How to Train Your Dragon (Movie Review)

How To Train Your Dragon

At long last! I managed to catch this one this afternoon at 3.55pm with my brother & his girfriend and the verdict? It’s GOOD! It’s definitely one of the better movies I’ve watched in awhile. After 2 duds in “The Wolfman” and “Clash of the Titans”, I’m glad I that I made time for this one.

It’s got great characters, great 3D animation and the story-telling’s way better in this DreamWorks flick compared to the above-mentioned movies. I really liked Hiccup who is the protagonist in this heart-warming tale of a boy who befriends a dragon and in the process discovers more about them. Gerard Butler does a great job too as Stoick, Hiccup’s dad.

Dragons in general aren’t adorable but the animators did a bang-up job making “Toothless” the dragon a very likeable creature. He may look mean and serpent-like but you’ve gotta watch it for yourself to understand what I mean.

My only regret is that we couldn’t get tickets for the 3D version of the movie. It definitely looks like it’d be a great watch in 3D.

I give this one a solid 5 out of 5.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Law Abiding Citizen (Review)

Law Abiding Citizen

Gaaaah! I missed the first 15 minutes of the movie but all-in-all I could still follow the story of a man taking vengeance on the brokenness of a legal system that sometimes allows the guilty to go free. Gerard Butler & Jamie Foxx are great in this part-actioner part-drama. The ending was a lil’ weak but on the whole the movie’s a good watch. It’s Gerard Butler season in Hollywood this year and out of the 3 Gerard Butler movies I’ve caught in the past 2 months this one is the most thrilling.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Gamer

Gamer

Caught this one with my cousins over the weekend and it wasn’t very good. The only thing that I liked about the movie was the way it was shot. The action sequences were stylish and slick.

The plot of the film was simple (which it itself isn’t bad) but the way the creators resolved everything was what made it me feel cheated. Everything ended too simply with lots of loose ends left untied. I won’t reveal much about the plot but suffice to say the whole concept of fighting for a chance to live in a game show has been done before to much better effect.

I must say that I liked Michael C. Hall (the guy who plays Dexter on TV) who plays the villain in the movie. All in all I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone but fans of Gerard Butler.

On another note, I AM looking forward to Butler’s next appearance in “Law Abiding Citizen” so keep an eye out for that one. Jamie Foxx is gonna be in it too! Catch the trailer here.

Rating: 1.5 Stars

The Ugly Truth

The Ugly Truth

Just thought I’d quickly write this one up. But first and foremost a big thanks to August Man magazine. We must be grateful for the little things musn’t we? I haven’t heard of the mag before but I picked up a copy yesterday when the guy at the counter told me that the magazine came with 2 free passes to the movie. Since I kinda like Katherine Heigl I thought why not? 10 bucks for 2 sneak peek passes and a magazine seemed like a good deal.

Anyways, on to the review. The best part about “The Ugly Truth” was the leads. Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler definitely have lots of chemistry on-screen. Butler’s character was offensive and rude but the character was just fun to watch. I’ve definitely got my eye on this guy cos’ it looks like there’s a whole slew of movies coming out with him in it.

Both actors did a great job carrying the movie through although my friend commented that Heigl seems to play the same roles over and over; which after some thought I must agree. I like her though. I don’t know why. I just do. But the real genius here is Gerard Butler and he carries with him an on-screen presence that you can’t help but like. I can safely say that I cheered him on throughout the movie. Hoh hoh … the guy gets the girl in the end! Huzzah!

The ending was a bit of a let down tho which is a waste really as both actors were really good on-screen together. But then again the truth is ugly isn’t it? I give this one 2 out of 5. Passable but the ending left much to be desired.’

Rating: 2 Stars