Archive for Movies

Series of Movies

June 14, 2010 at 11:27 am · Filed under Movies ·Tagged , , , , ,

I have realized that I haven’t been writing for a while, mainly because I thought there was nothing worth writing. But then I noticed that I have been going to the movies a lot lately, and most of the stuff I saw was very well below average. So I decided to write about these particular movies I have seen in the last two months, in chronological order. Here we go.

1. Bounty Hunter


I don’t know why I do this to myself. Although the trailer might seem promising, I must learn that if Jennifer Aniston is in it, I must not see that movie. Hollywood people are genius about making amazing trailers out of crap, and I must learn to accept that fact. But since I can be pretty naive, I went and sat through this.

Of course, I’m exaggerating a little bit. It’s not that bad. It’s about this bounty hunter guy, Gerard Butler, who gets the assignment to bring in her ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston. He’s really happy about this, since he “hates” her, and she “hates” him back. But it turns out that, yes, they’re actually still in love. The plot is totally see-through, but still, it could have been handled more tastefully, because it actually starts out pretty promising, but turns out the 2-hour ride gets bumpy and awkward.

You get to laugh at some stuff, and Gerard Butler is nice to look at, and he plays this dirty guy, one you expect will spill stuff on his shirt while he eats. There’s nothing wrong there. The chemistry is not bad either, since we know for a fact that these two have got in on in real life. But after a while you don’t understand what all the drama is about and wish that those two can get just get the sex over and done with. It can get surprising at times (not oh-my-god surprising, more very-hollywood-romantic-comedy surprising), and it can be nice to borrow as a dvd if you have friend who actually purchased it, but I wouldn’t bang my head on the wall because I missed it. I think Jennifer Aniston should just sit back and spend the millions of bucks she made during Friends, but who am I to talk.

Rating: 5/10 – Keep your focus on Gerard.

2. Remember Me


Now, this one is a real gem. Ever since I saw it, I’ve been telling everyone who will talk to me about this. I believe this is as low as Hollywood can ever get. I just don’t understand how the people who made this movie saw it and said: “Well, it works”. Their reaction should have been same as mine: “I can’t believe Robert Pattison can’t save this movie”.

I am a sucker for a pretty face, and will watch Brad Pitt recite poetry on big screen (of course, if he doesn’t have that homeless beard). So I thought that Robert Pattison might be nice to look at. And the poster seemed all nice and romantic. But as soon as the movie actually started, I realized that I just made a huge mistake. Robert Pattison is a college student, whose brother committed suicide a few years back, and of course it has taken its toll on the family. Emilie de Ravin has also seen tragedy, when her mother was shot by two muggers at a subway station when she was just a kid. You get a picture of their families and there’s this stupid kid sister of Robert, who’s being bullied by the “cool girls” at her school, because she’s “weird”, but she’s actually just hoping her father will speak to her once in a while blah blah. The plot is just too boring to tell.

There’s this independent/the camera moves around too much vibe to it, and sometimes you want to slap the hell out of the characters. And no, Robert Pattison can’t save the movie, and neither can Pierce Brosnan (who is the only thing that’s worth watching, though he’s kind of awkward there), Chris Cooper or any of the other people. The only thing that’s just bit nice is the very end. Not the “after 6 months” part, but the part before that. I have to hand it out to them, it’s good. Still not good enough though.

Rating: 2/10 – Recommend it to people you hate, and tell them to go alone.

I’ll write some other movies later. I just wanted to share these two because they’re the worst of the lot. It will get better. Or we would be in big trouble.

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Ways of a Time Traveler

October 19, 2009 at 5:35 pm · Filed under Books, Movies ·Tagged , , ,

It’s been ages since I wrote. But it’s mainly because I was traveling all over the place, and staying for long periods in each. However, it doesn’t mean I didn’t read. It just means I didn’t make time to write about them.Henry & Claire

Anyway. Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is one of those books I read this summer just because the movie was coming. I had purchased it ages ago, because it was very popular, but I didn’t plan on reading it until they actually shot the movie and it’s always better to read the book before watching the movie.Time Travellers Wife

But as soon as I started reading it, I realized that it was a mistake to have waited that long. The book was really, really good. The plot was remarkably original. It’s about a guy that has a genetic condition that makes him time travel. You soon find that it’s not as cool as it sounds. When we think of time travel, we think of this machine that looks like an elevator, and this guy who has worked on it for ages gets into it and adjusts the time to the day the French Revolution started or something. However, poor Henry in Time Traveler’s Wife doesn’t have it that easy. He doesn’t know when the travel take or place, nor to what time or place he’ll be going. But worst of all, he’s not taking anything with him. That means he can show up anywhere without his clothes. His unfortunate circumstances are good for the reader, who keep reading about funny or plane unfortunate things that happen to him through the book.

