Review of Ninja Assassin and The Proposal
18 Jun 2010 Leave a Comment
in Reviews Tags: action movies, movie review, Rain/Bi, romantic comedy
Okay, I know that some of you are laughing right now but yes, I did watch Ninja Assassin and the Proposal at the same time. Well okay, not at exactly the same time but in the same night. I liked them both and for completely different reasons. Want to find out why? Read on faithful reader 
Ninja Assassin
Well, for those of you who know me, there were two reasons I rented this movie. 1. Rain (or 비 in Korean), enough said! 2. I like action movies and loved Kill Bill so was craving some good fight scenes with buckets of blood. Ninja Assassin didn’t disappoint in either area. Brief synopsis: it’s about ninjas assassins! Honestly, I can’t tell you much about the film without giving away spoilers. Basically, it’s a movie about an ancient order of ninja assassins set in modern day and a “Europol” (the movie version of Interpol?) researcher who uncovers evidence of them. Most of the film happens in Berlin, Germany and there are flashbacks to the childhood and training of the main character, Reiko (played by Rain).
On the Rain front, there were a few scenes were he was topless (ahhh, such a beautiful body) and he IS the main character so there’s lots of Rain (and oddly enough, scenes with Rain in the rain). His acting and English are quite decent (he did win the MTV Bad Ass award – or something like that). But I have to say I like him better with shorter hair, the long hair hides the clean lines of his face.
On the action front… WOW, there are definitely lots of it and BUCKETS of blood. The opening scene was a bit much when the guys head was sliced off but then I settled into watching blood jump out of the bodies like someone had thrown paint from a can… no, really, that’s what it looked like. And I’ll be honest, there was a few times that I hid behind a pillow like a girl (like when the girl died or during the scenes when Rain’s character was a child fighting) but on a whole, it was well done. There were some great fight sequences and I like it that Rain’s character got hurt (as much as I cringed when it happened). I hate action movies in which nothing really bad ever happens to the main characters – so unrealistic But seriously, if one ninja is fighting 20 or 30, he’s going to get hurt! On a sidenote, I can’t believe I used the word “seriously” in the last sentence!
Rating: 3.5/5 Worth watching, especially if you like good fight scenes. But not for the squeamish and definitely not for anyone under 16!!
The Proposal
I love romantic comedies! And the Proposal definitely fits the bill. Plus I’m a big fan of both Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds so this movie was definitely (man, I need a thesaurus… I say definitely way too much) on my must-see list. Synopsis: Sandra Bullock’s character “Margaret” is a bitchy book editor who also happens to be Ryan Reynolds’ character’s “Andrew” boss. They work in New York City and she’s about to be deported back to Canada for not filing her paperwork on time. Sidenote: I found it funny that she’s playing a Canadian and she’s an Yank and he’s playing an American and he’s a Canuck but perhaps that’s just me Back to the synopsis: she tells the U.S. Immigration that they’re engaged and then blackmails him with his job into agreeing. The rest of the movie (the majority of it) is set in Alaska as they go to his home for his grandmother’s (played to perfection by Betty White) 90th birthday. Hilarity ensues!!
Some of the funniest scenes: when Margaret has a shower without a towel, Margaret dancing and singing with his grandmother (best one… I almost fell of my bed I was laughing so hard), the exotic dancer, and the proposal story. Now this is definitely (oops, there is that word again) a chick flick and the nice full naked back view of Ryan Reynolds is sweet but I think there’s enough humour that most guys won’t run cringing.
Rating: 3.5/5 Worth watching, funny and I got to hear “It takes two” by Rob Base and DJ Easy Rock again (which incidentally was my first concert, just like Margaret’s).
