did many parents in bringing their little tykes in what they thought would be a weekend filler in be...
514,694
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418,689
10
A Nutshell Review : Flags of Our Fathers
I nodded in agreement when it was mentioned a single photo taken during combat has the power to make or break a war . At a time when the war chest is drained and the battle seemed to be drawn out longer than expected , you need public support to cough out funds and make donations to the manufacturing of arms . In the d...
514,447
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1,010,048
10
A Nutshell Review : Slumdog Millionaire
Deep down inside , I personally believe some game shows are rigged to a certain degree . After all , organizers do try to profile you through a questionnaire which also contain clauses such as telling - nothing - but - the - truth - or - you - risk - forfeiting - any - prizes - won . So you're presenting yourself on a ...
514,686
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472,160
10
A Nutshell Review : Penelope
Face it , I think we're attracted to beautiful things and are repulsed by almost anything that does not look appealing at first sight . For a girl , I suppose having a face of a pig is a living nightmare , and what more when you can do absolutely no cosmetic surgery to remove the snout ? That's basically the premise of...
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1,182,937
10
A Nutshell Review : Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
Surinder Sahni is your typical routine joe who works for Punjab Power , meek and gentle , and a nerd to most . His love life is practically zilch , but on a visit to his old school teacher's home , he gets captivated by the beauty and vivaciousness of his teacher's daughter Taani ( Anushka Sharma ) , who has heard abou...
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A Nutshell Review : Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl wrote countless of books , many of which I grew up reading in secondary school . There are many of his works adapted for the screen as well ( The Witches , Matilda ) , but none so far given the Tim Burton treatment . The opening credits / scene has Burton's fingerprints all over - the imaginative sequence , ...
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A Nutshell Review : Ratatouille
The Pixar juggernaut continues ! I've always been enthralled by the movies that Pixar puts out ever since Toy Story , and through the years , Pixar has built a brand of trust amongst movie goers , with quality storytelling using animation as a tool to tell them , not because it's cool to do things through the medium , ...
514,575
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841,044
10
A Nutshell Review : 2 Days in Paris
I actually did spend two days in Paris , back in August 2004 , and did all the touristy things one could do in those short 48 hours , like visit the unmissable landmarks such as Le Tour Eiffel , visited babes Mona Lisa and Venus at the Louvre , tried to look for the hunchback at Notre Dame , paid my respects at Napoleo...
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213,985
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A Nutshell Review : Parition
Purists who were up in arms about Chinese actresses playing Japanese characters like in Memoirs of the Geisha will probably flip again at the portrayals of Indians by non-Indian actors , and could cite again similar examples whether the country of origin lacked capable actors to pull the roles off ( Of course not , thi...
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A Nutshell Review : Be With You
Death has taken away Mio from Takumi and 6 year old son Yuji , and it is no doubt that they miss their wife / mother dearly . They learn to encourage each other as they fend for themselves - Takumi suffering from a sort of psycho-motor illness which forces him to refrain from overexertion . Before she departed , Mio ha...
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A Nutshell Review : Downfall ( Der Untergang )
I watched this film to learn more about the final days during the Battle of Berlin , and to know more about Adolf Hitler and the twilight of his Third Reich at the end of WWII . A good movie can be made based on this premise alone , and true enough , I was blown away , as this film offered a lot more . Told through the...
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A Nutshell Review : The Namesake
Books allow you to travel without leaving , and on the same note , movies too opens up a visual world that one can immerse into , going to places the filmmakers bring you , and experiencing and feeling the emotions that they try to evoke from you . There are few movies which leave me speechless at the end of it . Not b...
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A Nutshell Review : Protégé
The Hong Kong crime movie genre has another worthy addition to its collection , hot off the heels of the Infernal Affairs creative team's Confession of Pain . While movies of the genre of late are almost always gearing toward sophistication , Protégé plays out its story in surprisingly straight forward fashion , althou...
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A Nutshell Review : Fantastic Four
OK , I admit I've always been a closet Fantastic Four fan . Before Stan Lee created the better known Spider-man , Hulk , X-Men , he created Fantastic Four , touted as the World's Greatest Comics Magazine , back in the 60s . Reed Richards is Mr Fantastic , Sue Storm / Richards is The Invisible Girl , her brother Johnny ...
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A Nutshell Review : Cina
It was very strange indeed when the Chinese government of the time banned this film and called it anti-Chinese propaganda . Surely , the communist government then had watched Zabriskie Point and perhaps agreed that its ending of blowing up consumerism literally in your face , warranted the commissioning of Michelangelo...