JULIE & JULIA (2009)

MyRating: YYYYY

Director: Nora Ephron
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sensuality
US Gross: US$ 94.1 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 129.5 Million

This is one of my most favorite movies in 2009. A very charming story about two women, living in a different timeline but share the same passion, FOOD.

Julia Child (Streep) is a legendary American chef, who introduced French cuisine and cooking techniques to the American people thru her famous cookbooks and her popular television programs. The story starts when Julia doesn't even know how to cook, while she and her husband live in Paris, the place where her husband works. She takes any kinds of classes to kill her spare time before she falls in love with cooking in her cooking classes. It suits her fine because she just loves to eat. There, Julia finds her destiny to become a chef, even though it is not an easy road for her, because the world of cooking is a world actually dominated my men. But she is determined, until her breakthrough cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is published and becomes best-seller. And a legend is born.

In another lifetime, 40 years after Julia Child's book was being published, Julie Powell (Adams), a struggling working middle-class wife, who loves to write but her novel is never published, thinks that she should challenge herself with something in order to make her life meaningful. Since she and her husband loves to watch the old Julia's tv cooking programs, Julie gets an idea to cook all the French-cuisine recipes written in Julia's cookbook within one year, and write a blog about it in the process, so that other people can become her witness. There, Julie starts her attempt to cook all the 524 recipes in 365 days in her tiny apartment kitchen. And it is becoming a long journey that not only challenges her phisically, but also emotionally.

The movie, adapted from the two bestselling memoirs of Julia Child & Julie Powell, screenplay written by Nora Ephron, is a delightful and a heart-warming film, beautifully directed also by Ephron, and excellently performed by the two leading ladies.

Meryl Streep gives her (another) brilliant performance as Julia Child, a joyful, strong-will and sympathetic woman. Her acting, gestures and accent are superb, and her appearances are so overwhelming and rejoicing the screen. Every time she appears on screen, she will make you smile widely, both at lips and at heart, and you will admire how great she is. The way she loves her calm and supportive husband, solidly played by Stanley Tucci, no matter what situations they are in, is just so touching and shall give a great inspiration to all women around the world. I think she gave the performance of the year.

Amy Adams, on the other hand, also gives an impressive performance as a stubborn but vulnerable Julie Powell. She is so lovable in this movie and you will easily fall in love with her. Her dynamic emotions thru out the movie, happy & sad, playful & angry, laughing & crying, and her breakdowns, are all being played very well. You will feel happy or sympathy for her in all those moments. Her chemistry with Chris Messina, as a thoughtful and understanding husband, is also very sweet and enjoyable to watch. Adams is such a beautiful and good actress, I just love her so much.

This is a movie that you will enjoy not only for its great story, but also for its wonderful actings and memorable characters. And if you happened to eat in a French restaurant, this should be a complete fine dish to eat, cooked and served by a professional chef. So, bon appetit. (MJ)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (2010)

MyRating: YY

Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas
MPAA: Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar

I am not a fan of Tim Burton. It's not because I do not like his works or the genre he makes, because I do love fantasy, I grew up reading Hobbit. That book gave such a big influence that makes me falling in love with the world of fantasy. However, I seldom can enjoy Burton's movies. I feel most of his movies are too surreal and childish in a strange way, even though I did love Sleepy Hollow and quite enjoying Sweeney Todd.

When I went to the theater to see Alice, I thought I will like this movie, because I knew Alice has made a lot of money in the US the first week it was released. People must have loved it. But after watching it, I have to say that I was not really enjoying it.

The story is about a 19-year-old Alice who accidentally returns to a peculiar world named Wonderland, while chasing a white rabbit and falling into a rabbit-hole. This is the world she has visited before as a child, but oddly she doesn't have any memory of it. While exploring the new world, she meets again with her old friends one by one, Mad Hatter (Depp), the White Queen (Hathaway), Tweedledum & Tweedledee (Lucas) and many other talking animals. All of them are trying to convince her the same thing, that her returning to their world has a destined purpose, to save Wonderland from the wicked and iron-fist reign of the Red Queen (Carter) and her cruel troops. So, Alice begins a journey with her friends to fulfill her destiny.

