tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34871618169071874222024-03-05T23:21:31.181+08:00MovieSentryWatching and Keeping Trackrichardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-36807579008761620832017-08-24T01:19:00.001+08:002017-08-24T01:19:14.224+08:00your name. | 君の名は。Movie Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNq3QfXLlqxhCs1BQMn5lCL5nBUk7ub59X_4iOI2HFbgknvq2hJgl1idz16pD2SrT1GSQ6nsN22ZCN7hG9kJeBvBsPkd80X2wkKHrcr9_VqilIjgb6xGV-Fi_6qVhsq-Lnlg4G-CxszFI1/s1600/your+name+movie+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="340" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNq3QfXLlqxhCs1BQMn5lCL5nBUk7ub59X_4iOI2HFbgknvq2hJgl1idz16pD2SrT1GSQ6nsN22ZCN7hG9kJeBvBsPkd80X2wkKHrcr9_VqilIjgb6xGV-Fi_6qVhsq-Lnlg4G-CxszFI1/s640/your+name+movie+poster.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
your name. ( 君の名は.) first caught my attention with it's miraculous records on the Japanese Box Office. This anime stayed on the top of Japanese Box Office for 12 non consecutive weekends and was the second largest domestic film in Japan (behind Spirited Away). This movie kept getting mentioned on the Japanese News sites that I frequent and I am curious why did this anime about body switch would fare so well.<br />
<br />
Later on, I found out that the director Makoto Shinkai also directed the Garden of Words. Garden of Words was one of my fave anime that I saw in recent years and that made my anticipation for this movie grow even more.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot</b></span><br />
<br />
Taki, a Tokyo city boy woke up in an unfamiliar room and in a body of a girl. Meanwhile Mitsuha, a teenage girl from a mountain village wished that she living a life of a handsome Tokyo boy instead and got her wish. They soon realized that they are not dreaming and they have been switching bodies intermittently. The problem was that their memories of each other fade away like dreams. They begin to communicate by leaving notes to each other, helping each other tide over the mysterious phenomenon.<br />
<br />
As the bright blue comet passes Earth, their body switch comes to a sudden end. Taki tried to call Mitsuha for the first time but wasn't able to reach her. He decides to visit her hometown but he doesn't know his name and his memories are fading away. Will this star crossed lovers ever get to meet each other?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Perspective</b></span><br />
<br />
your name. was an enjoyable anime. It started off as a fun body switch movie that kept me glued to the screen while subtly setting up the foundation for an unexpected twist in the middle of the movie. The twist worked as it accelerated the pace of the anime and the desire to see the two main characters get their happy endings.<br />
<br />
But however the final resolution of the movie was a little let down. It came rather suddenly and lacked the grandeur that it seemed to be promising through out the movie. The emotional draw for the two main characters was also slightly weaker than The Garden of Words. It could had been the anime of the year for me but it just lacked something in the end to make it a home run.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>***1/2</b></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03921027119217544547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-24399302708734646372017-08-18T09:05:00.004+08:002017-08-18T09:10:05.479+08:00Anabelle: Creation Movie Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbiW_IPjDqxxRAK1tUkofMw74In56f8tz_tWgDMt8kRepGhUtei0XOMb3vP0PF5VHkWBQGAXchX8NlpCdsP6PqPF1hDVWUOXJQOx1oGovS8xTLo96Hp1-d6Zy66AFOZG3aWc75vTIk0sf/s1600/Anabelle+Creation+Poster+A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="504" data-original-width="340" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbiW_IPjDqxxRAK1tUkofMw74In56f8tz_tWgDMt8kRepGhUtei0XOMb3vP0PF5VHkWBQGAXchX8NlpCdsP6PqPF1hDVWUOXJQOx1oGovS8xTLo96Hp1-d6Zy66AFOZG3aWc75vTIk0sf/s400/Anabelle+Creation+Poster+A.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
I was a fan of The Conjuring but I had very little interest to catch it's spin off, Annabelle. It felt like a cash grab for the company that is behind The Conjuring series. The critical reaction to the first Annabelle movies seemed to confirm my gut instinct about this spin off. I wasn't expecting another prequel to the first Annabelle movie (but it made a lot of money) and I wasn't expecting to hear so many praises for Annabelle Creation (from both the critics and my friend).<br />
<br />
The good vibes made me curious about Annabelle: Creation and I heard good things about Annabelle: Creation director's previous movie (Lights Out). You know what they say ... Curiosity kill the cat.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot</span></b><br />
<br />
A doll marker and his wife lost their daughter in a tragic accident. 12 years later, they invite a group of young orphans girls and their nun from a shuttered orphanage into their home. They soon realized that there is something sinister going on the new place and the doll marker's creation.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Perspective</span></b><br />
<br />
Annabelle Creation was a freaking disappointment. If this is an improvement over its predecessor, I am staying the hell away from the first Annabelle movie.<br />
<br />
What went wrong with Annabelle Creation?<br />
<br />
For someone who watched one too many scary movie, it was plodding along with cliche scare scenes and this movie seem genuinely afraid to tell a good origin scare story. Annabelle Creation was skimming through it's origin that when it was finally revealed, it was short and failed to have any impact. In fact the movie felt like it was just created to snitch some scare scenes together and they had to hasty slap a origin story to this demonic doll saga. Or perhaps they want the audience to buy another ticket to watch another prequel to the Annabelle series.<br />
<br />
The next issue I had with this movie was how the characters were handled in this movie. The characters felt disposable and it's really hard to root for them or feel for them when they are in a terrible situation. The six orphan girls could be reduced to two and the movie could focus on making them relatable (instead of setting up another meaningless scare scenes with one of their character).<br />
<br />
Last but not least, I been told that Annabelle Creation was "wickedly terrifying" and it "manages to conjure some effective scares". The cliche scare scenes were quite boring for me. They offers no genuine surprises or decent scares at all. They were predictable and I found myself listening to the next boo scare. For a real scary atmosphere in a horror movie, it's still the Conjuring and Insidious that tops that category in recent horror movies. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>**</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span> <br />
<br />
<span class="imdbRatingPlugin" data-user="ur3520200" data-title="tt5140878" data-style="p1"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5140878/?ref_=plg_rt_1"><img src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/imdb/plugins/rating/images/imdb_46x22.png" alt="Annabelle: Creation (2017) on IMDb" />
</a></span><script>(function(d,s,id){var js,stags=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id)){return;}js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/imdb/plugins/rating/js/rating.min.js";stags.parentNode.insertBefore(js,stags);})(document,'script','imdb-rating-api');</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03921027119217544547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-92169090034406281202015-01-29T17:55:00.001+08:002015-02-01T23:55:22.957+08:00Kung fu Jungle | 一个人的武林 [ Movie Review ]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIP_FMQr7rug_iXlDNJrzTWOGDDil60myWnal6HDYjE-sNkalvPiNbWvv_6rU2CkE9OvNXSROamSfCbKri9XYYIz_ezre5bUv84IMb3sMsPVyPYTsdErp2NGY8-g6CEtqEjO4vSBQLAKD6/s1600/KUNGFU+JUNGLE+%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%AA%E4%BA%BA%E7%9A%84%E6%AD%A6%E6%9E%97+Singapore+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIP_FMQr7rug_iXlDNJrzTWOGDDil60myWnal6HDYjE-sNkalvPiNbWvv_6rU2CkE9OvNXSROamSfCbKri9XYYIz_ezre5bUv84IMb3sMsPVyPYTsdErp2NGY8-g6CEtqEjO4vSBQLAKD6/s1600/KUNGFU+JUNGLE+%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%AA%E4%BA%BA%E7%9A%84%E6%AD%A6%E6%9E%97+Singapore+poster.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Pitch:</b></span> I wasn't keen on watching Kung Fu Jungle. Donnie Yen's previous action flick Special ID and Wang Baoqiang's villainous role in The Fairy Tale Killer were pretty disappointing. But after a fellow movie buff friend's recommendation, I decided to this movie a chance and see how bad can it be.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Plot:</b></span> Three years ago, Mo Hahou (Donnie Yen) surrendered himself to the police for accidentally killing marital arts opponent. In prison, he saw a news report about an unusual murder case and offer his aid to Inspector Luk Yuen-Sun (Charlie Young) to capture the killer in exchange for his freedom. Will they be able to stop the killer (Wang Baoqiang) who is on a vicious killing spree?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Perspective:</b></span> Kung Fu Jungle turns out to be much better than I had anticipated. Right at the start, I knew that there's something special about Kung Fu Jungle. The numerous cameos and the manner that this movie <span data-dobid="hdw">romanticize</span> with martial arts / kung fu made viewing this movie a wonderful treat. The end credits confirms my suspicion that this is a homage to the unappreciated crews that gave us years of enjoyable Hong Kong action movies. It was heartfelt and long overdue, specially in an era that Hong Kong action movies are even more at risk these days.<br />
