Stskyshaker Reviews

3 Body Problem (2024– )

Perfect visual companion to 21st century's best sci-fi

[8/10 · 6 April 2024]

I remember getting blown away by the books 10 years ago and thinking to myself: pity this is unfilmable.

But what a job they've done here. While the main setting was moved to England, the show remained faithful to the core sci-fi concepts and visualized the grand scale of them in truly stunning ways. That is no small feat and already halfway to success in my book - the Three-Body trilogy's ideas are the kind that stays with you for the rest of your life and to see them turned into a different medium so competently is just incredibly satisfying.

My only complaint is that the charactor development was a bit one-dimensional. Sure, that isn't all that much in the souce material. But being the main antagonist does not mean Ye Wenjie should be looking stern 99% of the time.

All in all this is a perfect companion to a modern classic. There is a lot in the series that is not in the books, and vice versa, but there is nothing inconsistent or incoherent. You could read the books then watch the series, or watch the series then read the books, and find yourself enjoying both in different and complementary ways.

Starfield (2023 Video Game)

A grand universe, bogged down by even grander hubris

[4/10 · 5 November 2023]

The scope and vision cannot be grander. And Starfield indeed looks grand from the first minutes. The various mechanics and systems built into the game, from spaceship building to planetary exploration, are truly amazing, enough to fill multiple decent games.

But that's where the positives end. Starfield produces almost no gel, either in the form of a good story or cohesive world building, to hold its different parts together. The grand scope becomes pointless and bleak when there is no narrative to drive it. The various mechanics do not talk to each other and start to feel redundant very early. The saddest thing is when you push yourself to invest in some of them and they are proven to be redundant by the end of the game.

Bethesda seems to think that just because it's the first universe in 20 years for Bethesda (it's Bethesda!), players will just stick around for hundreds and hundreds of hours until they eventually truly appreciate all that's built within this grand scope. That's hubris. I felt a tinge of nostalgia I completed the game. Then I immediately deleted it and all my saves. What a disappointment.

Street Food: Asia: Bangkok, Thailand (2019) Season 1, Episode 1

Captures the essence of Thai way of life

[10/10 · 3 May 2019]

Edge of your seat kind of documentary, because you can't help but want to move closer to these amazing food. But mouth-watering street food dishes aside, the show captures the making of it, the story of the people behind it, and gives us a glimpse into the charming Thai way of life.

Well-paced in 30 mins featuring three shops. Also good narrator, giving context and fun facts without stealing the stage.

Jurassic World (2015)

Uninspired, Underutilized and Unnecessary

[5/10 · 14 June 2015]

Went to the premiere at midnight with big expectations but was summarily disappointed.

Starting with the very first scene, honestly, it struck me as a movie with no ambition. Yes the visual effects were pretty good. But it was apparent that director Trevorrow was perfectly content with making something that was forgettable, mediocre yet still capable of making some good money. I think he accomplished that.

The whole 2 hours were just extremely uninspired. It felt like they didn't decide to make the movie because they had an idea or a story, but because they found the money. It was scattered with clever cinematic tricks here and there but not with any coherence.

Jurassic World was supported by a solid cast but their talents were hampered by uninspired storytelling. There were also too many characters for any of them really to have enough screen time to not be one-dimensional. Irrfan Khan and Omar Sy in particular had so much more to offer. So goes for the film scoring talent of Michael Giacchino. Many times I found myself wishing it simply had used the same music from the original Jurassic Park done by John Williams.

Lastly, the title is very misleading. There is little about it that goes beyond the island although that seems to be what Jurassic WORLD implies. All in all an unnecessary addition to the franchise, well to the fans at least.

Life of Pi (2012)

An Unparalleled Experience of Surreal Visual and Humanity.. Unmissable

[9/10 · 25 November 2012]

Through a movie with minimum human interaction.. Ang Lee shows humanity in its purest form.

Through the incredible co-survival of a man and a Bengal tiger, Life of Pi shows us how both hopes and fears keep us going.

The visual is simply groundbreaking. For moments I almost thought I was hallucinating. Many of the scenes were shot Planet Earth (the most expensive nature documentary) style, but only more stunning, in 3D, and woven together by a strong character and a beautiful story.

But visual effects is far from being the only thing that makes Life of Pi extraordinary. Life of Pi is such an all-round hit. Authentic and not over-the-top acting, smooth storytelling, engrossing score.. all in all it struck me as a masterpiece not only made by masters, but also with a heart.

