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briancham1994
IMDb filmography profile: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13265250/
Official personal website: https://briancham1994.com/
How much do I love film?
💪 I work as a screenwriter for Psych2Go, a popular animated series promoting awareness of psychology and mental health to a general audience. We have 11 million subscribers and counting.
🏆 I was a finalist in an international film competition spearheaded by the United Nations, marking recognition on a global scale.
🏆 Was a voice actor for a BBC documentary, highlighting my versatility in media production roles and an affiliation with a renowned global broadcaster.
🏆 I attained 48 achievement badges (including "Top Reviewer") on IMDb and authored over 1700 film reviews.
📜 I have a Degree in Film, Television and Media Studies from the University of Auckland, winning the First in Course Award for FTVMS300 (New Zealand Film), FTVMS327 (Comics and Visual Narrative) and FTVMS212 (Video Game Studies).
📜 I got First in Media Studies 301 and the Best Director award at Massey High School
What kind of films do I like?
I'm open-minded, but I love these the most:
💕 Science fiction
💕 Mysteries and puzzles
💕 Non-linear timelines
💕 Time travel
💕 Visual imaginative sequences
💕 Anything that makes me think
What else have I done for the film industry?
💻 I also work as a software engineer. I previously worked at the multi-national company Vista Entertainment Solutions that makes the software that runs most of the world's cinemas. I was part of the team that created Living Ticket, a worldwide cloud service that delivers digital contactless movie tickets to millions of cinema-goers every day.
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Lists
An error has ocurred. Please try againQuestions for discussion: (not every question will be applicable to every film)
- How accurate or inaccurate is this film?
- What is it like to live as this character in a personal sense? Consider lifestyle, goals, society, emotions, etc.
- What would you do if you were their doctor?
- What does this say about the medical/pharmaceutical/psychiatric system?
- Comment on ethical issues, tough choices, social attitudes, patient-doctor conflicts.
Reviews
West Side Story (1961)
Great musical
Now this is my kind of musical - the type where the singing and dancing actually propels the plot, expresses the character's inner life and shows off a decent spectacle, all at once. The plot, transposing Romeo and Juliet into a contemporary New York environment, pits two juvenile gangs against each other and sets the scene for a forbidden romance. Things heat up between the couple and the gang, leading to tensions as their rivalries become deadly. Watching this not long after the Spielberg version, it's hard not to make comparisons, but I think the advantage of the 1961 version is its more convincing romance that underpins the entire story. However, while the original is a classic, it still falls short in that its characters are not as distinct, its musical sequences and settings are not quite as extravagant and the plot stops for too long.
Halloween (1978)
A fun cliché storm
How to rate Halloween? As a casual viewing experience or as a piece of filmmaking? It's a toss-up as it's a fun experience I enjoyed watching, taking me back to the simpler stories of my youth, but it's also an amateurish and clichéd production that looks like it was made by the higher schoolers featured therein.
So maybe a fun experience is all it's going for, and I can give it credit for that. The shocking opening sets the tone, the build-up of Mike Myers adds some suspense and the narrow survival of Jamie Lee Curtis' character is a genuinely nail-biting scene to watch. However, I can't ignore how the film is just so shallow and cheesy. There's no character depth as Mike Myers is just there as an implacable villain, the protagonists barely have anything distinct and the doctor is there just for exposition. Even worse, the number of times the Mike Myers stands in the distance just to freak out other characters (behind a bush, in a car, on a porch, etc.) is repetitive to the point of comedy.
I get that Halloween is the film that kicked off the slasher genre, so it pioneered a lot of the clichés now repeated and done to death in the genre. As a cultural icon and historical influence, I can give it credit. As a viewing experience, I can also give it credit as an absorbing but cheap ride. However, I still can't shake off the feeling that I just watched a low budget Goosebumps episode stretched out to 90 minutes.
Secret Invasion (2023)
Meh
Secret Invasion had a lot of potential, but was an overall bore. It starts out as a paranoid spy thriller where shapeshifting aliens have taken over the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, leaving our heroes unable to know whom to trust. This is a great premise and one that could have made for a great experience, but most of the episodes were overly stretched out, as if it were written as a short movie and then suddenly expanded to an entire series.