However, that’s not what the book is all about, even though it would be a good read still. Claire, Henry’s wife, meets him when she’s 6. He meets her when he’s 28 and she’s 20. They have a nice and definitely non-pedophile relationship as she ages and he keeps showing up near her house naked. He doesn’t tell her what will happen, or when they’ll meet, but they do. And their love story is pretty strong, and sets the tone for the whole book.

Since it was too good a story to miss, they made a movie out of it. I saw it yesterday, and it was pretty good. Of course, they can’t include everything that happens in the book, so they miss some of the more important things that happens. And they made some of the fights more dramatic and Claire behaves a little more different than she does in the book, but that’s understandable. The choices for the actors, Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams is OK, since I never imagined that Henry was Brad Pitt. Their story, since told in short parts in the book, gets to be a little unconnected in the movie, but since I knew the story from the book, it was easy to understand for me, but I don’t know how it will be for others. The scene with the wedding was so funny. Eric Bana is sometimes really good. Time Travelers Wife

The book was really erotic at times, but the movie is really kid-friendly. They have toned down the clubber nature of Henry and the bit with his ex-girlfriend and the things about Gomez. I’d read the book first, then watch the movie as a nice summary of it. Sometimes  you just have to let the pretty people act it out.

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3 Mediums 3 Reviews

August 10, 2009 at 2:45 pm · Filed under Books, Manga, Movies ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I haven’t written for a while, and I haven’t read anything substantial, though I have read and watched a bit, so I decided to give a couple of short reviews all in one post. We’ll see how it goes.

- Book: Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Having read a couple of books by Juliet Marillier already, I know she favors a good fairy tale. So when I saw that this book was based on the fairy tales “12 Dancing Princesses” and “Frog Prince”, I wasn’t surprised. It’s about 5 sisters that live in a castle in Transylvania (yes, there are, in fact, vampires) in 1500s. They discover a portal from their room to another world, where they go dancing each full moon by crossing a lake called Deadwash. Deadwash, in fact, is the same lake where their cousin drowned many years ago. Jena, the main character, also has a pet frog with whom she can communicate via her thoughts. They are living quite harmoniously until their father falls ill and goes to another city to get well and their cousin (the younger brother of the drowned one) takes charge of their beloved castle.wildwood dancing

This is a young adult fantasy book, or so I heard, though other than the fact that the story is a bit simpler and shorter than her other books (at least the ones I read) it’s not that babyish. I like the relationship between the sisters, although Jena is sometimes really annoying. I like the cousin, Cezar, and how evil he can be. Also I really enjoy a good love story, and this one is not a bad one. There are also vampires, though they are not called thus but “Night People”, and you know I also enjoy a good vampire story. It also has this small historical vibe, and she even mentions Turks. It’s overall a good story, though I’d prefer her Sevenwaters Trilogy any day.

- Movie: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I do not exactly run to the theater after a Harry Potter movie has been released (though I was among the first who purchased the books), but when I actually get there, I do enjoy it immensely. Sometimes I find myself to be the only one laughing or crying (not at the same time, hopefully) and attract a couple of weird books. Who cares.

Anyway. As with the books, each movie is a better than the last, and a lot more sophisticated. I don’t even believe I have to talk about the plot at this point. When I had read the book, I had cried my eyes out on the bus, for an hour at least. Thank God I didn’t cry that much, though I cried a little bit, because the ending is the most heartbreaking yet. I believe it’s even worse than the last one. Though it’s been a while since I read the book, I can physically detect the differences between the book and the movie, the most obvious being Harry and Ginny. It was a lot better in the book, as usual. I also don’t remember Dumbledore asking Harry if there was something going on between Harry and Hermione. That just doesn’t sound like something old Dumbledore would do. There is another thing: I heard that in the first script, Dumbledore actually mentioned an old crush on a girl, but J.K. Rowling said that Dumbledore couldn’t have a crush on a girl because he’s actually gay. I already knew she had said this, but it’s still funny.harry potter and the half blood prince

I like the flashbacks to Tom Riddle, and I like whoever plays both the child and the teenager. He’s close to the Voldemort I imagined. Especially the way he speaks reeks evil. I adore the scene where Harry visits Hagrid with that Professor Horace, and he’s kind of drunk. I love Ron, as usual, when he eats the love-potion-induced chocolates and is lovesick all over the place. I also like Draco Malfoy, and how he’s finally a center character trapped between good and evil. It’s just so enjoyable. All Harry Potters are enjoyable. Rowling is such a genius. I only have one negative thing to say, and it’s that the ending is a bit rushed, especially the bit with Snape, but I can see that there’s nothing to be done about the short span of a good movie.

