Nickilodspiker Reviews

Skyline (2010)

Skyline's Sky High Crappiness

[2/10 · 15 January 2011]

I admit this movie got my attention because of its alien invasion theme. The trailer was clever. It shows thousands of people getting sucked into a huge spaceship. I think that's awesome I admit it blew me away.

However, as I watched this movie, there is no story plot at all. The lead actor looks funny, the acting is a disaster, the characters are unlikable. The women are bitches and the men are idiots specially the lead actor with a long, horse like face. I got no sympathy for them whatsoever and I laughed when they died which is weird. Its difficult to watch throughout the movie.

The special effects were actually nice but not great so at least I got what I expected. The high moment was when a lone jet fighter dodging aliens to deliver the nuke to the mother ship but other than that, its really disappointing.

The makers of this movie may have discovered a special effects technique and wanted to try it out. So they made this mess of a movie to show it off, so lame....

Unstoppable (2010)

Predictable but not bad... actually I enjoyed watching it.

[7/10 · 2 January 2011]

Unstoppable is another crisis situation movie filled with nonstop action and stars Denzel Washington as an aging train driver Frank and co-star young actor Chris Pine (Star Trek) as his new train conductor. When an unmanned train went loose running out of control and carrying toxic substance that could kill many people as it is heading into a populated towns, the two heroes decided to take actions themselves to stop the impending disaster after a series of attempts to stop the deadly train failed.

This type of movie has been done many times since the 80's to 90's I think. Let's see, there is always a person in a command center as guide, the heroes got dramatic back stories for emotional drama, all attempts done by the authorities to solve the crisis failed, a crazy stunt in the climatic scenes... all this cliché stuff are thrown in and I watched a lot of these type of movie before I can tell what's going to happen till the end not unless if they put some crazy twist which they didn't.

The good thing is, as predictable as it is, somehow I am still eager to find out what these two guys are going to do to solve the problem. One thing I like also is the updated technique of filming the actions. If this movie is made say during the 80's it couldn't be as thrilling. The editing and the constant camera panning works. Though some might complain about it but not me.

I like Denzel and Chris acting a lot specially during the beginning. The friction between the two characters going on while they are disagreeing on many things and the way they trade nasty remarks to each other is actually quite intense.

Overall, this movie is not bad and it is thrilling in every way. If you are into some thrill ride of a movie you might like it. However, for those who have seen enough of heroes save the day action movies and all its cliché splendor there might be a chance that you'll get bored or worst hate it.

Somewhere (2010)

Slow Pace but It Hits Emotional Punch

[7/10 · 29 December 2010]

I am a big fan of underrated actor Stephen Dorff. I don't know what happen to him but his career is kind of dead. So, this movie "Somewhere" gets me interested the fact that he is the star of it. This movie also stars Elle Fanning, the younger sister of former child actress Dakota Fanning.

Some people might not like the direction given by Sofia Coppola. The movie is slow pace, too quite, there are scenes with long cuts, and sometimes there is nothing going on for 1 minute or more. This approach could be boring to some people but for me it is very effective in conveying the despair, loneliness and boredom of Hollywood actor Johnny Marco.

Stephen Dorff didn't do much dialog or doing actions in this. When he speaks, he spoke only few phrases. But, the emotion through his eyes, the tears or a simple smile kills it. Elle Fanning is remarkable as well.

The movie runs maybe slow but if you are patient enough, the emotional impact that struck on you throughout the film is worth it.

A Love Story (2007)

Want some cheeeeeseeeee?

[1/10 · 7 April 2008]

A Love Story is basically the same old trashy filipino soap style movie being serve by Star Cinema. We can see the usual stuff like heavy on dialog, over the top crying scenes, and all those melodramatic cliché being thrown into the screen. This movie is all about Ian (played by Aga Muhlach, acting cute as always) who have to decide which two chicks his hooking up his going to end up with. Is it the bitch Karyn (Angelica Panganiban) or the mature and caring Joanna (Maricel Soriano)? Basically, its a contest between these two lousy women on who gets the grand prize(Ian the womanizer).