Samuel L. Jackson returns in a role that really pits Nick Fury at his worst, exhausted from years of neglect and disrespected by those around him. There is a huge ensemble cast around him, some of whom are genuine and some of whom are impostors (this isn't used to its full potential), but this roster gets messy and inconsequential. Most of the Skrull characters have barely any personality or impact on the story, Gravik aside, and their plans and motivations change on a dime. Olivia Colman's quirky spy character was a stand-out but it really just shows how talented actors did the most they could with a mediocre script.
By the end, things pick up and we finally have a semblance of a plotline that is escalating to conclusion, but it's another standard MCU CGI mess. In fact, I would say that it's even worse than the MCU's average, because of the very shoddy special effects that don't fit the actors at all.
I gave it 6/10 because of the evocative acting and sporadic exciting or thrilling moments.
The Wild Robot (2024)
A feast for your eyes and heart
The Wild Robot is a fish-out-of-water story like no other, thrusting a service robot into the wilderness of an uninhabited island where it has nobody around but the wildlife. After some memorable mishaps at trying to serve these "customers", it finds itself assigned the task of taking care of a small gosling and preparing it for the upcoming migration, along with a wily fox. The robot finds itself well out of its depth as motherhood is not in its original programming, and the gosling tries its hardest to fit in with the other birds despite its strange upbringing, but they bond as best as they can and learn to care for each other despite the "rule of the jungle" that the fox espouses. Once the migration starts, there's a shocking turn reminiscent of Wall-E where the robot's memories are wiped, testing how much its connections have endured. Overall, it's an emotional journey that draws on many strengths through its animal and robotic characters - acceptance of outsiders, coming to understanding of each other, bonding with those we value and coming together to cooperate. To top it off, the visual effects were amazingly detailed, the music was rousing and the voice acting was evocative and humorous. The Wild Robot is one of the most wonderful animated movies, a truly dazzling experience for both the eyes and the heart.
Charade (1963)
Twisty romp
Charade has been described as "the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made", and it certainly lives up to its reputation. With an odd mixture of romantic comedy and spy mystery, Charade achieves the impossible by making us laugh at the characters at the same time that we fear for their lives. Hepburn's interactions with Cary Grant's many-faced character are wonderfully quirky and memorable, if confusing. The overall plot presents an Agatha Christie like puzzle that has more twists than you'd expect, pitting characters and backstories against each other in an ever-tangled mess of action scenes and, believe it or not, postage stamps. It all culminates in a fantastic final scene that caps off both the romantic development and the action plot of the film, satisfying the insane journey across Paris that the audience has barely kept up with. Charade is a very tense, funny and heartwarming film at the same time, and totally recommended.
Cinderella Man (2005)
Heartfelt and exciting boxing movie
Cinderella Man tells the story of the titular boxer James Braddock, engaging in a desperate "rags to riches" story. Within the conditions of the Great Depression, Braddock (played by the stoic Russell Crowe) is forced to leave his sporadic job at the docks and take bigger risks to take care of his family, pushing him back into boxing. Despite the please of his wife and multiple injuries, Braddock tries his hardest despite the conditions. Sadly, it's not an idealistic feel-good movie, as he and even his manager are forced into humiliating desperation as the story progresses, with the actors bringing an appropriate level of gravity. Meanwhile, Mae (played by Zellweger) brings a level of conflicted love and anxiety that emotionally fuels the protagonist to triumph against the sadistic opponent Max Baer in an exciting climax that succeeds on many levels. Cinderella Man is an impactful movie, but too long and drawn-out in some parts.
The Straight Story (1999)
The sweet story
The Straight Story's title works on two levels - one named after the protagonist Alvin Sweet and the other a signal that it's the most conventional story out of David Lynch's turtorously complex ouevre. On both levels, it succeeds as a surprisingly sweet story of a stubborn old man who goes on an interstate journey on an old lawnmower to meet his estranged brother. The acting is top notch in this film, with all the characters plucked out of small town America and Alvin in particular showing a consistent elderly gumption moderated with a sweet and wise side. It's the interactions between all of these people that make the film special, and all the reminders of what makes life and family worth it. Despite a slow pace, The Straight Story rarely gets boring and the relaxed tone helps to delve into the character's poignant feelings. Just like the protagonist, the journey is highly reflective and asks us all to consider the connections within our own lives.
