movies april 2012

watched quite a bit this month
15. ides of march - great movie, im starting to like ryan gosling as an actor more and more (and he's hot)
16. tinker tailor sailor spy - a bit boring and confusing for me. i guessed who the bad guy was at the start of the movie and i was right (mainly because he was the most popular of the cast)
17. agatha christie's the clocks (old bbc tv movie) - very similar to the original book which i loved
18. the muppets - had tears in my eyes while watching this film surprisingly since i didnt even reach the heights of muppets popularity when i was young. i love the music esp man or muppet. love the cameos esp of sheldon cooper.
19 love you you - a taiwanese (?) movie about a guy and a girl in a resort.. got a bit emo when they showed the twist about the girl's condition but still fun movie to watch
20. wrath of titans - another big blockbuster with full effects and not much story
21. the hunger games - super hyped movie, i liked it but it was just too weird and brutal
22. you are the apple of my eye - love love love this movie. very poignant and sweet. i wish they ended up together (but then this is based on a true story of the director and his ex gf) but i still liked the ending.
23. school days with a pig - very interesting story. love the kids and the pig. i guess i'm old that's why i also made the same decision as with the teacher.
24. we bought a zoo - nice melodrama, thought the movie was long but it wasn't boring.
25. the sitter - jonah hill and his brand of humor. this was okay but harold and kumar is better
26. battleship - i actually liked this movie mostly because of the bravery of the crew. it just wasn't clear why there were aliens and why they wanted to kill us. and i wish alex skargard had more screen time.
27. hello ghost - i love cha tae hyun. i thought the movie was tooo long and part dragged a bit mostly because i couldn't understand the point of the ghost.. why they were there and their odd requests. but everything was explained in the end which made me teary eyed.

movies feb and march 2012

february
7 The descendants
George clooney movies are always great to watch.. dramas with lot of depth. While the tone of the story is serious it was simple n it didnt dragged. There were also some funny moments n poignnt moments that made me teary eyed.

8 The vow
I like channing tatum in shes the man.. but i find him too "bondjing"-like though he has a hot bod. And hes not really a good actor but he gets a lot of lead starring movies. The vow has such a tragic and romantic premise i was actually looking forward to swoon but unfortunately the movie wasnt so much abt leo making her fall in love with him again but more on her having a second chance in life. So for this i was a bit disappointed. There werent a lot of sweet moments except when she still had her memory.. and story focused more on her and her dad than her and him. Or maybe thats why her brain blocked her 5 yrs with leo bcoz of the trauma with her dad? The movie ended on a hopeful note but i think notebook was just more poignant and hotter. i eventually read the book where this story was based and it wasnt even romantic. it was more about a guy fighting for his wife and how faith in god restored their commitment to one another.

9 xmass kiss
im a sucker for christmas movies and though the story is quite cheesy and unoriginal, i still loved it and it left me with sweet yummy feeling inside my heart. imagine what i would feel if i watched this during the actual holidays. lol. definitely fun movie that i would want to watch over and over again esp when im feeling nostalgic.

10 12 dates of xmas
i like amy smart and mark gosselaar and while the plot was cute (though unoriginal again) it was still fun watching this movie. the only thing i didn't like was that they actually showed the 12 days that she relived her days so it kinda dragged because of the repetitive things she did. i dont think they had to show all the 12 days, we would have understand it and the story didn't focus on the romance between the two but more on how the girl changed her life to be nicer and more charitable and giving for others. but then i didnt really think she was even bad that she needed to change her life. the ending was a little bit too perfect.

March
11 71 into the fire
I dont like war bcoz nobody wins in a war. However once in a while i like to watch a well made war movie that focuses on human emotions and impact of war rather than the political reason. I guess ive been fortunate enough not to experience war first hand. The movie is based on true events and i really admire people who will risk their lives to serve their country. i love the drama and the actors, now i just wish someone would release a read HD version of this movie, and would probably make this an even more enjoyable cinematic feast to watch.

12 this means war
chris pine and reese witherspoon in one movie? im in. saw negative reviews for this movie but i dont care. i love it. it's light. it's fun. lots of laughter. two hot guys fighting for a girl. i love all of reese's outfits here.

13 one for the money
i read stephanie plum's first novel before while it was enjoyable read, i couldnt imagine why this series would last more than 17 books. lots of people didn't like the movie but i did because the adaptation was similar in that it was a bit gritty and old school though i didn't imagine joe morello as hot. too bad this probably wont get a sequel. maybe they should have made this as a tv series?

