| Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Animation |
Gawd I hated this movie! Not because it wasn't good, I haven't even watched it then! It's just that when this film came out in Blu-Ray format, it won't play on our Samsung players. Everyday, i take calls from consumers complaining about this film.  So I decided to give it a shot this time. It was one of the most entertaining animated films I've ever seen. And it's also one of the top films of 2007. I wasn't disappointed. It was a very heartwarming and inspirational film. It tackles friendship, loyalty, family and doing whatever it is you want and being whoever it is you want to be without having to pretend to be someone you're not. I would definitely recommend this to everyone.  | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Comedy |
Wow. This movie was really fun to watch. There were no dull moments on the film. The lead actor (same one on My Sassy Girl) really is for comedy. Story revolves around a rock band leader who was offered a solo career in the city. He thought he was going to be a big time rocker, he ended up singing romantic love songs. Funny scenes follow. IDK why it is never talked about, unlike other K-Films. I'd recommend this film.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
I enjoyed this K-film. It didn't dwell too much on the romance. I liked that the director built up the characters so the viewers can relate to them. It's a nice film. Give it a shot.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Other |
Hm. I promised Ching I'd write a review for Cloverfield so she could copy it and repost it on her Multiply site.
So here goes. Think Godzilla. And Blair Witch Project. You get Cloverfield. The film is mainly from a hand-held camera's POV, meaning shaking and fuzziness takes over the screen.
Plotwise, the story is really not about the monster attacking Manhattan, it's a love story. It just so happens that a monster was at the same site as the characters. The movie is definitely original, I'd give it that. BUT, it wasn't what I was expecting.
Story revolves around: ROB: the guy who'll be taking off for Japan the day after. He has his brother, JASON: the guy who planned the farewell party for his brother. Jason has a girlfriend, LILY: who did everything and took care of the party. She invited her friend, MARLENA: played by the same actress who did Janice Ian (Mean Girls). who is being secretly liked by HUD: the cameraman. without him, the film is nothing. While filming, Hud finds out that Rob is in love with BETH: the girl who slept with Rob.
You get less than 5 looks at the monster, most of the movie is running around, hearing screams, shots of the ground. You go nowhere. It's not an awful film, but it's definitely bad.
I suggest you pass on this one, and if you really have to see it, be sure to be as far away from the screen as possible.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
PLOT: The film stars Jun Ji-hyun as Officer Kyung-jin Yeo, an ambitious young female police officer serving on the Seoul police department. One day while chasing a purse snatcher, she accidentally captures Myung-woo Ko (played by Jang Hyeok), a physics teacher at an all-girls school, who was actually trying to catch the thief. Later, Myung-woo discovers the stolen purse, but just as he picks it up, Kyung-jin spots him and tries to arrest him again. Kyung-jin is then given the job of escorting Myung-woo through a dangerous district, only to be distracted when she tries to break up a meeting between Russian Mafia and Korean gangsters. With Myung-woo handcuffed to her, Kyung-jin almost single-handedly brings down the two rival gangs (although she is helped when she accidentally causes the groups to start shooting at each other).
The first half of the film, told from Myung-woo's point of view, details the couple's growing attraction and love for each other, which climaxes with a trip to the countryside where Myung-woo tells Kyung-jin that if he were to ever to die, he wanted to come back to earth as the wind. Soon after, he is almost killed in a freak automobile accident, but Kyung-jin saves his life.
The film takes a turn into the fantasy genre in its second half, after Myung-woo is accidentally shot by another officer, which Kyung-jin thinks that it was her shot, to death as Kyung-jin chases an insane criminal. Kyung-jin falls into a suicidal depression over his death and attempts to kill herself several times, finally almost succeeding when she throws herself off a building, only to be saved when a giant balloon floats under her. Soon after, she experiences visitations from Myung-woo, who appears as the wind, sending her messages and, at one point, he even appears in her dreams in order to give her the will to live after she is nearly shot to death by a criminal.
Ultimately the film follows a similar path set out by the American film Ghost with Myung-woo and Kyung-jin communicating and sharing one final gesture of love before he moves on to the afterlife. Myung-woo said that he will whisper, when she hear him whisper in the wind, she will meet someone with a soul like him. Myung-woo told Kyung-jin that he always beside her, which a book and a photo left by Myung-woo in the restaurant before he rushed to meet Kyung-jin who was chasing the insane criminal.
In the first half of the film, Myung-woo told that his only memory was his high school trip. The book and the photo is found and returned to Kyung-jin in the police station. The photo show that Myung-woo trip and nearby was Kyung-jin. This proved Myung-woo "I always beside you." to Kyung-jin. Kyung-jin rush out to find the finder, till in the train station, where she is saved by Cha Tae-Hyun (credited as The Guy) in the train station, Myung-woo whispered that The Guy is the one that with the soul like him. Kyung-jin whisper that "He is always beside her.".
REVIEW: I don't know if I've just been overwhelmed with the previous flick I've seen (Sex Is Zero), but this movie is guddang too long. Since My Sassy girl had the same director (and the same lead actress), I assumed that Windstruck would be somewhat similar, if not alike, My Sassy girl. Boy, was I wrong. What I got was a long movie, with few kilig moments, and a lot of action scenes (and unexplainable ones too). I ended up asking myself "I thought the movie was about to end?!? WTF?!?! What was that guy doing there?!?! Was it all a dream?!? Was this before My Sassy Girl?!?!" etc. Anyway, it failed. For me, that is. Tsktsk. Waste of time, skip this one.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
Ah. Think of American Pie made in Korea, all with the obscene jokes, more nudity a a whole lotta morals. That's Sex Is Zero. It follows the exploits of curious college students and the consequences they have to undergo for their actions. It may look like a totally shallow Korean romantic comedy, but there is a real lesson in this film. This may be the best Korean movie I've ever encountered... So far...