United 93 (2006)
Sombre and hard hitting
United 93 tackles a very sensitive historical event, that of the eponymous 9/11 flight, with a deft balance of drama and restraint. Its docudrama-like portrayal uses shaky cams and nervously authentic acting (sometimes using the actual survivors of the event) to immerse the viewer in a slowly revealing tragedy. There are no big heroes or revelations here, just an immense sense of unfolding dread as passengers on a seemingly ordinary flight and air traffic controllers suddenly have to deal with terrorist hijackers who are equally not sure if their plan can be executed. Everyone in the film is an ordinary person trying their best to come to grips with the situation and improvise a solution, with dire consequences. Endless little flourishes like goodbye messages, people talking over each other, professionals unsure about their responsibilities and many tears of despair really hammer home the desperation and realism throughout the film. My only gripe is that the slow unfolding and realistic tone means there are a lot of segments where nothing of consequence happens.
The Insider (1999)
Performance driven flick
The Insider is a film that relies quite heavily on its inspired performances by Al Pacino and Russell Crowe, playing a frustrated journalist and a paranoid whistleblower, respectfully. Pacino brings a sense of urgency and dedication to breaking the story that leads to constant butting heads with his interviewee and the network. Crowe brings a sense of deep fear and mixed emotions as he tries to weave his way through exposing his company's wrongdoings without the retaliation against his children. This tug of war makes up most of the film and fuels its dramatic trajectory, but it doesn't offer much else, as the plot is rather thin and repetitive. Every scene is the same - Crowe's character wants to go public with some documents, something scary happens that makes him change his mind, Pacino pushes for an interview, and back over again.
Hable con ella (2002)
An unlikely tale of two very different friends
Talk to Her is a rather odd Spanish drama film about two friends who meet in a hospital, each caring for a woman who has been stuck there. One, a travelling journalist, accompanies a female bullfighter and the other is a disturbing yet mild-mannered stalker who has been employed to take care of a female coma victim. The bond between these two men is unlikely yet believable, as they both find solace in their shared experiences. The film's biggest strengths are its slowly revealed backstories and its surreal sequences that show a real skill for visual sequences and accentuates the deep seated feelings of the two men. The shifting plot sends the viewer back and forth along each man's emotional journey, culminating in an ultimate calamity that tests their friendship and then unites them once and for all, showing the bright and dark sides of desire.
Coherence (2013)
Low budget sci-fi mind-bender
Coherence is a great example of what you can do with a low budget film. Who could have guessed that a few people, a dining room table, a box of photos and some glow sticks could build such an intricate story? It's much better than Primer in this regard, as the characters are built up better and the actors use their improvisational skills to feel like naturally obnoxious chatterboxes. The sci-fi conundrum comes into play very gradually, chipping away at the naturalistic setting with its suburban setting and handheld camera work. The nature of their reality slips away from them bit by bit in little paranoid moments rather than any whiz-bang special effects. The Twilight Zone-like twists come one by one to blindside the characters and plunge the audience into a surreal world where the house and the characters are not what they seem. The film's strength is how it manages to play out the scenario without losing steam, as the insanity escalates until its frenetic breaking point. The film's sense of mystery and paranoia is palpable, with its main drawback being how exaggerated some of the character's reactions are.
Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka (2023)
Lovely but underwhelming
The Boy and the Heron is a good film, but I'm sorry to say, it's not Studio Ghibli's strongest work, instead seeming like the work of a skilled imitator. For the first half, I was thinking, "nothing is going on!" For the second half, I was thinking, "what is even going on?"
It starts off telling the story of a tragic boy who has lost his mother in the war and has to live with his aunt Natsuko in the countryside (reminding me first and foremost of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe). So far, so good, but the boy has no personality other than being hardheaded and none of the other characters really add much. The old servants bumble around as comic relief, Natsuko seems to wander about in a daze and the father comes in and out of the story sporadically. The film teases that something momentous is about to happen by featuring the mysterious heron, but this is also dragged out and the film is almost halfway over before the boy enters the magical tower that links the worlds. This slow start is very unlike Spirited Away, which thrust its protagonist into the spirit world very early on under very high pressure.
