THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (2012)

MyRating: YYYYY + A CROWN  /  [A++]

Director: Christopher Nolan
 
Screenplay: Jonathan Nolan & Christopher Nolan
Story: Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer
 
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman, Matthew Modine, Cillian Murphy

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language

The Dark Knight Rises is not, and never was, my most anticipated movie of 2012, as The Hobbit is always popped at the very top of my list. Different from many people who are super-duper excited for Rises since last year, as it is the most highly-anticipated movie and the biggest movie event of the year, I have to admit that I didn't have that super of an excitement. Indeed, there are many other movies that I wanted to see more than Rises this year. And from the 3 big-profile and most popular superhero movies released this summer, Rises still came the third in my superheroes want-to-see list, after The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-man. Why? Two main reasons. First, I was not a big fan of Christopher Nolan's Batman movies (nor the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher's versions). The Dark Knight (2008) is not my most favorite superhero movie of all time. It has always been Sam Raimi's Spider-man 2 (2004). Actually, I didn't really like The Dark Knight that much when I watched it back in 2008, even though I admired and take my hat off to Heath Ledger for his brilliant and outstanding performance as the Joker, whose acting will be very difficult to beat by any other actors who play supervillains (before and) after his time, for years to come. My second reason, Batman is not, and never was, my favorite superhero figure, as I always prefer Superman and Spider-man more since I was a kid.

But after coming back from The Dark Knight Rises last night, one thing I know for sure in my heart, that I loved what Nolan did with the end of this most talked about Batman franchise. I've grown to like Nolan and his works more and more, and he has strongly become one of my favorite filmmakers nowadays. A brilliant director and a brilliant screenwriter, as well as a masterclass storyteller, who will become one of the legends in the industry. And I got my first magic moment with Nolan not in Memento (2000). Not in Batman Begins (2005). And certainly not in The Dark Knight. But it was in his 2010 amazing 'totem spinning' sci-fi adventure Inception (which is also one of my all time favorites). The Dark Knight Rises is his another brilliant work, that fully kept me fascinated through out the movie, scene by scene, excitedly following how the storyteller told, led and bended the story, which I didn't mind at all since I enjoyed every moment out of it.

So, what makes The Dark Knight Rises great? Story. Story. Story. I am always fond of a good and smart storytelling, as I believe story is the most important element to enjoy a movie. Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan and developed the story with David S. Goyer, has written one standout and excellent conclusion, with a perfect round-out that closed this epic trilogy with a slam dunk. The complex but gripping storytelling, with a great direction from Nolan, made this dark and edgy superhero movie becoming a very satisfying fun-thrill ride, full of many jaw-dropping and thrilling moments, as well as intense action sequences, but at the same time still managed to be thoughtful and have hearts and emotions. It has interesting characters to be cared about with good character developments, smart dialogues, beautiful cinematography, cool high-tech gadgets, wonderful score by Hans Zimmer, plus some layers of unexpected twists. There was never a boring moment for me, even at times of heavy conversations. Every scene and dialogue was carefully tied and built-up into a final climax and a dramatic ending. And everything just worked so well.

The story is set eight years after the events in The Dark Knight. Gotham City is now at peace, finely protected by the anti-crime police force under the control of Commisioner James Gordon (Gary Oldman). Batman has vanished and never been heard of for years, so as Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), who seems to disappeared from the public eye into a solitary life. When Bane (Tom Hardy), a cruel and merciless masked terrorist leader, attacks Gotham, the city is suddenly set into a series of horrendous terrors, chaos and deaths. At almost the same time, the appearance of the mysterious Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a skilled cat burglar, seems to have her own hidden agenda that may be assosiated with the terrorists. With the impending fall of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne has now to make a decision, whether to come out from his exile, put back on his batsuit and go back into actions to save Gotham City, or to see his beloved city destroyed by Bane and his henchmen.