<br />
Donnie Yen performance was much better in Kung Fu Jungle than Together and Special ID. It was mainly due to the fact that the filmmakers in this movie knew how to play to his strength. It also made me realize that Donnie Yen has limited acting range. He tends to excel in roles that calls for a restrained personality (eg. his characters in Ip Man and Peter Chan's Wu Xia). But when he tries to take on emotional roles or a wilder range of personality (like a undercover cops), it tends to end up as a awkward mess.<br />
<br />
Wang Baoqiang was surprisingly good too. His craziness was well control and it didn't go over the top like his previous role in The Fair Tale Killer. It made it easier to sympathize with his character.I don't think he is an action star but there were some scenes that I wonder how it was filmed. Did he performed the stunts or was it expertly choreographed / edited to make him look like a menacing martial arts killer? <br />
<br />
However, there are some faults with Kung Fu Jungle. Realism in police procedures was obviously threw out of the window and certain aspects of the story was skim through without much thoughts. It felt like the focus was to tell a Silence of the Lamb-ish story with Kung Fu. It's not grounded in reality but Kung Fu Jungle provided an entertaining homage to the personals that made Hong Kong action movies great and for that, I am not going to nitpick much.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: ***</b> </span>
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<br />
<span class="imdbRatingPlugin" data-user="ur3520200" data-title="tt2952602" data-style="p2"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2952602/?ref_=plg_rt_1"><img src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/imdb/plugins/rating/images/imdb_38x18.png" alt="Kung Fu Killer (2014) on IMDb" />
</a></span><script>(function(d,s,id){var js,stags=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(d.getElementById(id)){return;}js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/imdb/plugins/rating/js/rating.min.js";stags.parentNode.insertBefore(js,stags);})(document,'script','imdb-rating-api');</script> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03921027119217544547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-75734708567703746042015-01-19T18:46:00.001+08:002015-01-19T20:57:05.386+08:00Timecrimes | Los Cronocrímenes [Movie Review]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jzArdlPT1y5B0GFbJLvSFzEaRZzt9SQ-DtGeDjuZrLvYSIODbAEtcZa4i_7lUzSPGrelZldcuTgwdKFCByN4NLyruc-PXj6YqOsoo7UzfdCBkmVROdgt6XuvPDobAAuX7ZrPek3fbCFr/s1600/Screenshot_2015-01-19-18-17-27-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jzArdlPT1y5B0GFbJLvSFzEaRZzt9SQ-DtGeDjuZrLvYSIODbAEtcZa4i_7lUzSPGrelZldcuTgwdKFCByN4NLyruc-PXj6YqOsoo7UzfdCBkmVROdgt6XuvPDobAAuX7ZrPek3fbCFr/s640/Screenshot_2015-01-19-18-17-27-1.png" height="400" width="280" /> </a> </div>
<b>Snap review</b><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr">
<b>Pitch:</b> Timecrimes has frequently pop up whenever I search for a good time travel movie. The ironic part was that i never found the time to watch it. After having a great time watching Predestination and Triangle, I finally found the urge to seat down to watch this.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<b>Plot:</b> Hector just moved into his new home with his wife. Little did he know that a casual Saturday would become a strange turn off events involving voyeurism, a masked slasher and a complicated time travel.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<b>Perspective:</b> Timecrimes is one heck of a ride. Lots of twist and turn that worth rewatching. It might be a low budget movie but it didn't stop Timecrimes from being a solid sci-fi entertainment. Lastly, Barbara Goenaga provides the drool factor that makes this movie even more engaging.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: ***1/2 </b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03921027119217544547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-6357981516347099682014-08-12T23:49:00.000+08:002014-08-12T23:49:42.888+08:00Uzumasa Limelight [ Coming Soon ]<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9f_46jO_HhU?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
<i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>Uzumasa (Kyoto) is considered the Hollywood of Japan. It has produced many "jidaigeki" films (period dramas with sword fighting) that are loved by many Japanese, and are highly praised all over the world. </i><br />
<br />
<i>These films wouldn't be what they were if it weren't for the "kirareyaku" (actors who's main job is to be killed by the lead star). Men who are killed, without ever being lit by the limelight...
This story is about those men, the unsung heroes of classic jidaigeki films. Actors who loved and respected the art, even when the production of classic jidaigeki films began to dwindle. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Using Charlie Chaplin's film "Limelight" as an underlying theme, the admirable story of these men dealing with a new generation and fading craftsmanship is told with melancholy and soul.
</i>
<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Link</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/12/japan-most-killed-samurai-stuntman-seizo-fukumoto-prize">Japan's most-killed samurai stuntman wins immortality at last</a><br />
<i>Seizo Fukumoto, 71, has supposedly acted out 50,000 screen deaths; now the samurai movie specialist's first lead role has won an international prize
</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03921027119217544547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-33380381739780352082014-07-26T23:58:00.002+08:002014-07-27T00:04:25.301+08:00Avengers: Age of Ultron [Coming Soon]<b>26 / 07 / 2014</b><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent">Marvel been releasing exclusive </span><span class="userContent">San Diego Comic Con 2014 concept art posters for Marvel's upcoming "Avengers: Age of Ultron". Together, they form a massive poster.</span> Pretty awesome don't you think?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbr21EZZfrHUcyS207mmGEwEynx37fDoFYP5FsVf-esZIkt6MmkMiBKPR7r4sUxn0rJx9uouLat3hQik3eZtjHXzWhrl-EiZCLFKolB4VQlSxjK66TSzZ-R-h0CLrqzsYISfy449NsU-6L/s1600/Avengers+Age+of+Ultron+Posters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbr21EZZfrHUcyS207mmGEwEynx37fDoFYP5FsVf-esZIkt6MmkMiBKPR7r4sUxn0rJx9uouLat3hQik3eZtjHXzWhrl-EiZCLFKolB4VQlSxjK66TSzZ-R-h0CLrqzsYISfy449NsU-6L/s1600/Avengers+Age+of+Ultron+Posters.png" height="490" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="userContent">Marvvel SDCC 14 exclusive concept art posters for Avengers: Age of Ultron - </span><br />
<span class="userContent"> </span>Quicksilver, Thor Black Widow, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03921027119217544547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-27117671025677500932013-11-21T12:59:00.002+08:002013-11-21T12:59:19.178+08:00Gravity'Gravity' Spinoff: Watch the Other Side of Sandra Bullock's Distress Call<br />
<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,47,0" height="315" id="flashObj" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="flashVars" value="videoId=2851445805001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fnews%2Fgravity-spinoff-watch-side-sandra-657919&playerID=1257205077001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAC3bNtw~,c0hgCOyLwy4Lde_FJ6Ombu5W_uQUkX83&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" /><param name="base" value="http://admin.brightcove.com" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="swLiveConnect" value="true" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?isVid=1&isUI=1" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=2851445805001&linkBaseURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hollywoodreporter.com%2Fnews%2Fgravity-spinoff-watch-side-sandra-657919&playerID=1257205077001&playerKey=AQ~~,AAAAAC3bNtw~,c0hgCOyLwy4Lde_FJ6Ombu5W_uQUkX83&domain=embed&dynamicStreaming=true" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="560" height="315" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowFullScreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-23659732160118642342013-06-26T08:00:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.031+08:00The Man from Earth [ Movie Review ] ****<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxGd-uKmfTKtpk4AE2G8RLbVsf3LyfUF2HnH5oPwikUDuN9f60F4IDKTbwtBjEUSoWgnanbj87PEZHpsPIIZu1n9QGBPw38FB8NzDE6gruBMkApqkfiZ-CPaXVx9786V0SBQOqMmpxbvW/s1600/the+man+from+earth+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxGd-uKmfTKtpk4AE2G8RLbVsf3LyfUF2HnH5oPwikUDuN9f60F4IDKTbwtBjEUSoWgnanbj87PEZHpsPIIZu1n9QGBPw38FB8NzDE6gruBMkApqkfiZ-CPaXVx9786V0SBQOqMmpxbvW/s400/the+man+from+earth+poster.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
While going thru some low budget movies online, I stumbled upon The Man from Earth. The thing that stood out for this movie was that it had a 7.9 out of 10 rating on imdb. Usually the low budget movies with unknown actors n director are rated around 4 - 5 out of 10 on imdb. 7.9 was definitely outstanding for a low budget sci fi. The 73,175 votes also sound pretty substantial and unlikely a bid to push up the rating by the production team (or fans) .<br />