The second half of the movie is much better, but is so scattered that it's hard to follow. Settings, creatures and characters dip in and out too quickly to establish exactly where the boy is, who everyone else is and what they are trying to accomplish (especially the mercurial heron-man). Instead, it's a dreamlike series of disconnected beautiful moments that only connect into one thread by the end. The flame effects of Himi are beautiful, the plushy Parakeets are beautiful, the Warawara spirits are beautiful and the disintegrating world is beautiful. So the film is amazingly animated, which we expected from Studio Ghibli's entire ouevre, but what kind of story is it underpinning? A headstrong boy entering the other world to rescue his pregnant aunt who wants to stay for some reason, escaping some hungry birds and engaging in a love-hate relationship with an annoying birdman with divided loyalties. It's just as messy as it sounds. Except it suddenly turns into Tron: Legacy and the story is now about the alternate world being imperfect and falling apart, with its creator trying to fob off the responsibility onto the boy. Which is also as messy as its sounds. By the end, it turns out that every character is at time-travelled relative from the main world, which might mean something if the film actually built them up emotionally (what was it doing during the first half when it had all the time in the world?).
Despite all of these issues, it's a good film with wonderful visuals. It's just a shame that it takes far too long to show its strengths and really engage the audience with the characters in a way they can understand.
Civil War (2024)
Sound and fury
Civil War feels like an endless series of something other than traditional movie scenes. You could compare them to watching a group of strangers playing Call of Duty. Or you could compare it to the "shock value" revelatory moments at the beginning of science fiction movies that make the audience realise something is amiss with the world. Or you could compare it to the big climax scenes at the end of trailers to really hook the audience's attention. Or you could compare it to switching a TV channel and suddenly experiencing a sensory onslaught without knowing what came before. Whatever comparison suits your fancy, it feels like an endless string of these moments without any overarching backstory or plot depth.
I get the intention behind this. It's supposed to be a window into a future civil war through the limited eyes of reporters, giving it a personal feel. We don't find out anything about the sides because the impact of conflict is destructive no matter what the justification. Perhaps most importantly, it avoids any link to current politics to make it equally accessible and avoid offending anyone. Yet this well-intentioned distillation of war into a bloody slog also makes it too hollow to have any real impact.
The actual "construction" of the film is great. The mise-en-scene and cinematography is hard-hitting with familiar American settings combined with the destruction of war photography. The moments in the film are nail-bitingly intense and the sense of danger is always palpable, with no-one immune. The acting is top notch and the effect of the war on the reporters, both experienced and neophyte, bring to mind the frazzled and traumatic nerves of soldiers in past conflicts. It's just a shame that this never really connects into something bigger because it's an intrinsically political film with no politics and film about America that says nothing about America. What is the war, who is in it, what happened and what are the reporters even reporting about? The scenario is so barebones that it can never leave an impression beyond the surface level.
By the end, it really does devolve into a Call of Duty scenario with endless shooting and not much of a "point" other than setting up a cynical final moment. Overall, the film had very careful imagery and acting, but missed the mark because there simply was no mark it was aiming for.
Central do Brasil (1998)
Heartwarming story of human connection
In the titular Central Station in Brazil, the sly conwoman Isadora writes letters for illiterate passengers that she has no intention of ever passing on. After a tragic accident, she is suddenly left in the care of the young boy Josue who has become orphaned. They are immediately off to a rocky start, accentuated by the brilliant acting of both protagonists, with the cynicism of Fernanda Montenegro constantly conflicting against the stubbornness of Vinícius de Oliveira. Departing on a long and often disappointing journey to find the boy's father while escaping dangerous criminals, the people they meet along the way (both good and bad) impart the meaning of finding human connection. It ultimately ends up in a completely different place than expected, but still heartwarming nonetheless.
