Movies: Sherlock Holmes 2 : Game of Shadows

Movies: Sherlock Holmes 2 : Game of Shadows

Hello everybody, it has been quite a while since i reviewed something, but never fear, i am back again this time with the latest blockbuster movie of probably the year 2011.

Yep, it is Sherlock Holmes again, with Robert Downey Jr. who i believe also acts as Ironman. However, unlike his marvel counterpart, Sherlock Holmes is meant to be more of a thinking action show, and differs from normal action movie in that it does strive and show that it is striving to be a show where the plot highlights not just the brawns but also the brains of the main character and even the villain.

When I say highlights the brain of the villain, it is unlike many other shows whereby the villain is supposed to be smart, but only in the technological sense i.e. Mad Scientists. This show's villain is slightly more like the Joker in Batman, whereby they highlight the strategic sense and planning of both the hero and the villain.

Anyway without further ado, here is the review of the show.

Plot


With regards to the plot, as i said earlier, this show prides itself on being more thinking based and showing the thinking process as compared to other action shows. That being said however, this show still has its fair amount of action in a level that is comparable to even some of the recent action flicks.

See? They are running from something and are all dirty and rugged. There must have been action.

However, a sad point to note was that the initial part of the movie was really dry and hard to relate to cause it was setting the stage for the show but was really talking about the wedding of Watson. I will explain what was the problem with the Watson part in the character section. I admit i did fall asleep at that stage of the show as it was really really pretty slow. I am sure that part was trying to introduce people to the wiles and tricks of Holmes but it seemed a bit dragged out for me. It did get more entertaining towards the end part however and that part i did enjoy.


Character


With regards to the characters and their development, here is a picture of ms neglected. Neglected because she was supposed to be very important in the beginnings of the show but it really just ended up being like a separate story arc that did not really tie into the rest of the show. And unfortunately, this segment was a bit too long.

I am sure she played a more pivotal role in the previous movie, but for this show, she really didn't add anything in particular. Watson and Holmes of course took up the biggest chunk of the show and they introduced some other particular gal character. However, there is a bit of feeling that her character could have been elaborated more and she seemed awfully dull compared to Watson and Holmes.

The villain on the other hand was a bit more special and clearly also meant to be an anti type to Holmes. I would have loved to see his character being elaborated on more rather then merely be expressed to be just an evil Holmes. Even the villain had a evil version of Watson but they could really have been made to be more distinct.


Cinematography


The Cinematography in this show was great! It really managed to combine the thinking processes with the action very nicely and did not end up looking very weird or forced. In fact, the audience would be rather immersed and could conclude that maybe that is the exact way our own thinking processes work to come out with possibilities and outcomes.

What this movie did better then the previous movie was also in this section because it took what made Sherlocks Holmes special, and placed a lot more emphasis on it with correspondingly appropriate styling.


Music


Music was pretty good, above average at the least. It took cues from the previous movie and even used some of the same composition to bring about the feeling of familiarity. Besides that, it added quite a bit of immersiveness to the show.


Spectacle


This show aims to put itself above the action genre with the thrill of seeing the thought process of the characters, and it does these two aspects very nicely even blending it seemingly. However, when it tried to put a bit of drama into the show along with character development, it seemed slightly lacking and this detracted slightly from the enjoyment of the whole show.

Overall


Plot                           : 4 (The plot line is pretty generic actually, but least it is done interestingly)
Character                 : 4 (Some characters are really a bit too identical, too much time wasted on wife)
Cinematography      : 4.5 (Genre defining cinematography that makes the movie an experience)
Music                       : 4 (Nice tunes and soundtrack)
Spectacle                  : 4 (Does well in two of the three genres)


Overall                     : 4.1 (Overall, fans of pure action might find this show slightly too draggy for their taste. However, people who are willing to be entertained by putting a bit of thinking into the picture will probably be able to enjoy this show once we go past the drama in the first section of the show. Seeing the previous movie might help a person immerse into the style of Holmes, but other then that, it will not really help you understand this sequel nor help you appreciate the wedding part of the show.)


As usual any comments just go ahead below :D

Series: Fringe

Series: Fringe


Its been quite a while since I reviewed a show, one reason is that there ain't many spectacular movies that are coming out the last few days, the other reason is that there is no one to see movies with. Probably the movie of the last few days would be twilight, and i expect to see it probably in the next month or so. But since there is no movies for me to review currently, I decided to continue my reviews on series. This time, its slightly different from crimebusting criminal minds, slightly, only cause it is still crime busting, but this show is a bit more sci-fi, and generally more fun.


INFORMATION

Status : Currently ongoing
Seasons : 4 as of 4th December 2011
Episodes per season : ~20
Length of each episode : 43 minutes
Genre : Crime solving, Thriller, Sci fiction, Drama


INTRODUCTION


This show caught my eye when it was made known to me that this show has it emphasis on many kinds of fringe science. For those who do not know what fringe science is, this is the definition as according to wikipedia. Basically, science is generally all types of very established theories and laws. For example gravity is something that is very established as we experience it every day. But, when we start to talk about anti gravity, to be able to float above or to switch the gravitational pull that is acting on us, now that is fringe science. Interestingly, some ideas that we have today were actually considered fringe science a long time ago. For example in-vitro fertilization would probably have been fringe science before it was made into a reality today. Cryostasis is also something that much research is being put into and who knows, maybe this is something that might actually happen some fine day.


Here is the opening theme where you can actually see some of the fringe sciences of today.

Notice the top right corner opening, that is the opening sequence used during one of the episodes whereby they went back into the future. So if you look closely, you can see what was probably considered fringe science just a few decades ago.


Also take note that throughout the series, the main scientist of the show would actually draw some very interesting ways to understand fringe science. One of the memorable ones that I heard was his explanation on if whether it is possible to pass through solid objects. He basically used a beaker of rice and placed a toy soldier on it. Then he basically vibrated the beaker and the soldier was able to disappear into the rice. So if we consider our body to be made out of particles, if we vibrated it at the same frequency as the wall, it would be possible to pass through the empty spaces of molecules. Complicated? Well thats why hes a scientist :)

Dr Walter and his lab

This is what you will keep seeing


Ok before you start getting too bored with science, here is the review.


Plot


So as was highlighted above, this show falls under the genre of crime solving, only thing is that all the crimes that happen comes with a fringe science twist. So instead of normal bombings or killings, we start talking about cryostasis bombs, and killings done by less human humans. Or at least humans that have been experimented on that kind of stuff. 


There is also some emphasis on different methods of getting information, for example early in the series, we see them trying to extract information from a dead body by virtue of embedded memory by the currents that flow around in the brain neurons. So basically, this show is a lot of fun being distinct from other story by its good use of science.