The mood of this film is a bit dark, awkward and gothic. It's Burton! The Wonderland is beautiful and colorful, with many strange-looking characters, the most memorable are the two funny little fat guys. But the 3D is nothing special. And there are some dull moments in the movies, except the scenes with Carter in it.

Helena Bonham Carter, with her big-headed character, is the screen-stealer. In my opinion, she outshines Depp in this movie. She is just hilarious in every scene she is in. Her acting is very good and also the only thing that I really enjoy in this movie. (MJ)

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010)

MyRating: YYYYY

Director: Dean DeBlois & Chris Sanders
Voice: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
MPAA: Rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language

I never love DreamWorks' animated movies as much as I love Pixar's. The reason is because Pixar always has a stronger and more touching story (Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc. & Up), while DreamWorks is more focusing on the young and fun side (Shrek, Madagascar & Kung Fu Panda). And for years, if we talk about a good and clever script, Dreamworks seems to fall behind Pixar. But with the release of How to Train Your Dragon, this maybe is about to change, because this movie is simply the best DreamWorks picture, EVER!

Hiccup is a young Viking boy, whose tribe has a long history of becoming dragon slayers. The hostility between his tribe and the dragons has already happened for many generations, due to the attacks from the dragons that destroying their village and looting their livestocks from time to time. Born in this eternal war, all the children in their tribe are trained to become dragon killers since their very young age, so that when the time is come, they are ready to do their own hunt. Even though his father is the chief of their tribe and a great warrior, Hiccup doesn't seem to have the trait to become a warrior like his father. And he is always becoming the joke by the entire village and his friends.

In order to prove himself, one night, in one of those massive attacks from the dragons, Hiccup shoots down one dragon, that happens to be the most fearful dragon by his tribe. When he searches for the place where the dragon fell and finds the dragon trapped powerlessly, he is about to kill the beast with his knife for the very first time. But at that time he realizes, that he will never become a dragon slayer. And that is the point where he learns that everything they believe about the dragons for generations is not what it is supposed to be.

This is a great movie with a lot of fun and a lot of heart. The script is clever, which keeps you interested from the beginning and never lets you go, the dialogs are brilliant, and the characters are lovable. The dragons, with many different bizarre kinds and killer abilities, are so amusing to watch that makes you love to hate them. And the interactions between the characters - the father & the son, the boy & his friends, and the boy & the dragon are heartfelt, funny and touching, that will surely warm your heart. Needless to say, the animation and the 3D are also good. The climax battle scene is so much fun and intense, and it closes the film with a perfect score.

This is a movie that you must watch and cherish every single moment of it. (MJ)

AVATAR (2009)

MyRating: YYYY

Director: James Cameron

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Joel Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, Michelle Rodriguez

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking

I almost never watch the same movie twice in the cinema. This is the one that I did. First in 2D, but when I knew that Avatar was about to break the record of Titanic to be the number one top grossing movie of all time, I decided to watch it again in 3D, just not to lose the experience of witnessing the biggest movie of all time in the big screen with its maximum format, 3D.

The story is about Jake Sully (Worthington), a paraplegic ex-marine who decides to join a mission to a planet named Pandora, as a replacement for his brother who is accidentally being killed. The task is to study about the planet and its native inhabitants, the Na'vi people, as Jake and his teammates take the form as Avatar, a created Na'vi body controlled by a human mind inside, to explore the planet. Jake is soon captivated by his new mission, not only because of the beautiful and exotic world of Pandora, but also because he can feel himself wholly again, as he can walk and run as an Avatar. When he meets and falls in love with Neytiri (Saldana), a daughter of a Na'vi chief clan, Jake gets the whole access to everything he needs to know about their world, their way of life, their culture, their beasts and their gods. But the situation changes when Jake finds out that the real reason of their mission to Pandora is to colonize the rich land of the planet, in order to dominate the precious materials preserved below the land. That also means to drive away the Na'vi people from their own land. And if the time is up and they are not willing to move, the human will use their full force to expel them. So, Jake finds himself in the middle of a big dilemma, whether to follow the order of his commander, or to fight for the Na'vi people and Pandora, that he has been fallen in love.