14 the help
academy award nominated with the actresses winning awards right and left? i wanted to watch this movie and i loved it. nothing was boring and it was just beautifully made.

movies jan 2012

Movies i watched in 2012 but not necessarily released this year.

1 drive - heard good reviews abt this film so i watched it without knowing the story. Wow quite speechless. On one hand i love it bcoz it was gritty and brutal with great acting esp from ryan gosling. On the other hand it was a bit slow bcoz it felt artsy and mood was a bit dark. (Or maybe i just finished exercising and i was feeling sleepy?). My bro didnt like it (but then he liked trespass over attack the block so i would say we just have some difference in tastes).

2 sorceror and white snake
I love wu xia films and anything jet li. Im not familiar with the legend though i think thr movie is not accurate. The film is okay. Lots of effects though sometimes i feel the effects are cheesy on some parts. Love jet lis fight scenes. Not sure who is the heroine or villain in this movie I dont really like white snake, shes stubborn but i can feel her pain. And for me i think thats the main idea of the movie. There are more than 2 sides to evry story n each one has impact on the others decisions. I like the sideplot on nengren.

3 mission impossible 4: ghost protocol
I dont remember the first 3 films but i love tom cruise so i watched this and was not disappointed. Heart stopping action and the stunts n missions are really impossible! I love simon pegg as a sidekick n jeremy renner as the newbie on the team. Hopefully they push thru with mi5!

4 alvin and the chipmunks 3: chipwrecked
Surprisingly there were very few song numbers in this movie and most are slow numbers from the chipettes. As usual alvin was annoying but glad he became good halfway thru the story. I think the story centered on simon, his cheesy and greasy lines to janette were funny and its nice for him to let loose

5 sherlock holmes 2: game of shadows
I dont particular like robert downey but i think he plays a good sherlock holmes. The sequel is different from the first in that the first focused on a case but we didnt know what sherlock was thinking until the end when there where flashbacks of all things he saw. The sequel focused on his rivalry with moriarty and the eventual faceoff where they fell off the falls. This time the movie highlights the clues for the audience and even the this is what ill do fight scenes which reminds me of kato's fight sequence in the green hornet movie. The movie itself wasnt that great as there was too much action and running and lots of dragging parts but good enough to hope for a third movie.

6 underworld awakening
I remember being in awe of the first movie but i dont remember watching the second film. The third one was as action packed as the previous movie but i thought thr plot was a bit thin though considering the movie was less than 1.5 hrs thats fine. Love kate beckinsale as selene, she is so kickass! Eve was kinda scary she looked more like the exorcist kid than a hybrid. The 3d didnt really feel 3d as the objects werent popping out as much as normal 3d action flicks.. i think it was more looking like a video game or a hologram. But still fun adrenaline movie to watch!

7 my cactus heart

not really a fan of maja and matteo.. i was just curious since they hyped the movie a lot.. the first few minutes of the movie looks promising.. they tried to do some edgy, indie-ish type of scenes like the video recording to introduce the family.. but when i saw that it's going to be a "let me tell you what happened before that made me what i am today", i was a bit disappointed. the story is very simple, it just shows you how a hopeless romantic nice guy makes a commitment phobe girl fall in love with him. the scenes were a bit pa-cute in some areas and while i was expecting xian lim to be an active love triange for the two, it wasn't so as it was so obvious that maja didn't like him at all. the story is more on should i love him or will he just break my heart? the ending went back to the usual star cinema-esque finales with the running after the guy to stop him from leaving and the grand declaration. still not a bad movie, but it's not something you will want to rewatch. 

Movies 2011

I must admit im a huge movie fan. I love catching all the blockbuster movies in cinemas and watching not too popular or indie or foreign films at home. Im not a movie critic though i prefer to watch and rate a movie solely based on whether i liked it or if i would watch it again. My goal this year was to watch 100 movies either in the cinema, at home or inside the airplane. Unfortunately with simulataneously traveling for work, reading books and watching all my fave tv shows and korean dramas i wasnt able to meet my target. But thats okay.