***UPDATE: Heard a sequel's out. With a lot of the original cast still intact.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
This is actually a good movie. It's fun watching Korean romantic comedies mainly because they don't require you to stress out your brain cells. They're just produced to entertain and loosen up the viewers, which this film has successfully accomplished.
Simple plot. A pathological liar has just gotten out of prison in time for her big sister's wedding. While on prison, she got good on doing woodwork, and she actually made a wooden goose to give to her sister for the wedding (I have no idea, but it seems that the goose will be good luck to the newlyweds. It's also supposed to be given by the parents, but since the sisters' parents are dead, the other sister is the one who should be giving it. I have no idea about this. Whatever.). So the girl (let's call her Girl, coz I'm not really good with korean names.) goes off to her sister aboard a train. On the trip, he comes across a Boy, a pharmacist who's carrying with him an engagement ring, a family heirloom, which he's off to give to his girlfriend. The ring fell, some hurting and bashing happened. But they were able to sort things out. A snatcher was aboard the train too and managed to steal the ring from the Boy. The Girl left the train to get back the ring, but by doing so, she was left by the train. Her bags was with the boy. From the brief introduction they had, the Girl had an idea of where the boy was from. So she took off and she found out that the Boy was the mayor's son. In hopes of finding the Boy there and getting her bags back (which had the goose), she ventured unto the Boy's hometown where she was mistaken by the Boy's family as his soon-to-be-wife-whom-he-got-pregnant. Funny scenes and hilarious script follow. The Girl managed to lie her way out of everything and the actress was very very convincing.
I had no idea Koreans could be this violent. And to their own family members. But it was entertaining to watch. Of course, there were dull moments but still, this movie is one I would recommend.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Comedy |
Eh. Sean William Scott had his time. He was not even the least funny here. He's gotten from uberly funny to downright bleh. Susan Sarandon is still beautiful for me, though it looks like she could use some sleep. And Billy Bob Thornton? Simply annoying.
The plot was, as for all other comedies, shallow and predictable. But what makes a great comedy differ from Mr. Woodcock? The comedic moments. This film had nada for me. I didn't even snicker.
Verdict: ~ won't really recommend it. If you thought Sean William was funny as ahell in American Pie, stick with American Pie to avoid major disappointment.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
Ha-yeong is dumped by her boyfriend on the 100th day of their relationship, an important milestone for every couple. Hyeong-jun is a wealthy and handsome man who melts women wherever he goes, but is not interested in dating. One day, as the later is driving his luxury car, the two will meet. Disgruntled by her recent rejection, Ha-yeong kicks a soda can out of frustration, which finds its way onto Hyeong-jun's head. Startled by the impact, he loses control of his car and scratches it against a wall. When Ha-yeong is unable to pay for the damages, he persuades her to repay him by signing a contract that binds her to his service for 100 days. What happens next is strictly by the (silly) book and inevitably, they both start having feelings for one another.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
Angie (Judy Ann Santos) and Jed (Ryan Agoncillo) are first-time parents who experience the joys and pains of raising a child. They realize that parenthood is extremely demandingthat they learn to sacrifice their own interests for their baby.
One day, Jed has to go abroad for a business convention. Angie decides to go along, leaving their child with their friends. This is when their mothers (Gloria Diaz and Gina Pareño) come in and take turns taking care of their child, which led to a total disaster.
When they go back, Jed and Angie are confronted with their mothers' personal issues. They realize that only after they have done their role as children can they understand the true meaning of being a parent.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Animation |
After a train rescue that left a hundred people injured, a series of lawsuits has forced superheroes, known as "Supers," into a government-sponsored program similar to witness protection in exchange for a promise to stop all superhero work.
Fifteen years later, two superheroes, Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) and Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) have married and settled into relatively normal lives. Now known as Bob and Helen Parr, they have a house in the suburbs and are raising three kids, Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dashiell ("Dash") (Spencer Fox) and baby Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile). Violet and Dash each have superpowers like their parents, while it seems as if Jack-Jack is a normal baby without powers.
Bob is frustrated with the drudgery of his job as a claims adjuster for a corrupt insurance company called Insuricare and secretly helps deserving clients to find loopholes to get their payments. He dreams of returning back to his glory days of superheroism, going so far as to moonlight as a crimefighter by listening to a police scanner with his friend Lucius - another former super called Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). When Helen finds out, it causes an argument. Bob hates having to hide their gifts, and wants to return to the heroics of the old days, while Helen is concerned about keeping the family together and not having to start over again by going into hiding in a brand new location.
Eventually Mr. Huph (Wallace Shawn), Bob's miserly boss, suspects Bob is helping clients and reprimands him. During the lecture, Bob notices a person being mugged in the street. Mr. Huph stops Bob from going to the victim's aid, threatening to fire him, and the mugger escapes. Bob is furious, and when Huph smugly begins lecturing again, Bob grabs him by the neck and hurls him through several office walls. Huph is hospitalized and Bob is fired.