The awesome cast is a real great treat, as all the actors gave good  performances and fine actings. Christian Bale is a fine Bruce Wayne and Batman. This may be his toughest job ever to save Gotham City. And that the man behind the batsuit was just a normal human being with flesh and blood, who has his own weaknesses. And Bale captured the strugglings that Wayne facing very well. Anne Hathaway was not only stunningly beautiful and attractive in his sexy catsuit, but she also successfully nailed her role as the slick Selina Kyle, a morally ambiguous character. Her love-and-hate relationship with Bruce Wayne, and their witty dialogues, was a pleasure to watch. Hathaway just rocked as Catwoman. While, even though Bane is definitely no Joker, he is still a great villain, who is a tough and equal match to Batman.  Unfortunately, it was not possible for Tom Hardy to show his greatness due to the mask he was wearing the whole movie, that was impossible for us to see his facial expressions. Nevertheless, he played his role well as a terrifying character who spreaded terrors, with his big and muscular body. Hardy was a fine actor though.

The other supporting actors also handled their roles very well, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt who shone as the young officer John Blake, whose idealism and sharp instincts as a policeman gave him a big role in this movie. His character won the audience's sympathy. Another Inception-alumni, Marion Cotillard has an important role in the story as the businesswoman Miranda Tate, who developed an intimate relationship with Bruce Wayne. She played her character elegantly. As Commissioner Gordon, Gary Oldman also has many screen time, an honest police officer who tiredlessly fighting the crimes. The other high profile senior actors were Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, the loyal caretaker of Bruce Wayne, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, a top executive in the Wayne Enterprises as well as the armorer of Batman. Another interesting performance was coming from Cillian Murphy, who reprised his role as Jonathan Crane or Scarecrow. He stole every scene he was in, with his short appearance as the judge in the punishing courtroom. Liam Nesson also has a cameo appearance as Ra's al Ghul.

The attack in the football stadium was a spectacularly brilliant and a thrilling piece, with a massive destruction that will leave you gasp. The tensions in this movie were continuously built into an ultimate climax, with some moments so intense that you want to cheer when the good guys have their chance to strike back, or when some of the characters have their time to do their solo actions. The final fighting scene between Batman and Bane looked a bit old fashioned though, with the two of them punching each other in a robotic way. It was not as amazing as the mindblowing actions in the final scene of The Avengers (2012). Marvel seems to have a more marvelous action sequences than DC. But, who really cares. As a matter of fact, I could not find the amazing storytelling, which The Dark Knight Rises possessed, anywhere in The Avengers. Anyway, Anne Hathaway riding the BatPod with spinning wheels while in-actions was very-very cool.

I cannot understand for the people who hate Christopher Nolan, some for unclear reasons, just because they couldn't enjoy one or two (or maybe all) of his movies as they expected, while other people seem to easily praised and all hyped-out for his movies. These Nolan haters then created their own assumptions and theories on how incompetent Nolan was, and his works. But this kind of fake subjectivity and apathy will forever cloud their judgements, as they will never enjoy any Nolan's movies, leave alone appreciating his great works, because they simply just couldn't get it. Can these haters' opinions being taken seriously then? Seriously! No.

The debate on 'whether The Dark Knight is better or The Dark Knight Rises is better', is not really that important and matter, as it will become a forever unsettling debate. To each his own. As for me, The Dark Knight Rises is the high point and the best of the trilogy. It was a great movie and I enjoyed it the most. My perfect score simply portrayed my overall satisfaction and feelings towards this movie, that I really-really loved. I was impressed by how a comic book movie could have such story with a depth like this. It was a complete fine served dish. And this comes from a non Batman-fan. This is the best movie of 2012 that I've watched so far and definitely the best of this year's summer movies. Without any doubts, this is a seriously much better film than The Avengers, and I really expect to see The Dark Knight Rises receive many serious nominations next year, including the Best Original Screenplay, the Best Director and the Best Picture. It deserves the nominations anyway. It was an amazing and superb film in all aspects. Another masterpiece by Cristopher Nolan. (MJ)

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT

MY 2011 MOVIE GUIDE AND RATINGS

Here is My 2011 Movie Guide & Ratings (in alphabetical order).