So here are a list of the movies i watched this year in no particular order. Most were released in 2011 with a few from 2010.
1 charlie st cloud
2 love in disguise
3 lady shogun and her man
4 k-20
5 green hornet
6 the rite
7 tangled 3d
8 easy a
9 thirst
10 just go with it
11 muk gong
12 cirque du freak
13 black swan
14 i am no four
15 transformers 2
16 adjustment bureau
17 red riding hood
18 rango
19 catch me im in love
20 limitless
21 lincoln lawyer
22 how do you know
23 rio
24 taken
25 beastly
26 thor
27 king's speech
28 something borrowed
29 pirates of the caribbean 4
30 kungfu panda 2
31 i love you philip morris
32 country strong
33 the dilemma
34 arthur
35 source code
36 hall pass
37 cowboys vs aliens
38 harry potter deathly hollows
39 hop
40 xmen first class
41 paul
42 hangover 2
43 super 8
44 green lantern
44 mr popper's penguins
45 transformers 3 3d
46 captain america
47 remember me
48 sorcerors apprentice
49 larry crowne
50 one day
51 crazy stupid love
52 no strings attached
53 zombadings
54 johnny english reborn
55 the change up
56 whats your number
57 horrible bosses
58 real steel
59 bad teacher
60 in time
61 puss in boots 3d
62 tower heist
63 immortals
64 new years eve
65 tucker and dale vs evil
67 attack the block
68 trespass
69 trust
70 fright night
71 happy feet 2 3d
72 adventures of tintin 3d
73 prom

If you ask me what were the 10 movies in 2011 that i watched that left an impression on me, i would say in no particular order:
Source code
Limitless
Lincoln lawyer
Kings speech
Xmen first class
Captain america
Crazy stupid love
Zombadings
Adventures of tintin
Real steel

Special mention to green hornet - the movie wasnt that good but its jay chou's first hollywood movie and his portrayal of kato made the movie fun!

Films that i had high expectations of but got disappointed were adjustment bureau, pirates 4, cowboys vs aliens, in time, immortals.

One movie that i missed watching because i was out of town was mission impossible ghost protocol!! Grr!!

Looking forward to next year's movies!!

arthur

"I'm sorry I asked you to take care of me when what I wanted the most was to take care of you." - Arthur to Naomi. awwww..

you might think that this movie is just a slapstick comedy but surprisingly, there were very few slapstick but had several heartfelt moments.

russell brand may look like a creepy dumbass but i think he's funny and adorable and i love his british accent! i imagine that he is just like his character here (i think that's why katy perry loves him).  i like naomi, she is just like arthur, except normal (did that make sense?). i loved their humorous banter and their creative imagination. i love hobson and i felt sad when she died (she was more of a mother to him that his real mother was). ive never seen jennifer garner play a bitch - i think she secretly liked it and she looked like she was having fun playing susan. nick nolte -- ugh the nail thing was a bit gross. the mother was a bit sad but at least she redeemed herself when she finally forgave arthur and un-disowned him. luis guzman is always funny. however, there were some parts that didnt work quite well -like arthur's incessant chatter, how naomi and arthur fell in love in an instant, and the movie never explained why arthur took to drinking and i thought the movie was about arthur growing up and getting a job like he said but in the end, he became sober, got the girl and still got the money (by working in the bach charity).

lastly, i liked the soundtrack of this movie, especially the updated version of Arthur's Theme by Fitz and the Tantrums (though Christopher Cross version is still awesome). I've never fully understood the lyrics of the song but after seeing this movie, i finally understand what "if you get caught between the moon and New York City.. the best that you can do is fall in love.." meant. i couldn't find the Fitz version so i'm sharing the original version instead.

Once in your life you find her
Someone that turns your heart around
And next thing you know you're closing down the town
Wake up and it's still with you
Even though you left her way across town
Wondering to yourself, "Hey, what've I found?"

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true
If you get caught between the Moon and New York City
The best that you can do ......
The best that you can do is fall in love

Arthur he does as he pleases
All of his life, he's mastered choice
Deep in his heart, he's just, he's just a boy
Living his life one day at a time
And showing himself a really good time
Laughing about the way they want him to be

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true
If you get caught between the Moon and New York City
The best that you can do .....
The best that you can do is fall in love

When you get caught between the Moon and New York City
I know it's crazy, but it's true
If you get caught between the Moon and New York City
The best that you can do .....
The best that you can do is fall in love

rio

i watched rio last week with my brother's family, though the movie was just passable, i liked the songs since most were samba songs (the setting is in rio de janeiro of course). two songs that caught my ears:

