But these rodents were pretty well engineered and looked real enough, and definitely cute enough. Yes, even the mole. But that shouldn’t be any surprise after Stuart Little.

Best thing I can say for this movie was that adults could enjoy it just as much as children. The jokes, the pace, the script were all entertaining and fun to watch. Especially the CGI which was flawless. But the story really wasn’t anything to shout about. It was very lightweight and predictable, just enough to move things along. And a strong protagonist was missing from start to finish. It was certainly a different approach but still wasn’t strong enough.

The actors didn’t have to do much here. Bill Nighy just had to look enthused about his creation, Zach Galifianakis was just to support the rodents, and Will Arnett didn’t have a lot of lines or jokes; he looked a little uncomfortable while trying to look serious.

But the voice actors however were spot on, except Penelope Cruz who I found quite distracting in her accent. I couldn’t recognise Nicholas Cage too so that was very well done.

Rating: 6 / 10

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Frost when meeting Nixon always had this careful,  humble and sincere respect towards Nixon; even after their interview sessions at their final rendezvous, there’s still that awkward silence from Frost and I thought that was very well played by Sheen.

The best interaction and dialogue came not in the interview, but that midnight phone call made by Nixon to Frost, they weren’t even in the same room and yet the explosion was there. Langella brought the script to life as he shouted them out in the empty, dark room.

Other players included Kevin Bacon and Matthew Macfadyen who turned in respectable performances but the same couldn’t really be said for Sam Rockwell and Oliver Platt as there weren’t anything impressive about their roles even though they didn’t do anything wrong. Platt however had the best comical lines.

And I thought Ron Howard was right to leave out any romance from the plot. The pace ran very well and the story or anything else for that matter was over done. Editing wise however was too predictable in the sense that the cuts came exactly in places where it should, and that was quite disappointing.

Rating: 8 / 10

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But the story, however close to the truth, was a little dull. Much of the time we see Temudjin got captured, escaped, ran, captured again, and so on and so forth. It got tedious after the second time. And the action never picked up, not that I was expecting it, but there just wasn’t enough of anything to keep the movie interesting.

What kept Temudjin going was his love for his wife, which came as quite a surprise given how Genghis Khan’s ruthlessness preceded his name. And it was the actors, Tadanobu Asano as Temudjin, and Sun Honglei as his half-brother slash protagonist, that really kept the movie going.

There weren’t any great choreography for the bloody fight scenes, which isn’t a big complaint from me. But the final battle was just too weak, with ninja-like commando-warriors suddenly coming out of nowhere with some crazily intimidating long swords; going into the battlefield on their own and then suddenly retreating; and in the end getting killed by their own brothers. That was just weird and too “Hollywood” for me.

Rating: 6 / 10

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But how it has done well was the story of those group of people, and that’s where the difference between this and other Hollywood movies lie; though not by too much as many sub-plots reminded that of Hollywood.

The CGI however were done well enough to be believable. But it was how the visual effects were used to humour in some cases, were most impressive.

But before the CGI kicked in, it was quite a long waiting game in the first half. That’s where the characterisation of the people involved were important and they were done well enough to keep things interesting most of the time. Among the cast, Ha Ji-Won stood out being the most charismatic and likeable.

Rating: 7 / 10

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But what the movie talked about very truthfully was how men see women and what they really want, with the most brutal honesty. Sometimes exaggerated slightly but other times right on the money.  However, the characters were the ones that were overly exaggerated in their stereotypical roles.

I would have very much preferred to see someone else who wasn’t as hot as Katherine Heigl played the role of a woman who is unable to land herself a man. Perhaps a scene could have been devoted to show how this woman was transformed by Gerard Butler’s character from the proverbial ugly duckling.

None of the jokes were original; crude languaging were thrown in to substitute for lacking in everything else, and to give that “different” kind of entertainment; but luckily the actors made it work, barely. But what’s Kevin Connolly doing in there in that one lousy scene that could have been done by anyone else?

Rating: 5 / 10

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First, the characters. The old man and the young boy were both extremely lovable characters. One for his youthful exuberance and innocent and the other for his initial single-mindedness and love.

Second, the colours and the graphics were incredible and breathtaking. Pixar has never disappointed and at this rate, it probably never will too.

Third was the story that just kept getting better and better with each development and scene. The excitement also kept building right from the start, just like the house on balloons going up higher and higher.

What’s most amazing was how good this animated cartoon was even when it’s a lot more talky than other cartoons that usually rely on sensory-bombardment. There never was a dull moment here. And compared to last year’s Wall-E, seems like Pixar can do no wrong once again whether if it’s dialogue-filled or not.

Lastly, as usual, there were some great messages to take home too; be it for the young ones or the old-timers, and everyone else in between.

Rating: 9 / 10

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The actors weren’t good. They don’t have the power of attraction. Hayden Panettiere doesn’t have the look of a leading lady. And hence there’s no one to carry the movie. But then again, maybe her fans will think differently.

The overall plot was weak, the attempt was weak, the execution was weak. A very weak movie from start to finish.

Rating: 3 / 10

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Funny and entertaining enough, it’s even interesting and amusing.

But yes, nothing new here and we’ve seen this plot thousands of times before. Plus it’s Matthew McConaughey yet again in his typical take on a character that didn’t really separate himself from other previous roles.

At least this time the premise was fun and Michael Douglas was having fun with his role as we got to see his romps in the yester-years. His charms were hard to resist, and that’s what McConaughey was lacking a lot.

The rest of the cast was just adequate to push the movie forward, and unfortunately Jennifer Garner was one of them. But credit have to go to director Mark Waters for keeping the fun intact throughout.

Rating: 6 / 10

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It’s time Ben Affleck steps out of the negative light that has surrounded him over the years because he is a fine actor and probably a fine director too. Together with the rest of the big names in the cast, this movie was a runaway surprise for me.

The story provided the thriller and Kevin McDonald accentuated it. He did well in keeping the pace and coherence, resulting in what must be the best political thriller of the year so far.

And all players involved were a great watch, especially the partnership between Russell Crowe and Rachel McAdams. Even a small appearance by Jason Bateman and Jeff Daniels were highlights.

From the previous review about an expected style and swagger, the duo here that is Affleck and Crowe showed just how not to do it.

Rating: 8 / 10

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There’s a certain style, a swagger if you will, that is only Denzel Washington and John Travolta, but after so many years they have become their own style and you can be certain you will see that style in their movies. This can be a bad thing. No matter what role they play, they bring their signature style with them. It becomes typical. I think it’s time they reinvent themselves.

The plot wasn’t all that original, it was a remake though. The acting was just as expected. The film was carried by both Washington and Travolta as much of the scenes involved around their verbal sparring before the two meet eventually.

Tony Scott’s direction did well to provide the thriller but it was a little draggy in parts and felt like it took too long to reach the end. Plus the ending did not have a big climactic finish after all the suspense but it was still commendable, different in a way.

Rating: 6 / 10

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