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Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Entertainment with gorgeous views
Entertaining movie with breath taking opulent scenes.:-)
I heard that the book depicted a very glitzy set up. As far as glitz goes, they delivered big time in showing the opulence of people, the setting, and nature.
As someone who has had fun online streaming Asian series depicting affluent families, I could tell the difference in budget. The glitz depicted in many of those series look gaudy and cheap in comparison to CRA. Scenery in CRA was pure bliss. Gorgeous scenes throughout.
The movie was VERY Rachel centric. Hers was the most developed character and with most screen time. This was clearly HER story. Not hers with Nick's. In fact Nick looked almost secondary at times. The film did just the minimum to portrait the particularities in the Young family as well as the conflict and tension between Nick and his family. It could have gone more in depth IMHO. Some of the other family members look caricatural in comparison, being there just for comic relief. And the end was very predictable. I thought: Ooookaay! For a family empire so big, Rachel wrapped this up conveniently fast and easy.
I can sense that the book is probably way more complex and it got me curious to see the full canvas. Will definitely read it. Otherwise, entertaining B movie adaptation.
Beulraek (2017)
OK but must really suspend disbelief to watch...
9-10 for acting/music
-4 for holes/conveniences/inconsistencies
Entertaining. Well played. I laughed and cried watching this series, but...One must suspend one's disbelief really high to keep watching. Not just because it's a fantasy/supernatural thriller, but because of plot holes, inconsistencies, and conveniences that leaves one's head scratching. And the ending is the biggest head scratcher of all. It made me wonder what was the whole point
*Spoilers below**
Major plot holes/conveniences
1. Why didn't she see the shadow inside her dad the previous 444?
2. Why didn't she see the shadow inside Leo (revealed to be have been taken over since the beginning by 444's grim reaper fugitive partner)?
3. At first, I thought that not seeing the shadow inside Moo-Gang was a plot convenience. But when it was reveled that 444/Joon was inside the body of his brother which had part of his original body, his heart (hence why he couldn't get out of the body) could perhaps explain why no shadow was visible.
Plot inconsistencies
444 allegedly erased from existence coming back to pick up her soul after she lived a long alternate life, and then she suddenly remembers him? That's contradicting their own plot. This connection supposedly NEVER happened. No suspension of disbelief can give that ending any sense.
These flaws aside, still enjoyed most of it.
Super 8 (2011)
An instant classic!
Super 8 had a nostalgic feel of ET, or ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND to it! And as such I totally enjoyed it! And instant classic, IMHO!
Some critics deplore the choice of placing the story in the late 70s. As if Sci-Fi plots can only be contemporary to be truly enjoyable. Had this plot been written for the 2010s era, the age of smart phones and instant news feed, the mystery shrouding the train wreck would have been much harder to write in a believable way. Logically videos/photos of the whole thing would have immediately been tweeted, face-booked, or you-tubed by the kids or someone else in the city, and it would have been a totally different dynamics. And there would go the suspense element too! Surprises/suspense can be hard to pull out in an instant news gratification society.
Sometimes back to the basic works best!
The Pillars of the Earth (2010)
Riveting adaptation!
I haven't read the book. And now I'm totally hooked to TPotE by this series. The novel version of a story being the best way to enjoy it, it's sometimes a small blessing not to be familiar with it before hand when coming across its screen adaptation. One will be blessed with the candid enjoyment of the unbiased mind.
TV miniseries are I think the best way to adapt such big, complex, epic novels. You get a little bit more time to develop the storyline even though having to deal with the elision required for any screen adaptation. This series is nicely paced (though the 4 years jump in episode 4 felt a bit odd, and more on that below), the set, location, and costumes are superb, the musical score is breath taking, and the casts gives an all-around nice performance.
There are some aspects, however, that caused me to frown a bit. For a story that is that epic and complex, I find the main antagonists displayed so far (Waleran, the Hamleighs, etc.) quite one dimensional. They are almost "cartoonish" in their villainy, displaying unparalleled and complete evil. I understand that this depiction may be for the screen adaptation (unless this was the way it was in the book), but it doesn't need to be so blatant. We get it that they are the bad guys, but every one has many facets and/or layers.