<br />
The storyline had a intriguing hook. At a farewell party became an intense interrogation when the retiring professor reveals to his colleagues that he is actually 14,000 years old. One of the imdb user reviews mentioned that this movie was "<i>a seriously engaging film ... </i><span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><i>A sci-fi film with absolutely no special effects</i>" (</span><span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><span itemprop="author">phalanges1</span> from United Kingdom</span>).</span><br />
<span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><br /></span>
<span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review">All these reminded me of Cube. A low budget Sci Fi movie with limited special effect, small cast and limited sets production but it remained one of my favorite sci fi movies to date. It's a sci fi movie that brings something new and different to the plate. A risk taker that leaves the viewers something to think about after the credits rolled.</span><br />
<span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><br /></span>
<span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review">Something tells me that The Man from Earth could be my next fave sci fi movie. </span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review">The Plot</span></b></span><br />
<span itemprop="review" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Review"><br /></span>
As Professor John Oldman prepares to move, his colleagues show up unexpectedly to give him a farewell party. His concern colleagues was worried about his sudden resignation and they continued to press him for the reason in departing so quietly.<br />
<br />
Unwilling to reveal his reasons, John propose a possibility of a prehistoric caveman living in the modern time. His colleagues (from different academic fields) assumed that he was going to write a sci-fi story about a 14,000 years old caveman and they started to chip in the possibility of such scenarios happening. John then dropped the bombshell by revealing that he is a 14,000 caveman who don't age and in order to remain incognito, he moves every 10 years. <br />
<br />
The intrigued colleagues then began questioning him about his beginning, his journey and experiences in 14,000 years. As the conversation continued, John's colleagues became irate and unsure if he is telling the truth or just making a tall story to conceal the real reason for leaving.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Perspective</b></span><br />
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"One century's magic ... another century's science"<br />
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The Man from Earth was engaging and fascinating. It was worth the effort and time to check this movie out. These days I usually watch movies at home and there's a high tendency that due to boredom, I will move onto something else after a while. But not with The Man from Earth. Right after the revelation of John's origin, the movie became lively and interesting. It was a fresh air to the stale state of sci-fi movies these days. It's a testament that you don't need big budget, huge production sets or A list actors to tell one heck of a sci-fi story.<br />
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The main bulk of the enjoyment came from the lively discussion on Professor John's questionable "longevity". The script was well written and the writer (the late Jerome Bixby) did an incredible job in blending scientific facts with imagination. There were some interesting question asked about John's origin, his journey, his limitation and his knowledge. The answers provided were equally intriguing and it made this "What Ifs" science fiction feels so probable. <br />
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The script also had a good flow and a tantalizing change of events to keep the discussion fresh and lively. Basically it put you in a room with the academics and one guy who claimed that he is 1400 years old and you would want to know what are his replies to all the questions that were asked. The dynamics in the room changes quickly and for a movie that's basically a group of people talking in a room, the pacing does not feel stagnant at any point of time.<br />
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Personally one of my favorite segments was when the conversation centered around Professor John's "encounter" with famous religious individual. It's science fiction but there are materials here that I believe would offend some religious people. But then again, it opens an interesting "What If" and as an atheist, I find it fascinating way to touch on how religions might be formed.<br />
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The cast might not be as famous as A listers in Hollywood but I felt that the entire cast did a decent job in their respective roles. Folks might recognize Tony Todd from Candyman and the Final Destination franchise. I haven't seen him in any non horror genre and I thought he did quite a good in job as an empathic friend. Although I have not seen most of David Lee Smith's works, I thought he did well to portray the mysterious lead character. He has that stoic Christopher Lambert aura in Highlander (another sci fi classic about immorality) and that help sells the 1400 years old story.<br />
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The movie wasn't without faults and there are just a couple of things that I like to nitpick. First of all, it was too short (86 minutes runtime) and for someone who was engage and fascinated by the conversation, I was hopping for more questioning. But then again, it's a sign that the movie had achieved it's objective.<br />
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In this movie, the colleagues exhibited a general hostility towards protagonist which I felt was rather forced and hard to empathize. If what John was saying is true, I would imagine that a group of academics would want to ask questions that not available on the textbooks, confirm some theories and etc. It's like the opportunity of a lifetime. If John's story wasn't true, it would still be an enjoyable entertainment for intellectuals to kill time with. I believe the hostility in this movie was streamed from the fact that if they accepted the story, they would also had to face the unfairness of their own mortality or it could even be a plot device to bring a form of closure to the discussion. But then again, it just a little hard to accept why the majority of the group were so upset with him.<br />
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Lastly the ending could have been left a little more ambiguous. Was he really a 14,000 years old caveman or was he just entertaining his colleagues with a tall story? I think such open ended ending would be a better fit with what was going on with the bulk of the movie. But then again that would probably upset another batch of viewers.<br />
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The Man from Earth was an unexpected find and a hidden gem in the sci-fi movie. It's a type of movie that dares to dream big even when they didn't have the Hollywood blockbuster budget to do so. It toyed with the "what ifs" in a manner that a lot sci-fi movies are not doing hese days. Personally, The Man from Earth comes highly recommended. Do try get a copy of this movie. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_Earth#Publicity_through_filesharing">Wikipedia</a>, the producer Eric D. Wilkinson actually thanked the Bit Torrent community for sharing the movie illegally and spreading the good words around. You can always donate some money to the independent filmmakers or buy the dvd later on if you have enjoyed the movie (like I did). The Man from Earth comes highly recommended.<br />
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Rating: **** richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-25629528946718482162013-04-22T17:57:00.000+08:002014-07-26T23:59:40.002+08:00Iron Man 3<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Iron Man 3 Lego Poster (16 Apr 2013)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Iron Man 3 poster in Lego form. Nuff Said</span><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAXQx2UhUxu_0lt-XRGYw2KCFeHKN2hGVZNZdkngSosLKcOSeeG9RrI_D4aw59NL2Or8Qv4NVPF-joanybnLmaVcJIAVbfjENVOqNaDuN7VsLAOS48lbExqCZFIVgxsen5I_nhvuLm20R/s1600/Iron+Man+Lego+Poster+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtAXQx2UhUxu_0lt-XRGYw2KCFeHKN2hGVZNZdkngSosLKcOSeeG9RrI_D4aw59NL2Or8Qv4NVPF-joanybnLmaVcJIAVbfjENVOqNaDuN7VsLAOS48lbExqCZFIVgxsen5I_nhvuLm20R/s320/Iron+Man+Lego+Poster+1.