I couldn't be more glad to celebrate this as my 700th movie on IMDb. Hope, as is Life of Pi's tagline, is what it gives me. Can't wait for Ang Lee's next movie.

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

Flawed and fabulous

[9/10 · 26 December 2011]

I almost missed We Brought a Zoo. Its poster looks like the wrapping of a white chocolate. My friends picked the movie, and walking into the theater I didn't even know Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson were in it.

I was pleasantly surprised. The pair's charming performance (along with a strong supporting cast) makes the somewhat far-fetched story come alive. And a mesmerizing score by Icelandic musician, Jonsi, creates an absorbing ambiance to help it hit all the sweet spots.

Some of the relationships are underdeveloped, and the plot is somewhat manipulative and does feel fluffy at times, but sometimes some movies are just heartfelt enough for you to ignore their flaws and willingly buy into the premise. I am glad to call We Bought a Zoo one of these movies. It might not work well for the skeptical eyes, but it would certainly be a delicious experience, both visually and acoustically, for those who walk in with open minds.

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Brilliant trilogy that stretches the imagination of a generation

[10/10 · 23 June 2010]

How long has it been, more than a decade? Woody and Buzz are among the founding members of my world of imagination. I looked at them as pioneers in my belief of boundaryless possibilities and optimism. Now the childhood heroes are finally back, a decade later, and it's absolutely worth the wait.

Toy Story 3 is just brilliant in every way. True to Pixar's glorious traditions- top-notch art design, animation, voice performance and score. But most of all, kudos to the writers (cheif writer Michael Arndt, Oscar winner for writing Little Miss Sunshine). What an intriguing, beautiful and uplifting story filled with loads of cracking ideas that simply wowed you from time to time with their ingenuity and originality!

Progressively strangled in the numbing professional life, a decade later, I am equally delighted and thankful to find a film that can help me pick up my fading passion for imagination, with laughs and with tears.

I can go on and on but I sense words just wouldn't do justice to such sheer brilliance. The toy stories are truly a trilogy that greatly stretches the imagination of a generation. I have to admit, the primary reason that I'm adding yet another ode on IMDb is I want to associate myself with simply the best animation film of our time.

I can't wait to have the entire trilogy on DVD and watch them all together again and show them to my future generations!

Home (I) (2009)

The movie for ETs to study our extinction, or our escape from it.

[10/10 · 23 August 2009]

I was gripped from start to end, at first by its breathtaking aerial footage, then progressively also by its even more breathtaking dramatic plot, which we all are living. No wonder Yann Arthus-Bertrand spent 15 years preparing for the production of Home.

The narration is top-notch, arranged in perfect logic sense and fueled with precise and profound wording, reminds me of audio versions of Scientific American. I had thought it was a pity that David Attenborough wasn't a part of this amazing project, but Glenn Close, five-time Oscar nominee, indeed gave a mesmerizing voice performance, and along with a powerful score, deeply drew me into Home's elaborate illustrations and logical reasonings.

Some might think this documentary is so emotive that it's more of a propaganda despite how fact-based it is, but isn't a subject like this meant to be emotive? No this is not the kind of documentary that presents you with non-judged information for you to consider and debate- of course it is not, it's telling you the most overwhelming and alarming truth through worldwide facts and images in a careful logic flow, and yes with a great lot of passion built in! Vastly connected with the daily life of everyone and the fate of the human race, the movie left me steeped in thoughts. Like said many times in the movie, everything is linked, I find tons of images flashing in my head rapidly after watching Home, and more importantly, now I look at them linked together in a meaningful way.

Let me put it this way, if the entire human race were to be extinct on this planet, Home would be the recording that we should bury deep underground for extra-terrestrials to find out what happened and learn the lesson of our species- it is that good.

Crazy Racer (2009)

Incredible multi-layer story with tons of belly laughs!

[9/10 · 3 February 2009]

It's been a hilarious roller coaster ride watching Silver Medalist from Ning Hao, the creator of Crazy Stone, which is believed to be a milestone in Chinese comedy.

Among the numerous expectations on Silver Medalist, big belly laughs embedded in the the natural flow of storyline are top of the list. And what an excellent job done!! The whole movie are filled with elaborate comedic moments, raw but not vulgar, many plot related, bringing 'substantial' laughs. It definitely takes a talented and patient mind to design this many "evolving jokes".