This is not an action show however, so you won't see things such as firefights and that kind of stuff. Its more of a thriller in terms of concept and how it is used in the show. There is also some drama here and there between the characters.


However, one thing to note is that as the series goes along, it starts to dive into issues like time travel and also parallel universes. So one fact about parallel universes is that when you start talking about what happens when you do things in this universe and how it will affect the other universe it will start to get confusing. This is the gist and the main attraction factor of the 3rd season. However, at least the story is still pretty easy to follow with regards to this aspect and the parallel universe do add to the intrigue and fun of the show.


The series also puts in episodes that are more catered to fun and entertaining their fan base. For example there is the token musical episode where everything is done in song, as well as one episode where it moves from real life into animation.


Character

Characters in this show are very interesting also. First of all, the show doesn't neglect the fact that all the characters are working together and hence grow in feelings and affections for each other. So we can see a level of relationship building that aids in the immersion of the show.


Also this show does not portray all its characters as invulnerable and unrealistic. So there are seasons and episodes whereby certain characters are killed, injured. The fun part of science fiction however is that it is possible to still bring back the characters although they might come from a different time and space.


Also, the characteristics of certain characters also change as they come from different universes and this adds a bit more entertainment value. In fact, the character with the biggest and most amusing change was actually quite a minor character in season one,  also due to the fact that her original character was supposed to be one who likes to keep a low profile.


Cinematography


Like i said earlier, the show Cinematography is pretty versatile and they even do musical episodes and animation episodes. So generally, the cinematography is pretty well above average. Further more, the actors themselves do a very good job of portraying different personalities in a very convincing manner. The main character in fact, at a moment in the show becomes possessed by someone who is not her, and she is able to bring out the essence of the possessing person in a very fun manner. 


Points to note however is that the show generally always takes place in enclosed areas, so you won't usually see anything that is too striking or pretty, but that is urban life for you anyway. 


There are however a few episodes whereby there is no progression of the underlying story and its merely one of the other episodes whereby they just reveal a new fringe science idea and show you how it is solved.


Music


Besides the musical episode, there is no real particular emphasis on music during the show except at some points before they go into commercial they kinda do a cliff hanger music kind of thing. Still, it doesn't detract away from the show in anyway.


Spectacle


For a show whose emphasis is on sci fiction, I would say that the level of understanding required to enter the show is not particularly high, therefore it is more comfortable for any normal common people to enjoy and see the show. The explanations are also welcome to help people who are interested to know more, be more immersed into the show. 


The thrilling factor is also there, provided you are thrilled by science and the possibilities of the fringe sciences. No action sequences are particularly outlandish, so this is probably not the show for pure action freaks though.


In terms of the drama between the characters, this show also does it very well and hence people are able to fill like they really know the characters, be it the present universe ones or the alternate universe characters.


Longevity


For a show that requires much scientific content, I would personally say that it would be hard to maintain the show when all the fringe ideas are exhausted. 4 seasons into the show, I would say that things that I have known have pretty much already been used in the show. So its really hard to say whether this movie can continue to remain fresh when the ideas in reality are limited. Unless they are going to dive further in and create new concepts or ideas.


Overall


Plot                       : 4.5 (Plot is new for a series, also pretty well done)
Character              : 4.5 (Characters are very believable and also you get two of every character)
Cinematography   : 4.0 (Actors do a very good job, but I guess overall there could be feeling that everything looks the same after a while)
Music                    : 3.5 (Music is not of any particular emphasis, but at least it is visible)
Spectacle             : 4.5 (For all the listed genres, this show does a good job)
Longevity              : 3.5 (I personally feel that the ideas are running out. Who knows what could happen)


Overall                  : 4.1 (Fans of the genre will be able to enjoy and be immersed in this world of science fiction, being entertained by the idea and concepts of "what ifs and possibilities". Lovers of action however would probably not be as entertained. Its a show that really caters to a specified audience. However the drama is also pretty good so it allows entry of other people who want a good story line in general)


Here is two of the characters for your viewing pleasure.

You are not seeing double, it is the same actress for both of them 


Heres the review for fringe, a show that is still under my list of shows that i see. Hope to hear your views and comments :)

Food: Turkish Cuisine

Food: Turkish Cuisine

So today begins another foray into another genre or type of thing that is reviewable, and hence shall be reviewed. I don't profess to be a food guru, but i would like to believe I can at least discern what is a good food and what is bad food. When i say good food i mean in terms of taste and not just cause it is a particular food I don't eat.

So if i do not eat it, don't expect it to ever be reviewed by me. For example I will never eat chicken rice and neither do I think I qualify to review it since I think it probably just tastes the same and is boring. Other food that I do not eat includes cockroaches, locust, human meat, and oysters because I seem to have some sensitivity to the raw taste that induces puking when i eat them.

Either way, my review is probably more tuned to whether you should consider trying this food at least once, or its not worth trying at all, or it is good for repeated patronage. Its more like an adventure kind of thing then whether the food is really good. That is cause I have not tasted all the dishes on the menu so you cannot expect my rating to be accurate in terms of the food taste if you eat something completely different. However, in terms of the eating experience, you could expect a more similar experience to what I have eaten and felt during my time there.

INTRODUCTION

So in a quaint little place called Suntec City, there has always been a bunch of shops at the top floor in the same tower as the one that has the Toys 'r' Us. I been there once a long time ago and remembered the good variety of shops, but was under the impression that it was all very expensive. Well, have you yourself walked there and taken a look? Probably the scary part would be the large Jap restaurant with a buffet priced at like SGD 44 bucks per person. But going further in, you would actually see pretty interesting shops.

So the first shop I decided to go to try for the very first time was this shop called Turkish Cuisine. It has a bright red signboard and should be the 2nd or 3rd shop from the Jap restaurant. I was actually trying to slide across to take a look at the menu of this swiss restaurant but one of the staff managed to convince me to go in and try and at first glance the price seemed pretty ok.

As far as Turkish Cuisine goes, i believe that it is pretty rare to find in Singapore with more people being familiar with the Turkish ice cream. Unfortunately, I also didn't manage to get a snap shot of their menu so perhaps that's something useful to add into my future reviews.

So below is the review proper, for now I cannot really come out with any more review criteria besides these four.

Food


Over here we will talk about things such as the taste, the presentation and even the uniqueness of the food. First of all, this place is pretty unique to me as they actually served something like this.

So this was actually minced lamb with some veggie on a pita like pizza. This is their version of the pizza. The bottom layer is actually something like the prata we can eat. The taste was also pretty good if you were to ask me and the portion is actually pretty sufficient.

