Deception (2008)

Deception (2008)

Before I watched it, I had no idea there is a movie called Deception and is surprisingly starred by well known actors and actress such as Ewan McGregor, Hug Jackman and Michelle Williams. It all began with conversation between me and one of my friends about under exposed but good movies and “Deception” popped out. The next day when I browsed movies link database, I saw this movie link and decided to download and watch it.

Synopsis

Jonathan McQuarry(Ewan McGregor) is an auditor in Manhattan who has a very boring and monotone life, moving from office to office, checking their books. While working late, a smooth and well-dressed man named Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman) chatted whim Jonathan, offered him a joint, and soon they were pals. Jonathan’s life changed dramatically when their cell phones were accidentally swapped. Jonathan answered Wyatt's phone to a series of women asking if he was free that night. Jonathan discovered it was a sex club: busy powerful people meet each other anonymously in hotels. Jonathan fell for one of the club members, whom he knew only as "S” (Michelle Williams). When she went missing, Jonathan had to faces demands involving violence and lots of money. Suddenly his life changed but in a way that he would never have expected.

What I thought about this movie

Many Hollywood movies use “Small little things that can change your life” concept as their main idea. I can say that most of the audience likes it. Because people love to see and really want to believe how coincidences can affect our lives. Disney movies are excellent examples on excellent implementation of this concept. Even though most likely we already know how the movies will end after watching the first 20 minutes of the movie, we still want to continue watching until the end because with the right pace and plot, the movies can be very entertaining and meaningful. Sadly, Deception is one of those kind of movie.

I think the best thing way to describe Deception is a lame copy of The Fight Club. You will see many scenes that remind you of The Fight Club but sadly not as classy or stylish as The Fight Club. There are many scenes that I think are little bit “off” and raise my eyebrows because they feel out of place with the plot. Like how McQuarry wanted to risk his life for a girl that he just met, S, it lacks strong background history. The plot just forces us to accept that suddenly the existence of S is much more important for McQuarry rather than his own life. If you think McQuarry is some kind of super hero like the well known Jackman’s character, The Wolverine, then I’m sorry to disappoint you; He is not.

In the acting department I do not feel any good chemistry between the actors. If we compared McQuarry-Bose with Narator-Durden from The Fight Club, then McQuarry-Bose are like real strangers. Michelle Williams’ acting is also unconvincing.

For my final words, I do believe that with better execution this movie has a lot of potential. There are many aspects that have not been explored deep enough to enrich the story lines. I think you can skip this one and watch similar movies with the same concept (i.e. The Fight Club). For curiosity sakes you may consider watching this movie but I suggest just do it if you have much free time to spent, a lot of free time.

Rating

2 Stars

The Worst Movie Poster I Ever Saw

Selama sekitar 15 tahunan menyukai dan menonton film, saya juga telah melihat banyak poster film. Ada yang bagus dan ada pula yang sangat buruk. Ini beberapa diantara yang terburuk yang pernah saya liat:

Note: I don’t include all Indonesian Movie Poster since most of Indonesian movie poster is hundred levels beyond worst, or maybe I will make another post for that.

1. No Country for Old Man

No Country for Old man merupakan filem BAGUS. Tapi sayangnya tidak demikian dengan posternya. Posternya terlihat sangat aneh dengan siluet Javier Bardem sebagai background dan ditambah efek matahari terbit di belakang tommy lee Jones, sehingga terkesan Mulut Javier Bardem memancarkan sinar atau bola api.

2. Avatar

Poster ini jelek karena gagal menyampaikan pesan yang tepat untuk para penonton. Suku Na'vi seharusnya digambarkan sebagai suku yang bersahabat, tapi editan setengah wajah suku Na'vi ini malah menimbulkan kesan seram dan tidak bersahabat. Beside that for $237M Budget Movie is that the best you got?

3. Star Wars Episode IV : New Hope

I'm a Star wars Fanboy. But when I saw this poster it's really hard to like it. In my opinion,it's more like Poster for Porn wars rather than Star wars and really hard to believe this is a poster for one of movies that should be considered as best movie ever...

