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IcePhoenix101
Reviews
Eragon (2006)
Loosely based on the book
Despite disappointing most of the fans of the book, I (a fan as well) have to say the movie was not bad at all. The special effects were great, and Saphira looked marvellous (though she looks a bit like a bird).
The main complaint that most people have (and I) is that it wasn't true to the book and that was too short (about 1 hr 30 mins). Different events happened for different reasons (Brom and Eragon originally left Carvahall to search for the Ra'zac, not to escape from them) and at different places (Eragon originally met Angela in Teirm, not in Daret) and some characters look different from their descriptions in the book (Eragon has brown hair, not blond hair, Brom has a full beard and Saphira has translucent wings, not feathered wings, Arya has black hair, not red hair, and the list goes on...). Some characters aren't supposed to appear (Galbatorix) and some characters aren't featured at all (Katrina, The Twins and the lovable dwarf Orik). Even Arya is supposed to be an elf and it is only mentioned that she is a princess of Ellesmera in the second book, Eldest. Considering all that, I'd say the movie was loosely based on the book and was more suited to the director's imagination.
There's been talk of a sequel, Eldest. Well, if it does go into production, the screenwriter better make up for some major events which had an impact on the plot later, such as Eragon's scar. I hope it will be better and stay true to the book.
But what's even better is if they do a re-make that is aimed at the fans and can still keep a reasonable pace. The interests of the fans are the most important and make up most of the audience and thus, most of the reviews, the money and ultimately the success of the film.
Overall, it's alright, but it definitely could be much better.
Xiaohai bu ben 2 (2006)
A good and touching film
I fully support this movie, even though I have almost always not taken an interest in Singaporean movies (BTW, I used to live in Singapore). It talks about the lack of communication and understanding between parents and their children, which can lead to disastrous consequences. Nowadays parents don't understand adolescents, why they use slang ('so lame', 'cool man' and 'whatever', as used by the boys in the movie), why they behave in such a different way and why they are so naive.
Jerry, the youngest boy, tells the whole story through his eyes, and I personally found the part when he was so desperate about finding out how babies came about (sex education, people, there's nothing disgusting about it, except for the fact that a young primary school boy is talking about it) funny.
The other boys, who all study in the same school, face problems in their class, from possessing a porn CD to getting into a fight with the teacher to the unwillingness to learn Chinese, which the teacher emphasises so much on. Soon, with all the stress coming from their parents and at school, the boys turn into gangsters, who smoke, hang out, rob people and you know, all the bad stuff (like I said, disastrous consequences).
Personally, I think it's a great movie that parents and kids should watch together, so that they may understand each other better. Oh, and by the way, they filmed the movie in the school which I used to go to, Saint Hilda's Primary School, and I still remember the day when the hall was out of bounds and there were teachers patrolling the area to keep away nosy students.
Mean Girls (2004)
Humour and a touch of "payback"
When I first watched Mean Girls, I laughed so hard I had a stitch.
Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) joined a group of girls know as "The Plastics" in North Shore High School, with Regina George as the leader. For some time she got along well with them, but when Cady had a crush on Regina's ex-boyfriend, and Regina found out, she back-stabbed Cady, and Cady, along with two other friends, devised a plan for payback time, and the results were hilarious! Regina ate a weight-gaining muesli bar to become slimmer, put feet moisturizer on her face instead of face moisturizer and so on. Mean Girls should be watched for lots of great humour and laughs!
Xiaohai bu ben (2002)
Singaporean taste, good, but didn't really suit my taste.
Being a Malaysian who stayed in Singapore for a long time and just recently migrated to Australia, I've had almost no interest in Singaporean movies. This movie depicts the typical education system in Singapore today and how parents put pressure on their children to study hard and yadda yadda yadda. I've battled the education system there long enough to know that it's tough, and that typical Singaporean kids would love to watch this show and let their parents and maybe even the government know about how much pressure the education system is putting on them.
The acting, in my opinion, is average. It's about the same as those in the Singaporean dramas, most of which I don't bother to watch. The dialogue is Singaporean-like, with Singlish in between.
It all starts with 3 boys who are friends and in the EM3 stream, which is the worst stream you can ever enter. They're struggling with schoolwork, exams and pressure from their parents to study hard. It's been quite some time since I've seen this movie, so I've forgotten most of the storyline already.