The other dish we had was actually something pretty interesting too.

On the left side, the baked cheese like area was actually mashed potatoes. On the right side it was actually stewed beef. This one was called the King Kabab or something to that effect and it tasted very unique also. The beef was pretty tender and the stew sauce was pretty flavorful. The mash potato with cheese would serve to appease those who are more into western cheesy kind of food and is supposed to fill you up. Only grouse of this was that perhaps the portion was a bit too little and i felt that if i ate it all alone, I would probably not be all that full. That being said, at least it was served on a claypot which was a nice unique touch.

The boss also told us to try some kinda cake but in the end we decided to skip that. According to him however, he said that many of his patrons liked it and it does seem to be one of a kind in Singapore. So if ever you are visiting his shop, perhaps you could try the cake too. Its the Kunefe in the picture below.

Atmosphere


In terms of atmosphere, those shops at the top are pretty squeezed for space to be honest. But there was actually quite a fair bit of space when we ate there for a weekend dinner and I sat inside the shop itself. There was turkish music on loop and it sounded pretty interesting actually. Besides that, the boss actually came and asked us about the food which i felt was a pretty good touch.

The rest of the staff were normal filipino staff that was ever ready and attentive to serve. They might be a bit assertive in recommending food but overall they were pretty nice


Price


So this was the amount that we spent for the food that evening,

So if you expand it and take a look, there is no service charge and the price that was reflected on the menu was the price you would be paying. So its pretty clear that this is probably not a place you will eat at everytime, but nonetheless its a interesting place to try if you are looking for a special weekend meal and you want to try something different. Note that I didn't buy drinks but water is provided for free.

Accessibility

I decided to add this portion because I was wondering, if people were thinking of eating here then i guess to some extent how difficult it is to get to the place should be somewhat important still. Being in the central area which is in Suntec city, I would say that it is a pretty easy place to get to complete with parking. Of course those might not come cheap but at least you can plan this together with your grocery shopping.

Overall


Food               : 4 (Its unique and the taste is pretty good, of course there can be improvements)
Atmosphere   : 3.5 (Music that suits the setting, and the boss himself was friendly and forthcoming)
Price               : 3 (Pricey, probably the level of a more extravagant meal, but its still not daylight robbery)
Accessibility   : 4 (Near the mrt, can drive, just might be bit crowded)


Overall            : 3.6 (Overall, this is the kind of place that you could consider on that special occasion just to try something different. When you go with this kind of mindset, you will be able to enjoy the meal and the experience. In short, this is a place that you should try at least once :) )


Please comment if any :) especially if you have ways to improve on ratings.

Movies: Immortals

Movies: Immortals

INTRODUCTION

This movie deserves a bigger poster shot, cause it is supposed to be whats so cool about this show. Unfortunately despite having so many different posters, this show really just emphasizes on about 2 of them majorly, with one particular character having a abyssmally small role despite being so prominent in the poster. Just take a look amongst this 8 posters and guess who is that pitiful actor and character. The answer will be revealed at the bottom of this posting.

Anyway, tauted to be the next blockbuster action movie, especially with the statement at the top, the producers of 300. If you seen 300, you probably already have the inkling that you must see this show.

This show follows the story of the hunt of a particular bow that is able to release the titans from their prison. So the main character and his oracle and a few friends set off to try to get the bow. There are also the gods in these show and if you do not know which ones in particular, they are Posidon, Athena, Zeus and Ares. Can you spot them in the poster above? So these Gods do not want to interfere in the business of man, and Zeus makes this statement that they can only interfere if the Titans are released. Thankfully, for us, they do get released at one point of the show, but continue to read on to see if it lived up to expectations or at least my expectations.

Storyline


Lets be honest, in an action film, all you should really expecting is a storyline that gives you tons and tons of action. This movie doesn't do it all too badly, although the storyline is still pretty standard fare. To be honest though, i felt that this movie, which is already long, tried to put too much storyline into the movie depriving us of time for more and more action. I guess at some point of time there is some tradeoff to be made but honestly. for a action show with this much potential, there should have been a bit more emphasis on action.

There are also some strange incidences in the show that do not make particular sense to me, like the action of a particular monk that i shall not spoil for those seeing the show. Overall, since this show follows some mythology, it does above average for an action flick and that is just enough for this genre. This show also had quite a few funny moments as well as gory moments which added to the entertainment value of the movie.


Character


Well, unfortunately, like many action movies, this show might have highlighted too many seemingly "starring" characters then it could chew. Like i said in the introduction, some characters are so hardly elaborated that I actually pitied one of the actors in those posters above. I mean it seems like he was gonna be important and yet he has horrible screen time. Further more, some of the characters that followed the main character were actually very unimpressive and not distinct enough if you ask me. It reaches the stage whereby you actually have no clue which one of them was actually killed because they are so close together in character and role and they even look kinda alike. This is also the same case for two particular gods also.

The front two is different, but the next two are pratically twins

On the bright side, at least they did have visible attempts at trying to distinguish some other characters at least via weapon choice and costume.

Cinematography


This is the portion whereby the show really shined. Similar to the movie 300, this show placed a lot of focus on trying to depict magnitude, beauty and take very good shots of places. The action sequences was also pretty well filmed with the typical 300 effects to bring out the impact of the action.

You might find yourself saying wow this place looks cool, or this place looks nice when you see some of the shots they used. There are also some perspective shots that adds some entertainment value to the show.


Music


Music was also above average and added much thrill and value to the battle scenes. Nothing particularly too outstanding as this is no musical and there was not much singing to be expected.


Spectacle


For an action movie with a mythical storyline, this show did pretty well. Its no 300 in terms of action, because i personally felt that there were a bit too little large scale fightings and there was more focus on individual 1 v 1 or 1 v 2 or 1 v 5 that kinda fights. I also like the idea that the show admitted the vulnerability of the gods especially when they are fighting the Titans that according to mythology, did actually put up a fight. So its less of a hero story and rather more of looking at everything in a collective sense.

This, it had too little of

Sadly, I still personally felt that there was too much potential that could have been used in enhancing the action scenes and personalizing the battles better and this is probably where the movie fell a bit short from the action genre.