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TKBMSIM_7cmIDv9qr4iHsEvlencAEOysvxFwAqABX6-i7DD7CziXWNgqhgDUEO2ey01QH1MN7pi0craFyjOSaorHnwq0AZAviQkf6laD3g5HOelBe4eKtN4MFY_ckgj9FksZkBg7807c/s1600/Iron+Man+Lego+Poster+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TKBMSIM_7cmIDv9qr4iHsEvlencAEOysvxFwAqABX6-i7DD7CziXWNgqhgDUEO2ey01QH1MN7pi0craFyjOSaorHnwq0AZAviQkf6laD3g5HOelBe4eKtN4MFY_ckgj9FksZkBg7807c/s320/Iron+Man+Lego+Poster+2.jpg" height="320" width="215" /></a></b></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Character Posters (1st March 2013)</b></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmlCd059V6zShe_vxp0lCM2oE-z6Y3kgRKK9lB3nItuYpn1kahBpmJ8Ja4LcIcaEn6RhgnCos4gsygINNLbt3Z7SbXEnfdlRj5qD33S2gErdPrteVycp4l3M34HFaBWh3HeZfuoEtgaAR/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Tony+Stark+Robert+Downey+Jr+Character+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbmlCd059V6zShe_vxp0lCM2oE-z6Y3kgRKK9lB3nItuYpn1kahBpmJ8Ja4LcIcaEn6RhgnCos4gsygINNLbt3Z7SbXEnfdlRj5qD33S2gErdPrteVycp4l3M34HFaBWh3HeZfuoEtgaAR/s320/Iron+Man+3+Tony+Stark+Robert+Downey+Jr+Character+Poster.jpg" height="320" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Man 3 Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) Character Poster</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VICdifbdFf4wmOb1K33vgTHIgpu90rTj3MomegNoZTFp_8XJGfff7oxrU-dDSPsBNLn_cIjacbNxAhlLBiAUK0ZvZti8a53TVw-8iZkMUksVMBa25XKt5dcsPXeBmR2LU8zNQUCq4HEr/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Pepper+Potts+Gwyneth+Paltrow+Character+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VICdifbdFf4wmOb1K33vgTHIgpu90rTj3MomegNoZTFp_8XJGfff7oxrU-dDSPsBNLn_cIjacbNxAhlLBiAUK0ZvZti8a53TVw-8iZkMUksVMBa25XKt5dcsPXeBmR2LU8zNQUCq4HEr/s320/Iron+Man+3+Pepper+Potts+Gwyneth+Paltrow+Character+Poster.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Man 3 - Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) Character Poster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm0JCKurkzp77WDn-y9W_0fvfmc5aa1eIqdrn2Lnsie7jaFlXrvEiAbk1Z0pVw7ADpHA4u83n939IlzAGax5Mkm72ljQzDq5Bcza8n1JdSDKQDWdvbWbTCe89bUtkeqSeunj6zY8sbuFm/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Mandarin+Ben+Kingsley+Character+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqm0JCKurkzp77WDn-y9W_0fvfmc5aa1eIqdrn2Lnsie7jaFlXrvEiAbk1Z0pVw7ADpHA4u83n939IlzAGax5Mkm72ljQzDq5Bcza8n1JdSDKQDWdvbWbTCe89bUtkeqSeunj6zY8sbuFm/s320/Iron+Man+3+Mandarin+Ben+Kingsley+Character+Poster.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Man 3 - Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) Character Poster</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6IBcYLDs9QZT19L2bt3i_9FqHijoEpabZtte5FY6E9hDhGDJ7_3KIJKLh6QSwcX-4oZGUDmaOlmPpsg5f3CNH8w1DAbYKlCcs1Xjh2GgkPgsDFBwAUqzqcWXV-tks2LPjtXip9qolRWM/s1600/Iron+Man+Aldrich+Killian+Guy+Pearce+character+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY6IBcYLDs9QZT19L2bt3i_9FqHijoEpabZtte5FY6E9hDhGDJ7_3KIJKLh6QSwcX-4oZGUDmaOlmPpsg5f3CNH8w1DAbYKlCcs1Xjh2GgkPgsDFBwAUqzqcWXV-tks2LPjtXip9qolRWM/s320/Iron+Man+Aldrich+Killian+Guy+Pearce+character+poster.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Man 3 - Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) Character Poster</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4e6elU1PNJE0XoIqlo6_8r4iXdcZwSCROLzCwkIswT1GMJS4K7iUnaAX4hm3pzPJhVjMnHVwzLVoskG7_1VW3UZv33RD0e5jKi6m4nR3pt9S50CqMOXmIkX3W8keFNE-4dR6wxll-qbvD/s1600/Iron+Man+Iron+Patriot+Don+Cheadle+character+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4e6elU1PNJE0XoIqlo6_8r4iXdcZwSCROLzCwkIswT1GMJS4K7iUnaAX4hm3pzPJhVjMnHVwzLVoskG7_1VW3UZv33RD0e5jKi6m4nR3pt9S50CqMOXmIkX3W8keFNE-4dR6wxll-qbvD/s320/Iron+Man+Iron+Patriot+Don+Cheadle+character+poster.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Man 3 - Iron Patriot (Don Cheadle) Character Poster</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>New Poster (12 Feb 2013)</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcT1htuvyhXesNLUK9Go6FxUiwMZ-NvKiqXL7ANrqfPUln8MGTPWaWAs9rP1JNhg7OdHTL0zah3zWs_z3AVqaTrIgpfdgcaZQC0uwKuWnRdDNAcN-CZ04WqcHxIL34o45pv3KrMv3QfOUX/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Even+Heroes+Fall+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcT1htuvyhXesNLUK9Go6FxUiwMZ-NvKiqXL7ANrqfPUln8MGTPWaWAs9rP1JNhg7OdHTL0zah3zWs_z3AVqaTrIgpfdgcaZQC0uwKuWnRdDNAcN-CZ04WqcHxIL34o45pv3KrMv3QfOUX/s320/Iron+Man+3+Even+Heroes+Fall+Poster.jpg" height="320" width="222" /></a></div>
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Tony Stark / Iron Man falling from space ... again<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Early Buzz (23 Oct 2012)</b></span><br />
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These past few days, news of Iron Man 3 keep erupting on the internet.<br />
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First there's was the teaser trailer for the official trailer (yup, now trailer get their own trailer)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cgYduKTtgiI" width="560"></iframe>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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which was followed by this Iron Man 3 Teaser Poster</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaNNIwFh8gjnYwU983hQUWD1tl-FugKvrS53ra89BAo4Y7whRvjsD-Mgg30aTnlFjhE82-2_JstYFMcXsQusg0lM07KS625wZOKl_wTeAhADogoTUqFFBbTd83QtTpyTuqVSpHujFz46n/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Teaser+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaNNIwFh8gjnYwU983hQUWD1tl-FugKvrS53ra89BAo4Y7whRvjsD-Mgg30aTnlFjhE82-2_JstYFMcXsQusg0lM07KS625wZOKl_wTeAhADogoTUqFFBbTd83QtTpyTuqVSpHujFz46n/s400/Iron+Man+3+Teaser+Poster.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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and then there were Iron Man 3 stills being released
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE9Kse8u-5ak4lSjmMnK4G1ZsugN-EJ4jI0CmrIe6k_MIZZnKlfY5NRxbgH25HMouseUFSl5LKjyIi7794TAOLr51ivYR4MH8saYcaqdvpCQfV37xf0AVJXaljRLQx6owmvj8Zm2aSa_2/s1600/Iron+Man+3++Iron+Patriot+still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE9Kse8u-5ak4lSjmMnK4G1ZsugN-EJ4jI0CmrIe6k_MIZZnKlfY5NRxbgH25HMouseUFSl5LKjyIi7794TAOLr51ivYR4MH8saYcaqdvpCQfV37xf0AVJXaljRLQx6owmvj8Zm2aSa_2/s320/Iron+Man+3++Iron+Patriot+still.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id=".reactRoot[131].[1][2][1]{comment10151202132512708_8119245}..[1]..[1]..[0].[0][2]"><span class="UFICommentBody" id=".reactRoot[131].[1][2][1]{comment10151202132512708_8119245}..[1]..[1]..[0].[0][2]."><span id=".reactRoot[131].[1][2][1]{comment10151202132512708_8119245}..[1]..[1]..[0].[0][2]..[0]"> Iron Patriot!</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqF0YhniH4FOSnmTaR41j_HR2L7kUD2z8-IKlEh-p-dF-8KRuFYOy741OZsZTSdQQh-EhhKlSS9DpJ7fqA5M5kQ4QzPNYLNJUZ1W4sBOx94_w9YXPz-5_BEuYlCcTMrqRLjKBbLk58Uw-U/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Ben+Kingsley+as+the+Mandarin+still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqF0YhniH4FOSnmTaR41j_HR2L7kUD2z8-IKlEh-p-dF-8KRuFYOy741OZsZTSdQQh-EhhKlSS9DpJ7fqA5M5kQ4QzPNYLNJUZ1W4sBOx94_w9YXPz-5_BEuYlCcTMrqRLjKBbLk58Uw-U/s320/Iron+Man+3+Ben+Kingsley+as+the+Mandarin+still.jpg" height="136" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mandarin</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVbto2ToiwrL1ljPJeTT1m0g6ic6Bka2ReXfFkts3HJu1wlibPk-tfTvYkJvQnLGhsOEYD1OLut6rpXS-bGGG2a-WzpL4t8WiebGEPfdCfizcIeZhkPveM9fvTIwf8v2EIT7ddctFeHxm/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Iron+Man+n+Pepper+still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijVbto2ToiwrL1ljPJeTT1m0g6ic6Bka2ReXfFkts3HJu1wlibPk-tfTvYkJvQnLGhsOEYD1OLut6rpXS-bGGG2a-WzpL4t8WiebGEPfdCfizcIeZhkPveM9fvTIwf8v2EIT7ddctFeHxm/s320/Iron+Man+3+Iron+Man+n+Pepper+still.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loving embrace between Pepper Potts & Iron Man</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFi4X8JsOPhhfIaR4Ks6Mqq___euYpFjos5oTnEe_9wgGueKsUy8hWxXqb1s_iixGEDaI8xEMkml3Km02yXRNEqLLvsyx3ibH6Eva8yxtp6aqTK-0FpgPkAXh2D1KA7H9iE8AiJ8JEKXJ/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Tony+Stark+and+Iron+Man+suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFi4X8JsOPhhfIaR4Ks6Mqq___euYpFjos5oTnEe_9wgGueKsUy8hWxXqb1s_iixGEDaI8xEMkml3Km02yXRNEqLLvsyx3ibH6Eva8yxtp6aqTK-0FpgPkAXh2D1KA7H9iE8AiJ8JEKXJ/s320/Iron+Man+3+Tony+Stark+and+Iron+Man+suit.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tony Stark and the new Iron Man suit</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87lDRzeegDWoIhdO6O08GJDGqh2W3UVtbtoEIFYU1gPTXP3YqJdFt_z66JyxL7QV_HE1V8h8UiWqCnhLLB5gVApcjLpInpw-EMZ3wm5HRwR1U8oicXu2la9xjnGIXsepadwXMouCEcHC0/s1600/Iron+Man+3+Tony+Starks+and+Pepper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87lDRzeegDWoIhdO6O08GJDGqh2W3UVtbtoEIFYU1gPTXP3YqJdFt_z66JyxL7QV_HE1V8h8UiWqCnhLLB5gVApcjLpInpw-EMZ3wm5HRwR1U8oicXu2la9xjnGIXsepadwXMouCEcHC0/s320/Iron+Man+3+Tony+Starks+and+Pepper.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danger! Everywhere</td></tr>
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<br />
but nothing was as euphoric as the first trailer of Iron Man 3!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5EjG-1U3wqA" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
and according to imdb, we will be getting Iron Man 3 in 25th Apr 2013! that's about one week before the USA release date!<br />
<br />
<b>Brief Synopsis
</b><br />
<br />
<i>Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?</i>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-35170455788609432152012-11-29T02:56:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.080+08:00Rurouni Kenshin | るろうに剣心 [ Coming Soon - 29th Nov 2012 ]<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1aLI9DVIPh3ZAf72UmldFY4K2F5AA3kJ9JmlzndCBCGhxyhw24aFT8Oc5DzeVOawBs815OGQh2__3rVyTbHnlo6yi2ePhrSIzgTDydkv0A7GoPTihAEUS_9aa0ks-0NIBy8DprMYs730/s1600/Rurouni+Kenshin+Movie+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq1aLI9DVIPh3ZAf72UmldFY4K2F5AA3kJ9JmlzndCBCGhxyhw24aFT8Oc5DzeVOawBs815OGQh2__3rVyTbHnlo6yi2ePhrSIzgTDydkv0A7GoPTihAEUS_9aa0ks-0NIBy8DprMYs730/s400/Rurouni+Kenshin+Movie+Poster.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i> Rurouni Kenshin るろうに剣心</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
