airen

When I go watch film like "X2" I come to it with no expectations. Anything more than that and I usually end up disappointed. The film wasn't bad. The comic fans will surely appreciate the efforts to bring in more of the original characters (even if just for a cameo appearance). The special FX are great, as should be expected. I was slightly turned off by the pace of the film: it could have been much more dynamic. And I guess the biggest disappointment for me (personally) was the almost non-existent role of Kelly Hu as Deathstrike. While hyped up in the commercials and TV specials, on screen she barely said two words, and had maximum of couple minutes of on-screen action. A pity, as I was looking forward to seeing this gorgeous girl in some hard-core ass kicking action.

Overall, not bad 7/10

What can you say about "Wasabi"? It's very Hollywood and very not at the same time. Subtle storyline (translate: the lack thereof), yet not noticably so. Jean Reno's acting and the outlandishness of Ryoko Hirosue makes up what the story lacks. Great humor, but not for everyone (just like esspresso, it takes getting used to). A little action, but when it strikes, it's quite exaggerated.

Verdict: great matinee when you need to run away from work. 8/10

"Sixth Sense" was okay, but uninspiring, "Unbreakable" boring... "Signs" is a rather pathetic attempt by M. Night Shamalyan to try to elevate himself to status of Hitchkock (I can't believe this bombastic dork has a gall to compare himself to Spielberg: in the "Signs" special that run on 8/4/02). The beginning credits already spoil the movie by having a very loud, scary, dramatic score overlay. This movie startles, but doesn't scare. It creates tension, but only for a few seconds at a time.

What I see as a biggest problem with the movie is a horribly wasted opportunity to make a good movie. The "War of the Worlds" theme is one of the grandest mistakes I have seen in movie making in the last decade. The director (please retire already: I'm sure you're rich enough) jumps right into the brainless Hollywood mainstream of "bigger is better" mantra. Wouldn't the movie been so much better if we didn't get this idiotic "alien invasion" storyline? I would have been much happier to simply see Mel Gibson being chased by aliens... because they like his corn or something.

Writer, director, actor and producer? Enough is enough. Even George Lucas has gotten help with his writing after "Phantom Menace" was criticized. And as for M. Night's acting... let's just say that Madonna has a leg up on him in the skill department.

3/10 overall, 1/10 story, 6/10 acting (but not M. Night's)