Another big advancement Ning has made is in storytelling, a more complicated multi-layer story, which is rarely seen in Chinese comedy, or any modern Chinese movie, is told in a skillful and meaningful way. Up to six lines of sub stories, yet I had no trouble at all understanding this big plot.

The best Chinese film I've watched in years, highly recommended!

Trade (I) (2007)

Gut-wrenching and Genuine

[8/10 · 8 March 2008]

Trade is not really the kind of thrilling crime movie that I was expecting, it's about something I thought I might have heard about quite a lot yet actually never really felt: trafficking children and women from the third world to be sold for forced sex. Trade exposes the whole chain of the business with great genuineness.

For a subject like this it's handy to come up with much more gore and sex to attract some eyeballs, but not with Trade, there is nothing gratuitous here. At several gut-wrenching scenes, at the edge of my seat I longed to see some resistance or retribution, I didn't, but when I sat back and cleared my thought, I knew that was what would happen in the real world. Nevertheless although there are many broken hearts, twisted minds and lost souls in the movie, and even the last scene gave me a groan, I am not left with despair in the end.

Quite a few characters have been developed into some depth, while supported by first-class performance(excellent casting!) this doesn't cause confusion or dilution, but rather delivers me the feeling of the whole big picture. It does feel a bit dragged at the beginning, I guess it is needed to expose all the details of the business chain, the storyline flows naturally and keeps me hooked for 2 hours.

Overall this is a well-made untypical crime film with not so much easy entertainment in it, but if you want something genuine that will linger in your head, go see it and you won't be disappointed.

Kong que (2005)

Pathetic miserable and not viewer-friendly, at all

[3/10 · 28 January 2008]

Every single character in this movie is either mean or plain stupid, and utterly pathetic. If you just want cruel reality to see how miserable life can be, how life can suck EVERY MOMENT IN EVERY WAY, then Peacock is your best bet, even better than jail..

There seems to be some strong 'subtle' emotions that the director wanted to deliver, I didn't get it and I doubt people who haven't really been through the years in the movie can. Many details were painfully true to the old days (which might still be a good thing) but all things were made to go extreme pretentiously. Was the film intended only for viewers who no longer wants to taste real joy from life?? Gu may be an outstanding cinematographer, but he should stay just it.

Venus (I) (2006)

It Feels Great

[9/10 · 8 January 2008]

The moment I finished watching it, I thought it's a solid 7. 10 minutes later, I decided an 8 would be fairer for mesmerizing performance delivered by 74-year-old Peter O'Toole.(Gosh, can't believe it, it's the 9th Oscar nomination for O'Toole) The next morning, after relishing it again, I know it well deserves a 9, for its wonderful well-designed details.

If I were in my old ages while watching it so that I would be able to identify with more of the sentiments in the movie, it might as well be one of my favorite movies. Venus is so delicate and sensitive dealing with feelings. If you want easy entertainment try sth else- there are no big laughs or dramatic scenes, if you are the kind that enjoys paying attention to details you will love this one.

Secret (2007)

Fantastic Fantasy

[9/10 · 13 August 2007]

Surprisingly good~ I was just expecting a decent delicate love story, Bu neng shuo de mi mi(Secret) didn't disappoint me on that, but there is much more - a beautiful thrilling fantasy film it is! The first half is full of witty romantic plots, they do occasionally seem a little gratuitous, but very entertaining indeed, more importantly,they have you absorbed into the atmosphere easily. And you would probably say to yourself, yeah it is an ordinary romance film with a delicate but predictable storyline.

Then, it proves you wrong in an amazing way. It keeps on bringing enjoyable surprises, bringing the film onto the next level. The dialog is not pretentious or overused, the story unfolds itself in a natural manner. And then you will realize it's not another ordinary feel-good romance.

Have to mention, the score produced by the Singer/Songwriter/Pianist/Actor director Jay Chou is outstanding and impressive, and really becomes an integral part of the film.

Fantastic.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Turning Ordinary into Extraordinary Sensations Makes The Film Extraordinary

[10/10 · 10 February 2007]

Life itself is covered all around with dramatic color. And Little Miss Sunshine didn't include any plot twist simply because a plot twist seems to be needed. We might have been blind to it, but actually true life is indeed the most dramatic experience we can ever have.

In Little Miss Sunshine, supported by its wonderful acting, every episode that happened to the Hoover family feels so ordinary yet so real, and it really says it all, impressively. The ability of turning ordinary life into extraordinary sensations make this independent movie stand out and become one of the best dramas of all time.

Plus, the score is breathtaking also,can't wait to own the soundtrack!