Rurouni Kenshin or perhaps better known as Samurai X originated as a manga by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The tale of the wandering protector with a dark past went on to get it's anime series treatment. Both the manga and anime were so popular that even someone like me who is not really into manga or anime had a rough idea about this series about.<br />
<br />
But for some reasons, it was difficult for me to follow this series properly. It was either catching a few episodes of Samurai X anime on television or sampling some of Rurouni Kenshin manga at the library. So when the news of Rurouni Kenshin getting a live action treatment by the Japanese, I was pretty excited about watching this movie. Finally there's a chance for me to get started on the Rurouni Kenshin's series.<br />
<br />
Given the popularity of this series, the cast and director of this live action film have a lot of expectation to live up to. Will they be able to capture the essence of Rurouni Kenshin without boring the fans with repetition of materials from the manga and anime? Will they be able to hook newbies like me to this series? Will it be good?<br />
<br />
On 29th Nov 2012, Rurouni Kenshin will be shown exclusively at Film Garde cinemas in Singapore. It's just a couple of months after It's general release in Japan. A good incentive to catch this on the big screen.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot</span></b><br />
<span id="lblsynopsis"><br />Nearly 140 years ago, in the last days of the
Shoguns, there was a man known as “Battosai the Killer,” feared as the
most powerful assassin.<br /><br />He was faster than a god, stronger than a demon, and had a leading spirit of the Meiji Restoration.<br /><br />In a flash he downs any number of opponents. Once he pulled out his sword, nobody survived against him.<br /><br />As the war ended and the new Meiji era came, Battosai vanished from the world.<br /><br />The only thing that remained was his legend.<br /><br />10 years later, a man appeared in a world still in disarray.<br /><br />His name is Kenshin Himura, a wanderer who saves people with a back-blade sword that cannot kill.<br /><br />This is Battosai the Killer, who has taken a pledge never to kill again.<br /><br />In order to bring peace to the world so that his loved ones can live safely,<br /><br />Now Kenshin’s battle begins!</span> <br />
<br />
(Plot from Filmgarde's <a href="http://www.fgcineplex.com.sg/detail.aspx?id=33">page</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Trailer</b><span style="font-size: small;"> (from Encore Films)</span></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jpdY855Zyfw" width="560"></iframe>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-78496545418986796642012-11-23T01:24:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.165+08:00Bekas [ Coming Soon 28 Feb 2013]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ74KfbknWaFnyzKF_UY1CEp7KN0SW9bz8lP9a5t3wv27F1dcG0qZdMlszoOYDfU9trvwMiJFNE9-m4FzuxrUVroGz7eZkQunveku1BGiVHEfNJHh_oJGVjMANtD5BGWZ4OtMNhtD0JjGQ/s1600/Bekas+Singapore+Movie+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ74KfbknWaFnyzKF_UY1CEp7KN0SW9bz8lP9a5t3wv27F1dcG0qZdMlszoOYDfU9trvwMiJFNE9-m4FzuxrUVroGz7eZkQunveku1BGiVHEfNJHh_oJGVjMANtD5BGWZ4OtMNhtD0JjGQ/s400/Bekas+Singapore+Movie+Poster.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot</b></span><br />
<br />
<div id="tn15content">
<div class="plotpar">
Iraq in the early 1990 was a devastating land to survive in. When we
think of Iraq, the first thing that tends to pop into our minds is the
war and Saddam Hussein. But there is another side too - it is perhaps
the most notorious country in the world and it goes by the name
Kurdistan. </div>
<div class="plotpar">
<br /></div>
<div class="plotpar">
Welcome to BEKAS. This is a story about two homeless brothers
(Zana, 7) and (Dana, 10) who live on the edge of survival. In the
beginning of the story they catch a glimpse of Superman through a hole
in the wall at the local cinema. Zana and Dana decide that they want to
go to America and live with Superman. </div>
<div class="plotpar">
<br /></div>
<div class="plotpar">
Once they get there he can solve
all their problems, make their lives easy and punish everyone that has
been mean to them. Zana, the younger brother, starts to make a list of
all people he is going to tell Superman to punish. On top of the list is
Saddam Hussein. Dana on the other hand makes a concrete plan for what
they need to get there; money, passports, transportation and a way to
get across the boarder. Unfortunately they have neither of those. But in
spite of everything they decide to follow the dream.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Trailer</b></span></div>
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VPre6KTyGas" width="560"></iframe>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-90291265899229418132012-11-04T23:49:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.217+08:00Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo [ Coming Soon ]<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Just a few updates<span style="font-size: large;"> for Evangelion 3.0 before the general release in Japan (<span style="font-size: large;">4 Nov 2012</span>)</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3hSoDFyfWrPtArY15EGkphsh2aRAdxxpVQhhiBySJP0FD_ivHr6BvyE_nEQKhxlygQSIkc7Nchd2iVt0RE7f2nslkOkvpwso4Q-jfh-Fv-ct_4ylY8CHvLIutTjyquCufiYXDDieKMt6/s1600/Evangelion+3.0+You+Can+Not+Redo+Japanese+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig3hSoDFyfWrPtArY15EGkphsh2aRAdxxpVQhhiBySJP0FD_ivHr6BvyE_nEQKhxlygQSIkc7Nchd2iVt0RE7f2nslkOkvpwso4Q-jfh-Fv-ct_4ylY8CHvLIutTjyquCufiYXDDieKMt6/s400/Evangelion+3.0+You+Can+Not+Redo+Japanese+Poster.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-size: small;">a pretty awesome movie poster for Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo and ...</span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eAgRdwaAXZU" width="560"></iframe>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">
... a Pink Eva? and a chess game ... with a moody soundtrack <span style="font-size: small;">... hmmm</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Another Trailer for Evangelion 3.0 (23 Oct 2012)</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5FKOxEegYeQ" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">This time round, it's plays more like a "normal<span style="font-size: small;">"</span> trailer. Although it <span style="font-size: small;">d</span>idn't reveal much but there's <span class="st">Kaworu Nagisa playing the piano and his interaction with</span> Shinji Ikari.<span style="font-size: small;"> It would also seems t<span style="font-size: small;">hat the<span style="font-size: small;"> 3rd E<span style="font-size: small;">vangelion movie might not branch off too far fro<span style="font-size: small;">m the original anime series as it was previousl<span style="font-size: small;">y reported</span>.</span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>Evangelion 3.0 Q Official Trailer (<span style="font-size: large;">17 Oct 2012</span>)</b></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fBLbvTppn8Q" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
After the impressive showcase of revealing the release date and bits of the upcoming Evangelion 3.0 Q, the Official Trailer felt like a "what the fuck" stunt by the production company. It features a piano playing by itself, shot in a spectrum of multiple rainbow-ish colors and accompanied by a musical piece (presumably Quatre Mains (bande-annonce) by Shiro Sagisu).<br />
<br />
In a way, this trailer felt like a reminiscence of the disappointment that many people had felt with the last few episodes of the original Evangelion anime. But then again, I grew to understand and appreciate those last few episodes of the original Evangelion anime. Therefore I am gonna scale down my expectation and approach this with an open mind. Who knows what surprises Evangelion 3.0 You can (Not) Redo might bring?<br />
<br />
<i>PS: a special thanks to <a class="yt-uix-sessionlink yt-user-name author" data-sessionlink="ei=CKqym8TGh7MCFUE_pAodDSDQXA%3D%3D" dir="ltr" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/lukakas157" rel="author">lukakas157</a> for sharing this trailer on youtube. Couldn't view on it the official website because they made the trailer unavailable due to regional restriction.</i> tsk tsk tsk! <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Release Date for </b><b>Evangelion 3.0 (01 Jul 2012)</b></span><br />
<br />
and this is how one should reveal the release date for the third Evangelion movie<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/epZjUmpgY68" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
The company behind Evagelion screened <a href="http://eva3.0.b-ch.com/blog/3_0/archives/6">EVA-EXTRA08</a> on the wall of Shinjuku Wald 9 building. A clip that did a countdown, a recap of past two movies and some scenes from the upcoming third movie. Most importantly, there's a release date for Evangelion 3.0.<br />
<br />
There were approximately 5000 people who waited in the rain with umbrellas. But I guess the wait is worth it as the excitement generated by those who gathered there was palpable. Especially when the video clip had finished playing the play backs of the first two movies and was approaching the showcase of the upcoming third movie, I got goosebumps watching the clip and listening to the audience's reaction.<br />
<br />
Now there's a date for Evagelion 3.0 release date in Japan.