Frankly speaking, I am not really mad about the story plot the first time I watched it. The way the story is being told is somewhat felt a bit old-fashioned, with some slow moments in the middle of the film. But when I watched it again the second time, I started to really appreciate this movie. The wild imagination and the visionary idea of a James Cameron to make a revolutionize 3D movie, and all the hard works for years behind the production to translate it into a beautiful film, makes us cannot not to give a bow of appreciation to Mr. Cameron.

This is a masterpiece work. The graphic is so good, so detail and so believable. When we see the Na'vi people, they look as real as the real human in this movie, like there is no line between the CGI and the real persons. It's like they are real people that live somewhere out there, in another planet. The world of Pandora is also so mesmerizing and the cinematography is absolutely beautiful (especially if you watch it in 3D), like you are entering another world that you've never seen before. To sum in one line, the CGI of this movie is so smooth that you will be having difficulty to differentiate which one is real and which one is not. And finally, the last almost half an hour battle scene is a stunning epic and a heart-pumping action, brilliantly crafted to satisfy our long waiting after the extravagant shinking ship of the Titanic. (MJ)

JENNIFER'S BODY (2009)

MyRating: Y1/2

Director: Karyn Kusama

Cast: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, Adam Brody

MPAA: Rated R for sexuality, bloody violence, language and brief drug use

US Gross: US$ 16.2 Million

Worldwide Gross: US$ 31.3 Million

I was so waiting for this movie. One reason, Megan Fox in the genre that I like, horror. Jennifer (Fox) is a popular high school cheerleader who is turned into a hungry demon that preys for young men. Her best friend, Needy (Seyfried) is the only person that is suspicious towards her weird change of behaviors. As one by one of the young men in their town got killed, Needy has to stop Jennifer because the next prey could be her own boyfriend.

Fox should be the perfect cast for the beautiful and sexy evil Jennifer, as she is becoming the most hot young actress nowadays after her role in Transformers. The premise of the film is also quite promising. So, what went wrong? A bad script. The movie never reaches its potential, the plot is not engaging, and you can easily guess what will happen next and where will the story go. It is not scary nor tense, that turns this movie into such a disappointment.

Apparently, Fox's acting is not good, as if she cannot act well. She does look gorgeous in this film. But she has a lot to prove in her next movies that she is more than a pretty face. Seyfried did a better job, and I have a funny feeling that Seyfried may get better important roles in terms of acting in the longer future. Fox is yet to prove that she is the next Angelina Jolie. (MJ)

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2009)

MyRating: YYYY

Director: Oren Peli
Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat
MPAA: Rated R for language
US Gross: US$ 107.9 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 192.7 Million

A surprisingly good independent horror movie that was only costed US$ 15,000 to produce, but resulting in US$ 192.7 Million worldwide. It is the most profitable movie in 2009. The story is simple, about a young couple, Katie and Micah (whose names are also used for the main characters), moving into a new house and find out that they are haunted by demonic spirits.

At the beginning, the disturbances are in form of some noises at night that awakes them. But as more strange things start to happen and Katie shares her secret that she has been followed by some kind of spirits since her childhood, Micah decides to set a video camera to record their bedroom while they are sleeping, with hopes to catch some spirit activities on tape. When the disturbances become more and more intense each day, and the spirits start to manifest themself into violence towards Katie, they call a paranormal specialist for help. The paranormal senses a very strong evil power in their house but he cannot help them. It is also no use for them to move out from the house, because no matter where they go, the spirits will follow them. So, Katie and Micah are on their own to face the frightening spirits that won't leave them alone.

I watch this movie with a preparation of not liking it, because it is shot in hand-held camera that has a potential of making people feel dizzy, and the premise is also similar with some reality TV ghost stories, that I usually never care to watch. But as I watch this movie, I found out that I like it very much. And it didn't make me feel dizzy. The story is cleverly written and directed, both by Oren Peli, it keeps you interested and chilling. It is creepy and scary enough, even though most of it terrors you psychologically. The still-shootings of their bedroom at night will make you hold your breath as you watch every corner of the room, not to miss anything that could possibly shock you.