While Bob is trying to figure out how to tell Helen, Mirage (Elizabeth Peña), a mysterious agent, contacts him and offers highly-paid work: subduing a renegade robot, the Omnidroid 8000, on Nomanisan, an uncharted volcanic island. Bob takes the assignment, hiding both the loss of his job and the renewal of hero work from Helen. Bob defeats the Omnidroid from the inside, damaging his supersuit slightly from the battle, and becomes much happier. When he takes his suit to its designer, flamboyant Edna Mode (Brad Bird), for repair, she creates for him a brand-new suit; she is adamant about only one detail: "No capes!" She points out how several super heroes met untimely deaths because their capes were sucked into jet turbines (Stratogale), snags on missile fins (Thunderhead), express elevator trouble (Meta-Man), sucked into vortexes (Splashdown), snagged on takeoff (Dynaguy) and many more. Unbeknownst to him, she also creates suits for his entire family.
Two months later, Mirage calls Bob with a new assignment. Helen overhears the call, but does not realize its full implications or content. When Bob returns to the island, he is ambushed and defeated by an improved version of the Omnidroid prototype robot. He is held captive there by Syndrome (Jason Lee), once a young fan named Buddy Pine. Buddy once wanted to be Mr. Incredible's sidekick, but was harshly rejected "learning an important lesson: you can't count on anyone, especially your heroes". Embittered, he made a fortune in high-tech weapons technology. He then invented the Omnidroid, a robot designed to kill supers. Bob manages to escape from Syndrome and discovers that Syndrome has killed many of his superhero friends in the process of developing the Omnidroid, and is now planning on unleashing the robot into the city of Metroville where it will cause mass destruction, with only Syndrome able to stop it.
Back at home, Helen notices that Bob's old super suit has recently been repaired. She visits Edna and learns that he has resumed superhero work. With a call to Insuricare she also realizes that Bob is no longer employed. Edna has also created super suits for Helen and the children, and advises her to take control of the situation.
Helen activates the homing device Edna built into Bob’s super suit, which reveals his location to both her and Syndrome (who recaptures him). She heads for the island in a jet plane, on which Violet and Dash have stowed away, after leaving Jack-Jack at home with a babysitter, Kari. Syndrome, meanwhile, tortures Bob for information and launches a missile attack against Helen's airplane. Helen and the kids manage to escape unharmed, and swim to the island, though everyone on the island believes they are killed. Bob grabs Mirage and threatens to kill her unless Syndrome frees him; Syndrome calls this bluff, and Bob releases her unharmed, remaining Syndrome's prisoner.
While Helen infiltrates Syndrome's base, the new and improved Omnidroid 10000 is launched on a rocket towards its target, Metroville. In Syndrome’s base, a grateful Mirage secretly frees Bob just before Helen arrives. The two superheroes rush to find their children, who are fighting off Syndrome’s henchmen. A battle ensues, wherein the family cooperates to defeat their attackers. However, Syndrome arrives and captures the Incredibles using his zero-point energy fields. Syndrome then explains his plan: to save Metroville from his own Omnidroid and thereby become a hero. He then leaves the Incredibles in an energy prison. Violet’s force fields allow them to escape, however. With Mirage’s help they depart for the mainland after Syndrome.
In Metroville, Syndrome attempts to stop the Omnidroid's destructive rampage, but the robot figures out the nature of his remote control and knocks him unconscious. The Incredibles and Frozone fight the robot. Together, they are able to get the Omnidroid to disable itself. The town applauds them for their achievements; the possibility of superheroes coming out of hiding is mentioned and for the government to "let the politicians figure it out". Syndrome wakes up to find that the Incredibles have stolen his glory.
The Incredibles return home to find that Syndrome is kidnapping Jack-Jack. As Syndrome attempts to fly up to his jet using his rocket boots, Jack-Jack suddenly reveals his super powers by transforming into fire, metal, and then an imp-like monster. Syndrome drops Jack-Jack, who is caught by Helen, and attempts to flee. Bob hurls the family car into the jet; Syndrome is knocked into the turbine and is killed when his cape is caught in the engine and pulls him in -- just as Edna might have warned him. Violet then protects the family from the raining flames and debris as the jet explodes, much to the amazement of their young neighbor, who responds with the words "That was totally WICKED!!".
Three months later, the family is much happier; even Bob is content with their civilian life. Dash is running in a track meet; he carefully controls his use of super-speed and finishes in second place. Violet, who formerly felt alienated to the point of using her hair to hide her face, is found with her hair pulled back and successfully asking her friend Tony for a date to the movies, with Tony getting nervous instead of Violet. As they walk out of the sports complex, a new villain, The Underminer (John Ratzenberger), rises from the ground and declares "war on peace and happiness.” The movie ends as the family members, including Jack-Jack, put on their masks and prepare to fight.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
Kang Han-na (Kim Ah-jung) is an overweight phone sex employee and a secret vocalist for Ammy, a famous Korean pop singer who actually lip syncs as she cannot sing. Instead of being famous for her own amazing vocal talent, Han-na hides behind Ammy's performance stage and sings during Ammy's concerts, and records all of Ammy's songs. One day, Ammy ungratefully humiliates her in front of the music company's director Sang-jun (Ju Jin-mo) during his birthday party, knowing full well that Han-na has a crush on him. While crying in the bathroom, Han-na overhears Sang-jun telling Ammy that even though they are just using Han-na for her voice, they must be kind to her so she will not walk out on them. Heartbroken, Han-na contemplates suicide but is interrupted by a phone call from one of her phone sex regulars who happens to be a top cosmetic surgeon. She decides to get a head-to-toe makeover instead. The surgeon at first refuses to operate on Han-na, but Han-na blackmails that she will tell the surgeon's wife about his calls. Then, Han-na makes a moving speech that she does not want to undergo surgery merely to be beautiful, but for the sake of love and as a boost in confidence, and the surgeon is deeply moved. Han-na puts herself in seclusion for a year as she recovers from the changes.