It will be out in 17th NOV 2012. Can't wait to read early reviews for this movie.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-6v-gq9Bo7Tdeu7R5UqhnitJijYnXzpCui1jt6b0gT-dWeaa15u1fN_oDHGraG2iVbOG7Wy19fZn5ywMGIJ-Ur4uvpUHeEBUlYZMByhoenohtEOR5bjfhIzd_Nh_QtjLxAvTYwN18y7d/s1600/Evangelion+3.0+You+can+not+redo+teaser+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-6v-gq9Bo7Tdeu7R5UqhnitJijYnXzpCui1jt6b0gT-dWeaa15u1fN_oDHGraG2iVbOG7Wy19fZn5ywMGIJ-Ur4uvpUHeEBUlYZMByhoenohtEOR5bjfhIzd_Nh_QtjLxAvTYwN18y7d/s400/Evangelion+3.0+You+can+not+redo+teaser+poster.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>New Full International Title for </b><b>Evangelion 3.0 (20 Feb 2012)</b></span><br />
<br />
Just found out that the new full international title for Evangelion 3.0 would be<br />
<br />
<b>"Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo" </b>and it will be out in Oct 2012.<br />
<br />
The Fourth Evangelion movie will be released in 2013 (Great news as less waiting time in between the third and fourth movie)<br />
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<b>Other extra information</b><br />
<br />
There's a Japanese <a href="http://www.facebook.com/evangelion.co.jp">Facebook</a> Page for Evangelion 3.0 (for faster updates from official source) and apparently there's a <a href="http://www.evastore.jp/real/index.html">store</a> for Evangelion in Tokyo (which I will planning a visit during my July trip to Tokyo).<b><br /></b><br />
<b> </b> <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Trailer (Sunday, August 28, 2011) </b></span><br />
<br />
Finally there's a release date for Evangelion: 3.0 ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:Q. Fans of the recent Rebuild of Evangelion had been waiting for a release date for the 3rd installment and finally, a TV Spot that revealed the scheduled (planned) release date for Evangelion: 3.0. <br />
<br />
This animation is stated to hit Japan during the Fall of 2012. Let's hope it won't be that long when Evangelion: 3.0 reaches Singapore shore. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ictu4GHEhs0" width="560"></iframe>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-27101465255032809362012-10-30T16:18:00.001+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.052+08:00Horror Stories | 무서운 이야기 [ Movie Review ] ★★★<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAYoX65Hy86SMNT2hGnu1fxDukuggGOt4Qjpx7fhhSiuszREN30KyAKB8L7sLNs3R5pZ5jV-j1yigjwLGNKepjbeA58meHlKnXJdnVtKWt0AQtqq9LGmne_PI7Rqn8VfzXaat-Calkfp_/s1600/Horror+Stories+Korean+Movie+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOAYoX65Hy86SMNT2hGnu1fxDukuggGOt4Qjpx7fhhSiuszREN30KyAKB8L7sLNs3R5pZ5jV-j1yigjwLGNKepjbeA58meHlKnXJdnVtKWt0AQtqq9LGmne_PI7Rqn8VfzXaat-Calkfp_/s400/Horror+Stories+Korean+Movie+Poster.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horror Stories 무서운 이야기 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span id="lblcontent">"If you want to be alive, then tell me... </span>Horror Stories 무서운 이야기"</i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
It's hard to find good horror movies lately. After the disappointing introduction to Paranormal Activity franchise, the crave for a good eerie and sensible scary movie still lingers. The trailer for the Korean omnibus of short horror movie segments (that befittingly titled) Horror Stories seems to be a promising cure for the <a href="http://filmsblitz.blogspot.sg/2012/10/paranormal-activity-4-movie-review.html">Paranormal Activity 4</a> hangover.<br />
<br />
The setup for the main frame narrative reminded me of One Thousand and One Nights / Arabian Nights. A female protagonist has to resort to telling stories to stay alive. The fable setup might just work in a horror movie.<br />
<br />
Plus I am also a fan of the recent Thailand horror movies that were structured in similar omnibus format. Movies like <a href="http://filmsblitz.blogspot.sg/2011/07/four-movie-review.html">Four</a>, 4bia and it's sequel Phobia 2 remained etched in the mind long after the credits rolled. They were testaments that some good horror stories are most effective when it's short and sweet. They are not constrained in feature length movie time frame and they branch out in different areas of creativity.<br />
<br />
Personally, I can't wait to see what the Koreans have to offer with their omnibus of horror stories and Thanks to <a href="http://incinemas.sg/contestDetails.aspx?id=253">InCinemas</a>, I will be watching this movie a day before it even sneaks in Singapore.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot</b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A high school girl woke up a strange place with her hands tied up. She realized that she been kidnapped by a sadistic looking guy. Her kidnapper informs her that "horror stories" chill his blood and that will enable him to go to sleep. If she does not put him to "sleep", he will requires blood to soothe him. <br />
<br />
Terrified, the high school girl started to tell four horror stories and they are "Don't Answer to the Door", "Endless Flight", "Secret Recipe" and "Ambulance on the Death Zone".<br />
<br />
In "Don't Answer to the Door", Sun-Yi and Moon Yi are two young Korean kids who had just finished their English class. While their English teacher was sending them home, Sun-Yi caught a disturbing news of a female worker who set herself on fire to protest against unfair job termination. When they reached home, their single mom told them that she is expecting a parcel. But as no adults were around, they were supposed to inform the deliveryman to leave the parcel at the door. After the deliveryman made the drop off, Sun-Yi opened the door to collect the parcel but absentmindedly forgotten to closed the door properly. A small mistake resulted in a night of fright for the two kids ... imaginary or not.<br />
<br />
The second tale, "Endless Flight" takes place on a plane flying at an altitude of 30,000 meters. A serial killer had just been caught and was being escorted back to the city on a plane. The flight crew felt uneasy about this 50 minutes flight but with two police officers on board, they proceed with their duty. Before taking off, the senior pilot realized that the last murdered victim was a stewardess and she was scheduled to be working on this flight. Needless to say, the serial killer managed to escape and it became a game of survival on a plane.<br />
<br />
In the third story, "Secret Recipe" is a modern twisted take on the Cinderella story. Gong Ji will be getting married with the rich and surprisingly youthful company president soon. Her step mother and step sister Bak Ji scheme to steal her sister's future husband before the wedding. Bak Ji went to the extreme of having facial surgery to look like Gong Ji. While the step sisters tried to outwit each other for the president's affection, they could never anticipate what the president has in store for the lucky bride-to-be or the secret to his youthfulness.<br />
<br />
Last but not least, "Ambulance on the Death Zone" is basically a story about five survivors in a city that been plagued by outbreak of zombie virus. A doctor and a nurse answer an emergency call in the infected city. Together with an ambulance driver, they rescue a mother and her unconscious daughter from the virus spreading rats and zombies. But as they make their way back to the safe zone, the doctor started to suspect that the unconscious little girl might have been inflected by the zombie virus.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Perspective </b></span><br />
<br />
Horror Stories 무서운 이야기 was a mixed bag of horror movie. One of the things that I didn't like about this omnibus in general was the usage of loud sound to generate fear. It was like if we can't frighten you with jump scares, we are going to assault your ears till you flinch. The other problem with Horror Stories was that they used the dream sequences too many times. All four segments contained a dream sequence and they were basically a pointless detour to chalk up jump scares for this movie. In other words, they were trying a little too hard to be scary and the results were some cheap scares that didn't work for me.<br />
<br />
The main framing narrative was rather uneven in execution. The performance of the prey and predator was adequately delivered but there wasn't any impressive revelation to elevate to framing narrative into something memorable (e.g The Twilight Zone movie). The reason for the horror stories (the kidnapper wanted horror stories so that he could fall asleep) could also come back and bite the ass of the filmmakers if one was to not like this omnibus of horror. The respective stories were pretty uneven too. Some were good and some were pretty bland. Here are the breakdown for each segments in Horror Stories.<br />
<br />
"Don't Answer to the Door" had a pretty bland first half. It felt like it was going to be a meaningless horror story from the kids' terrified perspective of being home alone. It overly dramatize ordinary events such as a deliveryman making a drop into a horror event. After a few false jump scares, it's hard to feel for this two overly imaginative kids. What redeem this segment was the unexpected turn of events when it escalate to the film's climatic revelation. It validated the previous silly scares and made some sense to why the kids had to go through such horrifying haunting.<br />