- Manga: Constellations on my Palm by Chisako Sakuragi and Yukine Honami

This is one of the lighter yaoi mangas I have encountered. Mizuho is a college student (as these things go) and Enji, his cousin, comes to Tokyo to study and stays with Mizuho’s family. They used to be really close, but something happened in the past, when they were still teeny kids, and Mizuho avoided seeing Enji since. When they meet again, Mizuho sees that Enji barely talks to him, and is cold as ice. He really wants to go back to the way things are, but Enji doesn’t seem to want to. constellations on my palmThe title comes from the fact that they used to watch the sky together, and stare at the stars. In fact, now Enji is studying to be an astronomer and seems mad at Mizuho because he has abandoned his childhood dreams.

The story is pretty straight-forward, and nothing really surprising. But I did enjoy the way the story goes, all calm and deep, and Mizuho’s changing feelings. Enji is especially a nice character, though he seems cold at times. Their chemistry is just right. The misunderstandings go a bit too far, but that’s to be expected. It’s nothing hard core, so it can be a good starting point for the immense world of yaoi. Good stories are hard to come by in yaoi, so this one is a good choice.

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The Cheesy RomCom

May 24, 2009 at 6:07 pm · Filed under Movies ·Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

You know what I’m talking about. It’s the typical Hollywood romantic comedy, the so-called chick flick. There’s the usual woman, unlucky in love, the usual man, charming in his own right, the obvious pairing, the flickers, the chase. They are usually very, very predictable, rarely are quality tearjerkers. IMDB.com gives them 6-7 the most. Nobody admits to liking them. You never buy their dvds, but somehow end up with them, through discount bins or other means. It’s your typical Hollywood movie.

Not that I’m into darker horror flicks, but when a romcom goes too Hollywood, even I am repelled. Though I have nothing against Hollywood, I think they do their job really, really well. But that doesn’t mean I’ll enjoy Maid in Manhattan. Even I have standards. There are a couple of cheesy romcoms I like though. And here I present you three of my favorites. I can promise you I won’t go predictable with Julia Roberts flicks like Pretty Woman.

wedding dateFirst, the one I watched yesterday, and which inspired me to write this: The Wedding Date. Of course, predictably enough, a very popular theme: weddings. In this part of the world, we like weddings. We think they are fun to plan, and they are fun to go to. You see lots of people, and possible future matches. You dance, you drink, you have fun. However, in Hollywood, that’s not the case. It’s a reason to get depressed, because you’re not the one getting married. There are too many movies about this, about every aspect of it, and this is one of them. Kat (Debra Messing) is a lady in her late 20s, and is good at her job in NYC (where else), and her sister is getting married in London. Her ex is the best man, so she doesn’t want to go there alone. So she rents Nick (Dermot Mulroney), who is an escort, for 6000 dolars and they go to London together. Nick is so, so charming that in a snap of his fingers, everyone adores him. Heck, even I adore him. He’s really, really good looking and totally charming. The movie lacks substance and stuff, but there’s a charming scene when Kat’s father quotes Nick from his anonymous interview from a magazine: “Every woman has the exact love life she wants” or something. The gist of it is that Kat is miserable because it’s her fault for still sticking to the memory of her ex. Also Nick has some other good quotes going, like “I’d rather fight with you than make love to anyone else”. I still think it’s kind of, well, disgusting to make love with a hooker (yes, he does that too, it’s in his job description), but if he was as cute as Dermot Mulroney, I’d maybe give him a chance.

prince and meThe next flick is The Prince and Me. This consists of younger people, college students, and has something a good romantic comedy doesn’t always have enough of: royalty. Yum. So, Paige (Julia Stiles, of course) is a successful college student, who aspires to be a doctor. Eddie (Luke Mably) is the bored prince of Denmark. Since he’s very bored, he decides to go to USA for college and there he meets Paige. First they hate each other, since Eddie is hiding his real identity and the story continues in its general predictable direction. It’s the dream of every girl to marry a  prince, at least someone that handsome. At least it’s mine. It has some good points, though I don’t really like Paige’s character or most of her decisions. It’s still a good watch, and remember that the Danish Crown Prince Frederik married an Australian marketing consultant he met during the Sydney Olympics. A total commoner. How romantic. And he’s not bad on the eyes either.

just like heavenLast of the movies we’ll be discussing today is Just Like Heaven. This movie has a more supernatural flavor, ghosts. Not ghosts actually, but a lady in a coma that appears in spirit. Elizabeth (Reese Witherspoon) is a workaholic doctor who doesn’t have time for men. She always leaves it to the future, but then she has an accident and she’s put in a coma. Her family rents the room to David (Mark Ruffalo), whose wife died a while ago and he’s in constant depression ever since. He sits on the couch and drinks beer all day, until he meets Elizabeth’s ghost. He’s the only one who can see her, so he decides to help her. And this is the plot of this enchanting movie, which is the one I like most of these three. It’s so cute, and even though there isn’t anything to learn or to understand, it’s still charming. And so is Mark Ruffalo.

