guusebumps Reviews

Halfworlds (2015– )

Looked Promising At First but Then A Big No

[3/10 · 13 December 2015]

I am Indonesian and I live in Jakarta. When I first saw the trailer I said to myself at last a good series made by Indonesian. It featured Indonesian supernatural myths and it looked different from other Indonesian made. After all, it was picked up by HBO, so it should be good, yes? No! I didn't see the first episode, but I saw the second, and it didn't take me 30 minutes to change the channel.

To me it was a big no. The story was actually promising but the execution was not. The dialog were somewhat scarce, short, and not really interconnected to one another. The acting was worse. They were not actually acting but only tried to look cool. Trying to be cool was not the same as acting.

In short, the overall look was not really different from other Indonesian horror film.

Pacific Rim (2013)

A Damn Good Ride on Huge Robots Fighting Huge Monsters

[8/10 · 11 July 2013]

Only one word can describe Pacific Rim, and that is "Wow!". It got everything I need in a robot vs monster movie except one thing, which otherwise would make it a perfect movie.

The movie got huge robots and huge monsters (that's obvious). It got great CGI, great robot vs monster fighting sequences, a surprisingly quite good story (which should be expected in a Guillermo del Toro movie, but which I didn't expect much at first in this kind of movie), rocket punch, Portal game's GlaDOS voice, and it even got (borrowing the term from Voltus V anime) the "Tenkuu ken"! How awesome it is! But, as I said before, it is missing something. Something very important.

== Warning: this part may contain spoiler ==

Because Guillermo himself said that he wanted to "honor" the kaiju and mecha genres (while creating an original stand-alone film), and because he also said (in one of the promotional featurette videos) that he was influenced by Japanese big robot anime of his time like "Tetsujin 28", and also because one of the promotional posters featured a Japanese jaeger called "Coyote Tango", the absence of a Japanese jaeger really bothers me. I would give this movie a perfect ten stars if it shows even one sequence of a Japanese robot kicking a kaiju's ass, and not just featuring one Tokyo scene and two Japanese actresses. I personally think that Guillermo should at least give a nod to Japanese mecha anime genre. But no, Coyote Tango was not in the movie, so I take out two stars out of this movie.

Man of Steel (2013)

This Is the Superman Movie I've Been Waiting for

[8/10 · 14 June 2013]

I really don't understand why many critics don't like this movie. Come on, Superman is not Batman. Superman has superhuman powers while Batman has not, so, the movie should be packed with destructive actions, given that the bad guys have the same powers as Superman himself. And given the super powers that Superman has, this movie also should be packed with CGI.

Story wise, this movie do have a story to tell, not just actions and CGI. Superman's background story and Zod's motive are quite interesting to be told. And in my opinion, the drama and the action in this movie are balanced. I mean, this movie should have long action sequences because the bad guys are not easy to subdue. They have super powers too. The fights should be long and hard and destructive. If the dramatic element is to be expanded more, the movie would've been longer and more boring (for comparison, in my opinion, The Dark Knight Rises, although it is a good movie, is long and some parts are dragged and boring).

Character wise, they are absolutely not one dimensional. Nobody is genuinely good or genuinely bad. As the good guy, Clark has his own doubt. As he is different from the others, he at first hesitated to show his true power, fearing that he would not be accepted in the planet he lived. And the bad guy, Zod has his own motive too, which was actually quite a noble one, although he has chosen a not quite noble way to do it. In this movie, Zod is not the megalomaniac that he was in other portrayals.

For the Superman character I'll give 10 out of 10. And for movie itself, I'll give 8 out of 10. This is one good and entertaining movie. And this is the Superman movie I've been waiting for, although it can always be made a little better.

Skyfall (2012)

At 50th Anniversary, Daniel Craig's James Bond Comes to a Full Circle

[10/10 · 1 November 2012]

This 23rd installment of Bond movie brings Daniel Craig as James Bond to a full circle with a very clever plot twist. I won't ruin your enjoyment of this movie by revealing the story, but I can tell you to be ready for surprises, good ones of course. And for a second time in Bond history, James bond meets his match, and Javier Bardem is even more a greater villain to Bond than Sean Bean in Goldeneye. The story itself is unusual for a Bond movie, but it gives more than enough references to the good old James Bond, especially Sean Connery's era. And even further, it takes James Bond to his roots. And finally, at the end of the movie comes the biggest surprise which makes the reboot comes to a full circle. What a way to celebrate 50 years of Bond movie! I walked out from the movie theater with a big smile on my face after watching this movie.

Rocky Balboa (2006)

"Last time I see you, you was a kid and now you officially got one of your own"

[8/10 · 20 June 2008]

That line was said in the movie "Rocky Balboa" by Rocky to Little Marie when he took her home from the bar.

I got one story similar to this and I smiled when Rocky said that. Back then in 1987, when I left the city I lived for the past 8 years, there was a family who were a friend of my family. This husband and wife got a baby daughter whom I used to carry around. Not long ago, I met this family again in the city where I live now and guess what? That baby I used to carry around had become a mother of a baby girl. And now I carry her daughter around.

And I am still unmarried yet.