It's sometimes funny, yet some people say it's tear-jerking. I don't see what's so sad or touching about this movie. Anyway, Singaporean movies don't interest me. I'm not like a typical Singaporean kid who thinks the Singaporean way. So if you're like me, you would only watch this show because of the funny bits, otherwise forget it.
White Chicks (2004)
Laughing all the way.....
I saw White Chicks and by the end of the show, I had a stitch. It's all very funny, portraying how men can't get along with women, with pants being too tight, hating shopping and chasing a robber all the way just for a handbag. Women don't have pants being too tight, as they are always trying to be slim, they love shopping and they don't chase a robber all the way because it's either that they don't have any energy or they are wearing high heals. All that made me laugh and laugh and *ahem*. Another funny part was when they were arguing with the Vandergeld sisters. The way they disgraced them saying that their mother was stupid in whatever they said made me laugh the loudest!
I give it an 8/10.
W.I.T.C.H. (2004)
No
I've seen a bit of this show and this is what I have to say: I don't hold an interest in it.
The plot is like a "superhero" type of cartoon. The characters have magic powers and they use them to save the world from destruction while at the same time, struggle to cope with schoolwork, friends, family and crushes and to keep their powers secret. It's almost like Winx Club, but Winx is way better than this. The style of Winx is different. Sure, the girls have magic powers and they use them to defend to Magic Dimension from Lord Darkar, but they don't struggle with schoolwork because their schoolwork is just to train their powers, all of them are friends (for this WITCH is the same example), their families are far away, their boyfriends (not crushes this time)are in the next school, and they don't have to keep their powers secret.
WITCH is about saving Earth from this evil prince who wants to break some kind of barrier that separates this other world called Meridian from Earth, and Earth will be in danger, so five girls have been chosen to stop the evil prince from breaking the barrier to attack Earth. This is what I think the plot is like, from what I've heard. There is realism in the show, and for this type of genre, it's wrong. Realism doesn't take us away to another world where everything is unrealistic and anything is possible. It's uninteresting.
The events are confusing, and the show has extremely dark points. If a little kid were to see this show, he or she would think of it as a horror movie rather than a cartoon about five girls saving Earth. There's no creativity in the show. The basic air, water, fire, earth and energy. Can't they think of a better powers that are non-elemental and are more creative? And the "Guardian" outfits. They are all of the same colour: purple and blue-green. And their wings are all of the same type. This isn't unique. The outfits and wings should be different for each girl, to show how each girl is unique, instead of the same thing.
The animation is also like that of Japanese anime, except that it's pseudo-anime animation. It's really horrible. The voice acting is lousy too.
I think girls are better off watching Winx Club, the girls kick way more butt than the WITCH girls. Winx has much better animation and better ideas and a better plot. WITCH was not made for me.
Winx Club (2004)
I love it!!!!!!
I've seen an episode of Winx and from the first time I watched it, I was hooked on it! It may have borrowed some traits from Japanese Magical Girl anime genre cartoons, but it's still a good show.
It's about a girl named Bloom, who, while in the park one day, accidentally gets involved in a fight between an ogre named Knut and a fairy named Stella. It was then when Bloom realized that she had powers. Stella then invited Bloom to attend Alfea School for Fairies, where aspiring fairies go and train how to use their powers. When Bloom gets there, she meets 3 other fairies staying in the same dormitory as her and Stella, and together they formed the Winx Club, with Bloom as the leader. Together they fight the 3 senior witches of Cloud Tower, Icy, Darcy and Stormy, otherwise known as the Trix, who want to take over the universe with the power of the Dragon's Flame, and they suspect that one of the Winx girls has it.
Many people say that the Winx girls look anorexic and that it sets a bad example for girls. And that Stella loving fashion, boys and shopping and hates studying is another bad example. But I don't think that's the message the producers are trying to send. I recently read that Winx Club is targeted at tweens to prepare them for teenagehood.
Winx Club is a gripping show that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Sometimes the Winx girls lose. But that makes the show even more interesting. Otherwise it won't be fun to see them win all the time, and eventually people get bored of the show. That way when something bad happens, you don't know which side is going to win or lose. It's unpredictable.
Winx Club is a great show for fantasy, adventure, action and Magical Girl anime genre fans. But those genres are the main ones. It's great for anyone who likes all sorts of cartoons.
*Note: I am referring to the original version of Winx, not the crappy 4kids version, which gives Winx a bad impression.*