Fly Love sung by Jamie Foxx ( i didn't realize Jamie had a nice voice)
Wasn´t really thinking, wasn´t looking , wasn´t searching
for an answer
In the moonlight
When I saw your face

Saw you looking at me, saw you peaking out from under
moon beams
Through the palm trees
Swaying in the breeze

I know that I´m feeling so much more than ever before
And so I´m giving more to you that I though I could do

Don´t know how it happened, don´t know why, but you don´t
really need a reason
When the stars shine
Just to fall in love

Made the love each other, made to be together for a life time
In the sunshine
Flying in the sky

I know that I´m feeling so much more than ever before
And so I´m giving more to you that I though I could do

Now I know love is real
So when the sky high, as the angels dry
Letting you and I fly love 


Telling the World sung by Taio Cruz (love the lyrics!!)
Every part in my heart I'm giving out 
Every song on my lips I'm singing out 
Any fear in my soul I'm letting go 
And anyone who ask I'll let them know 

She's the one, she's the one 
I say it loud 
She's the one, she's the one 
I say it proud 

Ring a bell, Ring a bell 
For the whole crowd 
Ring a bell, Ring a bell 

I'm telling the world 
That I've found a girl 
The one I can live for 
The one who deserves 

To give all my heart 
A reason to fly 
The one I can live for 
A reason for life. 

Every part in my heart I'm giving out 
Every song on my lips I'm singing out 
Any fear in my soul I'm letting go 
And anyone who ask I'll let them know 

She's the one, she's the one 
I say it loud 
She's the one, she's the one 
I say it proud 

Ring a bell, Ring a bell 
For the whole crowd 
Ring a bell, Ring a bell 

I'm telling the world 
That I've found a girl 
The one I can live for 
The one who deserves 

To give all my heart 
A reason to fly 
The one I can live for 
A reason for life 

Oe oh oe oh 
Yeah yeah 
Oe oh oe oh 
Yeah yeah 
Oe oh oe oh 
Yeah yeah

Source code

Awesome movie! A bit like avatar / inception!! First time i actually liked jake gyllenhall! I wish we all have a chance to go back and fix what we did wrong!

****SPOILER AHEAD****
i got confused with the ending though. Some are saying goodwin was in the alternate universe but i dont think so. I think that scene is in the original timeline coz that was what jake was trying to prove-- that he can save the people on the train and his text msg to goodwin was source code being even better than they assumed it to be.

Have a watch and form ur own opinions :)

how do you know?

"Most girls plan to meet a guy to love and have a baby but I don’t know if I have what it takes for every body's regular plans." - Lisa Jorgensen (Reese Witherspoon)


i'm soo disappointed with this movie :( :( i loved the trailer mainly because i can relate to reese's character - a 31 year old single gal who can't decide what she wants. i was expecting that this is a good movie given that i like reese and paul rudd (he's really really super cute in a geeky way) and i loved jack nicholson since as good as it gets. but this movie was a bit boring! there were some parts that i liked but the writing and plot was as confused as lisa (which was too bad). i didn't know if she was thinking about life after baseball or choosing which guy to be with. despite the bad storyline, i thought at least they would give a romantic climax but they didn't so i feel bitin. and i didn't see any character growth in any of them so sayang talaga!

there were some nice quotable and funny quotes throughout the movie though..


George: We are all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work
--
Lisa: When you’re in something you got to give it everything you have or else what are you doing?
--
Matty: Let me ask you something, how do you know when you’re in love? Anyone?
Baseball player: I got a way. I figure I’m in love with somebody when I wear condom with the other girl.
Matty: Holy crap I’m in love.
HAHA!
--
Psychiatrist: Happiness in life is about... finding out what you want and learning how to ask for it. 
--
Lisa: Never drink to feel better; drink to feel even better. 

frequency

i love watching this movie over and over again.. aside from the time travel and murder mystery, i love dennis quaid and jim caviesel.. i love their father-son bonding.. esp since i never got to know my own dad and i wished i could turn back time and told him not to go into the fire and he probably will still be here now...

rango

trust johnny depp to star in an animated film that's just like his weird and quirky roles...

 rango is different from the other recent animated films in that it tackles serious issues like finding oneself and saving a town, being a hero. even the jokes were witty and smart, and not the usual slapstick comedy. i loved how all the characters seemed so real and gross.. i bet the 3D would have been awesome! there were some draggy parts and even though it was a happy ending, the whole tone of the movie was just.. dark and gloomy... really just the normal unusual johnny depp that i love :)

green hornet like!

