The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest - Luftslottet som sprängdes (2009)

Disappointing - considering how much I enjoyed the first film. Some good stuff, but nothing strong enough to warrant an essential viewing. Those who missed the earlier installments may feel lost if they catch this on its own.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame - 狄仁杰之通天帝国 (2010)

Makes for some decent entertainment, but nothing to shout about. Didn't help that there was a couple who talked almost throughout the whole show.

The American (2010)

Violante Placido has a HOT smokin' bod that has me all STEAMED UP! Despite a mainstream plot, the film takes a very non-mainstream approach (slow, low key, introspective) that makes this not a film for everyone.

Easy A (2010)

Nice.

The Girl Who Played with Fire - Flickan som lekte med elden (2009)

Not bad, but I liked the first one more. Happy to have caught this overseas as the hometown version was censored.

Inception (2010)

Not too bad.

Sandcastle - 沙城 (2010)

A bit too slow for my liking, but once it gets going, it really reaches deep into your heart and tugs at the strings. A more than decent directorial debut where the flaws are mere nitpicks on my part. IMHO, the talents playing the lead, the mother and the grandmother were aptly selected.

Berlin 36 (2009)

IMHO, the story is the strongest aspect of the film. But I think the direction fails to fully exploit the potential of the subject matter. Still, not a bad film.

Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009)

Heartwarming. For all the harshness depicted, there are also wonderful moments of humor and joy. This is essential viewing.

Phua Chu Kang The Movie (2010)

Excruciating. Weakest link was the story.

Au Revoir Taipei 一页台北 (2010)

Not great, but not bad either. Lots of memorable scenes. Was expecting a romance, but it got meshed up with a crime caper, add some less than capable goons and this low budget effort suddenly becomes rather fun to watch.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Män som hatar kvinnor (2009)

Gripping storytelling combined with strong production values. Despite clocking in at 152 minutes and being the last of 3 inflight films I watched, I was hooked from start to finish.

UPDATE: A second viewing at the cinema allowed me to watch this on the big screen. But I'd be giving the second film at Singapore cinemas a miss as the distributor has chosen to release an edited version for a lower rating.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Cute. 2nd of 3 inflight movies I caught.

Animal Kingdom (2010)

My first inflight movie. Did not enjoy as much as I hoped to. This film takes a pretty real and gritty approach. As it's pretty much dialogue driven, I also missed much as I only figured out how to turn up the volume halfway thru the film.

Letters to Juliet (2010)

Did not really like.

Toy Story 3 (2010)

This is very good. I enjoyed it very much.

The Ghost Writer (2010)

Thought the pacing was a bit slow for one or two parts, and I'm undecided if I like the ending or not, and I'm sure I'd start to analyze the plausibility of some the events and plot points, but overall, this is the work of a master storyteller working to provide thrills for a mature audience, and I liked it.

About Her Brother - おとうと (2010)

Thought the lead actress was good. But the content failed to grab me. Too mundane. Too ordinary.

Broken Embraces - Los abrazos rotos (2009)

Enjoyed this. Not my fav Almodovar but still pretty all right.

The Losers (2010)

Bad acting. Cliche dialogues. But still entertaining as long as expectations are not high. Chris Evans is actually quite fun to watch in this one.

The Runaways (2010)

What I liked - the music, the performances and the look. It's not perfect, but it's all right. Cherry Bomb!

Iron Man 2 (2010)

Story was rather plain and simple. The first film left me wanting more. This one, not so.

Monga - 艋舺 (2010)

Not a bad effort, but too serious and brotherhood-y for my liking.

UPDATE: Fuck. Another edited film. If I had known, I would have skipped it.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Didn't really like. Too niche. Too parody-y. Was a little bored. Felt some of the ideas were funnier than it's execution. Not my cup of tea.

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Not perfect. But still very, very good. Loved it!

Ip Man 2 - 叶问 2 (2010)

Sort of very nationalistic, ra-ra commercial flick.

Gurushetram - 24 Hours of Anger (2010)

Why is this called 24 Hours of Anger? Sure, there's anger. But the story don't exactly happen within 24 hours. IMHO, the film lacks a strong focus. The story don't really offer anything new, and the characters failed to engage me. Otherwise, a valiant effort as the strive to build the Singapore film industry continues...