When she comes back from the hospital, Han-na is incredibly beautiful and slender. No one, not even her best friend, Chung-min, recognizes her. With Chung-min's help, she creates a new identity for herself; she is now a Korean-American from California named Jenny. After auditioning to be Ammy's secret vocalist again, she earns her own recording contract instead from Sang-jun, claiming that she is "all-natural". In the meantime, Ammy, oblivious just like everyone else of Han-na's new identity, desperately tries to find Han-na so that she can record her own postponed album (since she cannot sing the songs herself) by spending time with Hanna's father who is in a hospital with some mental problems, possibly Alzheimer's. Through spending time with Han-na's father, she eventually realizes that this new Jenny is actually Han-na in disguise. Meanwhile, romance begins to blossom between "Jenny" and Sang-Jun. During a date one night, as sparks fly, Jenny supposedly stripped for Sang-Jun in the character of a nurse [not shown on camera, of course] After Jenny has fallen asleep, he realizes that the tattoo Jenny had on her hip was a sign he had seen before. He remembers that when Han-na still existed and he had not met "Jenny" yet, Han-na had drawn the exact same signs on a sheet of music. Then he adds all of the signs up and realizes as well that "Jenny" is actually Kang Han-na but he keeps this information to himself.
"Jenny's" debut single 'Maria' becomes a hit and the recording company holds a party to celebrate its release. On the day of a party however, Ammy brings "Jenny's" father, in an attempt to blow Han-na's cover. Han-na's father tries to return Han-na's Barbie doll to her, which has always been Han-na's favourite childhood gift from him. Startled by the sudden appearance of her father and not knowing how to react in front of all the people, including Sang-jun, Han-na denies knowing her father and calls him a fan instead when Sang-jun asks her if the old man is her guest. As her father keeps on insisting on giving the doll to Han-na, Sang-jun drags him away from Jenny and accidentally knocks him down onto the floor. Desperate to keep her true identity a secret, Han-na made no move to help her father. It was Chung-min who finally helps him up and leads him away from the party.
After the party, Sang-jun and 'Jenny' were the only ones left in the room. Sang-jun reveals to 'Jenny' that he knows her true identity but is now cold and distant. He seems to be unable to forgive her for lying to him but says that he will still work to promote 'Jenny' and carry on with her concert scheduled the next day. Han-na breaks down at this point, heartbroken and unable to pretend to be someone else anymore. Han-na tells him that it is incredibly frustrating and painful not being able to be just be herself but have to live a lie, especially in front of him. The surgery that took a whole year to recover from was not nearly as painful as realising that she still could not be close to Sang-jun.
The day of "Jenny's" first concert, Jenny breaks down from the pressure of losing her friend and father and reveals to the public that Jenny is a "fake," and that she is not "all-natural", as she had claimed, but is "plastic". However, nobody seems to believe her. She proceeds tearfully to tell the large crowd her story: how she has abandoned everything that is dear to her - her best friend and father - to get to where she is. She also tells the crowd about how along the way to fame and fortune she has also lost her own identity and that she now no longer knows who she is. Just then, the screens behind her on the stage started to show a clip of the old, obese Han-na, singing angelically. Han-na turns around and sees her old image and tells the crowd that the image is the real her. The crowd, moved by her sincere confession, responds by chanting "It's okay," and Han-na rekindles her relationships with her father and best friend. She drops the stage name "Jenny" and re-releases a CD with her own name, Hanna, and becomes a highly successful music artist, gaining many anti-fans as well as loyal fans along the way. Sang-jun realizes the very thing about Han-na that had always drawn her to him - Han-na's innocence.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Romantic Comedy |
Part one
The film tells the story of a male college student, Gyeon-woo (Cha Tae-Hyun) and the Girl (Jun Ji-hyun) whose name is never given in the movie. Gyeon-woo just cannot seem to catch a romantic break. His prospects are so pathetic that even his mother tries to help out, telling him to go visit his aunt for two reasons. First, because Gyeon-woo reminds his aunt of her son who drowned not too long ago, second, so his aunt can introduce him to the girl who used to date her son. Gyeon-woo repeatedly puts off going to see his auntie.
The movie begins with Gyeon-woo on top of a mountain, speaking wistfully about a girl he knew two years ago that had buried a time capsule with him on that mountain. She had never returned like she'd promised. Next, we see Gyeon-woo at a photo studio, having his passport photo taken. He is called by his aunt so that she can finally introduce him to the girl she's been trying to set him up with for many years. The movie then flashes back to the past.
The next scene shows Gyeon-woo at a restaurant with some of his friends. He is interrupted by a call from his mother telling him to go meet the girl that his aunt wants to set him up with. He refuses and continues to eat with his friends. At the train station on his way home, he observes a girl, stone drunk, standing precariously close to the edge of the train platform as the train approaches; he pulls her to safety just in time. Inside the train, Gyeon-woo cannot help but stare at the girl wavering back and forth. He is slightly attracted to her but also repulsed by her drunkenness. Finally, she throws up on a passenger and faints—but not before she calls Gyeon-woo "honey". The old man aggressively chides Gyeon-woo and tells him to take care of his girlfriend. Gyeon-woo, completely flustered, carries her all the way to the nearest motel. While he is showering, her cell phone rings. Stark naked he runs out to answer it and informs the caller of their location. Very soon, just as Gyeon-woo realises there are no towels in the shower, a pair of women police officers burst into the room and he is taken to jail.
