Alan Rickman's movie roles

I was going to name this post as "My favourite Alan Rickman's movies" when i realised that the movies in this list are ALL the movies of Alan Rickman that i have watched. No surprise that i enjoyed all the movies that i have seen him in! Well, with the exception of Alice in Wonderland where to be honest, i forgot that he was the caterpillar!!!

1. Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves - he was evil but funny at the same time. One can't help but to laugh at his frustrations because of what Robin Hood did to him.

2. Hans Gruber in Die Hard - some say this was the best villain ever. He was so good in this movie. Cold, calculative, clever. And of course the classic final scene where he fell to his death - how his look of wickedness changed to one of surprise and then of terror as he fell, all in slo-mo!



3. Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest - he brought so much humour in this spoof of Star Trek. REally loved what he brought into this movie. And he managed to bring such a tear-jerking moment in a comedy movie (see the clip from 1:20 onwards).



4. Harry in Love Actually - back to a serious role, not really a villain but a not so good person. This role showed his emotional range. The clips below are the classic scenes - the first, the hilarious scene with Rowan Atkinson, and the second, the very moving scene - "A classic fool".





5. Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series - and of course, Snape. Most people of this generation will remember him for this role. I must say that Snape is probably the most interesting character in the HP series and Alan really played it well!

Top 10 Star Wars Moments

I'm taking the easy way out for this post!

I'm basing this on this video prepared by WatchMojo.com on the Top 10 Star Wars Moments.

But I'm not gonna blindly agree with it. I will add some of my personal view into it but generally, i agree with it!

Here's the video:-

 

No. 10 - Star Destroyer Opening (Episode IV) - no arguments there! Every saga has its beginning and to most of us, this is the real beginning!!!

No. 9 - Darth Maul Duel (Episode I) - This is one of the best scenes in the entire series - and probably only the good scene in the prequel trilogy for me. This is definitely the best lightsaber duel - with green, red and blue sabers and an edge of the seat soundtrack. Some have complained that it ended quite lame though and Obi-Wan defeated Maul too easily. Still, this has its rightful place in the top 10 here.

No. 8 - Order 66 (Episode III) - This is not on my list. Did not like this very much and it only showed how stupid the Jedis were.

No. 7 - Obi-Wan v s Anakin (Episode III) - I'm undecided on this. This is an important scene but does it live up to the top 10 moments?

No. 6 - Destruction of Alderaan - (Episode IV) - This would not be in my list but after re-watching it again, I have to say that i'm reconsidering its importance. Pretty powerful scene, actually. Shock, anger, amazement, sadness - all the emotions in this scene.

No. 5 - Battle of Hoth (Episode V) - agreed! What a battle!!!

No. 4 - The Trench Run (Episode IV) - just rewatching this scene again send chills running down my back and tears welling up in my eyes. When i was talking about this scene to a friend today, i felt the same chills - and yes, they were multiplying!!!!

No. 3 - Luke vs Fate (Episode VI) - yes to this too! As was mentioned in the clip, the lightsaber fight may not be that impressive (but the green and red sabers look really good) but it's the battle that was going inside Luke and how he won.

No. 2 - Han Solo's fate (Episode V) - Who can argue with this? Add to what has been said, the classic exchange between Han and Leia where Leia finally admits her love for Han - and Harrison Ford's brilliant ad-lib response to that.

No. 1 - I Am Your Father (Episode V) - was there any doubt that this would be the no. 1???

Here are a couple of my own to replace no. 7 and 8 above:-

The speeder bike chase from Episode IV. Edge of the seat stuffs!!! Bear in mind also that this scene was not shot using computer generated effects!!!

The space battle over Endor at the end of Episode VI with Lando barely making it out on the Millennium Falcon!

Things I learned from watch Transformers: Age of Extinction

Finally got to watch this on Astro yesterday.

 Learnt a few things too!

1. China have to fastest cars in the world - one can drive from Beijing to Hong Kong overnight!!!!

And when you reach HK, just buy off someone's big bike!

 2. An inventor can actually overcome a CIA black-ops killer! You just need a good old American football which you can find in some random HK flat.

But their fight scene in HK was pretty good!

3. Alien space ships are very advanced but it is so easy to sneak into one and walk around undetected - until they send the dogs for you!

4. Alien guns are somehow created to fit into punny human's hands!!! How convenient!

5. Similarly, the guns on their space crafts also has small seats for humans to fit in and fire!

 6. On a more serious note, i like the conversation between Cade and Prime when Cade tries to make a case for the humans.

This was his monologue - What do you think being human means? That's what we do. We make mistakes. Sometimes, out of those mistakes come the most amazing things... When I fixed you, it was for a reward. That was it. That was why. The money. And it was me making a mistake. Without it, you wouldn't be here. So even if you got no faith in us, I'm asking you to do what I do. I'm asking you to look at all the junk and see the treasure. You gotta have faith, Prime, in who we can be.