My praise also goes to the two leads, both are unnamed actors but they give good and believable acting. Their actings are so natural that you will think you are watching two real persons with their real problems on screen. Their character also are not annoying. Katie has a screen likeability that makes her nice to watch. When she is suffering, we can easily feel pity for her.

This is a simple movie with a big impact, which will make us remember it for a long time. If you like good scares, then this is perfect for you. And the very end of this movie will surely make you jump on your seat. (MJ)

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (2009)

MyRating: Y

Director: Chris Weitz
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence and action
US Gross: US$ 296.6 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 707.2 Million

The modern love story between a human, Bella Swan (Stewart) and a vampire, Edward Cullen (Pattinson) is at test when Edward decides to leave Bella and moves out-of-town for the sake of her safety and goodness. Cannot accept the reality, the heartbroken Bella starts to live her life recklessly, with some hopes that if Edward can sense her in danger, he will come back to her. At that point, Jacob Black, a childhood friend, comes into her life and shakes her heart. But Jacob has his own big dark secret that is about to be disclosed. And this starts the love triangle between a human, a vampire and a werewolf.

This adaption from the second novel of the phenomenal Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer is dull, slow and somewhat frustrated for me to watch. The script is flat and seems to go nowhere. I was so bored that I looked at my watch several times through out the movie, unpatiently waiting it to be over.

Pattinson's acting is very poor and stiff, his expression is so emotionless that makes him looks like a robot. A vampire robot! I hate his character (or how he characterize it) so much, that I want to jump into the screen and slap him in the face once or twice (haha, just kidding). But his acting is real bad. Stewart herself gives a sleepy performance (she looks sleepy in the entire film) and her obsession with the vampire makes her character becomes a bit annoyance. However, Ms. Stewart is also the only thing that I like in this movie.

For me, this is a bizarre love story, not because I don't like the premise of love relationship between human and vampire, because I do enjoy True Blood (the TV series) very much, which has an intriguing story and good acting, and I still can enjoy the first Twilight. One thing I can say for sure about New Moon is, it has enough shirtless scenes from Pattinson and Lautner that will make teen girls around the world scream hysterically. (MJ)

MY NAME IS KHAN (2010)

MyRating: YYYY1/2

Director: Karan Johar
Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence, sexual content and language

Shahrukh Khan gives a heartfelt and powerful performance as Rizwan Khan, a Muslim Indian who suffered from Asperger syndrome, an autism disorder which makes him difficult to interact socially. Faith brings him to the United States to pursue the American Dream and he meets a Hindu woman (Kajol), a single mother who becomes the love of his life. They get married and good life seems to be finally on his side, until the 9/11 attacks.

As a Muslim, he and his family become the target of racial infuriation and hatred from the community. And when a tragedy strikes his family, his wife tells him to go to the President of the United States to clear his name and tell the President that he is not a terrorist. So, Khan begins his journey across the states to meet the President and finds the unforgetable experiences of his lifetime.

A very good human drama that will surely touch your heart, beautifully played by the two leads, Khan & Kajol. King Khan, the Bollywood superstar and unarguably the biggest Hindi movie legend after Amitabh Bachchan, is just so right for this role. His acting is not only makes you smile, but also makes you cry. He is the life of this movie. Kajol also gives a very strong performance to match Khan. The way she shows her burst of emotions in a scene with Khan at the soccer field, after the tragedy strikes their family, is one of the most memorable moments in the movie and it shows how such a good actress she is. The storytelling is also compelling enough to make you stay in your seat and keep us want to know what will happen next. Karan Johar did a good job in directing this movie.

After all those praises, I have to admit that there are certain scenes in the movie that disturbed me a little. First, the reason why Kajol wants to marry Khan is not strong enough or not explained good enough in the movie, however he is not a normal type of guy. Second, some scenes that show the funny behaviors of Khan are repetitive and overlong. And last, I think it will be much better if they do not show the face of Obama, who is played by an actor here. When we see his face, we smile, not because the face of the actor is indeed somewhat similar with Obama, but because he is not him. Hence, I think it will be enough and much more believable if they only show the back of Obama.