None of these movies are a Gone with the Wind or Lord of the Rings, but they can still spice up a boring hour or two. That’s good enough for me.

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Night of McAvoy

May 20, 2009 at 2:55 pm · Filed under Movies ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Yesterday, I had myself a nice night of James McAvoy movies. Actually, I watched only two, but still, it was quite pleasent. I had watched them both many times before, but I thought this was a good  opportunity to go through them again.penelope

  1. First, I watched Penelope, which is dated back to 2006. It’s about Penelope (Christina Ricci), a girl born into a high class, rich London family, but because of a curse, she has a snout, in other words, she has a pig nose. The only way to remove the curse is “one of her own kind to accept her”, so her mother tries her best to find her a husband of similar status. However, so far no one has accepted her and all the suitors fly out the window, literally, at the sight of her. One day, one of the suitors hire Lemon, a reporter who lost his eye because of Penelope’s mom, to tell the public about Penelope. They try to take her picture by hiring Max (James McAvoy), a blue-blood high society dude who has gambling problems. 

This movie has a supernatural fairy tale atmosphere about it, with clear-cut characters, and it can be quite fun. It also has surprises and nice plot twists, and good characters who develop through it. It also has messages about accepting yourself and motherhood etc, so it can be a tear-jerker if it touches a sour spot. But all in all, it’s a high-quality romantic comedy about finding yourself. Of course, James McAvoy is hot as ever.

becoming jane

The other movie I watched was Becoming Jane, from 2007, which, as you  might now, is about none other than Jane Austen. Since it is about  Jane Austen, it carries the same air as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Some people have cruelly dismissed it as being “too similar to Pride and Prejudice“, but hello, it is about its freaking author. So, Jane (Anne Hathaway) is a girl of small fortune, who writes deep in her country house, and one day, Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy) who’s “a lawyer with a reputation” from London. The clash of the characters is much like Pride and Prejudice, and it’s a known fact that Jane Austen was deeply influanced by Lefroy when she portrayed Mr. Darcy. Much of the movie is fiction, but much of it is not. For examle, it is known that Jane stayed in Lefroy’s house in London, just like in the movie. Also, on his deathbed, when asked about his biggest love, Lefroy said “Jane Austen”, and he named his daughter Jane. How romantic can you get?

When we went to watch this in the movie theater, me and my mother cried our eyes out. It was just that good. I think it’s a lot better than Pride and Prejudice, though it may come a close second. It also happens to be my favorite James McAvoy movie, who fits Lefroy so, so well. Your heart will stop at the dance scenes.

I am sure I will write about James in the future. How could I not? He’s like the next Ewan McGregor. Yum.

james!!

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Oh No! He’s Just Not Into Me

May 4, 2009 at 1:00 pm · Filed under Movies ·Tagged

hesjustnotthatintoyouI couldn’t write for a while because I was in Istanbul, though I didn’t do anything special, I just didn’t have my computer with me. Anyways. I finished Two for the Money by Janet Evanovich, which was again very funny. Other than that, I watched the movie He’s Just Not That Into You. I had purchased the book years ago, because so many people had recommended it, including Teri Hatcher, who said that it helped her get over George Clooney or something. That must have been a challenge.

The whole movie is about this loser of a girl who keeps waiting for the phone to ring, and at one point u want to shake her up and say: just forget about him! All the actors in it are famous, and if not exactly famous, you go, “how do I know that guy??”. There are all kinds of situations, including adultery, first dates, false alarms, internet dating, non-marrying guys etc. It’s impossible not to find something of yourself in it. The whole movie is based on the idea that everybody thinks that they are the exception to the rule. For example, you know how guys on myspace (I can’t believe it still exists by the way) are no good? But there’s this girl who knows my friend’s friend, who met her boyfriend on myspace, and now they are married and very happy. And we all think we’ll be the next exception. But that’s not the case. Exceptions are rare, and that’s probably not going to happen to you. Or can it? That’s the whole point. Also the main guy in the story, Alex, keeps saying that if a guy wants to date you, he’ll make it happen, so it’s no use overthinking his actions and twisting his words etc. He’s actually got very good points. 

It’s really good that people in it are over-famous, because it might have gotten a tad boring if they weren’t. Oh, and the blond guy, he’s E from Entourage.

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