Arthur and the Invisibles (2006)

Not as good as I've expected it to be, not as disappointing as the user rating suggests either.

[7/10 · 5 February 2007]

I enjoyed the animation part, with joyful vivid characters, especially the fat guy,super funny super cute. Wild imagination reminds me of my childhood feelings. Maybe many people would say the premise is not that original, but maybe Luc did it on purpose, he did not want his 'last film as a director' to be that groundbreaking or breathtaking, just do something he had always been wanting to do ,to gently relive the most colorful childhood dreams with the world.

However, the live action part is mediocre, the acting is kinda pretentious and personally I really don't like the Arthur boy- fortunately he's soon turned into a cool tiny 'minimoy'~

Anyway, Luc Besson, the creator of Leon and The Fifth Element, his last film as a director, let's spare some patience for Arthur et les Minimoys and show some respect, 4.9 on IMDb is humiliating for the final piece of such a great filmmaker!

Hostage (2005)

Diluted.

[6/10 · 24 January 2007]

Overall Hostage is a quite entertaining movie, may not last long in the memory, but definitely worth seeing if you like to see Bruce Willis play tough.

The cast is good, but I kinda get a feeling that there are too many characters in Hostage, some acting wasted. I'm not saying they don't deserve a place in the plot, it just seems Florent Emilio Siri wanted to talk about a lot of topics in this movie, and these don't come with a chemistry, instead one topic comes as a dilution to another..

Anyway, the overall tense atmosphere is maintained well, storyline reasonable, so if you are just looking for a thriller to fill the time and don't wanna take it seriously, check this out~

Rob-B-Hood (2006)

Big disappointment..

[3/10 · 13 November 2006]

I really wanted to give it a positive rate as I really like Jackie Chen, but unfortunately, after watching it I can't, if being objective..

The plot is weak, none of the characters are genuinely developed into real depth, and many of them just make you wonder where the heck is his/her place in the whole plot!?? The storyline is always being dragged and the fight scenes feel so redundant, I kept saying "please, please just use a gun to skip these!"

I give Rob-B-Hood two more stars one for the lovely baby(he may be the most vivid character in this movie), one for the respectable dedication by Jackie(the overall failure should not be blamed on him). I'll be expecting Jackie Chen's next performance, and I'll also try to avoid the production from others in the crew..

Curiosity Kills the Cat (2006)

Good, but far from Great.

[6/10 · 25 October 2006]

Haven't enjoyed a Chinese movie this much for quite a while, and I'm glad to finally see a none-martial drama bidding to represent China in the competition for Oscar best foreign film(though fail).

The director Zhang Yibai elaborates many wonderful integral twists, and Curiosity Kills has a admirable perspective looking into everyday real life of different classes of contemporary Chinese(lack some depth though). I guess these are what have this movie stand out.

And now the bad points, the acting of the leading man, which is just mechanical and emotionless, verges on destroying the whole plot while others of the cast deliver nothing more than mediocre performance. Another weakness of this movie is its senseless cinematography, very immature and unfortunately the editing make it look even worse...

In all, Curiosity Kills the Cat is an impressive good movie with some apparent shortcomings, worth a try.

Monster House (2006)

A Respectable Mismatch..

[4/10 · 23 October 2006]

A mystery/thriller core under the cover of animation with some crude humor feels so weird, and uncomfortable to watch..

Plus, this movie deserves a way better score to help create the atmosphere. And the plot, or the way they develop it, is bad.. well maybe it's because I'm too old for this, I feel no suspense at all throughout Monster House. (BTW, I'm 20) The way they get the idea about 'the source of life' from the video game king is ridiculously corny. Bored is a strong word, but I was verging on it by the end.

However, though personally I didn't enjoy it, I'd quite like to show my adoration to the animation crew- the '3D motion capture techniques' are awesome~

Them (2006)

Great thriller based on true event

[8/10 · 24 July 2006]

I have to say i really enjoyed it. With a runtime of only 77mins and less then 50votes here, it's far beyond my expectation.And after watching Ils, i wonder whether this is exactly how long a horror/thriller movie should be.

The setting and excellent score remind me of High Tension, but it turns out to be a even better one. At least higher efficiency in only 77mins, no gratuitous sex violence or gore, all are set to create the breathtaking atmosphere.

Like some other audience, I supposed 'they' had to be aliens and this movie should be a sci-fi before seeing the ending which is short,but reasonable enough,and quite impressive.

Low budget horror at its best.