But who cares about the critics, those are of course forgivable. This is a great movie with great actors and wonderful acting... and I love this movie. I love KHAN. (MJ)

SHUTTER ISLAND (2010)

MyRating: YYYY 1/2

Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Michelle Williams
MPAA: Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.

A gripping crime thriller/mystery about a US Marshal, Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) who is assigned with his partner (Ruffalo) to investigate a strange disappearance of a murderer patient in a criminal mental asylum in Shutter Island. When they find out that the case is more than a simple escape, they realize that there might be a big conspiracy behind that all, involving the hospital head and doctors, whom they suspect of doing dangerous and unthinkable experiments towards the patients, or even involving the government who brought them there in the first place.

As Teddy tries hard to solve the puzzle, the hospital insane atmosphere begins to absorb him and he starts to experience strange things, including being visited by his dead wife. And when a hurricane strikes the island and cut off all the transportation and communication, he doesn't have any choice than to finish what he has begun, even though his life is in danger. But he becomes to distrust everyone and doubts everything he ever believes, including his own sanity.

This fourth collaboration between Scorsese & DiCaprio, adapted from the best-selling novel by Dennis Lehane, is an intense movie with interesting storyline and thick mystery, nicely executed by the legendary Martin Scorsese. The setting and atmosphere of the asylum is bleak and scary enough, which at some points makes me feel as if I am on that island. The tense of the film is carefully built but well-paced, and it grips you till the end once it starts. Leonardo DiCaprio totally put himself into the soul of his character and gave a strong and convincing performance as usual. He is just getting better and better. Without a doubt, he is becoming one of my favorite actors now.

This is a movie that makes you think, and after you come into the end of the movie and walk out of the theater, it still makes you think. The end of this movie will surely become the subject of debate for years to come. And in my opinion, it is just the perfect way to end the film. (MJ)

THE SPY NEXT DOOR (2010)

MyRating: BOO...

Director: Brian Levant
Cast: Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Billy Ray Cyrus, George Lopez
MPAA: Rated PG for sequences of action violence and some mild rude humor
US Gross: US$ 24.3 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 31.7 Million

Unfunny, childish and stupid movie about Bob Ho (Chan), a retired CIA agent, who finds out that babysitting his next-door girlfriend's three kids is actually tougher than becoming a real spy and fighting bad guys.

This movie is really bad. The actings are terrible, the dialog is a joke, and the whole story is pointless. Even Chan's acrobatic actions cannot save this movie. His slapstick and English make him look ridiculous. (I really hate to say these because I am a big fan of Jackie Chan). The kids are not adorable enough due to the very bad script. And the chemistry between Chan and Valletta is zero, he is just too old for her. The bad guys? Too caricature and so dumb that you wish you could kill them yourself.

Chan surely puts his Hollywood career in jeopardy if he keeps making a movie like this.

Suitable only for KIDS... under five years old. (MJ)

ZOMBIELAND (2009)

MyRating: YYYY1/2

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Amber Heard, Bill Murray
MPAA: Rated R for horror violence/gore and language
US Gross: US$ 75.6 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 102.3 Million

I always love zombie movies. Imagining yourself being chased by a bunch of flesh-eating living-deads and you have to run for your life, it's a totally adrenalin-pumping fantasy. Of course, you hope in the end... you survive!

Columbus (Eisenberg) is a nerd who has a set of rules to survive in the world already inhabited by zombies. 'Avoid the toilets', 'always check your car backseat' and 'double tap your enemies' are just some of his golden rules, and those rules are working so far as long as he is alone. When he meets with Tallahassee (Harrelson), a fearless and headstrong zombie killer - a man who lives with no rules and who is willing to go into every hell holes just to get his last Twinkie on earth, the world of Columbus is surely to change. And further in their adventure when they meet with the two cunning sisters, Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin), who live their lives as impostors, Tallahassee has finally met his match. They learn it the hard way to know about each other. Only after they realize that they have to rely on and help each other, that they can finally make a force together to rock the world of the zombies.