The rating is based on how I enjoyed the movies and how good I think the movies were. And this is how MyRating works:

  YYYYY + A CROWN = A DIAMOND         = [A++]
  YYYYY                           = SUPERB              = [A+]
  YYYY1/2                          = EXCELLENT        = [A]
  YYYY                                = VERY GOOD        = [A-]
  YYY1/2                              = GOOD                  = [B+]
  YYY                                    = GOOD                  = [B] or [B-]
  YY1/2                                   = FAIR                    = [C+]
  YY                                         = DISAPPOINTING  = [C] or [C-]
  Y1/2                                        = BAD                     = [D+]
  Y                                              = BAD                     = [D]
  1/2                                             = VERY BAD           = [D-]

    BOO...                            = EXTREMELY BAD = [F]

I will keep updating this list from time to time to make a complete guide of all the 2011 movies that I've watched. Hope you enjoy reading and find it useful in digging movies worth watching for, and eventually spend your good time with the movies. If you happen to share the same feeling with most of my thoughts, then we possibly may have the same taste in movies. I love movies! No, it's my addiction. Have a good time at the cinema. (MJ)

50/50 (2011)

MyRating: YYYYY / [A+]

Director: Jonathan Levine

Writer: Will Reiser
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston
MPAA: Rated R for language throughout, sexual content and some drug use

US Domestic Gross: US$ 35.0 Million
Total Worldwide Gross: US$ 39.2 Million

 
A moving and heartwarming drama-comedy about a 27-year-old radio journalist, Adam Lerner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is diagnosed with a rare spinal cancer and finds out that he has only 50/50 chance to live. Supported by people who close to him, his beautiful artist girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), his best friend (Seth Rogen), his controlling mother (Anjelica Huston) and an inexperienced young therapist (Anna Kendrick), while he is going through treatments to cure his disease, Adam learns the important lessons about life and relationship, on who really cares for him and what matters him the most, as his time is ticking. The lessons that change him and his life forever. A beautiful and powerful story, funny and sad at times, with an inspiring friendship and good best-buddy chemistry between Gordon-Levitt and Rogen, that will make you smile. Good performance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who portrayed a sympathetic character with a calm and collected personality, but has his moment of emotional outburst when things get rough. While Seth Rogen was funny and basically playing himself, as the film was inspired by the true story of how Rogen and his real-life pal Will Reiser, the screenwriter of this movie, dealt with Reiser's cancer diagnosis in the past. A thoughtful movie that will deeply touch your heart. An example of a smart screenplay that made a brilliant movie. Definitely one of the best and one of my favorite movies of 2011.

MONEYBALL (2011)

MyRating: YYYY1/2 / [A]

Director: Bennett Miller

Writer: Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hofffman, Robin Wright
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some strong language

US Domestic Gross: US$ 75.6 Million
Total Worldwide Gross: US$ 110.2 Million

Brad Pitt gave a wonderful performance in this baseball drama based on a  true story as Billy Beane, the general manager of Oakland Athletics, who changes the history on how a baseball team competes, when he assembles a competitive team based on sabermetric approach by using statistical data in evaluating and scouting the undervalued good players, so as to overcome the financial constraint of their club in paying high salaries. He hires Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a bright young graduate from Yale as assistant, whom believes and convinces Beane that such philosophy and approach is the key to form a successful team. It is not and never easy though, as they have to prove that what they do will bring in success. And the history stated a 20 consecutive wins in the 2002 season and an American League record. The very well-written adapted screenplay and the good performances by the actors made this movie an enjoyable to watch. Brad Pitt's convincing acting and interesting character, as the headstrong and temperamental leader, is the heart and soul of this movie. His charisma shined throughout the movie. Jonah Hill was good in his serious role here, out of his usual comedic typecasting. While Philip Seymour Hoffman was also a pleasure to watch as the field manager Art Howe, who is unhappy with Beane's approach. A wonderfully told and inspiring biographical sports movie.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (2011)

MyRating: YYY1/2 / [B+]

Director: Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman

Writer: Christopher Landon

Cast: Lauren Bittner, Christopher Nicholas Smith, Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown, Hallie Foote, Dustin Ingram, Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden

