Tron Legacy (2010)

Tron Legacy (2010)

I couldn’t wait to watch this film when it is released. It is based on
1968 film, Tron. Kevin Flynn was a man as known as the world’s leading
video-game developer. But, he suddenly disappeared. He had a son, Sam
Flynn. When Sam becomes as an Young adult, he visited his father’s old
arcade store, and he found a secret place. Then he is trapped into a
digitalized world where his father has been trapped for 20 years.

This film is just amazing. Especially the computer graphic is incredible.
The story is simple, but very interesting because it introduces a totally
different world like Avatar did. Personally, it gives more impact because
of the digitalized world, which was covered by black color, with several
highlight with blue lines/red lines. Blues are clearly the users or the
good characters and reds are the enemies.

Since people are living in the more and more of the digitalized world, I
think this film gives some sense of what our future might look. In the
end, the Sam shows the sunrise to a female character who comes out of the
digitalized world. The sunrise is supposed to be very beautiful, but it
does not. Because the digitalized world was so overwhelmed fantastic
visualized world, our real life does not seem too beautiful.

It was very entertaining film with clear narrative, fantastic computer
graphic, and modernized digitalized background music. I will give A- for
this film. If you have not watched this film, do not hesitate to go to
theater to watch!

Mindhunters by Renny Harlin (2004)

Mindhunters by Renny Harlin (2004)

Sara Moore ,who is female FBI psychological profiler, takes the training program with other teammates. Since their job is profiling people by their behavior, speech, and outlook, they are profiling people day and night as hobby. However, one day, the professor of the training program, Jake Harris, suggests a final test in a mysterious island, which is purposely built for the Marin force training.

Therefore, she and her six teammates, and unexpected guest, Gabe Jensen, invited for observing the training program go to the island. They are having fun with the empty town fulfilled with human-size mannequins. First test, one of her teammates got killed by the gas that freezes all of the victims’ body. Rest of them tries to figure out who is the killer since they are the only people in the island. Moreover, the killer gives the time limit, so their distrust is getting increasing. No one trusts each other.

This film has the similar idea with Final Destination that everyone is killed by some wired accident. However, this film is based on the psychological analysis. The killer perfectly set up. He/she do not directly kill the victims, but the victim’s behavior is the trigger to operate the killing apparatus.

Very enjoyable, do not expected killer, intensive tension, distrust teammates, and interesting psychological analysis of each characters. Well made thriller, A-

Unknown by Jaume Collet-Serra (2011)

Unknown by Jaume Collet-Serra (2011)

First, I really enjoyed watching Taken, which has the same crew as Unknown. Liam Neeson also appears in this film as Dr. Martin Harris who wakes up from a coma because of the car accident. After the car accident, he tries to reach to his wife, but there is another Dr. Martin Harris. Moreover, his wife does not recognize after the car accident.

He suddenly loses his identity, and his wife, and his life. He is also traced by mysterious guys who attempt to kill him. He realizes something is going on. So, he tries to get back his own identity.

I really enjoyed this film because of the bid twist in the end. After the twist, all the illogical narratives becomes tight and solid script. And the cinematography is very speedy. Especially the fast-pace editing cuts keep the tension for the audience. Even though in the middle part, It gets losing the tension. Unlike Taken, which main character is chasing the kidnappers with a lot of action scenes, this film more focus on the character development. Therefore, audience who expects action film like more focus on the character development. Therefore, audience who expects action film like Taken, such as my friends, easily get disappointed.
However, the exotic background, Germany, is very fresh mis-en-scene, and big twist is very astonished. One thing, I do not like the film is the dialog line because it sounds very scripted. For example, when Dr. Martin Harris and other guys in fight, he says “I do not forget how to kill you!” it sounds so scripted.

I expect this film as action film, but it is not. However, I really enjoy watching it because of the intensive tension. Well made thriller film, Unknown

Chloe

Chloe is directed by Atom Egoyan in 2009.

In London, there is a middle-aged couple, Catherine who is a doctor, and David who is a professor. They live happily until Catherine suspects that David might have the secret affair with someone. One day Catherine planes for the surprise birthday party, but David misses the flight. After the accident, Catherine has confidence that David has a girlfriend. Therefore, Catherine finds Chloe to seduce her husband and reports back to her. Chloe’s reports are getting more graphically and Catherine cannot stand with the reports so she ends in the middle of the plane. However, Chloe tries to keep contacting to Catherine and David and even their son.

Very incredible actresses, Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried! In this film, there are not that many dialog lines but audience easily capture what they feel and what they want to say. For example, when Chloe reports back to Catherine that the dates with David and Herself. Catherine is so much into the story of Chloe that she thinks she becomes Chloe who seduces her own husband. Moreover, Catherine satisfies her sexual desire with David by hearting Chloe’s sexual relationship with David. The most important of this film is how to describe those two female’s characters’ inner emotion and knowledge in camera lens. It is successfully well done! Applause to both actresses.

After watching this film, what I got from the film is perfect “Trust” on not only love but also human relationship like Catherine and David. And I agree.

Chloe : B+

22 Bullets

22 Bullets is directed by Richard Berry and released in 2010.


The narrative is about Charly Mattei’s revenge to people who tried to kill him. Charly Mattei was a retired mafia boss. One day, he drops his boy and parks in underground parking structure, and got twenty two shots. Unbelievably, he survived and tracks down those killers and does his revenge for his family and himself.

I think many transition from this 22 Bullets are the most effective and impressive transition that I have ever seen in Hollywood films including Korean films. For example, Charly Mattei’s right-hand man got killed from the same killers. For his funeral, there are crossing over editing cut between the funeral scene and the killers’ after party scene. Two different atmospheres in the film, sadness and entertaining overlaps to the scene that Charly Mattei appears to the party place with holding a gun. Even though the time and place setting is not acceptable for the realistic narrative structure, those transitions is very smooth and impacted to the audience.

Unlike 007 series, the action scenes are so fast cut! There are no hesitating to have dialog between Charly Mattei and the killers. Without dialog just shooting two bullets to head and heart.

Also, there are little bit of past scene that Charly Mattei’s childhood in black and white. Even though it does not show full story of his childhood, the director only gives audience clue that how he got into the mafia group, and how to become the boss. He not only gives information but also communicates with audience by not showing all the narrative.

Very impressive film! 22bullets A-

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