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Plodding attempt at an epic
Doctor Zhivago has a reputation for being a sweeping romantic epic set against a dramatic historic backdrop, akin to Lawrence of Arabia. However, the film falls far short of the standard set by other classic epic films. The pacing is just so plodding, the emotional twists so artificial and the historicity so overt that it can't reach the lofty heights it aspires to. In case anyone thinks I'm being entirely negative, I'll mention a few of the film's good traits. Firstly, the acting is excellent and we can feel the doctor's barely held-together stoicism as he ensures hardship after hardship. Secondly, the scenery was lush and lifelike, and one would never suspect that the icy cityscapes were actually shot in Spain. Finally, the arc of each character spans many years and always leaves the audience eager to learn their fate after all the momentous happenings and relationships throughout the film. However, these don't make up for the endless train rides, society chitchat and romantic gushing that clog up the film's flow.
Finding Neverland (2004)
Sweet without being Maudlin
In a brilliantly apt performance, the eccentric Johnny Depp plays the equally eccentric writer Barrie, the creator of the now beloved Peter Pan stories. Following his early exploits in London, he strikes a sweet relationship with sickly Sylvia and her children, who engage in his wonderful fantasy world. The child actors deserve commendation here, as their performances are far more skilled (and bearable) than child actors in other films, filling their portrayals with the right amounts of emotional expression and subtlety. Far from being props to tug at our heartstrings, we fully invest in their characters and their heartfelt desire for their mother to get better. On the other side, we fully invest in Barrie and his heartfelt desire to connect with her and create something novel to lift her spirits. From this sweet yet poignant friendship comes the Peter Pan stories we all know and love.
Daredevil (2003)
Supremely silly
Even for a comic book movie, Daredevil is just too messy and silly to be an effective spot. The film veers wildly between tragic character development of a conflicted lawyer and campy scenes with cartoonish characters duking it out in the most ridiculous ways possible. While the former had potential to make this a great film with compelling characters, the silly parts just ruined any possibility of getting absorbed in Daredevil's quest. The examples are endless - some nonsensical romance in a coffee shop followed by a duel in a playground, a man with a literal bullseye carved into his forehead throwing paper clips around, and of course the Evanescence soundtrack. The scenes that are actually good are unfortunately too scattered and disconnected to really amount to much, like the irrelevant subplot in the courtroom which barely has anything to do with Kingpin's scenes. Even the director's cut couldn't save this mess, and I think I am being generous by giving it five stars for its few good points.
The Searchers (1956)
Epic yet personal
The Searchers is a grand and epic film of the American Western frontier, situating conflicts between settlers and natives within a vast backdrop of mesas and desert. Yet it feels very personal as well, with John Wayne's protagonist embedded within a family and community that adds background beyond his attempted heroism. After his home is raidedd and members of his family are abducted, he goes on a multi-year quest to track down the leader of the native tribe and get them back. The journey is deadly and slowly reveals his contemptuous and violent attitudes that show he can be just as brutish as his enemies. In a shocking twist, he is so blinded by hatred that he wants to kill his niece for "turning Indian". The Searchers is a film that starts out as a simple revenge plot but turns into an exploration of the hatred between communities, portrayed by the aggressive yet grim acting of John Wayne.
Ying xiong (2002)
Incredible
The scope of "Hero" is incredible, weaving together a tale that expands across a whole empire, different time periods and even different realities. Lush cinematography brings the world of Ancient China to life as a vast landscape of possibilities, punctuated by the adventures of poetic assassins and accented by strong colours that define differing perspectives of hidden narratives. Starting out as a simple story of a "hero" vanquishing assassins who were out to get the emperor, the story quickly delves into many layers of treachery as the constantly shifting narratives and relationships between the assassins of the past transform relentlessly to reveal a hidden plot behind the entire telling of the story. The emperor himself has a major and imposing presence that binds together all the stories as the centre point of the action. From a simple premise grows a lush, incredible and complex film. Well worth watching on the biggest screen you can find!
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Hard-hitting yet implausible Western
3:10 to Yuma is a hard-hitting film that pits two equally determined individuals against each other, one a ruthless gang leader played by Russell Crowe and the other a desperate farmer played by Christian Bale. Loaded with plenty of debt, the farmer is forced to escort the captured leader to claim reward money for his family. The rough journey across the wild west pits both men against each other and against the gang members who stop at nothing to get their leader back. The suave nature of the gangster and the desperate nature of the farmer are both brilliantly portrayed by their respective actors, lending a constant strong sense of tension and uncertainty to the plot. My main criticism would be the action scenes - while they are well choreographed and composed, the level of gunfire is so constant that the survival of the characters appears blatantly silly and they all look like they should have died very early on!
