Reviews by Girao

In my point of view, expectation is an important element regarding the experience of watching a movie. In the case of "It's kind of a funny story", the audience, after watching the trailer may have the sense that this is a superficial movie. That is not really the case.

The movie tells the story of Craig, a teenager on the verge of deciding his career (college application) and after having suicidal thoughts he checks himself in a hospital's psychiatric floor. Once there, he bonds with some of the other patients. Eventually, Craig feels better about himself after take a look at life through the eyes of his new mates.

The central theme of the film is very deep as something like "how do you want to live your life versus how the society compels you to live it". Some of the characters presented in the movie simply didn't know how to react in the society at some point. They have that in common.
There's when the film gets really meaningful. If you think about it, they really get better inside the facilities of the hospital because a new artificial society (composed by the patients) is created. It is a very simple one. Manageable.

The movie also have some comic relief and well dose out. Zach Galifianakis is something else in this movie. The only other movie I've seen featuring him was "the hangover". When I found out that he would play a mentally disturbed character, I thought "again??". Here, is a little different: Galifianakis' character shows bits of drama, comedy and, yeah, dumb crazyness. All well performed.
I've never heard of Keir Gilchrist but he seems a nice actor and he is very good in the "flashback" scenes.
Two last thoughts: the Queen musical scene is cool and Emma Roberts is very pretty.

So, "It's kind of a funny story" is a very fluid movie to watch and has a meaningful message. The acting is very good and probably will please different kind of audiences. The movie deserves an 8. Check it out.

I like horror movies. Something on the attempt to make the audience scared makes me curious to see this kind of movie. That's not the point in "Let the right one in". Somehow this is what makes it so unique.
Oskar is a sweet 12 year old boy that is very lonely and it is constantly humiliated and bullied by classmates. The story revolves on his relationship with a new neighbor: a 12 year old mysterious girl called Eli. She is a vampire and eventually encourages Oskar to stand up to the boys in his class.

This movie is special in so many ways. First you can see the changes happening in Oskar becoming more comfortable with the idea of revenge. Also there is the relationship between Eli and her "father" Hakan. I'll not discuss here all the possible meaning of Eli's relationships but it is suffice to say that it keeps you wondering.
In addition there is the constant fear from Eli that Oskar will reject her. Initially the viewer may think that is only because of the fact that she is a vampire but there is more. You can see her confusion and fear in the scene where Eli enters into Oskar's bedroom by the window and when they talk, she says that she is not a girl. It is very sweet and emotional.
The other two awesome scenes (this time for a much more gore fan) are the scene where Eli enters Oskar's home without being invited and the final scene at the pool. At the end of both situations you can see Oskar's sweetness surfacing again.
The movie has very beautiful scenarios and the sound is something else. I'm not talking about soundtrack. Watch it with the volume high. The sound effects in most scenes featuring Eli increase the perception of the film.

Overall, I think that it is a pity that Eli's past is not explored. But it doesn't compromise the movie at all. To me, "Let the right on in" is a masterpiece. Watch it at night with the lights off just to create a more immersive experience. But under any circumstances, this movie is a 10.

I remember watching the original Karate Kid movie a few times when I was young. It was a good and inspirational movie. It shows the story of a boy who meets a girl and they both seem to like each other, but there's a jelous ex-boyfriend and his gang to bully the kid. The kid meets a Japanese man that teaches him Karate and eventually he enters a Karate tournament to face the guys that use to torment him. It shows a good story about facing your fears and realize that you have in yourself the power to overcome it.
The story of this new Karate Kid movie is similar but instead it shows a boy that moves with his mother to china and instead of Karate, he learns Kung Fu from a strange handyman form his building.
I guess that this movie is a little bit less emotional than the original one. The main character does not seem to be as scared with the situation as Daniel San and there is much more comic relief.
Jackie Chan is awesome. Everybody knows that. But I guess that a lot of people expected a little more of his famous moves in this film. The kids in the Kung Fu tournament are good but there's only one Jackie Chan in this world :-)
In a more technical observation (I'm not comfortable doing it, but what the heck...): Jaden Smith shown again that people can expect good things from him. I liked him in "The Pursuit of Happiness" and in this one he had good acting and commitment with physical preparation for the part. Good one!
Don't miss the scenes in the Wudang Mountains. It has a very beautiful view and the cobra lady is interesting.
I don't really like to talk about the bad things in a movie (unless is REALLY bad) but I have to say two things: first, this remake was a little bit too similar to the original in some aspects. I mean, just because the scenario has changed (Los Angeles for China) and the martial art (Karate for Kung Fu) it doesn't mean that you have enough differences and can't change anything else. I little more insights would be good. I'm just saying :-)
Second, the final hit on the final fight of the tournament was a little too much don't you think? wow. That was almost DragonBall-like kick. Again: just saying.
Finally, "The Karate Kid" kept the spirit of facing and overcoming fear of the original movie, which is always nice, and deserves a good 6!