My Rainy Days - 天使の恋 (2009)

Really enjoyed this. The lead actress is extremely watchable. I actually found myself tearing a few times.

Love in a Puff - 志明与春娇 (2010)

Very nice. One of the best romance comedies I've ever watched. A pleasant surprise.

Date Night (2010)

Was entertained. Enjoyed the car chase scene best!

UPDATE: Just confirmed the film was an edited version. KNNCCB! There goes my record of giving censored films the wide berth at the cinema. Thought I was watching the NC-16 clean version, but it was actually the PG edited version! Bloody hell!!!! That explains the fucking funny edit I saw in the film. This is really KNNCCB!!!!!!!!

Conversations on Sago Lane (2010)

Sometimes, a film is technically not great. But its content is so strong it makes for compelling viewing. This is one of those films. Wished it could have been longer though.

Memories of a Burning Tree (2010)

Lacks oomph.

La dolce vita (1960)

Not my cup of tea.

A Single Man (2009)

Once in a while, it's nice to just sit back and watch a very personal film devoid of commercial expectations.

Moon Over Malaya - 椰林月 (1957)

I'm glad I caught this. I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it, as I hardly watch old films. Moments which are probably meant to be serious back then do come across as hilariously funny now. I think this film will sit well with those who first saw it in the 50s, and also serve as an entertaining intro for others into old Singapore-Malaya films from the past. Enjoyed seeing Singapore locations back in the 50s. The intro to Malaya's tourist sites was also hilariously funny.

The Way We Are - 天水围的日与夜 (2008)

Lovely film. Was pretty decent for the most part. Though the cinema screwed it up by screening it in the wrong aspect ratio.

McDull Kungfu Ding Ding Dong - 麦兜响当当 (2009)

Cute. Even though I probably missed much because of my lack of understanding Cantonese and knowledge of Hong Kong history and culture.

The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)

Utterly nonsensical and ridiculous. But in a wildly entertaining kind of way which I enjoyed.

The Hurt Locker (2008)

This is like a docu drama although it's fiction. The film starts off not too different from the conventions of mainstream cinema, but ends off on a far more introspective note. It will probably not appeal to everyone as most of the drama found in conventional commercial flicks are mostly absent in favor of telling a story within a more realistic context.

The Book of Eli (2010)

Did not dislike, did not like either.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

What an utter waste of time.

Kidnapper - 绑匪 (2010)

Probably raised the bar for a commercial action thriller from Singapore. Not that we've had that many here. Christopher Lee is surprisingly, rather watchable, IMHO. Kudos to the editing, as the film moves at a breakneck speed so one hardly have time to linger on stuff like plot flaws.

Agora (2009)

Utterly depressing but captivating film that depicts the evils that men do in the name of religion. Essential viewing as it made me realize how much I take religious and racial harmony for granted. After watching, I was reminded of a tagline from DC Comics' Final Crisis series - The day evil won.

Up in the Air (2009)

Not too bad. Character driven piece helped by capable performances. George Clooney is oh so charming in this.

A Serious Man (2009)

Didn't really get this movie. Or enjoy it much. Liked the trailer though.

The Last Station (2009)

I went in without knowing what this film was about, except that it was a period piece about Leo Tolstoy. I found myself enjoying the dialogues and the performances. And I liked how the focus is on the theme of love - because I really enjoyed how it was an important part of the film. A delightful surprise.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

Not too bad. Visually, one of the stronger films I've seen in a while. But it's Terry Gilliam, so I'm not surprised. Only thing is I did not buy into how the lead character turned out towards the end.

Nine (2009)

More hit than miss for me. What I liked: The star-studded female cast and sexy ladies. Nicole Kidman looks awesome. She has some of the best lines, and so does Judi Dench. Fergie was an unexpected surprise: she got my hormones raging! However, didn't care too much about the story - it isn't exactly riveting.

Kisses (2008)

Beautiful photography. Wonderful performances by the two child leads. Light hearted presentation of a serious adventure. Pity I was tired when watching as I dozed off a bit in the middle.

It's Complicated (2009)

Better than expected, even if this is not my favourite genre. As usual, Meryl Streep did not disappoint.

The Blind Side (2009)

Boring. Flat. Not my cup of tea. The little kid was entertaining though. But hardly enough to raise the overall entertainment factor of this film up to any satisfactory level for me.