ajfdomingo

Shanghai impressed me as a very well-made film. This tale of espionage and double dealing kept me hooked throughout. Shanghai compels the viewer to pay attention in order to piece together a jumble of unclear relationships and alliances. There are many acts of betrayal in the story and they unfold from start to finish. The film also gets high marks for its depiction of pre-World War II Shanghai. The audience get a good visual sense of the cosmopolitan characteristics of the city and in fact, even its delights, like its bars and casinos, compare favorably with those in other modern cities. The acting in this film deserves commendation. Though I am not much of a John Cusack fan, I found his performance believable and not overdone. Li Gong and Yun Fat-Chow are also well cast. Their demeanor came across as natural. I would recommend this film to anyone without reservation.

The word that came to my mind after seeing, Killers, is flat. I couldn't quite figure whether this film was made to elicit laughs or keep the audience in suspense. The shift from lighthearted moments to life and death scenes and vice versa were too abrupt. Killers also struck me as a lame attempt to ape a James Bond film. Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl seemed to come straight off a magazine cover, nice and glossy but flat. It was difficult to relate to them in any manner. There are times in the film when I had to exert some effort to prevent my mind from drifting elsewhere. The premise, storyline and casting of this film simply do not work.

Grown Ups is one of those films that can be seen as either fun or repulsive. Adam Sandler's slapstick and often times, bawdy brand of humor tends to polarize viewers into opposing camps. One cannot help but think about Saturday Night Live, with the composition of the cast and the way the script is written. You can feel like you are watching a set of comedy skits stitched together. Having said that, Grown Ups, in my view generates enough laughs to be considered entertaining. The characters do go over the top with their physical routines and coarse jokes but that can also be what separates this film from other comedy flicks. Sandler risks making films that border on the absurd and that is what can turn away some people. There are times though that Sandler's daring can make it worth paying the admission price. Make it a matinée though.