MPAA: Rated R for some violence, language, brief sexuality and drug use

US Domestic Gross: US$ 104.0 Million
Total Worldwide Gross: US$ 205.7 Million

There are always haters for the Paranormal Activity movies, who think that this kind of found footage horror films, shot with handheld camera instead of conventional ones, are crap and of no cinematic values. The fact is, these people are just not designed and capable of enjoying this kind of movies, leave alone admiring it. The first Paranormal Activity was a small and cheap independent horror movie that turned out to be a lucrative franchise. It was a creative approach to horror, even though not the pioneer. Simple but scary, and most of all, entertaining. This third movie has not yet lost its horror bites. And I think it was clever to make it as a prequel, in order to tell the historical background on how it happened at the beginning, with an event set 18 years prior to the first two films (before the story will move forward again in the next movies). Set in 1988, the young and still innocent sisters Katie and Kristi started to experience strange things in their house. Starting with somewhat looks like an unharmful interaction between a child and an invisible friend, the following series of events turn to be more and more frightening as there is a demon roaming the house, that seems to not hesitate to harm the girls and the whole family. The classic self-moving doors, weird squeking sounds, a glimpse of shadows, suddenly thrown house equipments, up to violently dragged by an invisible evil spirit, and add it up with the creepy sleep-playing, this movie terrorized you with its terrifying situations and tormented you phychologically. The rolling still-camera in the living room (which is something new in this movie) was really getting into our nerves, as you don't know what will appear or what you will see as the camera rolls one-inch aside. In overall, it's basically the same concept, but this movie is still a good scary addition that stays true to the series.

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT

MY RATING OF 2012 MOVIES THAT I'VE WATCHED SO FAR

Here is the list of 2012 movies that I've watched so far and my rating on each film, starting from my most favorable up to my least favorable one. I always tried to rate a movie from an audience's standpoint and gave my honest opinions to it, on how I actually enjoyed, felt and experienced the movie. Good or bad a movie is sometimes relative and will depend on each audience's taste and experiences. The simple science is, if you love a movie, then it's good, and if you hate a movie, then it's bad. That simple. And remember, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

I have my own taste and criteria on whether a movie is great, good, mediocre, bad or a disaster. Sometimes it's difficult to explain, sometimes it's purely based on my personal liking, but it's always there in my mind and heart everytime I watch a movie. And rating a movie is another delight, as you put your unmeasurable feelings into a measurable and mathematical expressions.

I realize that I haven't been writing for quite some time due to my time constraint, but it doesn't mean that I stop watching movies these days. Actually I kept watching a lot of movies, whether in the cinemas or dvds. Anyway, watching movies is always a fun thing to do. No, it's my addiction! I will surely write longer reviews again in the future, once I can put together the right time, energy and mood in front of my computer. And I will keep updating this humble list. Hope you have fun reading it and may dig for some movies worth seeing. (MJ)

THE GREY (2012)

MyRating: YYYY

A solid thriller about a group of oil workers survived from a plane crash in the middle of wild and cold Alaska, just to find out that they are stalked by a pack of deadly wolves. Great survival story that brings you into the middle of the chilling and intense situation yourself, served with a good character development that will make you care for the survivors, and enough actions. Liam Neeson gave his usual great performance. This movie also gave an interesting philosophy about life and dead. Loved it.

THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2012)

MyRating: YYYY

Finally saw it and convinced now that this is no overrated. A group of elite cops raiding into an apartment building to capture a ruthless drug lord, just to find themselves trapped inside with the most dangerous killers & criminals in town. Simple story, but the actions just never stop to amaze me. Extremely brutal violence, not for the faint of heart, with incredible choreography, stunts and nonstop all-style fight scenes, from guns, knives and breathless bare fist combats. Outstanding Indonesian martial arts movie that makes me proud. I was blown away.

JOHN CARTER (2012)

MyRating: YYYY

A highly entertaining sci-fi/fantasy movie about a former Confederate Army Captain, John Carter, who finds himself accidentally teleported to Mars, right into the middle of the conflicts of the Martians. When he falls in love with a Martian princess, he realizes that there is no other way than to fight their war. The impressive and dazzling visual effects was backed with a good storytelling and action-packed adventure. This is a fun thrill ride to planet Mars that you may have never seen before.