After getting out of jail—where he was bullied by gangsters—he goes home. His mother chastises him with a vacuum cleaner for not turning up at his aunt's and there is a brief flashback of his lifetime failings as a student. He receives a call from the Girl demanding he meet her and explain why he was naked in bed with her. The Girl's dominating and demanding tone during the telephone call establishes her typical posture as a xanthippe, an attitude she maintains throughout the film. Both at the takeaway joint and at the bar to which she drags him she tells him to order, criticises his choices and then tells him what to order. Over soju she cries, admits to breaking up with her boyfriend the day before and gets thoroughly drunk, resulting in another trip to the previous motel.
After this second overnight stay at the motel, she begins to become a more active part of his life. She visits Gyeon-woo in school and manages to get him to hang out with her. In one sitution she obtains permission from a teacher by claiming she needs him to accompany her on the way to an abortion, with Gyeoon-woo being the father. Her mood swings wildly from joyful to downright violent but Gyeon-woo puts up with it and lets her abuse him for her amusement.
She is an aspiring scriptwriter and throughout the movie gives Gyeon-woo three different screenplays from different genres. The first is an action movie—The Demolition Terminator—which switches gender roles, symbolically having the Girl save her helpless lover (Gyeon-woo). The second is a wild perversion of a Korean short story—Sonagi—in which the Girl, having died, asks that her lover be buried along with her—even though he's still alive. The resulting situation is quite humorous. The last is a wuxia/samurai movie spoof full of genre clichés and anachronisms. All three feature the same common thread: the Girl is from the future.
Despite all the horrible things, Gyeon-woo endures; he is determined to help cure the girl's pain. So, no matter what happens, he bites his tongue and trudges on. During one adventure he decides to surprise her for her birthday and takes her on a nighttime trip to a amusement park which ends up quite differently than how he planned: The pair encounter an AWOL soldier who holds them hostage and rants about his misery. Gyeon-woo convinces him to release her, and she in turn convinces the soldier to free Gyeon-woo and go on with his life. Throughout the first half of the movie she is resolute in her pain, dishing it out in plenty. As the second half comes around, however, she begins to change: she shows vulnerability.
[edit] Part two
The second-more dramatic-half of the movie begins with the Girl waiting for Gyeon-woo after class. They are walking through the university campus when she suddenly complains about the pain caused by her high-heels and convinces Gyeon-woo to switch shoes with her. Overjoyed, she tells him to chase her, which he does wearing her high heels. It starts raining and they return to her home. At her house Gyeon-woo overhears an impassioned argument between the girl and her mother over her relationship with him. He does not hear from her for quite some time and his life without her begins.
However, one day she calls him and tells him to bring her a rose during class to commemorate their 100th-day anniversary. He does this, leading to a touching and romantic scene where he arrives incognito and is about to leave the packed auditorium but is led to the front by the beautiful melody of George Winston's variations on Pachelbel's Canon in D. The Girl is onstage playing a piano in front of an audience of her all-female classmates who applaud in approval at his romantic gesture - a similar gesture, the viewer is later informed, was performed by her previous boyfriend. As the night further unfolds he is confronted at her house by her parents. Her father is naturally infuriated that she is drunk again and demands a break-up.
Time passes and one day the Girl calls Gyeon-woo to meet her for dinner. When he arrives he is surprised to see her with a date. The Girl introduces Gyeon-woo to him as "her friend." During dinner, the Girl leaves the table briefly, leaving Gyeon-woo and her date by themselves. Gyeon-woo candidly offers advice on how to ensure her happiness by following ten rules. He devised his rules from considerable pain, dedication and devotion to the Girl. When she returns her date begins to explain the rules. It is at this point that she realizes just how well Gyeon-woo understands and cares for her. She abruptly leaves her date and searches for Gyeon-woo. Once reunited the two realise they are at a turning point in their relationship.
They travel to a mountain in the countryside where she unveils a time capsule. During the previous night the couple wrote their true feelings in letters which the Girl says will be buried next to a particular tree on the mountain. They agree to meet again at the tree to read the letters together. After burying the time capsule they go their separate ways.
During the two year span, Gyeon-woo works hard to improve himself in many ways, even writing My Sassy Girl which someone has bought the movie rights to, an event he eagerly anticipates telling the Girl about. When the agreed upon date arrives, he travels to the mountain but the Girl does not show up. Eventually, he opens the time capsule and reads her letter and learns the root of her angst and behavior: Gyeon-woo reminds her of her previous boyfriend who, rather than breaking up with her, actually died before she met Gyeon-woo. All through the time the Girl and Gyeon-woo were seeing each other she had been seeing her dead boyfriend's mother, who wants to introduce her to a nice young man.
One year after Gyeon-woo visits the tree, the Girl finally arrives. Sitting under the tree is an old man. During their conversation the old man reveals the secret of the tree, that it is not the same tree; the original tree had been struck and killed by lightning a year before and a similar tree had been planted by a young man so that someone special wasn't sad, and that he has read the letters. The Girl says she had hoped that destiny would bring the couple together during the two years.