The story was presented in non-linear and boast itself with a plot twist not common to filipino movies. Unfortunately, the direction was gawd awful its messy and confusing. The scene editing was horrible you get lost between transitions to different location and time. All sorts of supporting casts appears right at you.... you just unable to keep up knowing each one of them.

The problem with this movie is that we really don't care about the characters we are seeing. It doesn't show the true values of a filipino. Like Karyn for example, mind you.... a woman who met a guy in the elevator then ends up having sex on the same night will always be a woman of bad reputation in Christian Philippines. Then there's this Ian who broke his leg on a pathetic skiing stunt who cries like a girl eventually going gaga over Laura because she was the one nursing him till he gets well. Its unbelievable..... and when they finally reveal the over hype twist in the story, I'd say oh yeah..... big deal.

The Holiday (2006)

Lots Of Perky Moments

[7/10 · 7 April 2007]

Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black and Jude Law stars in this romantic comedy "The Holiday". Cameron Diaz and Jack Black are innate comedians so we are assured that these two can handle comedy scenes quite effectively. On the other hand Kate Winslet and Jude Law, both British and Oscar nominated, are known for its dramatic roles. Though, I think Kate and Jude surprisingly gave me some giggles and smiles whenever they appear on the screen so they succeeded in doing comedy which is something new for them.

"The Holiday" is more like two movies rolled into one. Amanda (Cameron Diaz) had just broke-up with her boyfriend after she caught him cheating while Iris (Kate Winslet) was heart broken when her boyfriend decided to marry another woman. Both felt the need to get out from their lives by going faraway from where they live.

Iris is from England and Amanda is from LA. When these two meet over the internet chat room, they impulsively decided to swap houses. That was just how the story started for both women. While Iris is in LA living at Amanda's house and Amanda at Iris' in England, They are about to meet new friends w/c provides them fresh outlook on life and love. As the story goes, Graham (Jude Law) and Miles (Jack Black) comes in providing our two heroine some badly needed new romance.

The movie actually makes you smile a lot with lots of perky moments. What makes me giggle a lot was when the fake movie trailer called "Christmas Day" pops up. It surprisingly shows James Franco and Lindsay Lohan on cameo roles as the actors on that fake movie out of a fake movie trailer. In the end, there is nothing really special about "The Holiday" but I can say it's a good movie to watch.

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Nice Sad Story

[8/10 · 29 March 2007]

As the trailer suggested, this movie is another fantasy epic, actually its not. It is about friendship. There are magical scenes in this film (all of it are just the character's imagination) however virtually it is riding a bus, singing songs inside the classroom, family and of course Terabithia. Terabithia is the place where our two heroes hangout to pretend it is another world filled with magical creatures (the cgi is quite good I say). The problem with this film is that a big chunk of it is boring. Yet the theme is contemporary with today's issues on friendship and struggles in life. The way this movie ends actually moved me emotionally I could actually feel it, the pain of loss. That is what this film intended to do with its audience. Nice.

300 (2006)

This Years Best Movie

[10/10 · 9 March 2007]

OK, finally I saw it and here are my thoughts (Spoilers Ahead).

As soon as the earth trembles I am bracing myself to finally see Spartans in action. The way the spear fly out of nowhere and hits the hapless Persian dead, simply JAW DROPPING. That was a perfect way to start a battle then seconds later.... off goes the Persians about to be slaughtered by the mighty 300 Spartans.

There are no fast cut editing, shaky camera or stop motion technique, just long cut action sequences. Viewers can easily grasp all of the actions right before their eyes with normal to slow motion then back to normal speed frame technique to highlight the final blow. Complete with zoom in zoom out, PERFECT! Not a bit of an action left out. Totally satisfying.

The Spartan fought as a unit just like in team sport. Each spartan has its own position during battles and the technicality of doing defense using shields and attacking using their spears was perfectly executed. Such choreography was stunning like watching a beautiful ballet dance. All of these eye goodies while being blown away with surreal sound and musical scoring makes my heart stop beating.

This is based on the battle of Thermopylea so basically we already know the story. But then, the script was so sweet, poetic and masterfully delivered by the wonderful casts. Nothing to say about the visuals. Just refer to other reviews here and you'll get the idea. Go see it! This is the best movie for 2007 so far and probably the best movie till the year is over.