4. Final Destination III

Seperti sekawanan orang bodoh masuk ke rumah hantu murahan di pasar malam..tasteless

5. The Haunting in Connecticut

Konsep nya tidak jelas hanya terkesan asal-asalan dan hanya mengambil satu adegan dari film dan apapun yang keluar atau masuk mulut anak itu terlihat sangat menjijikan

6. Norbit

Speechless. Sulit untuk menangkap apapun yang bagus dari poster ini, menggelikan dan tampak bodoh

7. A Dirty Shame

I think the tittle is a perfect recap for this movie it self and also the movie poster

8. Good Luck Chuck

Photo Shop Failure. Editan gambar yang kasar dan ekspresi yang aneh dari Jesica Alba dan Dane Cook membuat gambar ini sama sekali tidak enak di lihat dan jauh dari konsep awalnya yang terinspirasi (kalau tidak mau disebut meniru) foto John Lennon dan Yoko ono untuk majalah RollingStone

9. Hercules in New York

Its more like Brainless Gay with over steroid body rather than Hercules for me

10. Glen or Glenda

The worst movie poster for one of the worst movie ever on the Planet

11. baby geniuses

I don't know what's on this poster designer mind when he/she/it (There's possibility the designer is not even a human), the baby is far from cute, far from look smart and looks very very annoying. fail

12. The Hottie and The Nottie

okay, the only word left to this poster is (...) means i'm too speechless to create a new level of awfulness.

Plan No.9 From Outer Space

Plan no.9 from the outer Space(1959) : When curiosity become curse

Last week I saw another Burton’s movie: Ed wood, biopic of Edwards D Woods Jr., the worst director for all the time in Hollywood. After watching this Ed Wood biopic, I’m very curious how bad it is and for the sake of curiosity I search it, clicked the download button for one of his well known film : The plan 9 of outer space and by the time I click the file and start to watch it my curiosity became my curse.

Special effects, Characters and Plot

the main idea of this movie is that there’s bunch of Alien who's trying to stop human from developing the deadly weapon called solaranit. After 8 times failed to stop or warn the human kind to stop solaranit development, this time they tried with the new plan: Plan no 9: raised the dead and make the zombie to stop it. Well I can’t say it is a good plot, there’s a lot of weak point on it.

This execution is even worse. It’s plot less, almost no real dialogue. Just mixing mumbo jumbo between zombie, alien and military on every scenes. Not to mention the acting quality, it totally failed in every ways. The best appearance in this movie is by some dude who played a Zombie. Rest of the cast? Well, it’s like real zombie. No expression with absurd dialogue. In one scene there’s a bunch of police officers doing investigation in cemetery when suddenly one of them died because mysterious light from UFO. They saw the UFO plus they saw the UFO raised the dead. BUT hey! what the chief of police did? Instead of running or being terrified or did something actually express that he's in danger or even angry because he just lost his man, what he did is with his straight, empty face is asked “what time is it?”, light his smoke, and walk away like the undead, UFO and death of co worker meant nothing, or like it never happened! And if by reading this you think this is a comedy, I’m sorry to disappointing you.. it isn’t, Ed wood put this movie as a sci-fi and horror genre.

Special Effect and editing division is also as bad as the characters and plot, so many ridiculous things here and there, like using shower curtain as background screen ( you can see the curtain hanger) to hang and controlled the “UFO” objects using fishing rod and we can see the strings!

What I thought about this movie

I can say this movie is by far is the ugliest, plotless, brainless Hollywood Movie I've ever seen in my whole life! Now I really understand why the most prestigious title like :”the worst director ever for all the time” belong to Ed Wood. It feels like watching those Indonesian stupid movie like Hantu Binal Jembatan Semanggi in English language.

I tweet the real time experience during watching it here is it :

· [00:00] watching Plan no.9 from outer space by ed wood, the legendary movie for the worst movie ever. Hopefully I don't get a brain damage after this

· [00:30] 30 menit pertama Plan no 9 from outer space rasanya kayak 3 Jam...oh God..

· [00:35] I think those "movie maker" who made dendam pocong mupeng definitely use this Ed wood as a Role model. I can see the resemblance...

· [00:40] Brain damage levels : 40% in 40 minutes..and the movie is 120 minutes

· [00:45] This ed wood dude are genius:not only use shower curtain as a background scene, he reuse 1 scene so many times, and 1 cameo to play 5roles

· [00:45] What a brilliant idea of ed wood to do a huge damage in our brain! A ufo controlled by fishing rod! And I can see the string!!!ugggghh

· [00:45]Still torturing myself with this plan 9 from the outer space...I almost can't hold it any longer..

· [00:45] The only good acting in this movie is the acting of this dude who playing as zombie. The rest of it?well like a zombie #plan9

· [01:00] KK dheraaj + chawez + koya pagayo = Ed wood God of ugly movie in modern forms.

· [01:00] 60 minutes of #plan9, brain damage : almost all of it... I can't see clearly...everything is dark

· [01:10]Desperately need nectar and ambrosia from God of Olympus to cure my brain

· [01:20]Just finished #plan9 from the outer space from ed wood...*speechless*

I rest my case,I can’t say more than that..

Now, please excuse me I have Brain to repair..

Rate :