The film then cuts to Gyeon-woo entering a subway station, wearing the same suit he was wearing at the beginning of the movie. The flashback has ended and continuity is resumed from right after Gyeon-woo leaves the photo-studio. Gyeon-woo is caught outside the shutting doors of a train, presumably ignorant at first of the Girl's presence on the train but after a few seconds of staring he seems to realise whom it is he sees from behind. As the train pulls out he runs along but has to give up.
At lunch with her dead boyfriend's mother after a year-and-a-half, the Girl is surprised to hear a familiar voice apologise for his lateness. The mother introduces her nephew Gyeon-woo whom she has been trying to introduce to the Girl for years. The mother/aunty tells the Girl to go out with him, he'll make things easier for her and then tells Gyeon-woo that the Girl can give advice to him about his impending trip to England but Gyeon-woo replies, "I don't have to go now." The pair hold hands under the table and the Girl says she thinks she met a man from the future (Gyeon-woo's future self).
(The final shot shows the pair in their activity from earlier in the film, dressed in school uniforms going into a bar. In the first bar scene, they hid their faces and presented fake IDs; this time, however, they proudly show off their IDs, indicating that they are now old enough to legally enter a bar.)   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Mystery & Suspense |
The man who has everything has everything to hide.
Watched this movie online. What got me was the poster. I thought I was in for a psychological mystery thriller. Oh boy, was I wrong. Mr. Brooks has potential. Given the right direction, it would have been a success. I know you haven't heard of it, but I think's it's all good. I wasted 1 1/2 hours for this movie. There was not a scene thaw was exciting. Everything was laid out for the viewer. No synapses needed. You just have to keep your eyes open and listen. Or you can just read the plot right here.
Earl Brooks is an upstanding business owner and family man, recently honored as the Portland Chamber of Commerce’s Man of the Year. In his secret life, Earl is a serial killer, hounded by his id, manifested as the gleefully sadistic alter ego Marshall. While he has refrained from killing for the last two years, Brooks feels the urge rising once again and, spurred on by Marshall, murders a couple in their home. Despite inadvertently killing them while their curtains are open, Earl follows his meticulous modus operandi, destroying all clothing and cleaning up the crime scene before departing.
The next day Earl attends his weekly meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, where he vaguely reveals his addiction without elaborating on the nature. Soon afterwards, Earl’s daughter Jane returns home, having abruptly dropped out of Stanford. When pressed on her motives for abandoning college, Jane reveals that she’s pregnant, but Earl fears his daughter is hiding a much worse secret. Even more worrisome is the appearance of “Mr. Smith”, a peeping tom who photographed Earl murdering the dancing couple. Fully aware of Earl's “Thumbprint Killer” alter ego, Smith demands to accompany Earl on his next murder, which Earl agrees to. As they troll for a victim, however, Smith becomes frustrated with Earl's meticulous preparations and nervous over Portland Detective Tracy Atwood, chief investigator of the Thumbprint Killer case who hounds Smith at every turn, suspecting he's hiding something. Tracy herself is distracted by personal problems, including a messy divorce from her sleazy ex-husband and escaped serial killer Meeks who abducts and nearly kills her before she escapes.
One day, Earl is shocked to find detectives outside his house, only to realize they are interested in speaking with his daughter, who left school following the murder of a student with a hatchet. Jane pleads innocence during questioning, but Earl realizes that his daughter may be guilty and afflicted with the same “addiction” he has. To deflect suspicion, he travels to her college campus in disguise and replicates the hatchet murder, making it appear the two murders are the work of a serial killer. At the same time, Earl and Marshall form a plan to address Mr. Smith's blackmail scheme, while researching Detective Atwood's background. Earl reevaluates his own life and decides that the best course of action for his family and friends is that he be murdered, a decision that infuriates Marshall. The plan involves taking Mr. Smith out on a promised thrill killing which would give Smith the confidence to kill Earl, to tie up loose ends. Meanwhile, Tracy gets a search warrant for Mr. Smith’s apartment, believing him to be the Thumbprint Killer, but finds it empty, containing only an invoice with the furniture's forwarding address. Upon investigating the address, she discovers it to be Meeks' hideout. In the ensuing gunfight, Tracy injures both Meeks and his girlfriend, who commit suicide rather than be arrested.
Earl and Smith infiltrate a high-rise apartment and murder another couple, revealed as Atwood's ex-husband and his divorce attorney. Smith, who urinates all over the floor out of nervousness, is now exhilarated by the killings, pulls a gun on Earl, who reveals his intention to die at Smith's hands and spare his family the shame of his eventual arrest. The two arrive at a cemetary, where Earl stands in front of an open grave and beckons Smith to shoot him. Smith squeezes the trigger, but the gun doesn't fire. Earl, who reveals that he disabled Smith's gun should he change his mind, reveals that he wants to live to see his grandchild. Earl murders Smith with a shovel and rolls him into the grave. With Smith’s urine providing the only DNA sample of the Thumbprint Killer, Earl is beyond suspicion. After the killings, Earl returns to his normal life, anonymously calling Atwood and telling her that the killings are over, before hanging up. Later that night, Earl goes upstairs to bed, stopping in his daughter's bedroom. As he kisses his sleeping daughter, her eyes shoot open, and she stabs him in the neck with a pair of scissors and watches him bleed to death. Earl wakes up, shuddering at the nightmare, and prays feverishly as the film ends.
final jury: watch some other movie. skip this.   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Horror |
Welcome to Barrow, Alaska. The Top of the World. For 30 days, the sun never reaches this place. So it's a month of total darkness. Hence, the title. This is a movie about vampires. And of love.
