Team:
- Peter Luu
- Karen Liong
- Avinash Malla
- Peter Tran. We review Movies and TV shows every few days! Check out our blog for some recommendations on what to watch next :)
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Peter T review #5 13 Reasons Why (TV Series) By Peter Tran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zeeVE6-aZ4
Summary:
Inside a shoebox Clay discovers 13 cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker which has 13 reasons why she committed suicide two weeks earlier. Her instructions are clear: each person who receives a package is one of the reasons why she killed herself, and after each person has completed listening to the tapes, they must pass the package on to the next person. If anyone decides to break the chain, a separate set of tapes will be released to the public.
Unique, addictive, suspenseful. 13 reasons why is a Netflix original TV series. Although it is based for all ages, this TV series can be targeted to parents around the world. It raises vital issues that can inspire valuable discussions between parents and teens. There are two disturbing forces at play throughout the storyline. The first being hannah's downward spiral and the circumstances that instigated it. Serious matters like body image, sexual assault, cyberbullying and sexting are one of the main issues teens go through on a daily basis. The suicide rates for teens are sky rocketed due to the use of social media and internet. Thus 13 reasons why will inform parents and teens that help is always here. Even so, with the dark tone of revenge and blame does make it quite disturbing at times but the storyline and thrill does make it an amazing watch. From the beginning to the end I was hooked in and cared for the character of Clay Jensen, I also wanted to find out who the 13 recipients of the tapes were and why they were on it. Character development was quite good and the acting was believable even though some scenes were quite cheesy, but it is a teen movie after all.
13 reasons why is a must watch, it gives us an idea of what teens in the 21st century goes through on a daily basis.
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Moneyball isn’t just a great sports movie, it’s a great movie – there’s a difference.
The great thing about this movie is that it works even if you don't follow or care about baseball. Since it does include some interludes of the actual game, however, it's helpful to err on the side of being a sports fan. The script was born from two screenwriting dynamos: Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin, who won for The Social Network, and Steven Zaillan, who wrote All The King's Men and Schindler's List, just to list a few of their impressive credits. They raise the bar for themselves with this movie, because there is nothing going on here except their dialogue, and the movie remains fantastic. Although it's not emotionally engaging in a typical way and no one gives legendary pep talks (like in Miracle), it still conveys the peaks and valleys of someone who changed an entire century-old institution. I didn't stand up and cheer at the end, nor did I shed a tear--but I still felt like I had seen something important. If anything, I would say the movie feels just a touch long, because everyone that had the power to axe moments in the script is in love with the two writers, and deservedly so.
By keeping it all low-key, with the big moment followed by reflection rather than celebration, Moneyball avoids becoming a self-congratulatory fairy tale and proves that, despite the complex algorithm, the human element of sports is more perplexing than the power of calculus. Philip Seymour Hoffman chips in as a brooding coach, but it's Jonah Hill, playing the boy-man Brand, who threatens to steal the show.
Usually movie "realism" is still sensationalized, but watching Moneyball is like sitting behind a two-way mirror during a notable period in history. Moments like listening to your daughter sing a song, tipping over a Gatorade cooler, or hawking tobacco into a paper cup are no more or less important than the moment that came before or after. It turns out that the movie wins an unfair game of its own.
Peter T Review #4 The 100 (TV series) by Peter Tran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDrsItJ_HU4
Summary:
This Tv series is set 97 years after a devastating nuclear war which wiped out almost all life on Earth. The survivors are the residents of twelve space stations in Earth's orbit prior to the war. There are also people on Earth who survived the war, called "grounders". 100 prisoners are sent down to Earth as they are expendables to see if Earth is suitable for life once more.
Addictive, Dramatic, Romantic and action packed. These are the words which can be relatable to the TV series The 100. At first the dialogue was questionable and it seemed to be a tad slow for my liking, as i stayed on only because the concept of the show was quite interesting.
I was wowed by the second season as the show started to develop in a more exciting yet sophisticated manner. The storyline moved at lightening speed and the character development also was believable as the transformation between characters were in some cases amazing. This TV show would be one of the highly original and it creates some fascinating dynamics between characters which you don't see in other TV series out there now.