i finally got to watch green hornet last saturday with my bro and sis-in-law. despite the inane plot, too talkative seth, too old cameron, some draggy parts, i still liked the movie because it was funny. and jay chou as Kato is probably the coolest part of the movie! loved his gadgets, his martial arts, i did cringe at his English on the first few minutes, but i'm still so happy because finally if i do get to meet him in person, we can now communicate (haha, im such a dreamer!!). he also looks fat in the movie-- i think i read somewhere he was asked to gain a bit weight. oh and i wished he did a better piano piece to show off his mad piano skills. and his hair looks weird. i hope he will have more hollywood movies to come!!! :)

jay chou speaks engrish

i never thought i'd see the day that jay chou will actually learn to speak english (even if it's engrish) so i'm really really happy for him!



hope he will have more hollywood projects!!!

year of movies

4 interests that keep me up all and all night: music, movies, tv and books. for the past few months i've been blogging about my itunes list, my 100 book challenge and tv review.. so this time i thought i'd take a little time to blog about movies. i love movies. drama, foreign language, horror, romance, comedy, science fiction, classics, practically anything that sounds interesting. last year, i think i got to watch every single big movie released because i had my movie buddy L with me but ever since she moved to SG to study, my movie habits have reduced to 1 or 2 movies a month. for older movies, i catch up via my xtreamer filled with HD movies. and for classic movies, i turn on TCM on tv.

here's a rundown of the movies i've watched this year (as far as i can recall) and in no certain order:
1. leap year - watched this in the airplane, i love amy adams
2. tooth fairy - watched this in the airplane, i'll watch anything by the rock
3. when in rome - watched this in the airplane, stupid story but josh duhamel's so hot!
4. dear john - the book was better but the ending of the movie is what i wanted!
5. percy jackson and the lightning thief - percy is so cute! like a cross between chase crawford / zac efron
6. valentine's day - watched this in the airplane, nice all star cast movie. but hate that mcdreamy is mc-cheater!
7. shutter island - love love love!
8. alice in wonderland - in 3D
9. the bounty hunter - i dont really like gerard butler
10.  diary of a wimpy kid - so cute, i read all of the rest of the books!
11. clash of the titans - serious version of percy jackson
12. date night - i like mark wahlberg!
13. the joneses - interesting movie! kinda like the truman show
14. iron man 2 - i dont know why people love this but it sucked. all flash no substance. now i know why i did not watch iron man.
15. sex and the city 2 - the only reason to watch this is to be with my girl friends! i wish we will all be together even when we're old!
16. the karate kid - surprisingly, jaden smith is a pretty good actor!
17. knight and day - dont care what people say about tom cruise, he's still the man!
18. twilight saga eclipse: yawn yawn yawn
19. despicable me - watched in the plane.. so cute!!
20. inception - whoa! amazing thrilling and confusing movie!
21. dinner for schmucks - watched in the plane. i love paul rudd.
22. vampires suck - makes fun in twilight in a cheesy but still funny way
23. going the distance - cute romcom but lacked a little something
24. the town - gritty movie! love it!
25. life as we know it - nice and realistic movie. josh duhamel's hot!
26. harry potter and the deathly hollows - nice, better than last year's half blood prince
27. unstoppable - cool nonstop action
28. borat - it's so shockingly gross that i couldnt help but watch it
29. princess and the frog - its been a long time since disney came out with a nice fairy tale. love the songs!
30. bandslam - nice high school flick
31. mirrors - scary movie!!!
32. i live my life - movie starring joan crawford.. she was sooo good!

green hornet trailer

i almost forgot that jay is kato in green hornet! the trailer's out.. and i'm so excited! the movie is slated to be released next year (jan 14, 2011)..

read the article from BJ news
The Green Hornet' releases U.S trailer; Jay Chou turns into tech genius

Upcoming Hollywood action flick ‘The Green Hornet’ starring Seth Rogan, Cameron Diaz & Jay Chou released its official trailer today. In the film, Jay plays Kato, a smart tech genius who develops bizarre high-tech weapons. The film is slated to release in the U.S in January next year, and will be released in Hong Kong in early February.

The trailer is two and a half minutes long and shows many exciting scenes. Jay appears many times, evidently displaying the importance of his character. From the trailer, we can see Jay’s usual ‘cool’ style in Kato. Something also worth mentioning is his English pronunciations; it seems like a lot of hard work went into practicing English for this film.