This movie has introduced a new "breed" of vampires. These vampires are more of the Blade-type-vampires. They're vicious, messy, fast, and they squeal. They're freaky vampires. Freakier than, uhm, Blade vampires. Even freakier than, no, zombies from Dawn of The Dead are a lot freakier. The vampires here are a cross between Blade-vampires and Robert De Niro.
To summarize, Barrow, Alaska, a small town on the Arctic circle, is preparing for its annual "30 days of night," a period during the winter when the sun will not be seen. People who don't want to suffer the extended darkness leave for Fairbanks or other parts south. As the town gets ready, The Stranger, rows ashore from a larger ship, then trudges towards Barrow. Once he arrives, he sets about sabotaging the town. He steals and destroys most of the cell phones, destroys the town's only helicopter and kills all of the sled dogs.
Barrow's sheriff, Eben Oleson investigates these crimes. As he does so, he learns that his estranged wife, Stella, who moved out of town awhile ago, missed the last plane out of town and will have to spend the 30 day period in Barrow. Although they try to avoid one another, when Eben confronts The Stranger in the town diner, she helps subdue him and take him to the station house.
From the jail cell, The Stranger taunts Eben, Stella, Eben's teenage brother, Jake, and grandmother, telling them that death is coming for them. Just then, vampires attack the local telecommunications center and power supply, rendering the town dark and cut off from the outside world. Eben goes to the telecommunications center and finds the operator's head on a spike. He and Stella then go through town, trying to find the ones responsible for the gruesome crimes.
Meanwhile, the vampires, led by Marlow attack the town. Marlow speaks in an ancient, gutteral language; the other vampires shriek. Unless they are shot in the head, bullets are useless against them, and they slaughter most of the town, including Eben's grandmother. Those who survive congregate in the diner. The vampires attack Eben and Stella but Beau Brower, the local snowplow driver, rescues them. They too go to the diner. Everyone decides to go to the boarded up house of someone who had left town earlier that day. The house has a hidden attic where they will be able to hide. Marlow finds The Stranger in the jail and, taking mercy on him in thanks for his work on the vampires' behalf, kills him quickly. Marlow orders the vampires not to turn anyone into a vampire; they will slaughter the town and then disappear in order to preserve modern humanity's belief that vampires are the stuff of bad dreams and nothing more.
Over the next week, Eben, Stella, Jake and seven others stick it out in the attic. They fight about leaving but most stay; only Wilson and his senile father, Isaac, are lost. Eben ventures out to try to help a stray survivor and learns that beheading the vampires will kill them. When a blizzard hits, Eben and the others use the whiteout conditions to make it to the general store. There, a young girl vampire attacks them, wounding one of them. The whiteout conditions end, preventing them from making it back to the abandoned house. Eben decides everyone should go to the station house. He will provide a diversion by running to his grandmother's house. She grew marijuana and has an ultraviolet lighting system. Eben makes it to the house, turns on the generator and turns the light on the vampires who have followed him. It hideously burns one, forcing Marlow to kill her. Eben escapes the house but the vampires are in pursuit. Beau comes to the rescue again, killing many of the vampires with his backhoe. He crashes into a hotel and then ignites a box of road flares, trying to kill himself. His ploy is unsuccessful though as Beau lives through the blast and Marlow crushes his skull, but it gives Eben the time to make it to the station house. There, the wounded member turns into a vampire. With some shred of his humanity left, he asks Eben to behead him. Eben complies.
Two more weeks pass. Stella and Eben see someone signaling them with a flashlight from across the street. It is Billy, Eben's deputy. Eben and Stella make it to Billy's house. When the vampires attacked, he killed his wife and daughters but his gun became jammed when he tried to commit suicide. Stella and Eben take him back to the station house. There they learn that the others have made it to the utilidor, a power station that controls the oil pipeline, the only structure that still has power. Eben, Stella and Billy begin to sneak towards the utilidor. Stella stops to rescue a young girl who is being stalked by a vampire. Eben and Billy try to distract the vampire while Stella gets the girl to safety. Instead, Billy and Eben are separated. They both eventually make it to the utilidor, but a vampire follows Billy inside.
Eben is happy to see the rest of the survivors have made it alive. The vampire attacks Billy, ripping into his neck and dazing him. When the vampire turns to attacks Eben, Billy knocks it into the gears of the utilidor's pump, disintegrating it, but also losing his left hand in the process. Eben then kills Billy as his screams become screeches.
The sun is due to rise in a few hours. The vampires decide to burn the town to cover their tracks. Stella radios to Eben that she and the young girl are hiding under an abandoned truck across the street from the utilidor, the flames rapidly approaching them. Realizing he cannot beat the vampires as a human, Eben injects himself with Billy's infected blood so he can fight them as a vampire. He and Marlow fight a vicious battle and Eben wins. Leaderless, the other vampires disappear.
Stella takes Eben to watch the dawn. She holds him in her arms as he is incinerated by sunlight.
See? It's a love story after all. Eben could've just stayed at the utilidor and just let Stella die. But he didn't. Because he loves her. It's a love story. with vampires.