THE HUNGER GAMES (2012)

MyRating: YYYY

24 teenage boys and girls are selected into a competition where they have to battle to the death on live television, until only one can survive. Captivating story and solid performances, with a brutal deadly game à la Battle Royale, and a love triangle as the background. The casting of the lovely Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen couldn't be more perfect, with other interesting performances from the supporting casts such as Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci. I liked it, and I'm already sold to this nicely set-up big new franchise.

THE VOW (2012)

MyRating: YYY1/2

Channing Tatum has to win again the heart of his wife, the lovely Rachel McAdams, who losses her memory in a fatal car accident. Not an easy road for him as not only he has become a stranger to his wife now, but also her love for him may not be there anymore. A melodramatic flick? Why not? This romantic drama was a sweet and enjoyable watch, with a good chemistry and decent performances by the two leads, who shined. A perfect date movie for Valentine's Day.

CHRONICLE (2012)

MyRating: YYY1/2

A creative found-footage movie about three friends discovering their telekinetic abilities. When they are starting to abuse their superpowers and let them out of hand, their doom is just one step away. The interesting story, added with thrilling atmospheres and cool effects captured with camcorder, made this a fun experience at the cinema, including finding yourself flying in the sky with winds blowing around you. The destructions that these boys could create were massive.

THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2012)

MyRating: YYY1/2

A scary horror movie with a classic approach of a haunted house, weird footsteps sound upstairs, self-moving rocking chair, and sudden ghost sightings. Daniel Radcliff is a solicitor and a widower with a son, sent to a remote village to settle an old mansion, just to dicover that the village is terrored by a vengeful ghost of a woman dressed in black, who claims the lives of their young children. The creepy story and spooky atmosphere gave many scary jumps. An effective and a good horror.

SAFE HOUSE (2012)

MyRating: YYY1/2

Ryan Reynolds is a CIA agent and the keeper of a safe house, where a dangerous criminal, Denzel Washington, is sent for protection. When the safe house is being attacked, they find themselves in the run, while the Agent has to do whatever he could to not let the Prisoner escape from his responsibility. A good and entertaining action thriller with intense actions and solid performances by both Washington and Reynolds. Not perfect, but it surely hit the required marks.

THIS MEANS WAR (2012)

MyRating: YYY

I was prepared to hate this movie, but I found myself having some good time instead. This is a fun action comedy with a light story, never meant to be brilliant. Some of the jokes were hilarious and the actions were over the top. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy were fun to watch as two CIA agents and best friends, who ended up fighting each other and 'destroying a restaurant', so to win the love of Reese Witherspoon. Put away the logic, grab your popcorn, and enjoy the good looking cast.

CONTRABAND (2012)

MyRating: YY1/2

Mark Wahlberg is back to his comfort zone in this action thriller as an ex-smuggler who finds himself difficult to stay out of his dark past. To protect his family, he has to plunge into another crime by smuggling 10 million dollars in fake bills from Panama. A modest heist movie with a lot of potentials, but did not deliver enough punches to score it big. The story was fairly decent, but a bit flat, with interesting supporting cast such as Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi.

MAN ON A LEDGE (2012)

MyRating: YY

An interesting premise about a man threatens to jump from a ledge of a hotel top floor, but was poorly executed with a ridiculous heist plot, unnecessary scenes and dialogues, and annoying characters, resulting in unconvincing thriller. Sam Worthington again failed to impress with his wooden acting, he was not a charismatic leading man. The interest faded fast as too much nonsense logics. Maybe it was better for Sam to just slip from the ledge and end the movie halfway through.

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (2012)

MyRating: YY

Chasing by a big lizard, flying with giant bees and terrored by a gigantic electric sea snake. Then add Dwayne Johnson in it and the beautiful Vanessa Hudgens as the appeal. What else could go wrong? This is an unharmful family fantasy movie with a childish story, paper-thin plot and cheesy acting. Even though it has beautiful visuals and enjoyable 3D, but a movie with almost no weight at all will lose its fun for me eventually. Kids will appreciate this more.

UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING (2012)

MyRating: YY

Nothing was ever really special with the Underworld series, let alone standout. Indeed every movie just felt the same. And this latest installment of 'the stylist vampire versus werewolves' was another plain meal in the plate, with a weak and totally forgettable story. I did enjoy some of the actions, which this movie has plenty to offer, but nothing was memorable enough once you walk out of the theatre. Even Kate Beckinsale in her tight suit could not save this movie from boredom.