Overall


Storyline             : 4 (Coherent storyline expected of the action genre. It could always be better but if you have to sacrifice action for storyline, i rather you keep the action and scrimp on story)
Character           : 3.5 (Many characters, supposed to be unique but they could have done a better job differentiating them. Too many short roles for supposed important characters)
Cinematography : 4.5 (Where the movie shines. I would say its still not the 300 level but its pretty close)
Music                  : 3.5 (Above average and added to value of entertainment)
Spectacle            : 4 (Action genre that had good action while it lasted, but perhaps was just a bit too short)


Overall                : 3.9 (Action genre lovers, this show can still work for you as long as you don't set your bar at the level of 300 and love to see cgi effects and more personal scale battles then large scale Lord of the Rings army battles. Other genre fans that just want to have a nice day off enjoying the progress of technology and CGI could possibly enjoy this show as long as they have realistic expectations of a action flick. That is to mean, if you want to enjoy this action flick, go in expecting to just see action and don't say its bad cause it didn't have romance or storyline or what not.)


So there goes another blockbuster for the year, it was a entertaining experience for me, but I just felt a bit wasted that they didn't utilize the gods as much as they could.

A bonus clue for those who are still thinking who is the pitiful actor, it seems like this actor got the worse part, and also the most retarded costume. Its like those kinda costume that you are made to wear cause you lost a bet or the drawing of straws.

You could put down your guess in the comments, or just comment in general :D

Movies: You are the Apple of my Eye

Movies: You are the Apple of my Eye

INTRODUCTION

It is not a frequent thing, that i see chinese movies. It is also not very frequent, in fact even rare, that I would see a drama or romantic kinda show. It is also not very common to see a show that is pretty good in all catagories. So this movie, You are the Apple of my Eye can be said to be a rare infrequent and uncommon gem amongst all the movie here. In fact it was a pity that i could nearly have missed this show.

Its a taiwanese movie, and apparently its one of the higher grossing movie here in Singapore. Unfortunately, besides word of mouth, there is hardly any advertisement on this show.

This show is pretty smart, in the sense that it tries to make us identify with the main character and how he moves and grows from high school, all the way into adulthood and working life. It then uses these time periods to tell a love story and boy... is it a love story that many people can identify somewhat with and it is a realistic situation complete with sweet beginning and nice end (To prevent spoilers)

Heres a song to get you through the review,

Storyline


To be honest, this show probably falls under the drama, romantic but also comedy genre. It is really pretty funny from the start to the end although from the ratings you probably could guess the jokes are generally sexual in nature. So if you are some purist, then you might be slightly put off, but in reality, life isn't all that pure and innocent from the start to the end and this is reality of life.

Because of this, this show really enables the person to identify with almost all the characters, situations and associated feelings. From the innocence of children to the realism of real adulthood when it strikes you, these are the points that the show tries to bring out.

As long as you can identify with the life and the happenings of the main character, I would say that the storyline is fantastic, because no one can really honestly say that their life story is completely uneventful and there are no ups and downs in their life.


Character


Characters are also well planned and acted out, every single character has enough distinction and screen time to show their impact to the show in general, and every character can be found in our own respective lives in some way or other.

Characters are true to life and don't do anything that you would feel is particularly impossible. Even the additional characters that are added midway in the show do much in adding to the humor and realism of life.


Cinematography


Cinematography is fantastic. Perspectives are closely chosen to convey the very feelings of the moment. It adds immense comedic value as well as allows you to see from the eyes of the characters. Really, this show could possibly have the best Cinematography I have seen in the genre. Everything is very clear and crisp and there are no wasted shots that detract from the feeling of the entire show.


Music


Music is also another very well done point of the show. Placed in the correct moments to evoke the correct feelings. And being a romantic show, the song really helps in bringing out the feeling and making people think about their own past stories.


Spectacle

This show does very very well for the romantic genre, as it brings into it a lot of believability and also is really down to earth and realistic. The show is said to be from a book whereby the author is describing his own love life. I would go so far as to even say that this is not a show, this is life.


Overall


Storyline                   : 4.5 (Great storyline, it follows a person's possible life and does it well and in good fun fashion)
Character                 : 4.5 (Very believable characters, all adding to the value of the show)
Cinematography      : 4.5 (Very good angles to bring up what the director wants to show)
Music                        : 4.5 (Very well use of the songs for the movie's purpose)
Spectacle                  : 4.5 (Telling of a romantic story in a very believable way, its hard to do better then that)


Overall                     : 4.5 (Fans of romantic genre, must see this show, but for all other people, if you are able to understand chinese, you can enjoy this show also. Unless you are a hardcore fan of any other genre and just absolutely HATE romantic shows, you cannot really go wrong with this show)


To my knowledge this show has relatively few screenings already and the shows are usually pretty packed even in the theaters further away from the city. So if you do want to see this show, you might even need to consider booking the tickets to get better places.

As usual, please comment if there is anything you want to add :D Hope you enjoyed the song.

Movies: 11 11 11

Movies: 11 11 11

INTRODUCTION

Alas the faithful 11.11.11 or 11 November 2011 has passed. This nice number sequence will only appear a 100 years later so I guess its probably pretty safe to say that I won't be able to review this movie then. So here's a review on a movie made specially to coincide with this special date where suddenly there is a spike in the number of people who get married which serves as a very good way to remember your wedding or engagement day without wasting too much brain space.

The synopsis can be found over here but it does not reveal too much about the show and thats kind of the sad part. Because if more was said about the show... then I probably wouldn't have watched it. Noting that the directors seems to be from the SAW series, its not too gruesome in that aspect. In fact its probably not gruesome at all. But there are lots of ugly things that you will see in the show. From the characters to how the show was made in general. Anyway this show classifies itself as a thriller or perhaps horror thriller. Its a good classification, as long as u understand horror thriller to be horrible thriller

Lets not waste time and go straight into the review

Storyline


To be honest, I thought this show had potential. It had lots of potential having such a unique date and with the vagueness of the title there was many many things that could have been done. There were many references that could be used with the number 11 11 11 and everything with 11 11 11 or looked like 11 11 11 could have been used to make the show very much more unique and mysterious.

SADLY, the only 11 11 that was really used in this show was all with reference to time. So basically the show just moves from 11 11 and says oh something happened in this 11 11 oh now the time is 11 11 again and something else happens oh 11 11 11 at 11 11pm is coming and something big is going to happen.

That is what i would call a spoiler. Destroyed all the potential of the show with its uncreativeness and overall bland and dull storyline. You could basically just change all the 11 11 time reference to 12 12 12 and things that happen at 12 12 and rerelease the movie next year and it will still be able to use the exact same story line and the scenes.

Also, this show is not creepy horror type of show. Unfortunately, it follows the line of the cheap and uninspired shock scares that I feel is quite a downer to the horror genre. The screams that came from my show didn't come from any of the demons or monsters or whatever that was supposed to be scary but rather from a shock at meeting the main character's father at just a shocking and inopportune moment.