The film was originally slated to release this year, however it has now been delayed to January 14th, 2011 due to conversion to 3D.

and here's the trailer:

wow!!! i never thought i'd see the day when jay is speaking in perfect english!! he must have practiced really hard! and he looked so cool and hot in the movie (though i hoped they changed his hair - it looks so flat and his face is also so serious and frowning.. he looks better smiling and showing his dimples!


so happy to see jay and danny both trying to make a mark in hollywood!

it's elementary

sherlock holmes - i've not a huge fan of the novels, though i have the complete hardbound set of his cases (when i was seconded to edinburgh in 2006 but didn't have time to visit the sherlock holmes museum in london, i asked my colleague who went there one weekend to buy me the hardbound set). i've been wanting to read his novels but never got round to it. the only case i ever read was the hound of the baskervilles (i was in elementary then and sad to say i dont even remember it at all).

this is the exact cover of the book that i have

Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: CRW Publishing Limited (September 2005)
Language: English
Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.4 x 2.1 inches
Product Description: This volume contains all 4 full-length novels and all 56 short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.

when i found out they're making a movie and saw the trailer, i was excited. i was sure this is going to be an amazing movie. i'm not a big fan of robert downey jr (but i know he's good), i like rachel mcadams and jude law (thought it's time he has a good role rather than just being known as the sleazy guy who cheated on sienna with the nanny and got some wannabe model pregnant last year and he doesn't even acknowledge his kid with her).

finally had the chance to watch the movie yesterday with my brother and his wife and hm... i'm speechless. literally. that's what i felt when the lights came on and the end credits started rolling. and i'm not sure that's a good thing.

Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Produced by: Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, Dan Lin
Written by: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg, Lionel Wigram (story), Arthur Conan Doyle (characters)
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Music by: Hans Zimmer
Studio: Silver Pictures, Village Roadshaw Pictures
Distributed by: Warner Bros Pictures
Release Date: January 8, 2010 (Philippines)
Running Time: 128 minutes

okay, movie-wise it was good. guy ritchie directed the movie and it reminded me of sweeney todd.. the way the whole place was kinda dark and gloomy and the setting and costumes were great, really made you feel like you were back in olden london times. acting was great - all of them were believable.. there was a great chemistry between downey and law.. the banter was funny. the story / plot was good - kept you guessing for a little bit.. but i think that's what's wrong with the film. i read up on the film and i dont think the actual case was based on an actual novel so i wouldn't say that it's because the novel was old so the plot was also..bland.. or maybe it's because ive been reading too many murder / mystery novels and watching too many police procedurals.. i thought the plot was predictable.. i mean (spoiler ahead) it was obvious there were no ghosts.. obvious that the villain didn't die of hanging (when they showed the first hanging, i thought it was weird there wasn't even a single struggle from the villain.. i mean i would think if someone was hanged he would be choking at least until he dies but he didn't - so that was the first sign). oh and the no pulse thing - it was obvious that he must have taken something to make his heart stop for a moment..i mean, they keep showing holmes experimenting on the dog.. and the whole time all i could think of was romeo and juliet.. you know that juliet fake her death thing - so i was thinking that that was what he did.

of course i'm only guessing so the rest of the movie (and it was quite long - more than 2 hours), i was just looking forward to the ending when holmes will give us the big revelation and show us how it was done. and it's funny how he was able to recreate the whole scene with just one visit to the midget's place. holmes is too good or the plot is too fake? you watch and decide. so overall, i think it's a great movie except for the plot. would i recommend people to watch it on the big screen? yes but i will not tell them it's an amazing movie and set their expectations high (they might be slightly disappointed like me). am i looking forward to the sequel? hell yes! i'm more curious about professor moriarty (and i heard brad pitt's eager to take this role!)

stage greeting, preview of "Nodame"

Today Ueno Juri, Tamaki Hiroshi and the rest of the main cast of "Nodame Cantabile: The Final Score – Part I" gathered in Tokyo, wearing the exact same outfits as in the movie, for the stage greeting and preview screening event.


Ueno led the cast into the theater, passing right next to the 4000 screaming fans who have been eagerly waiting to see the continuation of Fuji TV’s highly successful youth dorama series. This movie is the first of the 2 movies that are going to mark the end of this series about music and the love between a sensitive pianist (Ueno) and an elite musician (Tamaki).