It's not a perfect TV series as some scenes and dialogue can be a tad cheesy but CW does make pretty cheesy shows out there (Vampire diaries). It is so worth it to stay until the end of season 2, every scene was so compelling and feels important as the thrill for every beloved character isn't safe and you're not sure if they will make it to the end. The investment and care you feel for the characters makes this a TV series worth watching.
John Wick follows an
exceptional rule – leave out the parts that people skip over anyway. If you’re
into the macho, people-hitting-each-other-till-their-faces-break kind of genre
film that follows Leonard’s rule, this is it. The character of John Wick is
presented to us as if he’s a pre-existing franchise character, with no
backstory beyond “sick wife who died” and whatever is implied by the way people
react when they hear someone pissed him off: a very understated “Oh” that says
it all.
The product of
newcomer writer Derek Kolstad – and a reunion between Keanu Reeves and his
stunt men collaborators-turned-directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski (The
Matrix Trilogy) – John Wick excels, unapologetically, at what it seeks to be: a
fun, pulpy, violent B-movie action romp, built upon a cool mythology within a
compelling Noir world.
Kolstad’s script for
the film is a pleasantly surprising comic book-style bit of pulp fun that never
takes itself too seriously, and delights in creating an intriguing underworld
sandbox for the characters to play in. From a system of currency, to coded
language and an established mythology (dominated by the legend of John Wick),
exploring the world of high-powered mobsters, assassins, vixens – and all the
middlemen in between – is half the fun of the film. As for the actual
narrative: it’s blessedly simplistic and unsophisticated, with no illusions of
grandeur: John is wronged, someone must pay, and anyone who gets in the way as
he makes his odyssey of vengeance ends up in a body bag. Simple.
Again, Kolstad’s
strength is in his total self-awareness about the hokeyness of the material.
Instead of trying to ground his larger-than-life hero in “realism,” he fully
embraces and has fun with the over-the-top action fantasy, crafting great humor
out of John Wick’s reputation as a badass, and people’s reactions to his return
(or even mere mention of his name). While the action also delivers, it’s this
almost satirical riff on the old Clint Eastwood tough-guy archetype that is
probably the most enjoyable aspect of the film.
That’s not to say
that directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski are slacking when it comes to
creating both the visual and physical dimensions of the film – because they
most certainly are not. With so many famous movies on their respective stuntman
resumes (The Matrix Trilogy, Bourne Trilogy, 300, Fight Club, Ninja Assassin,
Jumper, V for Vendetta – to name a few…) it’s no surprise that the pair are
able to put together some of the slickest action sequences seen in the
post-Raid: Redemption era – certainly a step up from the usual Hollywood action
fare.
While the action may
not be that revolutionary or inventive, it is very well executed, slick and
polished in design. With his “Gun-Fu” fight style, John Wick is almost
hilariously efficient as a whirlwind of death and destruction – which
admittedly lowers the stakes of each battle, as the outcome is almost never in
question. Nonetheless, it’s a lot of fun to watch. When the violence and action
isn’t taking place, the directorial style isn’t nearly as proficient; however,
some good production and set design – plus some nice cinematography – help keep
the eye reasonably satisfied whenever things slow down.
The other standout
in the film is Michael Nyqvist (Mission: Impossible 4, Girl with the Dragon
Tattoo), who gives an unexpectedly scary, comedic and quirky performance as
Russian mob boss, Viggo Tarasov. Nyqvist can make savagely beating a man to
death into an off-kilter black comedy moment – and his abilities are refined
enough for the directors to entrust several scenes to him, sometimes just
reacting to things alone onscreen. And it’s all great to watch. Alfie Allen, on
the other hand, comes off more like a loose mimic of his Game of Thrones
petulant brat character, Theon Greyjoy, and is not all that compelling as a
villain (more of a MacGuffin, really). Thankfully, Nyqvist is there to provide
the necessary anchorage.
There’s explosions,
laughs, and eye-popping action choreography…everything you could want from an
action film. Cinematic greatness it’s not, but “John Wick” never aspires to
more than what it needs to be: an exciting reminder of why action movies are
fun in the first place.