Characters


Characters are pretty normal, actors seems to be not as well known at least to me and none actually left any impact at all. In fact there was some really useless characters and roles that just seemed to be giving employment to some of the actors and in particular actress as compared to adding any value to the story. There are also certain reactions of the main character that seem to be rather unconvincing and implausible.

And the show ends up with a very unconvincing final scene that to be honest does not really seem plausible and seems more of a loophole then any logical progression of the characters.


Cinematography


I would say that this show tried to instill horror value with good angles. But since the scares were cheap scares its really not my cup of tea. The whole movie overall however feels very low budgeted with no particular reason. (Unlike paranormal activity that is supposed to follow a family so the movie can be more grainy) The whole show stays very dull and uncolored and became hard to follow.

In fact some of the cinematography made the show look like some horror house that people go for amusement rather then a real scare fest.


Music


To be fair, in terms of music, it did add to some of the scare value with all the building up and loud noises. But with such a bad story line it can be said to be the only plus point of this show


Spectacle


I don't really think i am fair if i say that horror should be creepy horror and not shock horror. I do not know what the director was trying to bring out. But even for shock horror it would be just at the average level. For creepy horror it really ending up being slightly retarded.


Overall


Storyline             : 1.5 (Bad waste of such a unique premise. Should have tried harder)
Characters          : 1.5 (Unconvincing, boring and bland, implausible and some were fillers)
Cinematography : 2 (Dull bland, sometimes distracting camera. There was slight pluses though)
Music                  : 3.5 (Only positive part of show. At least i noticed)
Spectacle             : 2 (A failure in its own genre. Cheap thrill show)


Overall                : 2.1 (This overall points show that this show should not be worthy of a theatricals release. No real point in seeing this show in the cinemas. Even if u have no expectation, it probably wont be entertaining either. Pick it up when it moves to DVD only IF you are really THAT bored. In fact fans of the genre might probably even find this show an insult to the genre.)


Any comments or disagreements please feel free to voice out :)

Movies: In Time

Movies: In Time

INTRODUCTION

Although this show is already ending its run, since i seen the show, I felt that i should at least write something about this show so that for those who have seen it they can see how someone else feels about the show, and more importantly for those who didn't see it, they can put to ease the question whether this show was worth the time and did they miss anything important.

So here is a poster showing this fella who acts in this show

Whoa is that Justin Timberlake? apparently so... and this shows that singing might not necessary work out as a lifelong job.

This show, if you seen the trailers has a very interesting premise, that is... the world is a different world from what we have, whereby the currency in this world is time. So coffee costs time, bus costs time and you get the idea. You also get paid in time and its pretty interesting to consider if you are paid 24 hours a day you cannot spend any time on anything or else you are slowly but surely moving towards death. Then apparently you can take time by touching onto someone and focusing real hard. Probably not a good idea in Singapore or entering the MRT circle line at Bishan might become a very risky affair with all the pushing and squeezing and all that kinda stuff...

Ok enough of thinking, time for the review

Storyline


To be honest, its really hard to define what genre the show falls under. Could it be sci fi cause its talking about the future? Could it be action since there is some running here and there and shooting here and there? Could it be thriller cause its talking about how people are losing time and how time is of the essence? Musical cause Justin Timberlake is inside? Ok the last one is impossible but you get the idea.

The only thing this show really has going for it is really the concept. It spends a chunk of the earlier movie time to introduce the world and this is really entertaining if you ask me. A world whereby people wanna steal time, earn time, use time. In fact this was the part that probably attracted me to see the movie in the first place.

Unfortunately, besides the interesting concept, everything else is pretty bland. Sure all the old people look 25 and your grandma will look like your sister and your mother.. and your great great great grandma might be alive also. But this show lacks in doing anything particularly impressive. Instead it just follows a standard robin hood like story that can be done in any other world or universe.


Character


Characters are also sadly, veryvery bland. In fact the actress is close to the realms of being hateable. Not entirely sure whether the character script was supposed to be like that but she is so robotic and kinda bimbotic in many ways and that causes some cringes when seeing the show.

Heres how she looks and if u cringe at this sight you will be glad you didnt see this show...

The more interesting mother storyline was ended a bit too quick also and the rest of the show was just going through the motion with nothing really done to interest the audience. So the movie follows these two fellas that are in the poster but I cannot remember anything at all that was impressive or particularly entertaining.


Cinematography


Cinematography was ok. At least since the whole show was just following these two people, it was never confusing at all. Nothing impressive either though they do make some attempts at good shots. But still nothing wowing.


Music


Music was normal, at least it did not hinder the show in anyway.


Spectacle


Concept wise this show really had too much potential... too bad it was cleanly wasted towards the end of the show. In fact I could say that 1/2 of the show was worth seeing but the 2nd half it started to really get ordinary which was a bigbig waste.

One thing that might be unique however is how some people might be able to reference the spending of time on how we waste our time in our world. Like maybe we are just gambling our time away, every time we gamble what we are really using is time, having too much time or assuming we have a lot of time will cause us to become alcholics and die earlier then our time, or maybe having too much time and no way to spend it in quality is really worthless. So its better to live a short quality life then a long meaningless one.

Overall


Storyline               : 3.5 (Good concept, but lost to find out what exactly did they want to emphasize on)
Character              : 2.5 (Really really average characters that annoyed more then entertained)
Cinematography   : 3 (Average shots and attempts)
Music                    : 3 (Average music)
Spectacle              :  3.5 (Really just the concept, and it did entertain when it was all about concept)


Overall                  : 3.1  (This show is really hit or miss. Since it doesn't fulfill any specific genre well, its really hard to say if you could enjoy it. The only way for more assurance you will enjoy it would be to have pretty much too little expectation, and perhaps look forward to just contemplating what the world would be like should we be paying in time.)


As usual any comments please leave below :)

Movies: Tower Heist

Movies: Tower Heist

INTRODUCTION

Tower Heist... the movie that sounds all very actiony until you see who are the starring people. Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. If you don't know who that is just look at the rest of the cast and you will realise that this is a show that should not be taken too seriously. In fact, I would go as far as to say that if you take this show any bit more seriously you will not be able to enjoy this show at all.

Just for interest sake, do you realise that there is a dog in this picture? I didn't until just now. And I do mean a dog as in a real dog animal. I am not being racist or anything like that.

For those who do not know Eddie Murphy, this is what he is more famous for...

Just look at the face... ain't they a bit similar?

So the gist of the show is as so, there are this bunch of people working in this tower. Stuff happens and then they want to rob the big boss of the tower. So the entertainment here is to see how normal staff workers transform into robbers with minimal training and nothing more then the desire to succeed.

