Kevin Lau

With the sequel over the horizon in the States, what better time to review The Amazing Spider-Man ? Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is a teenage boy who, on a trip to the Oscorp science facility, gets bit by a genetically engineered spider that grants him powers such as super-strength, agility, and a sixth sense that warns him of danger. First using his powers irresponsibly, Peter pays a hard price when his Uncle Ben is shot and killed by a thug he could have of easily stopped. Driven by his guilt, Peter becomes a crime fighter with the motto "With great power comes great responsibility." However, sometimes helping everyone you can isn't the best choice. The Amazing Spider-Man is a reboot to the Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire and directed by Sam Raimi. Both origin stories have a different feel to them, but the recent reboot is more true to the comics than the original trilogy. As far as whether one is better to the other, it just goes to taste pre...

This book was highly recommended to me by so many of my friends. I looked it up after first hearing it only to find out it is a Young Adult romance (ugh!). After avoiding it for so long, I just caved in and bought it. I seriously regret not reading it earlier. 16 year old Hazel Grace Lancaster has been diagnosed with lung cancer since she was 12 years old. Knowing that death is inevitable and will come sooner rather than later, she chooses to shut herself from the world so less people will be affected by her death. Unfortunately, her mom thinks otherwise. Hazel is forced to go to a cancer support group every week where one day she meets a guy who couldn't stop staring at her: Augustus Waters. Quickly connecting, the story moves on about Hazel's relationship with Augustus, learning some things about life along the way. Sounds like a book for girls, but believe me, guys can enjoy it just the same. Hazel's character as a narrator was truly well-written and each charact...

Note: I have only read the first 5 chapters of the book of the same title by Veronica Roth. That review is for another time. This review, however, is for now. I will not talk about inaccuracies, but instead I will be reviewing this as a movie. In a post-apocalyptic world, Chicago, Illinois is fenced off from the rest of the world. inside the fence, a society is made. By keeping order in a system, children at the age of 16 take a test to see which faction they are made for and they must choose one faction to live in the rest of their life (think the houses of Hogwarts from "Harry Potter" and the sorting hat). However, on rare occasions, the test doesn't work for someone, the results inconclusive to tell where the 16 would go in life. This is called "divergent". Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) is a divergent and she must keep that secret or else the government would execute her, marking her as a threat to the system. Constantly compared to the "Hunger Gam...

After the disappointment of "Iron Man 3", this movie was going to be my last chance with Disney's Marvel movies. Let me just say that Disney has earned my forgiveness. A while after the events of "The Avengers", Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) decides to stick with S.H.I.E.L.D., going on missions that a normal agent can't accomplish and working closely with Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson). However, when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) reveals to Cap S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plan to eliminate criminals before they commit their crimes. Questioning the morality of this movement, Captain America digs deeper into the government's secrets and finds himself face to face with the past that he thought was lost. I still have yet to see "Thor: The Dark World", but I feel "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is not only the best post-Avengers movie, but one of the best superhero movies yet (surpassing "Captain America:...

I know I'm not the only one who thought this movie was going to be a flop. I mean, not only is it a high-speed street racing movie, but it's also a videogame movie. Still, I gave it a shot, but mostly for the D-Box experience. Even with the earnings from winning illegal street races, Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) is still unable to keep his auto repair shop from his father open. For a chance to get $500,000, Tobey takes an offer from his street racing rival and successful car dealer Dino Brewster (Domonic Cooper) to finish building the Ford Mustang that Caroll Shelby was working on when he died. After building the car and selling it without Dino's consent, Dino challenges Tobey and Tobey's friend, Pete, to a street race for the money. Nearing the end of the race, desperate for revenge, Dino pushes Pete over a bridge and drives away, leaving Tobey to be blamed for vehicular manslaughter. Two years later, fresh out of prison, Tobey seeks out to knock Dino off his p...

"Alchemy: the science of deconstructing and reconstructing matter. However, it is not an all powerful art. For everything that is taken, something of equal value must be given. This is the law of equivalent exchange." When Edward and Alphonse Elric were young, they discovered through their father's books the science of alchemy and learned the ability to deconstruct things to an atomic level and rearranging the atoms to create something else instead. Basically, with alchemy, you can transmute (change) a plastic cup into a plastic bowl. However, there is the law of equivalent exchange. After Ed and Al's mother passed away, the brothers committed the ultimate taboo in alchemy: human transmutation. The result of trying to bring their mother back ended in failure, with Edward losing his right arm and left leg and Alphonse losing his entire body. If it weren't for Ed's alchemical ability to transmute Al's soul to a body of armor, Al would've been as...

Liam Neeson goes on a non-stop flight from London to New York. I'm pretty sure nothing bad could happen, right? Right? Bill Marks (Liam Neeson), a U.S. Air Marshal, goes on a non-stop flight from London to New York. Shortly after the plane takes off, Bill receives an anonymous text message on his secured phone requesting $150 million to be transferred to an off-shore account or else someone on the plane will die every 20 minutes. As time goes on and the threats become more intense, who can he trust to catch a terrorist who is one of them? In a basic sense, "Non-Stop" is "Source Code" meets "Devil" on an airplane. The filmmakers keep you guessing on who the killer is and the film never stops to take a breather. It is also a movie best to have only seen the trailer and experience all the twists and turns the writers left for surprise. A very gripping thriller, "Non-Stop" may not be a must-see, but it definitely keeps you at the...