What I really hated: Don't go in munching a hot dog
It isn't particularly skillful filmmaking, but the facts presented are vital - and horrifying. Viewers in most of Asia can, however, take small comfort in the fact that most of our food still comes from local farmers who are too poor to grow this Frankenstein Food.
What I loved most: The Montage of Carl & Ellie's Lives, and the Scrapbook
What I really hated: Nil
Kids will enjoy the adventures of Carl and his motley crew of kid and animals, but adults will find this a truly rich and moving experience. The themes of loneliness, loss, letting go and moving on in life will touch the "oldies" while going over the heads of the juvies. This is probably Pixar's most mature outing yet, with an opening montage that's short but incredibly devastating.
Spectacularly overrated. There's nothing here we haven't seen done better elsewhere before; it's just in an exotic foreign language here. Gaping narrative jumps that make no sense, cliched symbolism and trite, laughable dialogue (why do we have to reminded of his name every 30 seconds?), together with ho-hum action make this really tedious to sit through.
A visceral sci-fi thriller in cinema verite style that ranks up there with the best of them. The skillful storytelling shifts the audience's allegiances completely around by the end of the movie, and director Blomkamp incorporates social commentary and deeper human themes into the action seamlessly. What's not to like? One of the best of the year.
Mak and Chong return to form with this brisk morality play that's well-scripted and ably performed by the heavyweight cast. Greed and need provide the impetus, and the downward spiraling of events is tragic in their inevitability.
What I really hated: The awful CGI, or the cartoony script
An able international cast sleepwalks through this uninspired, perfunctory cookie-cutter flick action with subpar CGI. Sommers kills the pace by going into random flashbacks that ostensibly flesh out character, but in reality don't matter at all. Script-wise, this is a walking, talking cartoon, complete with routine insipid dialogue and lame jokes. Sienna Miller is the only bright spark.