I had a good time watching Rocky Balboa, brings back old memories. The first time I watched Rocky is when he fought that big Russian guy (Dolf Lundgren) in Rocky IV and then I watched the rest of Rocky movies in backwards succession (III then II then I). Then came Rocky V which was not very satisfying, and now this Rocky Balboa as a finale.

Good ending. Gonna fly now!

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon + Once Upon a Time in China + Jackie Chan's Drunken Master + Bruce Lee + Shaw Brothers Movies + 3D Animation = Kung Fu Panda

[10/10 · 14 June 2008]

Firstly I can say that I am blown up by this movie. I am a fan of cartoon movies and I also a fan of Kung Fu movies. I can say that this movie is an amalgam of the many past Hong Kong kung fu movies from Shaw Brothers Wire Fu to Bruce Lee to Jackie Chan to Jet Lee in the wrapping of 3D animation.

When I watch Po, I remember Jackie Chan in The Drunken Master. When I watch Master Shifu, I remember many of the white haired kung fu teachers characters to Jet Li's Master Wong Fei Hung. When I watch Master Crane, I remember Fu Shen's depiction of Fang Shih Yu on high poles. When I watched Master Tigress and Master Viper, I remember those lady kung fu warriors from Cheng Pei-pei to Michelle Yeoh to Zhang Zi Yi. When I watch Master Mantis and Master Monkey, I remember kung fu stars like Liu Jia Liang, Gordon Liu, and many others.

The training devices so much resembles many Shaw Brothers kung fu movies with pivoting parts and so on. I particularly remember the Shao Lin wooden man scenes from those movies.

The fight scene between Tai Lung and Master Shifu resembles many scenes from Hong Kong kung fu movies about a skillful students goes bad. The fight scene between the Furious Five and Tai Lung resembles many Jet Li's/Modern kung Fu Movies (like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) fight scenes. The fight scene between Po and Tai Lung is literally taken from Jackie Chan's Drunken Master/old movies. When Master Shifu told Po to hit the doll, Po was imitating Bruce Lee's moves.

The story is not unfamiliar in many from zero to hero Kung Fu movies with doubts from the teacher, the hard training and so on, also with the antics and humor in them.

In short, this movie encased all the good times in kung fu cinema in the clothing of 3D cartoon animation, almost too much for me to digest. I had a really really really good time watching this movie and could not stop laughing from start to finish.

Dragon Wars: D-War (2007)

A good story idea wasted by bad screenplay, bad acting, and bad directing, the only good thing is the CGI effect

[5/10 · 3 June 2008]

First of all, this is the first time I see an Asian dragon depicted correctly in a movie. And I give it 5 stars because of this, and also because I am an Asian myself and proud to see that Asian now can make CGI effect this good.

But that's it, nothing more.

For story idea I give 10 points but, for screenplay I give 0 point. For directing I give 0 point. For editing I give 0 point. For acting I give 0 point.

The story idea is actually interesting but let's face it, the screenplay is a big joke. The screenplay of 10,000 BC (see my review of the movie 10,000 BC) is better. Shim Hyung-rae just cannot develop this interesting story idea into a good screenplay. There are big holes in the script, too many to be said here. Simply take Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace and splash it with Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers, there you got the script. There are many things happening in the story that are not explained, just happened like that. I mean why the police keeping the girl in custody? Why the FBI know beforehand that they have to find the girl?

The acting? Whoa! No expression at all. This Tom Cruise look alike just cannot act. The girl is a bit better but there is absolutely no chemistry at all between the two. Watching a marionette play is far more interesting than watching these actors act.

The directing and editing are far worst than the actors. There are many unnecessary scenes in this movie, many goofs, and again many things are not explained.

10,000 BC (2008)

Are you kidding me?

[1/10 · 1 June 2008]

Even if I am treating very bad movies as merely something for passing time--if I have no better movie to watch--and avoid giving bad comments (see my comment on the movie "300"), this movie is too ridiculous to watch. Rolland Emerich didn't use any brain in making this movie.

What? No research?

Even if the makers of "300" did not research how ancient Persians looks like and how should they be clothed, the movie itself have good effects to watch and some historical accuracy, I have made a little research about this.

But this movie, oh my God, inaccurate from the start until finish. It does not need a genius to know that in 10,000 BC there was no pyramids (oldest pyramids are dated as from the third millennium BC or 3,000 BC), and most certainly no textile (the oldest of which was dated as from 6,500 BC). I can live with the horses, because there are VAGUE evidences about the domestication of horses to be much longer back in time, but the others are just plain ridiculous.

I am surprised this movie could make it to be #1 in box office and grossing 35,8 million USD in the first week.

THIS MOVIE INSULTS MY INTELLIGENCE TO THE CORE.

300 (2006)

Why does people have so many dumb comments regarding this movie?

[7/10 · 6 December 2007]

What I regard as dumb comments:

1. This movie is historically incorrect: you better watch documentaries.

2. Inappropriate use of CGI: you better watch soap operas.

3. Dumb story: you better watch the so called Academy Awards class movies.

4. Insulting: you better watch only politically correct movies.

The point is this movie is entertaining. Just sit down, relax, watch the movie and enjoy it. This is the kind of movie that doesn't give much more than entertainment. This movie is based on a comic book and the director made this movie exactly like in the comic book, panel by panel.