So into the review we go

Storyline


Storyline to be honest is really pretty standard. Discontent employees, rich employer. Does something wrong and leads them to want to bite the hand that feeds them. They enlist help, get some assistance here and there. It doesn't break any new boundaries to the idea although this show focuses more or at least tries to focus more on the comical aspect as opposed to an action movie with all the cool gadgetry and moves.


Characters


As can be seen from the poster itself, there are many characters and to be fair they do have a wee bit of back story as to why they do the things that they do. Unfortunately there are a few that are still a bit too ordinary and we have no real clue why they are even participating in the first place at least to me. The dog also has no real part at all in the show besides looking cute.

A few are hardly even funny... ok actually only Eddie is slightly funny to me. The rest are really just too ordinary. The characters kinda take themselves too seriously at certain times also and some do not participate in making the show funny at all. It also gets somewhat confusing whether some characters are really helping the heist or against the heist.


Cinematography


There are a few above average shots but nothing that really stands out or brings out the comedic effect to the audience. Also there are alot of shifts from the theives to the boss that are just messy and really disorientating to be honest.


Music


Music is ordinary, nothing too impressive. Nothing that hinders the show too.


Spectacle

Its unfortunate to say that overall, this show brings out hardly anything that is expected of their genre. Is it thriller? no it was entirely bland. Is it action? no.. there are no strong action scenes and since these guys are amateurs they don't do any impressive stuff. Is it comedy? well.... i would say its borderline or even below average in this aspect as the only memorable thing that was mildly funny was that Eddie talks so fast that its funny. Its not even the content that he was saying that was funny. Of course there are SOME scenes that were funny too in the show but i guess in some way, this show took itself a BIT too seriously and didn't make use of enough opportunities to be funny.

Overall


Storyline              : 3 (Really too ordinary, unable to use the plot to bring out comedic effect)
Character             : 3 (Tried to diversify the character but results in no one having particularly good and believable coherent characters)
Cinematography  : 2 (Sad to say, it became annoying with all the jumps to and fro.)
Music                   : 3 (At least it didn't bring the show backwards)
Spectacle              : 3 (To be honest, nothing should get below 3 unless it actually goes against its own genre and hence deserves a negative score which i feel is extremely hard to do)

Overall                  : 2.8 (A score that barely passes, the lowest score that I have given. So what does this score mean? Basically it means that even fans of the genre might not be able to enjoy this show unless u are a real Eddie Murphy fan or just have tons of money and no expectation. There's really alot of  tweaks that should have been done to make it more funny or do something more unique, either way if you have zero expectation you could still possibly enjoy the show but I won't guarantee it)


Disagree with me? feel free to comment then :)

Places of Interest: Dinosaur Live! and Science Centre

Places of Interest: Dinosaur Live! and Science Centre

Heres another thing that I am going to start reviewing, this would be places to go or visit in Singapore on those days when you really don't know where to go or just wondering where to go to spice up that outing of yours. So there are places where some might enjoy, and places where some other people might enjoy, so I will try to be objective and you can decide for yourself whether it is worth your time and probably money to go.

INFORMATION

The exhibition is held in the Science Centre Singapore and the site is found here

Opening Hours: 10am to 6pm
Directions: Walkable from Jurong East Mrt
Ticket Pricing: $23 Dollars for admission into Science Center and Dinosaur Live! exhibits
Exhibition Duration: 21th Oct to 26 Feb 2012
Exhibition Estimated Time: 60 - 90 mins

INTRODUCTION

So there are many exhibitions in the science center for those who do not know and they are actually grouped into sections like Fire, Sound, Bioethics and stuff like that. Then they will also have the occasionally travelling exhibitions from external sources and this Dinosaur Live! is the present one. A more famous previous exhibit was the CSI exhibit that i actually went to and spent a fair amount of time there.

This is one of the exhibits in the Fire section

This is how a Velociraptor looks like, it has feathers

So basically, there are really two sections to the science center and these are two discrete sections meaning that they are not related in one way or another. I won't post too much pictures of the other dinosaurs but just to make it clear, they are not living and will not come and lick you on the hand or anything to that effect. So parents no worries about bringing your kids there a they will most likely be following you home. 

There also seems to be some shows in Dinosaur Live as well as the Science center itself so there are some stuff that you can do. You can also buy some toys and souvenirs at the site itself but its really nothing interesting to me.

Ok now to move on to the review proper. We will try to use a general criteria that we can apply to all places of interest that you might want to visit in Singapore. Places like shopping centers and Universal Studios should be covered someday.

Interest Factor

So this place is supposed to cater to the people who are interested in dinosaurs and also to those interested in science. Actually to be more exact it caters in particular to the kids in interested in dinosaurs and the parents who want to bring their kids to learn a bit of science. 

Talking about the dinosaur section, to be honest, it was largely a disappointment compared to what else the science center had to offer. The dinosaurs do move a bit here and there and they make their specific chirping or some funny sounds, but they are not actually not all to scale, so expect to see some level of magnitude but still feel that it is not really all that large. Of course to really build it to its real size would be impossible, but really thats about all it has to offer. 

From the picture above you can actually see that each of the dinosaurs have a panel with some brief information like some dimensions and when it is found but these information will only be relevant to people who actually can tell the difference between the ages. (If you think that Dinosaurs only existed in the Jurassic age, you probably understand the significance of these information) So there are maybe slightly more then 10 and less then 20 of these exhibits. However for the little kids it seems that they are given some tiny books or cards with which they can use to collect chops of the dinosaurs. This was not given to me when i went in so I do not really know. The other activities that they have inside is actually just some coloring stuff. So to be honest as a adult there is really nothing that "Wows" me. The info can actually be found by simple googling anyway.

Science center on the other hand was actually pretty entertaining for me and was the place i spent more of my time at. They have all types of display that might interest those who have some contact with science. Generally those who like physics and biology should find some fun in all the many sectors they have. In fact I actually didn't have enough time to slowly play with all the sectors. There are also some more physical sectors that the kiddies would enjoy such as the ecopool or something where they can play with water and stuff like that.

Accessibility

So science center is just a walk from the MRT station so it can be considered pretty accessible. However it is located all the way in the west side of Singapore. Fortunately there are plenty of parking lots over there so driving should not be an issue. There are also places out of the center for you to eat but no nearby shopping malls. The macdonalds right at the entrance is kinda small and generally crowded so you might prefer to move over to the shops area across the road for lunch. Don't worry, you can always reenter the science center with the chop that they will stamp on your hand.

Atmosphere

Dinosaur Live! was generally dark and very linear. You basically start off at the beginning and just walk your way to the end. Its all dark with lots of noises from the dinosaurs. As a result the dinosaurs look pretty bland to be honest, with all of them glowing a certain hue according to the lighting. Also not good for reading. And add to that the miniaturization of the dinosaurs its just an OK atmosphere. Not too crowded even though i went on a weekend though.