Corny? But so true. We are so imperfect but there is good inside us!

7. People can be very critical for the sake of being critical!

The movie was rated 5.8 at IMDB!!!! This is the lowest rating for all the Transformer movies. But to be honest, i thought this was the best (maybe it had to do with the next point). There were a lot of complaints about plot holes (some of the things i mentioned above too) etc - but i always wondered what kind of people goes to watch a Michael Bay movie with huge robots having souls and expect it to be intellectually stimulating!!!! This is Transformers, for goodness sake! We go and expect to see huge robots fighting each other and big explosions!!!

I enjoyed this the most! the rest were just too painful to sit through in one sitting. And perhaps there is another point too - since i watched this on Astro, i did it over a few sittings.

8. Mark Wahlberg is definitely a welcomed change and better than the Wiwitky character!!! And i think it's because of his role as a father (see the last point).

But i've always been a fan of him. He brings a more matured character.

9. Robots with souls can be selfless heroes!

Loyal, righteous, faithful to the end! Even though they did not gain anything for themselves. Good virtues!

10. Being a father makes watching movies never the same again. Ever!!!

Knowing how much a father will go through to save his little girl, this movie actually moved me to tears on more than one occasion.

*All pics were obtained from online from various sources

Man of Steel - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I'm one of the minority that did not seem to think Man of Steel was such a good show! Having said that, it wasn't all that bad and it was actuially pretty good in some ways. Here is my list:-

The Good

1. Clark Kent's struggles - I really like how this story was told, how he had to deal with his powers even from young, the burden he felt with such responsibility, his desire to want to do good but at the same time having to be prudent about it.

2. Clark Kent's parents - Kevin Costner did not have that much of screen time but Diane Lane really stole to limelight each time she was on the screen.

3. Michael Shannon's General Zod was really good!!! Best actor/character of the show.

 4. Kal El's parents' pain was well potrayed as they have to part with their child. And Russel Crowe doesn't sing!!!

5. The fight scenes between Superman and General Zod and other Kriptonians were very realistic - how one would imagine it to be! But this can also be a bad thing...

6. The supporting cast was not bad - Lois Lane was better than expected and it was nice to see "Detective Stabler" here although his character was pretty much Detective Stabler in the army!!!

The Bad and the Ugly

1. Jonathan Kent's death scene was fine - but to die for a dog???

2. The special effects left much to be desired. The oil rig scene looked so fake. And when Superman flies (he looks like he is having constipation just as he is about to fly - so fake), it doesn't look real. I would expect the fx to be really good these days but some parts really looked like it was green screened.

3. It was just toooooooo long!!! 

4. The fight scenes were really boring after a while. Can't really see much except that a lot of damage was being done. It was a little over the top for me. Even the Transformers was better cuz you can see the machines fighting - and some slo-mo was used. But not here. Blink and you'll miss them.

5. Superman himself was a pretty boring character. So the whole show descended to being a bit boring for me. On top of that, Superman does not seem to be so bright? He committed the basic mistake which all villians do - talk too much!!! When general Zod was struggling with controlling his super senses on earth, it was Superman who actually told him how to solve the problem when he was almost like bragging about how his mother taught him to focus! Well done, Supe!!!

6. The manner how he killed General Zod - really? That's it???

Pics taken from various sites online.

Movies of 2012

Out of the 8 movies in my post "Movies I'm looking forward to in 2012,", only 4 appear on this list. I have not watched Prometheus. GI Joe has been pushed to next year.

Here is the list of memorable movies - not necessarily the best movies!

1. The Avengers

Joss Whedon, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johannson, The Incredible Hulk smashing things!!! Watched this after Bersih 2.0!!! Loved it. Nuff said.

2. The Hobbit

Seen this twice in the cinema edi. Not as good as The Lord of the Rings but still, very good!

3. Les Miserables

One of the most anticipated movie of the year! The male leads let me down. The female leads made up for it. Cried so much!!!

4. Hunger Games

Liked Battle Royale. Loved Hunger Games!

5. Skyfall

The best Daniel Craig Bond!!! Exciting, cool, great villain and lots of London! =)

6. Resident Evil: Retribution

Lived up to expectations!!! Lots of shoot-em-up, video game style, zombies, hot chicks, zombies... and did i say zombies??!!!

7. Chronicle

Surprise hit of the year, for me! Went in without knowing much. Was shocked when i found out it was gonna be a hand-held camera kinda show. But i survived it - and watched a really good movie. Good storyline, dealing with what happens when one gets power.

8. Expendables 2

This is pure fun - and it was great to see Arnie and Bruce teaming up with Stallone, taking pop-shots at each other's previous movies.

