Almost Buddhist - 戲‧論

★★★☆☆ Oh my, I’ve watched all episodes of the series so far though I’m not quite into it as a matter of fact, except for ‘M.I. 1’, which I consider an action spy classic that none of its sequels can surpass! ‘M.I. 2’, ‘3’ and ‘ 4 ’ are handled by different directors in an attempt to, I guess, showcase various styles of action choreography and storytelling, but the outcome is more or less a letdown. ‘M.I. 5’ is more like it but still not as intriguing and gripping! In the latest ‘M.I. 6’ aka ‘Fallout’, Tom Cruise, though much older now, continues to do what he’s best at, daring stunts, on his own, without a double! The series has been concentrating more and more on brawn than brains, which is no longer my cup of tea. Like expected, Cruise is pulling more realistic yet pretty awesome stunts here than ever, and he wastes no time. The two-hour-and-a-half film is basically of action, a (boring) plot twist, action, another (boring) plot twist, action, and a happy ending as usual. Et...

★★☆☆☆ ‘Destination Wedding’ is basically of talk, talk and talk some more, non-stop! And the only ones talking are Winona Ryder’s Lindsay and Keanu Reeves’s Frank. Others are just like cardboard figures in the back being talked about. If you’re fond of a drama of non-stop cynical, sarcastic talks, and awkwardly fun moments at times, this is the film for you. If you’re looking for some sort of romance or sentimentality instead, you might as well skip it. The only reason I checked it out is Keanu Reeves, who appears to be not so amusing as I expected him to be in a comedy after all! I wonder sometimes, why things nowadays like films or stuff have to be made so atypical or unconventional in order just to stand out. What’s wrong about being typical or old school? Why would filmmakers have to make a film as weird and never before seen as possible just to try to please and refresh us in a sense? Why wouldn’t they come up with decent characters telling a decent story? I’m not saying ...