Science center on the other hand had a better atmosphere. You will know when you step into the new sectors as they will use a unique style of presentation for each section. For example in the ispace section its basically a playground to display and to show how to utilize future technology. But for the bioethics section, it is really very theoretical and gives questions and surveys to see how you feel towards certain issue and brings up certain issues to think about. Not crowded either but a sad part is that quite a few of the exhibits have been damaged by the many people who come into the place.

For example there was some audio exhibit that you need to put the earphones on your ear and it will simulate you getting your hair cut. But the problem is one side of the earphones was already spoilt so you hear everything from one side. Completely lost its value just like that. But thanks to the many other exhibits you probably still can find something fun to play with.

Cost

The cost was $23 dollars for an adult and if you only go to the dinosaur section it is $20 while for pure science center experience it would be $9 dollars. My advice is, DO NOT JUST GO TO THE DINO SECTION. Seriously. The estimated time they said that it could entertain you was 60 to 90 minutes. I finished in 30 minutes and had to back track to just make sure my money was worth. I still left at 45 mins. I will go crazy had I payed $20 dollars just for that.

Thankfully the $3 dollars additional Science center made the entire trip worth. In fact I had too little time to play with all the exhibits and this was actually the 2nd time i went to the science center as an adult. Spent a total of 3 hours there meaning that in mathematical terms it would be about $9 dollars per hour. I could easily spend another 2 hours there had i taken my time at the science center so I would rate this place as $5 per hour. Compare this to a 2 hour movie that cost $6.50 - $9.50 which ends up about 4 to 5 dollars per hour, its pretty ok. AS LONG AS YOU GO TO THE SCIENCE CENTER.

Revisitability


I still haven't played with all the things there and the science center itself has various shows that changes occasionally. Snow city is also near. Given the fact that the main attraction which is the temporary exhibits changes occassionally, I probably would see myself going back there some other day for the temporary exhibit, but make the money worth by playing around in the science center itself again.

Overall


Interest Factor         : 3.5 (Dino was bad, maybe a 2.5 but science center saved it being about a 4)
Accessibility            : 3.5 (Near for west siders, far for east, but no need to go too often so its fine)
Atmosphere             : 3 (Both atmosphere could have been greatly improved, especially dinosaurs)
Cost                        : 3 (Its an ok cost, Dinosaurs would be like a 1, and science center a 4)
Revisitablilty             : 3 (Should be worth visiting in the future. But wont be that soon)

Overall                     : 3.2 (Ok to be honest, you probably will only want to come here if....1. You have kids who are interested in dinosaurs and science in general or 2. You are really bored and you also have interest in spending more time in a fixed location learning and experiencing some science stuff. Arty farty people probably will not find anything fun over here. It is a pure scientific place.)

So this is my first review on places of interest in Singapore. Please comment and tell me if there is anything that is improvable.

Finally Confucious Bird says hi

Note that the two pictures here would already cover about 1/7 or 1/8 of all the exhibits you will see there actually....

Movies: Killer Elite

Movies: Killer Elite

INTRODUCTION

Big names, big budget but does this equate to a good show? For the uninformed here is the poster for the show

If you have seen any movie recently before the release of this movie, you will be expecting action action and lots of action. But if you look closely at the words below the title u see something here "Based on a true story". Wow so this show is true and it has lots of guns and action and sunglasses right? Not only that, it is also a 2 hour long show :D which = to more entertainment time per dollar spent! 

Well my first advice for you is that, if you are expecting an action packed show like what the trailers would lead you to believe.... you are going to have to wipe off all that expectation to at least get a kick out of the show. Is it that bad? Well maybe its too easily misunderstood. Look at the caption at the top... May The Best Man Live, put that into a show called Killer Elite and with 3 big names you would expect some kinda face off between these 3 people in all their killing instinctual glory.

Ok now onto the review proper

Storyline

So this movie is supposed to be based on a true story, which means in some way it might have occurred in some form or another. This adds a level of engagement to the audience but only if they were aware it was based on a true story in the first place. But because of this, I would say that the show is not as creative in the action department and you actually won't really see anything particularly unique or special that will blow your mind away. Also being based off a true story you will realize the plot is really pretty simple, but because it is a realistic plot, it really is not anything very special or fun which acts in a detrimental manner to the funness of the show.

I would have rather seen a show with a killer trying his best to break his old man out of jail with all his killer instinct and skill then to see him carry out a series of activities set aside by some old dying guy whom is not really so impressive in the first place and doesn't really have a particularly strong leverage against a trained killer.

Like i said previously also, do not expect to be seeing 3 killers facing off in the show as from the beginning of the show you will actually realise that in the end this movie is more or less a 1 v 1 with the old experienced killer actually playing a relatively minor role. 

Character

There are a few other characters besides the three starring characters. Two of which actually can be considered to be playing a relatively important role but they seem to need no backstory and are just thrown into the show as some sort of filler and later killed off in a pretty quick fashion. There are other random characters that merely just appear out of the blue and the main character's girlfriend doesn't really serve too much of a purpose for a action movie.

By this I mean that you could easily just dump the girlfriend/wife and tweak the show slightly to make it more of an action show and less of the time being used to express poorly some alternative reason for the killer to act the way he does.

Cinematography

Sadly for an action show, this show doesn't do anything particularly over the top. Angles and perspectives are standard. There are attempts at better shots but these are too few and not striking out enough for me personally as what is expected of a action flick.

To be honest, the only thing that was saving the show was actually the acting of De Niro but sadly he was not a major character in the show and could have been used in a more prominent manner

Music

Music is normal, didn't hear anything particularly good or bad. Sound effects however, seem to be pretty weak for an action show.

Spectacle

For an action show, this doesn't really strike me out to be particularly far above average. There are moments but every action show attempts these moments and since this show doesn't do it well enough, its hard to score them high. Further more the plot itself though realistic, is actually too standard and kind of ordinary to generate fun and excitement using the storyline itself.

Overall

Storyline              : 3 (Possible storyline but presented not too well for an action flick)

Character            : 3 (Very passable characters with the standard characteristics, very unimpressionable)

Cinematography  : 3 (Ordinary, should have been done better for an action flick)

Music                  : 3 (The average score, least it wasn't bad)

Spectacle            : 3 (Doesn't bring itself out as a unique action experience, neither do they push the storyline strongly enough if that was what they were going for)

Overall                : 3 (This show belongs to the typical group of action shows whereby you ask yourself, hey i have nothing better to do today, I just wanna see some action and you go there and get taken for a ride but after which you realized that you would have never seen this show if there was something better for you to do. Even true blue action fans will most likely not enjoy the show because the action part is not strong either.)

