Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Movie
Review: I can see a part of me and my friends in part of each character.I thought, the character development was well done. Entertaining when it had to be, and serious when it had to be. For anyone that's asian/just went through highschool or college phase, will understand and enjoy this film.
Rating: 
Summary: Better Luck Next Film
Review: What a disappointment. After hearing such good things about this I was really looking forward to it. This movie really made no sense. My criticisms: Some of these guys looked like COLLEGE seniors, not high school seniors. When was the last time you saw Asians driving around in a '65 Mustang (or any classic American made car)??? The main character goes from making cheat-sheets and shoplifting to selling and using cocaine in the blink of an eye without any real explanation. A "teens gone bad" movie can go two ways. One way is that of a movie like "Thirteen" where the roots of the behavior are clearly shown. You can see the whole disfuntional mess and it makes sense even if it doesn't really illuminate the subject. The opposite way to go is that of "Bully" where it might not all make perfect sense in the real world, but it is a hell of a lot of fun, a good ride. This movie couldn't decide which route to take and ended up being a silly, watered down version of everything you've seen before in these types of movies.
Rating: 
Summary: GOOD NOT GREAT!!
Review: This was a good movie. It was great to see an all asian cast but the film reeked of an MTV afterschool special. Certainly not the greatest film i've ever seen but I hope it opens up the path for other all asian casts.
Rating: 
Summary: Better Luck suffering through the worst movie of all time!!!
Review: THis movie is just plain awful...who wants to see a bunch of smart nerdy asians trying to take over the world and beat up white people. Its such a stereotype asian movie it makes you sick to your stomach. Don't watch it..don't rent it......and certainly don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie, Subpar DVD
Review: Better Luck Tomorrow is an extremely entertaining high school crime/drama/thriller. It takes a handful of traditional teen movie cliches and coats them with a sickening twist that breathes entirely new life into situations which would otherwise be hackneyed and uninspired. The acting is extremely good, and it's great to see Asian American actors who were previously confined to bit parts given space to display their full acting talent. These guys should be in lead roles, not making brief appearances to deliver pizza or crack out one-liners, work that Hollywood has previously given them. Though director Justin Lin made this movie with 10 of his own credit cards and no guarantee of funding, it has the slick look of a big-studio film. The plot of BLT has already been thoroughly rehashed by previous reviews, so I'm not going to delve into it. Some people have commented that this movie negatively portrays Asian-Americans, but that grossly misses the point. Lin's message is not just that these Asian-American characters are as American as any white, black, or Hispanic kid. He is also telling us that just because a movie has Asian-American actors does not mean that it "portrays" Asians at all. This is a movie about high school kids, and they are not representative of all Asian-Americans because *gasp!* no one person, or group of people, can perfeclty represent a larger group. The same applies to people who claim that this movie does not deal with "Asian issues" enough. These particular Asian kids do not have to deal with the language barrier, or with their parents' old-country opinions, or with much racism, but, because these people do not represent all Asians, that doesn't mean that other Asian-Americans don't experience such problems. If people watch Better Luck Tomorrow and come away with a negative or positive image of Asians, the problem lies with their belief that six characters can represent a huge ethnic minority, not with Justin Lin's groundbreaking film. At Sundance a critic asked Justin Lin how he could portray Asians so negatively, and Roger Ebert made the point that a white director would never have to answer such a question. American Beauty is not critiqued for "negatively representing white people," so why should BLT be accused of casting Asian-Americans in a bad light? The one thing about the movie that does bother me is that the actors are simply not passable as high school students. They could conceivably be college students, but they are decidedly too old for high school. This is forgivable, however, as Lin obviously didn't have the time or money to go scouting for 17-year-old talent. Once you get over the fact that the actors could not possibly be in high school, there is little -- besides, perhaps, the music -- to take issue with. The DVD for BLT, is, unfortunately, a bare bones product. It comes with a chapter selection and audio commentary, and that's about it. The audio commentary is very technical, and for the most part avoids the director's and actors' feelings about the movie, which would be far more interesting. I would also like to be able to see both of the endings for the movie (the theatrical release had a different ending than the Sundance showing). Nonetheless, the core of the DVD -- that is, the movie itself -- is a great product. I recommend the DVD because this movie deserves our support and is a truly enjoyable film. However, Better Luck Tomorrow deserves better than this, and I wish Paramount would have done it justice.
