DVD Reviews: Bride and Prejudice, Catwoman, The Butterfly Effect

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Bride and Prejudice
I was looking forward to watching this surprisingly… maybe because I’ve seen a few decent Bollywood-type movies like Hollywood Bollywood or East is East… but this movie really wasn’t very good. I’m not sure what it was, but I never got into this one. I was interested when it started and they had Naveen Andrews (from Lost) as Balraj Bingley, and singing and dancing like in all Bollywood movies, but unfortunately the acting was not good (particularly William Darcy), and the translation of this classic into the world of India was not well done. The movie was very vibrant and had energy, but it brought nothing, with a boring and confusing plot and or rather just poor storytelling. I’d say pass on this one. (2/10).

Catwoman
Ugh. Despite winning a Razzie, I tried to keep an open mind as I watched this Halle Berry vehicle. Oh my goodness, what a horrible movie. I mean I can accept the cheesy plot and terrible acting (from Berry and co-stars Benjamin Bratt and Sharon Stone), and I can even accept the crappy outfit and Berry’s ridiculous walk… and you know what? Some of the action wasn’t too bad… but when the climax of the movie is Catwoman fighting hand-to-hand one-on-one with the female CEO of a cosmetics company who has no fighting experience… well, what the heck is the point of the movie? Answer: There was no point. This one was as bad as Van Helsing. I guess I just had to see it for myself to believe it. (0/10).

The Butterfly Effect
I’d heard some good things about this movie, but I was doubtful given Ashton Kutcher was the lead… But I was very encouraged when I watched the first half hour of it and there was very little Ashton… in fact, it was not at all what I expected when it started out, and it was actually quite good. Ashton plays a guy who’s childhood was quite traumatic, and filled with periods where he would blank out and not remember what happened. Later, he would learn how to go back into his own life to be able to change or experience the events of his past. With minor tweaks here or there, you get to see how his life, and those around him, change significantly. Some of this movie left me with an empty feeling – ie. his everchanging motivation… for example, when he changes history from when he was happy with his childhood love, in the new version of his life, his “love” becomes an afterthought for the first while, and he doesn’t seem to be very emotional about her until the next time he changes history, despite the fact she’s become a drug-using whore. I think that’s moreso through some of the lack of acting, but also a hole in the writing. The ending is also unsatisfying. Despite those holes, this movie is definitely creative and is filmed in an interesting sequence. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a must-see or a great movie, but it is definitely a good movie and one that I would recommend as a good rental (7/10).