"It’s not that easy to create such a large-scale movie packed with so much energy. I’m really excited." Ueno greeted the audience. As you know, the filming of the Nodame movies took place in 4 different European countries. Ueno was asked to share her thoughts about filming abroad and as usual she had a unique story on hand. "It was difficult in the beginning, but now I’m okay with eating pizza and pasta every day. I got used to it."

Ueno really has the same naiveté as her role in Nodame and Tamaki simply had to poke fun at her again. "Did you really just talk about food?" His thoughts about filming abroad: "I’m very happy that I got to conduct in Europe’s famous hall."

"Nodame Cantabile: The Final Score – Part I" will open on the 19th while Part II is slated for a release on April 17 next year.


kawaii-joyuu

ahhh!!! so excited!!! gyaboo!!! if you haven't watched the live action series, watch it now!!!!

of family and friendships

have been quite busy these days and the only fun thing i've done is to catch the latest movies showing in the big screen.

The Hangover
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Produced by: Todd Phillips and Daniel Goldberg
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Ed Helms, Zack Galifianakis, Heather Graham
Studio: Legendary Pictures
Distributed by: Warner Brothers
Running Time: 100 mins

The main plot follows four friends who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, only to wake up the next morning not remembering a thing and missing the groom, whose wedding is scheduled to occur the next day.

I have been wanting to watch this movie since it was released in the US on June 5, 2009, mainly because of hottie Bradley Cooper (He's Just Not Into You, Wedding Crashers, Yes Man) but also due to the comedic premise of the story. True enough, the movie did not disappoint. It was a lot of fun to watch, with lots of running and chaos as they try to retrace their steps and remember what they did the night before. The four friends had different personalities but the actors had great chemistry and worked well together. All throughout the film, it will show you bits and pieces of where they went to and what they did but every thing's mixed up until the last part where they find their digicam and played all the pics..that's when you'll find out the actual order of events. Though the story was simple (it happened in just 2 nights) but the outrageous things they did were imaginative.. from discovering a tiger in the bathroom, to the baby stashed inside the cabinet, to finding out one of the guys married a stripper. and the whole reason why they were retracing their steps? it's to look for the groom..since they didn't know where he was. when the movie finally reveals where the groom is, you would prolly go and say, "Duh!" Anyways, all's well that ends well and the groom makes it in time for the wedding and they toast to the most memorable nights of their lives. As they saying goes, "What happens in Vegas..stays in Vegas!"

The Time Traveler's Wife
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Produced by: Brad Pitt, Nick Wechsler, Dede Gardner
Starring: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
Distributed by: New Line Cinema (Warner Brothers)
Running Time: 107 mins

This romance-drama was adapted from the novel of the same name by Audrey Niffenegger. Based on the premise of The Time Traveler's Wife, a Chicago librarian (Bana) has a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel randomly. Though he often disappears from her life for long periods of time, he tries to build a romantic relationship with Clare Abshire, an artist (McAdams).

I knew about the novel but never had the chance to read it. And when i found out it was going to be made into a film with Rachel and Eric as leads, I thought that i would just watch this movie instead. I only knew the basic plot of the book so when my friend and I watched this movie last night, we had no clue how it would end. (and learning from my experience with my sister's keeper, i decided bring a box of tissue with me.. hehe).

Since the plot dealt on time travel, the scenes alternately showed Eric and Rachel at different ages, starting from how and adult Eric met then 6-yr old Rachel in the meadows, to meeting while they're both of the same age, and sometimes Eric showing up a bit older. Sometimes it was confusing to note how old Eric is since the main clues are how clean-shaven (young) or unshaven (older) he looks or if his hair is brown or showing some gray hairs. Rachel, on the other hand, mostly remained normal, as the adult Rachel, except for 2 scenes when she was 6 years old and 1 scene when she was 18 and they had their first kiss.

My friend and I felt sad for Rachel, who loved Eric so much that she married him despite knowing his condition. We felt sad whenever Eric disappears and seeing Rachel tirelessly waiting for him to come back, most often not even knowing when or if he will ever come back. For the first few months after they got married, it looked like they were doing well and getting used to the weirdness of their relationship but then two things happened that threatened their happiness: one, finding out that rachel is pregnant and she keeps losing the baby (we later find out the baby has the same time traveling condition) and two, finding out that eric will not live long. These two things were the main drivers of the story, and I was intrigued to see how it would work out. I thought how Eric died was so lame ("that's it? that's how he died?") and the movie is different in that in the other time travel movies (ex. frequency, back to the future), the time traveler usually can do something that can change the course of his life, but here, he can't do anything, even if he wanted to (ex. preventing his mom from dying in a car accident or preventing him from getting killed). On the other hand, despite him dying, the ending felt fake (unreal) when he came back again when the baby is older (years after he died).. making it look like he will never really die, he will always time travel and somehow find his way back to his family. The only thing is that he can never stay long anymore.