9. CZ12

Jackie doing what he does best, entertaining us and making us laugh! 

10. Madagascar 3 

Watched this on the plane as i did not want to see anything serious. Had a great time! Great laughs, many LOL moments. Good one!

11. The Vow

Watched this on the wife's b'day - was surprised it was better than i expected. Maybe cuz i expected it to be really bad!!! Rachel MacAdams vow-ed me away, pun intended!

12. Premium Rush

Watched this on the day after our anniversary - not great but something different. Adrenaline pumping all the way!

13. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Another movie which lived up to my expectations. Vampires and vampire slayers. "Real" vampires, not the kind that sparkles... Liked how they tied it up with history. Hey, it's a movie, k?

14. Battleship

Another pure fun and action movie! Think i like it better than Transformers!!!!

15. The Dark Knight Rises

 This was alright. Great performance by Anne Hathaway, tho!


16. The Amazing Spiderman

I blogged earlier this year that i think Andrew Garfield makes a much better Peter Parker! The movie was alright...

17. Underworld: Awakening

Great to see Kate back again, killing vampires!!!!

18. The Girl with Dragon Tattoo

Released in the UK and US at the end of 2011, we watched this last year. A pretty good show. It helps when the story is good and keeps us glued on to find out the outcome! Now to watch the original version!!!

Is the Hobbit better than LOTR?

I am comparing The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. In my view, the latter was better for the following reasons (not exhaustive, nor in any specific order. Warning: Spoiler alert!!!):-

1. Character development

There were some pretty good and interesting characters introduced in AUJ - and some were developed pretty well. Bilbo for instance, from the reluctant member of the team to being an important if not essential member.

But my complaint is that there were just too many people involved in this journey. 14 of them!!! I can't even remember all their names! Very little is known of some of them - just general stuffs. That is the dwarf who eats a lot. That was the wise one. That was the guy with the tattoo on his head.

Whereas at the end of FOTR, we knew all the members of the Fellowship very well.

2. Excitement

There were many exciting scenes in AUJ. And they were all pretty good. In fact, i must say it looked better than FOTR. But somehow, the excitement was not the nailbiting edge of the seat excitement. For example, the fight in the Mines of Moria was just brilliant!!! It was scary, it was thrilling. The Balrog was truly something that inflicts fear in everyone.

3. Heroic death

Yes, all 14 in AUJ survived to the end of the movie - altho if one or two did not, it really would not have bothered me (see no. 1 above). One of the best and memorable scenes in FOTR was the death of Boromir. Such sacrifice! And his last words - "I would have followed you - my brother... my captian... my king..."!!!

Which brings me to the next point...

4. Memorable lines

Sure, there were some good lines in AUJ - like Gandalf's "...remember this: true courage is about not knowing when to take a life, but when to spare one." But there were few and far between. dun get me started on the wonderful lines found in FOTR!!!


5. Comic relief

I found there were more funny moments in FOTR - thanks to Merry and  Pippin, and the banter between Legolas and Gimli. Can't remember any really funny parts in AUJ. Many scenes in AUJ may raise a smile and i do remember laughing out once or twice - but that was it.

6. Novelty

I guess Peter Jackson is a victim of his own success. When FOTR came out, i have never seen anything like that before!!! Now for AUJ, there were many "seen that before" moments.

7. Arwen

Enuf said. =)

(Pics obtained from various sites online)

Why the Amzing Spider-Man is better than Spider-man!

The title gives it away - i think that TASM is better than Spider-Man!!! Here are some of the reasons:-

1. The web-slinging and swinging scenes were pretty amazing (pun intended). Wonder how it would have been to watch it in 3D!!!

2. I'm so glad that the "web" is actually something created by Peter's brilliance - like how i remember it to be reading the comic books while growing up, and not something that the body produces (that scene in Spider-Man where Tobey Maguire tries to shoot the web was painful to watch).

3. Ben Parker - Martin Sheen!!!! What a brilliant performance by him. And as some critic also mentioned, there is more development to Ben Parker's character. Good job! Aunt May was pretty good to. But it's Sally Field - you dun expect anything less!

 4. The chemistry between Peter and Gwen was pretty good and real!!! And they look good together, unlike Tobey and Kirsten Dunst.

I specially liked this scene!!! =)

5.The fight scenes were much better - and Spider-Man really fights like a spider, jumping and swinging all over the place. Nice!

6.Gwen Stacy!!!!! I prefer her so much over the other girl.... see, i can't even remember her name...yes, Mary Jane! Gwen is such a nicer character - and she is not just a damsel in distress. She was pretty brave and helped saved New York!!! Emma Stone did a pretty good job potraying her too!

7. Finally - Andrew Garfield!!!! He has to be the reason why TASM is successful! Well played! Looked teh part! Can't wait for TASM 2!!!