<br />
"Endless Flight" was the most disappointing bits in Horror Stories. There was so much potential for the setup of a serial killer on board a plane. His last victim was a stewardess who was scheduled for the same flight and it was all setup for a delightful confrontation between the relentless killer and the vengeful ghost. A showdown of determination, guts and abilities. But what we got here was mainly a killer who wreck havoc on a plane and a female stewardess trying to survive this 50 minutes flight. The ghost of the dead stewardess was just standing around and not doing much basically. The killer also attacked some of the flight crew in the most unrealistic ways. To make things worse, they didn't even bother to end the segment properly.<br />
<br />
"Secret Recipe" did somewhat redeem this horror series after the dismal second segment. It was a rather delightful absurd segment that not based in reality (i.e you can't question this segment with common sense and you just have to go with the flow). It's a slasher segment that serves as a cautionary tale for the "gold digger" mentality. Sadistic amusement where one could be delighted by how the money minded sisters are rushing recklessly into something that they don't truly comprehend and yet feel disgusted by the eventual situation that they gotten themselves in. "Secret Recipe" was a vile enjoyment for me. <br />
<br />
"Ambulance on the Death Zone" was my faveourite segment in Horror Stories. It was simple and effective. Five different personalities handling a potential crisis at hand and the tension from within was more intense than the zombies problems that they were facing. I like how this segment kept the audience guessing whether was the unconscious girl infected or not and how it invokes the ominous feeling of "the path to hell is paved with good intention". I have seen quite a few zombie movies and this segment makes a good entry to the zombie genre.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Overall, there were more hits than misses in this anthology of horror stories. It's definitely better than Paranormal Activity 4 but it wasn't really that good as compared to the Thai's 4bia, Phobia 2 and Four. Horror Stories is still a decent movie for the Halloween period and I would recommend it. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: ***</b></span> <br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Link to Asianwiki Page for <a href="http://asianwiki.com/Horror_Stories">Horror Stories</a></div>
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Link to Incinemas.sg Page for <a href="http://incinemas.sg/blog/764/More%20Horror%20Stories%20for%20you%20this%20Halloween.aspx">Horror Stories </a></div>
richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-15866358229557304422012-10-24T18:05:00.003+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.020+08:00Paranormal Activity 4 [ Movie Review ] ★★<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3GYy7BePMDBgBHD1lffDTuPn9o1TSv2rkkuB3GeAWAJGBKNUOpJJqlJ_SZV17czmGK5ohHdcxC0G10n3PDjUMcG4Fc0724xHbJzDaSTMChPbf4fEvw7bKd5yOD_X1dYneE4bARk6_1lN/s1600/Paranormal+Activity+4+SG+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3GYy7BePMDBgBHD1lffDTuPn9o1TSv2rkkuB3GeAWAJGBKNUOpJJqlJ_SZV17czmGK5ohHdcxC0G10n3PDjUMcG4Fc0724xHbJzDaSTMChPbf4fEvw7bKd5yOD_X1dYneE4bARk6_1lN/s400/Paranormal+Activity+4+SG+Poster.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
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I have never watched the first three Paranormal Activity movies. The idea of watching long still shots of surveillance video for sudden burst of jump scares just didn't appeal to me. It's like a bad mutation of the shaky cam genre. Plus I am a fan of the Saw franchise and was kinda pissed that the Paranormal Activity franchise replaced it as the king of Halloween box office in recent years.<br />
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But I was lucky enough to be picked by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/UIPSingapore">UIP</a> for the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/notes/united-international-pictures-singapore/winners-of-paranormal-activity-4-want-it-contest/371861022891037">Paranormal Activity - WANT IT contest</a>. I am not sure why I took part in this contest in the first place. It's been a long time since I caught any movies that is really scary and I guess I crave for a real good scare.<br />
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I am also wondering what's with the longevity of this franchise? Why is it still doing so well after three installments? Just last week, <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2012&wknd=42&p=.htm">Paranormal Activity 4 topped the US box office with $29 million</a> (although <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3550&p=.htm">last year this weekend, Paranormal Activity 3 opened with $52.6 million</a>) while outside of America, Box Office Mojo is reporting <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3551&p=.htm">an average increase of 11% over it's predecessor</a>. What the secret behind it's success? Is it really that scary that it's bringing enough audience back to make such an impressive debut on the box office?<br />
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Money aside, I am definitely looking forward to be spooked like the New Zealand test audience in this video.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q-UawAHHMY4" width="560"></iframe>
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<br />
<a name='more'></a>For those who had missed the first three movies and don't have the time to rent them before the 4th movie (like me), here a history recap of what happened before this 4th installment of the Paranormal Activity movie.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PsqpEiqGulA" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">This sequel picks up from the end of the 2nd Paranormal Activity. Katie and Hunter were seen last seen walking about from the Rey's household. The year was <span style="font-size: small;">2006</span> and they went missing <span style="font-size: small;">eversince</span>.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Flash forward</span> to 2011 and <span style="font-size: small;">a new subur<span style="font-size: small;">b<span style="font-size: small;">. </span>T<span style="font-size: small;">he focus is on t</span></span>he Nelson<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">family, a somewhat normal family living in a suburb.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> Holly (</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alexondra Lee) and <span style="font-size: small;">Doug (</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Stephen Dunham) are having some <span style="font-size: small;">marital</span> problems but are still keep up with the </span></span></span><span class="st">façade</span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> that everything is all right.</span></span> </span>Their <span style="font-size: small;">15 years old </span>daughter Alex (</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kathryn Newton) has a boyfriend<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">Ben </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Matt Shively) who <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">frequently</span> visit their </span><span style="font-size: small;">household and their youngest son Wyatt (</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aiden Lovekamp) who is a well manner, adorable kid.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">The <span style="font-size: small;">normalcy<span style="font-size: small;"> of the<span style="font-size: small;">ir li<span style="font-size: small;">ves is only <span style="font-size: small;">punctuated by the unexpected <span style="font-size: small;">visitation by Robbie (</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brady Allen), a young moody kid from across the street.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>When Robbie's mom <span style="font-size: small;">was <span style="font-size: small;">admitted</span> to </span>the <span style="font-size: small;">hospital</span>, <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Holly</span> agreed to look after him for a few days. But like many horror movies, there is something not right about this new guest. <span style="font-size: small;">T</span>hrough the constant video recording of the<span style="font-size: small;">ir daily lives,<span style="font-size: small;"> Alex and <span style="font-size: small;">Ben caught some footage that prove th<span style="font-size: small;">at there might be something <span style="font-size: small;">sinister</span> that <span style="font-size: small;">is p<span style="font-size: small;">laughing this new guest.