Movie Review : The Raven, People Like Us, Bourne

syigim hits the movies again! this time I watched ‘the raven’ – a period murder-mystery movie ala se7en about a serial killer who modelled his killing based on edgar allan poe’s work. also family drama ‘people like us’ about finding out you got a half-sister somewhere; the thriller ‘the cold light of day’ and also ‘the bourne legacy’ – the fourth installment of that successful movie franchise.

enjoy!

 

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I had to read a lot of classic literature when I was in college, and soon fell in love with this author : edgar allan poe. his story is gothic, full of macabre that is both eerie and beautifully written. in this movie, a serial killer uses the gory details in poe’s stories to commit his murders.

naturally, only the writer can know what the killer might do next, so together with a young detective, they try to track down this psychotic killer.

I had my reservations when I found out that john cussack was gonna play poe, because he’s too sweet-looking haha. should get someone more deep and classic looking like johnny depp, hugh jackman or even daniel radcliffe for that matter!

however he was convincing enough, and I enjoyed the movie – especially being a fan of edgar allan poe’s stories, I get excited as the character mentions his works one by one as the killings continue.

the fact that ‘the raven’ is a period movie set in the 1800s is also a plus for me – I love period movies! watch this if you’re a fan of the awesome series ‘criminal minds’ or movies like ‘mystic river’ or ‘se7en’. murder, mystery, literature. be forewarned : it can get bloody gory…

 

 

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what would you do if when your dad suddenly passed away, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dollars to his other daughter you never knew existed. now you found out that he had an affair, that you have a step-sister, and a nephew – what would you do?

chris pine and elizabeth banks have always been in comedies, but they did pretty ok in this family drama too. I can believe they could be related, and how they grow in that relationship, eventhough she doesn’t know that he was her half-bro at the beginning.

a movie about family is always so sweet and meaningful as you think about your own family and how lucky you are to have them. this movie has simple storyline, and a few inspiring one-liners here and there, but the ending surprises me – so touching in its simplicity, I totally didn’t see it coming. simply sweet. a movie you can watch just to pass the time…

 

 

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only two reasons to watch this movie. henry cavill, and henry cavill’s abs. with that gorgeous look, that hot body and that intensity in his acting – he could be the next american action hero in no time. too bad he is in this awful movie!

what I hate about this movie is that I know how crappy it is and the plot is so predictable, but somehow it makes you wanna know what’s gonna happen next so that you know your predictions were correct. haha.

the story : a perfect family vacation turns seriously wrong. they went on a boat, son left the boat to buy stuff and when he swam back, the boat is gone. where, what, who, why, when? a thousand mystery easily solved by your own self as the story unfolds. really. you’re practically the co-writer of the script and plot-line.

SPOILER AHEAD – do not read if you’re planning to watch :

hello, I know sigourney weaver was a bad ass in ‘alien’ but in this movie it’s just ridiculous that all her bullet-proof-vest-wearing bodyguards shot dead, but she could easily survived wearing just a three-piece suit. playing a villain like a boss!

when bruce willis’s character was shot dead, my husband and i were like naaah ‘die hard-dude’ CANNOT possibly die – either he’ll come back at some point of the movie, or it’s a ploy, or his son thought he was dead but he’s just injured – something other than SHOT DEAD. but yeah, that’s the ONLY part of the movie that was unpredictable – bruce willis’s character actually died before we even get to half the movie. so there.

…and henry cavill is just super hot.

 

 

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I am a fan of bourne movies. ‘the bourne identity’, ‘the bourne supremacy’ and ‘the bourne ultimatum’. I watched all three movies, and once I caught them back to back. the bourne movies are all action-packed with never a dull moment, always leaving us at the edge of our seat as the well-trained assassin bourne tries to discover his true identity while escaping from people who want him dead.

in the first three movies, matt damon was the perfect bourne – his facial intense, and his body ready for real physical action throughout the movie. I am a fan of bourne.

so naturally, I was so excited to watch the latest of bourne movie installment – the fourth, called ‘the bourne legacy’. it continues from the 3rd movie, suggesting that jason bourne was not the only agent in the project. this time, actor jeremy renner (also played the bow and arrow sniper in ‘the avengers’) took over playing the lead as he tries to discover his own identity, while fleeing from people who try to kill him. similar plot – but different feel.

‘the bourne legacy’ was unfortunately – boring.

the plot itself drags on and on about drugs, and testing and virus and making virus – bla bla bla. I love jeremy renner and I feel that he could really do well as an action hero but the plot is just too draggy! I’m not exaggerating but I fell asleep at the cinema, and I seldom fell asleep watching movies!

the action scenes were done really well – as you can see from the trailer, and jeremy renner was good – don’t get me wrong, but there were too little, and sandwiched between boring scenes with too much talking and explaining and talking and talking and explaining and medical jargons – boring!

sigh, even being a fan of bourne movies cannot save this movie. watch under your own risk.

 

 

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