Rating:
Summary: if you're asian.. you gotta see this. if not, you should too
Review: i love this movie because PERRY SHEN is in every single scene!!!
Rating:
Summary: Something not touched upon...
Review: I cannot say enough about this film. I discovered it upon organizing an event on it's opening weekend, bringing high schools in the city and the island together to watch this film(New York). I can, however, tell you about the special commentary feature on this DVD. Having watched promotional tapes of this movie before it hit the silver screen on April 11th, 2003, the commentary on the DVD is not as satisfying as energizing as the promotional tapes. Not to say the commentary was completely bland, but it doesn't journey very deeply into what the contributors of the film we're looking for, what questions they were asking etc... it is all touched upon in a superficial manner. For the avid BLT fan, it won't quench your hunger. Instead, the commentary focuses more on the technical aspects of filming on site as well as some anectotes of the crew, the actors etc. In conclusion, however, this film is truly something; but, if you're buying it for the commentary to get the nitty-gritty, you might want to reconsider just buying it to support it's sales.
Rating: 
Summary: Delivers, but misses a few key points
Review: I am a college student from Southern California. Although I am not Asian American, most of my friends are including my girlfriend, and if it means anything I am taking an introduction to Asian American studies, but I do not want to be Asian either.
Speaking of which, this movie is entertaining. The action, comedy and storyline all go hand in hand. The teenage perspective gives the viewers a way to not only relate to the characters lives, but to their own lives. The acting in this film is good, especially for a group of such young actors.
I looked at this film, and let the so-called "stereotypes" come to me. I didnt say for example, "Maybe the isolated charcyers are because Asians are isolated". Although the obvious point that not all Asian American preppy students are good was seen. These YAPs (Young Asian Professonials) Takaki 4, "Strangers From a Different Shore" arent all goal driven with a one way mind, which breaks another stereotypes. This in my opinon is an unbiased point of view.
I did have a few problems with this movie: This movie never viewed any Asians who didn't either have a cool car, big new suburban house, or 4.0. (Steph had a new Audi convertable for the love of God) Steve had a BMW. Therefore the idea is all Asians either have great grades, a big house, lots of money. Bad media. If anybody thinks that is good, they dont realize that is bad media for Asian Americans. A great number of Asians are very culturally aware, I didtn see any Asian Americans speaking any Asian language, any authentic Asian food, or culturally barriers that the majority of Asian Americans have to deal with as teengers in the U.S. Did any of you guys see any parents, any strict parents in the entire movie? Steves horrible parents remember? Not even a picture? The ending! How could anyone like this? Not only did this ending leave you wondering in an entertainemnt point of view: What happened to Ben? How did they live their lives? I thought this ending was extremely weak. Secondly, there was no emotion, both during the killing and the afterwards with Steph rolling up in the Audi (ugh). This gives the impression that Asian Americans dont have any emotion, which is an unfair statement. Asian American or not, this film is entertaining, and does a good job addressing "specific" stereotypes only, but in this aspect it succeeds greatly. Anyone would like this movie, although your reasons will vary.
Rating:
Summary: Worth checking out, but still falls short...
Review: A stylish, neo-nihilistic coming of age story, centering on a young Chinese-American overachiever named Ben, who turns to petty (and not so petty) crime as a way to relieve his boredom and ennui. The modern suburban California highschool setting feels about right, even if the choices the characters make may cause you to feel a bit queasy. Sort of "Dazed And Confused" meets "Heavenly Creatures..." Anyway, despite its palpable shock-value-and camera-move-happy student filmishness, this is an intriguing film. I thought the first third of the film was great -- when the filmmakers abandoned character development in favor of a shock-driven, Tarrantino-esque crime spree, it starts to take a slow, sideways plunge... By the end, I felt pretty alienated, mostly by the unimaginative, we've-seen-this-before, gun-waving violence. Still, the presentation of young teenage Asian-Americans, fully immersed in our lame, aimless popular culture, acting just as vacantly and shallowly as their white and latino counterparts, was refreshing, and the lead actor, Parry Shen, weighs in with a remarkable performance. I just wish the writers and director had been able to bring more depth to the film's ending.
Rating:
Summary: watch this movie
Review: anyone who wants to know what really happens, maybe not so extremely, when you mix confusion, boredom, and teenage angst should watch this movie. not only was the story amazing but justin lin used an all asian cast without typecasting.
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