I had more tears flowing when i watched My Sister's Keeper (because it was about death) while this one was more of the love between husband and wife and their daughter. Nevertheless, I loved the movie, it was sort-of a happy ending yet we left the cinema with a sad heart.

(ps. i loved the little girl who played the 6 yr old...she was so pretty and it was funny how she got jealous when she found out the adult Eric is married.. of course she didn't know it was the adult her he married.. hehe)

and i love you so

Synopsis: A widowed preschool teacher still depressed over the loss of her husband strikes up a friendship with a man who has also just lost his spouse. The two help each other deal with their sadness, and soon find a new love growing between them.

Main Cast: Bea Alonzo, Derek Ramsay, Sam Milby
Director: Laurenti M. Dyogi
Writer: Jacqui Franquelli, Vanessa Valdez
Producer: Carmi Raymundo, Charo Santos-Concio, Elma S. Medua, Kara U. Kintanar, Malou N. Santos
Release Date: 2009
Released By: Star Cinema
Running Time: 2 hours

i watched this movie last thursday with my office mate, A. star cinema has been producing a better quality of movies (and love stories) for the past few years and i've watched most of them. this new one from bea and sam is just like the typical love story except that this movie was tackling a more serious issue than the fluffy cheesy pinoy romances. the movie started easily, showing how bea and derek met until they got married and derek later died. i dont think derek and bea had much chemistry, i felt that their scenes were too cheesy that i was cringing a bit. i guess they need to show that derek was the perfect husband and they were so in love that bea could not move on after he died.

then enter sam milby. the hot and sexy, long haired motorcycle-riding playboy, who "lost" his wife recently. he needed a place to stay and rented bea's marital condo. from the first moment sam met bea, he was definitely interested, while bea was still the grieving widow. they started fighting, with bea being feisty and uptight while sam was dashing with a devil-may-care attitude. eventually they became close until they fell in love. well, sam fell first while bea kept denying her feelings because she thinks she is betraying her late husband's memory. then came the twist (sam mentioned early on that his wife didnt die, they separated because he caught her cheating with her ex) when his wife came back begging him for a second chance. this of course shocked bea and she got angry with sam (sam did tell her about it before but bea fell asleep and didnt hear his story).

the audience will learn that sam's wife still loved her ex but sam pushed her too fast that she married him when she was clearly not over her ex. sam felt anguished that he was second best in his marriage and now he is still second best against bea's late husband (who bea wont forget) that he finally told bea to stop longing for derek because he will never come back. and that he is here, he loves her and he doesn't want to be second best any longer. bea finally realising this, let derek go but then told sam that she doesn't want to get in a relationship with him unless she fully loves him and so they went their separate ways.

a few years later, they met again and this time they finally got together. of course, this is a star cinema movie! of course the end will be a happy ending :) filipino movies have been dropping a lot of quotable quotes lately (esp one more chance with john lloyd and bea) and this one had some memorable quotes ("just because you loved him longer doesn't mean i love him any less" and bea's long monologue for sam). after a series of hits with love team john lloyd (who was successful in his last 2 pairing with sarah geronimo), this movie showed that bea is capable of making it on her own without john lloyd. she was the perfect match to sam's character. i think they had a lot of chemistry, but i dont think her acting was any better than her previous movies. derek was an eye candy but he still can't act. sam, meanwhile improved a lot. he just need to learn to speak straight tagalog with the american accent and speak less english or it ruins his speech.

the soundtrack was a bit dramatic on some parts and was unnecessary, and there were some shots that were awkward. bea's friends were funny (candy and the big toothed girl - providing lots of laugh out loud moments).

i also liked how they showed how different people react to similar situation. for ex, while bea couldn't stop crying and mourning over the loss of her husband, sam was out playing the field with different girls after his wife cheated on him. it was realistic take on what could actually happen.

overall, this is a solid movie, a mix of cheesy romance, heartfelt dialogue and funny moments. a definite watch for pinoy movie goers :)