This probably is one of the most ordinary action shows that I have seen, weekday priced ticket is still fine but anything more is really a bit too steep.

Any comments or impression please state :)

Series: Criminal Minds

Series: Criminal Minds

Today I shall begin on another category of reviews, still related to the entertainment industry but this time its on the TV series that we have. Generally they will all be US TV series that will come to Singapore sooner or later. I will start by giving a brief introduction of the series and then probably use the same criteria of the movie reviews to score and review the series. Advantages of seeing series is that once you get one entire season, you can have at least 10 hours of something to see unlike movies. Hence series provide good on the go entertainment which is basically what i put into my phone and its really good company from the work place and back and from anywhere else. You will never feel that you are wasting your time again ^_^

Of course in a series there will be moments of where the show storyline is bad, or the actors get killed and stuff like that which may affect particular seasons and episodes, but to be honest, I haven't found many series whereby i got totally bored by the story, EXCEPT Japanese anime. In my opinion most are still worth seeing even as their direction changes slightly or the storyline gets a bit more convoluted.

Without further Ado, here is some information about Criminal Minds

INFORMATION

Status: Currently On-going
Seasons : 7 as of 22th Oct 2011
Episodes per Season : ~22
Length of each episode : 45 Minutes
Genre : Crime Solving, Thriller, Psychology, Drama

INTRODUCTION


This show is basically touted to be the most closest to real life, meaning how true are the procedures done, that the cases that are shown in the show are actually pretty likely, and there are also many episodes that were modeled after true events. In fact during the show, the resident intelligent geek of the show actually sprouts out many statistics and details that are true. There are also many psychological conditions that are talked about during the show and these are true problems that people do face in the real world.

In fact, during one of my lectures in my university, a guest lecturer was invited from the psychological profiling department of the Police and he said that Criminal minds is one of the tv series that is most realistic and not just dramatized ala CSI.

Also, this show not only focuses on a single crime every episode, but it also develops the story and the backstory of each character hence giving each season another level of story. However this is generally more evident towards the last 10 episodes of the seasons. Most of the episodes follow a standard format, starting off with the crime being committed and it sometimes puts you into the perspective of the perpetrator. Then it goes on to the responding towards the crime and finally the conclusion whereby the perpetrator is caught and apprehended or something to that effect.

There is also the traditional profile giving in almost ever episode, whereby the behavioral unit actually describes the characteristics and profile of the perpetrator and for people who have particular interest in this field this might be a plus point as you can see how the conclusion was drawn from the crime scene and other factors.

Also, this show places quite a emphasis on the apprehending of the perpetrator part. So that's why there is a thriller and a bit of action element to the show. This aids in making the show less theoretical only by adding a touch of excitement to the show.

Plot


This is where the series scores extremely high, every episode has a generally unique storyline with a new type and kind of perpetrator. Some are inherently bad, some are actually good, and there are some who are merely just misunderstood. This allows for a variety of directions for the episode to take and hence it doesn't degenerate into a show whereby everything seems to just be repeated again and again.

It is done so well that there are some episodes whereby you yourself are actually scared at how this kind of situation may occur in the real world, and there are other episodes whereby you wonder how can anyone justify doing these things. And according to some testimonies from friends that I have, there are some episodes whereby you feel so much for the perpetrator that you cannot help but shed a tear. Of course I never cried seeing this show being the emotional less guy that i am but for the more human, this might really happen to the benefit of the show.

Add on to this the underlying story that involves the backgrounds of the characters in the show and you have a compelling show that is able to generate interest into the starring characters as well as episodic characters.


Character

Character development in this show is also very good, with all the starring characters having their own little section in some seasons whereby their backgrounds are elaborated upon and we start to be able to see how do they react on the personal level rather then imagining them to be some robotic police officers. There are romantic involvements, encouragements that put a more human touch into the show which helps us immerse and feel more for the character.

Note that this show is not afraid to kill off characters and put in the additional cruel moment that is important to show the viewers that this is the real world, and in the real world not everything comes out smoothly and happily.

Also given the way the episodes are shown, we also are able to feel for the episodic villains and victims reasonably well although this show tends to highlight more on the villains then the reaction of the victims. Still this gives them a bit more depth and results in a bit more emotional attachment to the characters which helps the premise of the show.


Cinematography


This show uses a variety of ways to help immerse the viewer into the show and to pretty good effect. We sometimes see things in the eyes of the victims, sometimes in the eyes of the villains and this extra touch adds to the feeling and atmosphere of the show. There are also more action orientated moments and this show does a pretty good job at bringing the thrill out.


Music


Music is alright in this show, no particular notice of anything too enhancing or too hindering. I guess there are some moments where there is some music assistance but to be honest the story is compelling enough already and hence it probably only helps in the subconscious.


Spectacle


Take a normal crime solving show, add in explanations about the psychology of the criminal and put in action into the apprehension. This is what Criminal mind sets off to do and it does this very well. It doesn't construct unrealistic stories and sometimes even uses real life crimes as a backing for what has happened. This show entertains as well as teaches us more about real life that we might not see everyday and that not all bad people want to be bad.


Longevity


This is a new addition to the rating system as I feel that there are series that really have many many seasons and spin offs till they tend to get boring. The ways to give longevity to the show include to hide many details and the beginning and elaborate on them as time goes by, like how Criminal minds introduces the characters backstory, and to also have a interesting overarching story. Criminal minds combines these two aspects together and 7 seasons down the road it is still going strong. However some crimes and their basis for happening has already been used in the past episodes and thus it is anyone's guess how much more they can twist and turn the story to still generate interest.

Killing off and reintroducing characters also do help to keep the show fresh and this show did it before but hasn't done it in the recent seasons


Overall
Plot                     : 4.5 (The premise is good and it is well carried out)
Character            : 4.5 (Has many characters all which are elaborated on already and they show their distinct nature throughout the episodes)
Cinematography   : 4.5 (Has a good way of immersing the viewers into the show)
Music                  : 3.5 (Really never noticed it but neither did it hinder the show)
Spectacle             : 4.5 (Exemplifies the genre very well)
Longevity             : 4.0 (As seasons have gone along it starts to seem slightly repeated, but it has the potential to go on strong)

Overall                 : 4.25 (If you like crime solving, you like to learn more, you like a bit of action and you really want to see what goes on in the minds of a perpetrator, this show is the show for you and you will be able to enjoy and feel for the characters of the show.)

To conclude this is the way I have chosen so far for my series review, please feedback if you think there could be any improvements.

J.J says goodbye and thanks for reading :)