This is a fun and clever zombie flick that gives rooms for its main characters to develop, which in the end makes us falling in love with them and care enough to see if they survive. We just don't want them to get bitten. On the other hand, all the formulas that make a good zombie film is there, the chase, the run, the hide, the bite, the kill, the gore.

All the actors are doing a pretty good job. Harrelson, with all his cockiness, is great in breathing and living the character of Tallahassee. Eisenberg is just perfect for his clumsy character. And the two female leads are refreshing the screen, Stone with her tricky and wild character, and the lovely child star Breslin as the sharp-tongue little sister who has to grow up fast in such a scary world, but still maintains a child at heart. She is so excited to visit the amusement park that she and her sister believe is zombie-free. The chemistries between the characters are also working well, between Harrelson & Eisenberg as a totally two opposite characters, Eisenberg & Stone with their awkward love relationship, and Harrelson & Breslin with their arguments and their own sweet moments that surely will spark a smile in your lips. The surprise appearance by Bill Murray in the middle of the film also leaves us with some memorable good laughs. As well as the appearance of the beautiful Amber Heard in the beginning of the movie as the girl next door, still leaves us with chills.

The final scene in the amusement park is the most fun and exciting part. It's a brilliant and mind-blowing thrill of ride. It's like buying a ticket to Disneyland for two, one to enjoy the whole rides and another one is for you to get chased by zombies along those rides... and then you kill 'em all.


Definitely love to see a sequel. (MJ)

2012 (2009)

MyRating: YY1/2

Director: Roland Emmerich

Cast: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Oliver Platt, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense disaster sequences and some language
US Gross: US$ 166.1 Million
Worldwide Gross: US$ 769.7 Million

Roland Emmerich has made himself known as the father of today disaster movies. This man has destroyed our world again and again! Remember the alien invasion in Independence Day and the wrath of global warming in The Day After Tomorrow ? How about destroying New York city with his Godzilla? Like it or not, his disaster films always give us guilty-pleasure, to watch the world we know crushed and condemned, that is how he plays god and makes us want to see more how he can further smash our world.

And now he did it again! This time Emmerich really didn't want to lose the momentum of the most hot topic of the Mayan 2012 Prophecy, that our world will finally come to an end in 2012. This has created a perfect hype before the movie was released.

Spectacular! That was my first impression when witnessing how the mega disaster strikes the city of Los Angeles, the land is crazilly collapsing everywhere and the buildings are shattered into pieces. A visual that I have never seen before. Emmerich has proved to us again that he can deliver a top-notch and first class special effects.

But, that's it! The mega disaster, which is also the biggest disaster in the whole movie, just came out too early, and this makes the other following disasters becoming anticlimax. The way the main characters save themselves from many disasters in last seconds is also over dramatized. If you can survive driving your car just before the land falls behind you, consider you are lucky! It gives you a wow factor. However, if you show this over and over again, with planes doing exactly the same things, a minivan zigzag to avoid thousands of explosions that hit the grounds, and a man climbs up from a collapsing earth before he can even get out of the car, that is just not make sense and too over the top. Somehow it becomes a bit repetitive and tiresome.

The actors also show unrealistic emotions. The way they talk to each other are just not possible for persons who have just lost their neighbors, teachers or even bosses, maybe parents. And in the final scene, when the heroic Cusack tries to save the whole ship, it just not seems to be believable enough (but I love you, John Cusack). It is obvious that Emmerich wanted to make everything looks big and bold and... big, regardless the logic.

So, what more can I say about this big dumb popcorn movie. After disappointed by his earlier flick, a boring and shallow 10,000 BC, this movie begins to give me doubt that Mr. Emmerich is indeed capable of making a good film with a good storytelling and characterization, as good as what he has shown us with his CGI. I am really looking forward to see something like The Patriot, my favorite movie of him so far.

I still recommend this movie due to its wild catastrophic imagination and stand-out visual effects (I enjoyed it though), so that you will not be caught in surprise when the world does really end. Hmm, but maybe not in 2012. (MJ)