WRATH OF THE TITANS (2012) -

MyRating: Y1/2

Another big-dumb action-fantasy with non-stop battles, but almost no substance. This time Perseus (Sam Worthington) has to save his father, Zeus, from the underworld, and to defeat Kronos, the ancient Titan. The good visual effects and the Greek mythology creatures could not compensate for the bad story. No character interesting enough to root for. The acting was mechanical. This is a Hollywood product with no souls. I know I shouldn't expect a gem out of it, but I didn't enjoy it even as a no-brain entertainment. So many actions, yet so boring.

GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE (2012)

MyRating: Y

OMG, this is really bad. Not only it was very difficult to like a superhero with a burning skull, but also it was painful to watch a movie with such a terrible and lousy story. The poor script has successfully made Nicolas Cage's performance looked ridiculous. Idris Elba ain't any good either. The more this movie tried to be funny, the more stupid it became. Antipathy feeling finally made all the actions became meaningless for me. The first movie was mediocre, this sequel was a complete disaster.

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT

JOHN CARTER (2012)

MyRating: YYYY

Director: Andrew Stanton

Cast:  Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, Dominic West, Thomas Haden Church, Ciarán Hinds, James Purefoy, Bryan Cranston, Daryl Sabara

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action

Tagline: Lost in Our World. Found in Another.

Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures

Production Budget: $250 million

John Carter may have received mixed reviews from the critics (negative, if you want to see it that way). But, is it enough to throw this movie under the rock, condemn and bury it, before even seeing it? The fact that this is a heavily budgeted sci-fi/fantasy movie (with a $250 million production budget) does not make things any easier, as there is a lot of money at stake. Somebody's head at the studio will roll if this movie ends up losing big money. So, what could possibly go wrong? Is it because the ineffective marketing campaign? Or is the story too old to be revived (first introduced by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912), not recognized by the majority people of this generation, and no one should even think to touch and film it at the first place? Or is this movie just simply failed to deliver? My answers to my last three questions will be "Maybe", "No", and "Definitely disagree". For sure, as a person who was not super-excited with the hype of this movie at the beginning, I will not say that I enjoyed this movie for 'what it is'. That won't do any justice. As this movie was better than that. Way much better than that.

This is a movie with an epic blockbuster approach in mind, which has a lot of potentials to become a new franchise. Will it ever be a sequel? Well, we'll yet to see about it. But I do hope they make the sequel. And I think that would explain how much I like this movie. If you imagine this movie to have an 'epic clumsiness' end result or an 'epic failure' writing all over its face (because it seemed to look like that, and many people worried or even expected it to be), then I must say that you might be wrong. In my opinion, Andrew Stanton (the director of Finding Nemo and WALL-E, and co-director of A Bug's Life) has done a good job directing his first live action movie, as he has delivered an entertaining science fiction story, with dazzling visuals of the wild and imaginative planet Mars that you may have never seen before, action-packed adventure, and storytelling interesting enough to keep you at your seat, as this movie was over 2-hour long (Stanton also acted as the co-screenwriter).

John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), a headstrong former captain of the American Civil War Confederate Army from Virginia, is accidentally teleported to Mars, a strange world full of deserts known as Barsoom, where he can jump high defying gravity. A hostile world where the main inhabitants are tall green aliens with four hands and two horns beside their mouths, besides the other human-like inhabitants. A world where flying is possible with dragonfly-like flying machines (in his world on Earth, humans can only sail at sea). But this is also the world at the brink of their own civil war between the Martians. And the continuous conflicts may cause a big war that may end the civilization on Mars.

When John Carter rescuing a human Martian princess named Dejah Toris (Lynn Collins), while she is escaping from her father's political plot to force her into a marriage against her will with an enemy leader of another human Martian tribe, with the purpose of military truce between the two tribes, Carter reluctantly throws himself into the middle of the conflicts. But as he involves more into the life and war of this planet, and as he discovers himself falling in love with the princess, he realizes that this is not only their war now, but also his. This is a war worth fighting for.