I'm quite disappointed because I was expecting so much from this movie. A lot of the gore scenes have been cut off. It was rated R-13. If the scenes weren't cut off, it should have been R-18. Anyway, it's just freaky because all the elements for horror are here. It's cold, it's dark, and there are vampires on the loose. I also found out that blood looks great on snow.
jury: Watch this on www.movieforumz.com  | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Animation |
Feel good movie for the whole family. I watched this movie online. It's a story of a penguin, Mumble, who can't seem to find his heart song. He was "just not penguin". Cast away from the colony of penguins, he set out to find why there were no more fish in their place. Another zero to hero movie. Not as funny as Ice Age, but with more heart. the movie is basically about finding your true self and accepting you for what you are even if it means being different.
jury: for the kids.  | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Comedy |
Another great movie from Mr. Sandler. This time teaming up with fellow comedian Kevin James and Jessica Biel, this is another feel good movie. Had several laughs. I watched this movie online and I'm telling you, I'm regretting I didn't watch it on the big screen. the storyplot was fantastic, so unexpected. The cameos and guest stars were absolutely hilarious! OMG I didn't know Ving Rhames could be that funny. Watch out for his "I'm Every Woman" scene. And David Spade as cameo really had me laughing even after he was not on the scene anymore. The good thing abou any Sandler films is that aside from the superficial humor injected into his movies, there's a deeper story in them In this film, it's the value of friendship that's given the main focus. Also taking care of your family, accepting a person as to who he/she really is and helping out colleagues the best you can!
Bottomline: highly recommended for best buds and barkadas served w/ chips and dip   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Mystery & Suspense |
mindfuck movie. totally awesome. ngayon ko lang napanuod, kasi akala ko corny. hindi kasi gano publicized. pero dang! ang ganda. a story mostly of revenge. wala nang ginawa kundi magtagisan ng wit and magic skills. pero astig. napakabelievable ng story. i'm a movie freak so i predict plots easily. but this one had me itching for the twist. and i wasn't disappointed. even for a sec, i never had a clue of what was the "prestige" of the movie. sakto ung title. astig talaga. ang galing pa ng actors. of course si Scarlett medyo bland. pero everyone was great. totoo ung sa sabi, once you watch the prestige, you're gonna want to watch it again. and that i did. sobrang astig. highly highly recommended! hindi to pang ube. I recommend it to people who just wants to spend the night alone. With no one beside them. Swear, hindi sya pangbarkada, cause malilito ka pag may kausap ka. you have to savor every line, every word for you to appreciate it. then watch it again. astig talaga to. ♥♥♥   | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Horror |
I've been itching for this movie ever since word spread about the third installment. And thankfully, it was everything I ever expected it to be. Gorier than the first two. Astig ika nga nila. The movie went back to the game's origins. Tyrant was now the antagonist. How weird kasi nauna naging antagonist si Nemesis (Apocalypse) e sa game, nauna c Tyrant. Anyway, the zombies were hellotta scarier since wala na nga silang food. Within months, the T Virus spread all over the world. Earth became a barren place to live in. Very few survivors still exist. Most of them were in a convoy led by Claire Redfield (an original character from the game). Umbrella, as always, was still on the works for another experiment like Project: Alice. Speaking of whom, Alice now has powers. Great. New enemies din. Nanjan na ang mga hinayupak na crows. I remember the third game, dun talaga naintroduce ung crows as potential killers. Scarier than those bastard dogs. Kasi madamihan sila pag umatake, and harder to aim at. Astig talaga un scene ni Alice dun wherein she saved Carlos. Carlos was back nga pala. Kaya lang, he died too. Halohalo ung review kasi i was too dang excietd to write a review about this movie. So sorry sa mga fans ko haha.. Anyway, a new breed of zombies to expect, creatures which can be domesticated. However, more aggressive. Super scary ung scenes.. Nakakgulat talaga. Although I must admit, medyo bitin ung ibang part. Hindi pinakita kung talagang safe sa Alaska or kung ano mangyayari sa mga clones ni Alice and mga zombies since nandun na c Alice sa facility and pwede na xa gumawa ng cure using her blood. Kaya nga merong part4 db?
RAVES; -scenes were scary. scary talaga. i was forced to shriek out several times -more creatures to watch out for -astig kasi they went back to the origin of the game. naging more game-based sya. compared sa 2nd, i like this better -astig c alice. -more to expect
RANTS: -parang alging nakamake-up c alice -carlos died huhu kainis kasi ung negrong putanana -bitin kasi may part 4
VERDICT: if you're a hardcore game fan, watch this movie 3 times. if you just wanna watch a movie, and not exactly craving for gore, watch Chuck and Larry if you wanna have UBE w/ friends, this is the movie for you.   | Category: | Books | | Genre: | Literature & Fiction | | Author: | Bob Ong |
Ang bagong libro ni Bob Ong. Tumatalikay sa mga pangyayaring sadyang prominente sa panahon natin ngayon. Ang MACARTHUR ay tungkol sa limang magkakaibigan na naghahanap ng magandang kinabukasan at pag-asa sa likod ng hirap at gutom at mga bayolenteng pangyayari sa kanilang buhay.
Basically, MACARTHUR is an in-your-face pseudo-biography depicting the struggles youg Filipino boys who grew up in poverty go through each and everyday. A variety of interesting characters make up the story. Bob Ong once again never failed to amaze readers with what he can write about. MACARTHUS is reality mixed with a tad of humor which will make you realize just how lucky you are wherever youa re right now.
Highly recommended.. 
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