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Very bloody and very entertaining
Sweeney Todd is not for the faint of heart, with many waterfalls of blood gushing from many characters across the length of the film. This is Tim Burton and Johnny Depp at their most unrestrained, mixing gothic horror with lackadaisical black humour. Following the eponymous Sweeney Todd as he gets his revenge against a corrupt judge, the ever-present Helena Bonham Carter joins him as the equally corrupt pie baker, and all actors bring the perfect balance of being sympathetic and deranged. With a cast of delightful and memorable figures, the depravities of this film leaves the audience on the edge of their seats as they never know who is next to have their plots revealed or their throats cut. The production design of this film is immaculate, giving a grimy and dark undertone to the escapades of the "demon barber" and bringing Victorian London to life in all its horrors. Although the film's origins as a musical is inescapable, the songs often slow down the plot and trap the characters in a perpetual sing-songy conversational tone, to the detriment of the whole film's impact.
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Mixed comedy
Young Frankenstein is a classic spoof of the Frankenstein film series, impressively reproduced in great detail with its gothic setting and stark monochromatic cinematography. Gene Wilder plays the eccentric descendant of Dr. Frankenstein, committed to continue his grandfather's work and recreate another monster from dead parts. The jokes are mixed - some are repetitive and elicit groans (e.g. All the jokes about the size of the monster's genitalia) while others get better with time (e.g. Frankenstein's pecular insistence on how to pronounce his name). The romantic segments are dull and the musical segments waste a whole lot of time, but it's a decently fun way to pass the time, though you should probably just watch the original Frankenstein films in my opinion.
Atonement (2007)
Poignant and mesmerising
Atonement is a truly incredible work of cinema. Its poignancy comes from its subjective point of view, showing the dazzlingly bright world of a child that degrades into grey horrors. The shattered timeline also complements the visuals and reflects the traumatic reminiscences of the adult Bryony as she tries to make sense of both the past and the-past-that-could-have-been. Starting with the viewpoint of the younger Bryony, we see her naivety about the adult relationships around her as she succumbs to mere dalliances and treats a serious accusation as another minor folly, destroying the lives of others in the process. As she grows up, the audience gets to re-experience the events of the past through new eyes and we see what really happened beyond the eyes of a jealous child, filling in the gaps and giving the audience a new perspective as Bryony herself makes the same realisations. Along the way, the lush colours and detailed environments in both the house and the war scenes really bring 1940s Britain to life to show just how extensively their whole lives have changed forever. A truly tragic, beautiful, heartbreaking and poignant film.
Le samouraï (1967)
Stylishly cold
The hitman in The Samurai (which I must note, does not literally contain any samurai) is a stoic, disaffected character far from the likes of suave, charismatic James Bond type figures found in other action movies. The film has a slow pace and deliberate cinematography, showing a bleak existence where the hitman reduces Paris to a tunnel vision mission and goes home to squalor. One day he messes up and gets tangled up with both the police and his employer who has turned against him, leading to chases and deceptions across the city. Despite sounding like an action movie, The Samurai is fuelled mostly by suspense, as every fleeting word and glance offers to betray him to those conspiring against him. The film is nihilistic, slow and cold, but will still leave you on the edge of your seat.
American Gangster (2007)
Inferior pastiche of Martin Scorcese
American Gangster is Ridley Scott's attempt at imitating Martin Scorcese, and he doesn't attain the same heights. Starring Denzel Washington as Frank Lucas, the drug-dealing kingpin has an air of tranquil fury punctuated by increasing outbursts of impulsive violence, underpinned by a convincing suave that endears him with the community. However, despite masterful acting and a lively period atmosphere, the plot is mostly by-the-numbers and plays out the same tired rise-and-fall tropes with his disillusioned family leaving by the end. One saving grace is the character played by Russell Crowe, whose boy scout like enthusiasm seems to jar with the amount of prosecutions he can carry out, but at least constitutes a fresh breath to the genre. Overall, despite some bright spots, American Gangster is a repetitive and meandering that doesn't live up to its potential.