The story and the plots worked well, as well as its humors. It was not a heavyweight sci-fi story that you will burn your brain with, but it was good and very enjoyable, as I enjoyed the impressive visual effects of the beautiful Mars, which was a feast for the eyes, with the colorful dragonfly-like planes and all the weird Martian creatures, from the cute-funny dog that can run very fast and becomes the companion of John Carter, up to the white giant monkeys that are ready to tear John Carter apart in the gladiator-like arena. The fighting scene with the white monkeys was a memorable one.

The acting was fine. Taylor Kitsch gave a decent performance as John Carter. Not great, but he did fine. While Lynn Collins was very good as the princess of Mars, a perfect combination between a beauty and feisty heroine. The other interesting supporting cast was including Mark Strong and Dominic West as the human Martian villains, and Willem Dafoe and Thomas Haden Church, who played the green Martians with the motion-capture performances. To make them look tall as the green aliens, they walked using stilts in the middle of the desert while filming (this movie took set in the real desert of Utah). As there were many characters, it was slightly difficult to differentiate one green Martian with another though.

The final battle was a fun climax, even though it may not be grand enough. And as a fun ride, this movie has a lot of actions and excitements to be offered, which will make you cheer everytime our heroes kicked down the bad guys. I also liked how this movie ended. It was somehow a thoughtful ending, which left a mixture of feelings of sad and hope, and widely open for a sequel. This movie has turned out to be a highly enjoyable entertainment. If you like an epic and spectacular popcorn sci-fi/fantasy movie, then ignore the critics and go see this movie. (MJ)

MYMOVIE CRITIC - REVIEWING MOVIES FROM THE AUDIENCE'S STANDPOINT

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (2011)

MyRating: YYYY

Director: Brad Bird

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Léa Seydoux, Josh Holloway, Anil Kapoor , Tom Wilkinson

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is another action movie that will stun you with its high-octane and adrenaline-rush action sequences, after the highly entertaining and full-speed adrenaline-pumping Fast Five this year. Some of the scenes may make you hold your breath (and maybe open your mouth) due to its unbelievably crazy actions and stunts. Tom Cruise seems to be enjoying and addicted to jumping from high-rise buildings. After the bungee jump he did from the top of Bank of China Tower building in Shanghai in Mission: Impossible III (2006), now he is climbing the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, a building with 829.84 m (2,723 feet) height and 160 floors. Our world really needs to build more taller skycrapers for him to jump in his next movies.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 1 (2011)

MyRating: YY

Director: Bill Condon

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke, Nikki Reed, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Ashley Greene, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone, Julia Jones, Booboo Stewart, Anna Kendrick

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements

Would you give your mortal life to live for eternity on earth? Living for centuries after all the people that you've ever known have died, and they remain as 'thousand-years' memories in your mind? Or running into the road of immortality that you may regret you ever took, since it will become a long and never-ending journey? Well, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is pretty sure that this is the right path she wants to go, since she can live together with her handsome vampire boyfriend that she loves, even though she will have to be turned into a vampire herself as the consequence.

SEEKING JUSTICE (2011)

MyRating: YYY1/2

Director: Roger Donaldson

Cast: Nicolas Cage, January Jones, Guy Pearce, Harold Perrineau, Jennifer Carpenter, IronE Singleton, Xander Berkeley, Marcus Lyle Brown, Cullen Moss

MPAA: Rated R for violence, language and brief sexuality

Will Gerald (Nicolas Cage), a high scool teacher, never knows that his perfect life with her beautiful wife Laura (January Jones) will suddenly go upside down, just after spending their happy time together celebrating their anniversary, when one day Laura is being sexually assaulted by an ex-con.

Feeling anguish, shaken and confused, while his wife is being hospitalized for her badly beaten up condition, Will is approached by a stranger named Simon (Guy Pearce), representing a vigilante group, who offers him a service to seek for justice by 'executing' the person who has attacked his wife. Will just has to say yes, and they will do it for him. Clean and safe. What he has to give in return is only to agree to help them back if any time in the future the group asking him for some 'small' favors. Hesitant but feeling pity for his wife, Will agrees to Simon's offer.