I also had some continuity issue specifically with episode 4 (The Battlefield) when the story jumped 4 years ahead. Aside from baby Jonathan now a boy, and Martha a bit less petulant, every one else looked and acted the same. Not only do people change in 4 years, these are medieval times with conflicts around. I would expect a bit more wear and tear, or at least a bit more visible physical changes on the characters. I guess we shall see how they work this as the series and the story time line progress and must again jump several years ahead.
In all, TPotE is great entertainment. If only we had more of those on TV. My measure of a good adaptation is whether or not it inspires me to read the book it's based on. After I watch this enjoyable series, I certainly will.
The Last Airbender (2010)
Not the greatest adaptation - But not THAT bad either
Don't be swayed by critics – Just see it for yourself
This is a principle I have adopted a long time ago with movies critics. Especially since people with negative comments are more likely to come online to voice them, to be more vocal, vociferous, and tenacious than those with positive stances.
I am big fan of the Avatar-TLA TV series. At first, I didn't want to be spoiled by this movie's critics. Then I broke down and read them. I was rendered speechless by the all-around rabid tone. I know "band-wagon critics" are common online phenomena but I was still awed by this. Ironically (and having disagreed with critics enough times before) the rants made me even more determined to see the movie for myself.
So I went to see it knowing that with any screen adaptation changes (i.e. elision, interpolation, omission, etc.) will be made. But in the end, if the main essence of the story remains then the adaption is successful. And I think TLA was successful in that extent. I think that it DOES capture the essence of book 1 saga. And a particularly good work was done with cool effects and a nice physical reproduction of the universe created in the cartoon. Even though biased by the more complex TV series, I was still entertained by the movie.
I DO agree though with the critic that it was quite a rushed plot. This hurt characters' interactions and development. I can see how someone who did not see the cartoon might have difficulties to connect to the characters and plot as they could. Narration was used to explain parts of the story, but narration cannot compensate for certain things. And especially it cannot make us care more for the characters and their predicaments nor build on their relationship.
In all for me, while it was certainly not the greatest of adaptations, it was definitely not the "craptacular" piece of work people are clamoring it to be. I found it enjoyable albeit its imperfections. I give it a C+/B-. If you don't want to pay to see it in the theater, fine. Wait for it on DVD, or online, or on network TV. But don't let the bandwagon of critics choose for you whether or not you should see it.
Angels & Demons (2009)
IMPROVE on the novel -- Might be better experienced on DVD
We know the universally accepted rule: No screen adaptation can beat the book it's based on. And a book is the best way to experience a story. But there are exceptions to every rule. And this movie was it. I felt it was one of the rare occasions when a movie rises above the novel it's based on to improve on it.
THE BOOKS: First let me say that I read both "Angels & Demons" and "The Da Vinci Code" books in the chronological order of the saga, i.e. I started first with A&D. And I was so unimpressed by the A&D novel that I had to force myself to finish it. I think the A&D story started well enough but devolved into a convoluted, unbelievable and barely palatable mess in the end. I thought the writing was quite sloppy too. The DVC book was overall better. However both books sealed my personal view that Dan Brown's success with this saga was not with his style and skill as a writer but rather with his controversial subjects and settings. And it's a fact that a good controversy makes for good publicity.
THIS MOVIE: With this in mind, I went to see A&D with the expectation/hope that it will HAVE to be better than the book. And I was not disappointed. I think the movie streamlined and purged the mess of the novel and made the story more enjoyable.
On the other end, while watching it, I could not help but think that someone who is not at all familiar with the story might perhaps be a bit confused especially during some of the fast paced events and action sequences. Having read the novel before hand helped me. A screen adaptation should be able to stand on its own and be clear when telling the story. Because of this, I rated this movie "7" instead of a higher score.
In all, I would gladly suggest (perhaps a lone voice here, LOL) to skip the novel and see the movie if you want to know what all the fuss was about with this story. And for an even better experience (especially if you are not at all familiar with the saga), wait for the DVD. That way you can rewind at will to clarify any confusing sequences.