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">But<span style="font-size: small;"> i</span>t was only <span style="font-size: small;">w</span>hen they found out that an accidental overnight webcam chat recording <span style="font-size: small;">had caught</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span>Robbie entering Alex<span style="font-size: small;">'s room late at night to sle<span style="font-size: small;">ep next to her, they decid<span style="font-size: small;">e</span> to do a <span style="font-size: small;">surveillance </span>set<span style="font-size: small;">up in the hou<span style="font-size: small;">se with laptops</span>. <span style="font-size: small;">The following days, they <span style="font-size: small;">captured st<span style="font-size: small;">range paranormal <span style="font-size: small;">activities</span> happening in the <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">household</span> and Robbie has been influe<span style="font-size: small;">ncing Wyatt to do some pretty abnormal stuff.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">What's the link between Katie, Hunter, Robbie and the Nelson family? Why does all other <span style="font-size: small;">(paranormal) activities</span> had lead to this (movie) (as stated by the movie tagline)? </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The <span style="font-size: large;">Perspective</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Personally, Paranormal Activity <span style="font-size: small;">4 was quite a<span style="font-size: small;"> dreadful event to sit through<span style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></span></span></span>Dreadful in two ways. It was really dreadful to sit through all those long boring still shots with very little substantial events happening. The terrible editing and nonexistence cinematography made me want to leave the cinema before the end of the movie.<br />
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The other dreadfulness is derived from how we the viewers were "forced" to sit through the movie to wait for the inevitable "loud jump scares". That dreadfulness is actually the strength of this movie and I am guessing that's why the whole franchise is making so much money. There's basically nothingness for a period of time and a sudden loud boom to freak the audience out. It's simple to make and it's easy to figure when the next "loud jump scares" will be happening but it's difficult to not get spooked by it.<br />
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But is that good horror? <br />
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I really don't think so. First of all, it gets repetitive and after a while, it became a sensory numbing experience. The first few "loud jump scares" got me but after that, it's really hard to be spook by those cheap thrills or even care for the characters that are going through a horrible paranormal experience.<br />
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Secondly, was it even that scary in the first place? It's easy to get startled by sudden assault of loud noise, abnormal images or "out of nowhere" type of surprises. But is that really scary? Would all these jump scares be "scary" if one would to rewatch this movie? <br />
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Last but not least, the movie is filled with build up for these "loud jump scares" that it really have nothing else to work on. The main thread that binds these four Paranormal Activity movies became a sideshow to the "loud jump scares". I thought that's really sad. <br />
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Loud jump scares aside, the plotting for this movie felt very restrained. It felt like the filmmakers had very little to build on and a sequel (yes Paranormal Activity 5 has already gotten the green-light for a release in October 2013) to plan for. Paranormal Activity 4 which might be functioning as a bridge to the fifth installment, seems to have even lesser to say than the first three movies. The Nelson family inclusion simply felt unnecessary and a very obvious detour from the first three movies.<br />
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It also asked more questions than actually answering any of those questions that the first three movies had asked. It's a rather deplorable act that tries to bait the audience to come back for more. But I got a feeling that the targeted audience won't mind it at all.<br />
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Although I didn't appreciate strength of this movie (or the whole franchise), it's easy to see why there's such an appeal for this
franchise. I could feel that the audience (mostly ladies) were genuinely
scared by it. Without the goriness (eg. the Saw franchise), a Paranormal Activity movie feels "safe" for a lady (or other timid individuals) who wants to be "scared" but didn't want the overly disgusted by the process. Personally, I just feel sad<b> </b>for the state of horror movies these days.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: **
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<span class="imdbRatingPlugin" data-style="p2" data-title="tt2109184" data-user="ur3520200"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2109184/?ref_=plg_rt_1"><img alt="Paranormal Activity 4 (2012) on IMDb" src="http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/imdb/plugins/rating/images/imdb_38x18.png" />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Coda</b></span><br />
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At the end of a short credits roll, there a footage of foreign store and a weird old lady providing a jump scare. It seems like it might be the Latino spin-off that the Paranormal Activity creator Oren Peli has been talking about in April 2012.richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-8550055073176513762012-10-15T01:49:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.191+08:00Sadako | 貞子3D <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY7kvFpgR8gN_j9oQemvRPe_3yWuFKu7zrX6zos_1vAsQ9VCQon81_cKlblWCIelWO9yD5ZyuzDFkqyyVUxpXYZhn9Qob9iY7EISy5WU38O7Nc9g_PV05mbhTD6JV480h_pupNgPNgF1y/s1600/Sadako+3D+Movie+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGY7kvFpgR8gN_j9oQemvRPe_3yWuFKu7zrX6zos_1vAsQ9VCQon81_cKlblWCIelWO9yD5ZyuzDFkqyyVUxpXYZhn9Qob9iY7EISy5WU38O7Nc9g_PV05mbhTD6JV480h_pupNgPNgF1y/s400/Sadako+3D+Movie+poster.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch </b></span><br />
<br />
14 years ago, one Japanese horror movie came and revitalized the Asian horror genre. It also inspired numerous copycats that tried to latch on to it's success in one way or the other. That movie would be The Ring (<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="t_nihongo_kanji" lang="ja">リング </span></span>Ringu) and Sadako became an iconic horror character that is equivalent to the likes of Freddy Kruger, Chucky and Jason in Asia.<br />
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After the American made two movies out of it, the demands for another movie out of the Ring franchise seemed to die down and Sadako was left undisturbed for about 7 years. Now with the advent of 3D movies, companies are digging up their previously popular franchise for the profitable 3D treatment and Sadako is one of the few safe bets that the movie company could bank on cashing in.<br />
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To be fair, apparently this movie is based on Ringu's author Koji Suzuki's new novel S (2012). If anyone should continue this successful horror franchise, he probably the best person to do so. It brought some hope that it might be a faithful continuation of the series or manages to recapture some of the magic that made the first Ring so unforgettable. But then again, <span class="st">Thomas Harris, the author of Silence of the Lambs also wrote the novel in which the disappoint Hannibal Rising was based on. It would be interesting to check if the lightning could strike twice at the same spot.</span><br />
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<span class="st">Then there's also the choice of director. Tsutomu Hanabusa's resume had been primarily made up of bright wacky comedies. I love his Handsome Suit (</span><span class="st">ハンサム★スーツ
2008) but crossing over genres has always been tricky. Let's hope he doesn't make a comedy out of this horror movie.</span><br />
<span class="st"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span class="st">Last but not least, I was intrigued by how Sadako 3D had been promoted in Japan.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzrKFOHvrkR68Am14taOE9kd6pryXwjZy7uEnfHu9blBy5B9xlyii_-HW3m5FCYh2qpuLVIbomD1OjfYUo9oqZDbBwIpJLn1uIe4kCJTSHe01MuAdJAx9G6rG81SexPZTUe9s0TSc254g/s1600/Sadako+3D+pitching+baseball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzrKFOHvrkR68Am14taOE9kd6pryXwjZy7uEnfHu9blBy5B9xlyii_-HW3m5FCYh2qpuLVIbomD1OjfYUo9oqZDbBwIpJLn1uIe4kCJTSHe01MuAdJAx9G6rG81SexPZTUe9s0TSc254g/s400/Sadako+3D+pitching+baseball.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadako making a baseball pitch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
the Video of her making the pitch here<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mRRj6OdLjUM" width="560"></iframe>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1doX1rAKhwE6Pn4kl5KaaHpSuam5Jzy1AgA6UkbGYa6-8FlQ_UjW9zZbUeng4EZYkqBNeUsEIy6n8cUQM_n3aFRXOhvUWpqme4yWhVUSdw0vKrmWhYiLSE2xrtFbDL_ib0M8b0wcBRb-/s1600/Sadako+3D+truck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1doX1rAKhwE6Pn4kl5KaaHpSuam5Jzy1AgA6UkbGYa6-8FlQ_UjW9zZbUeng4EZYkqBNeUsEIy6n8cUQM_n3aFRXOhvUWpqme4yWhVUSdw0vKrmWhYiLSE2xrtFbDL_ib0M8b0wcBRb-/s400/Sadako+3D+truck.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadako on a truck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYCzEuv4uNZRdCv6h3gLJG3Kntmx1Jlr2UZO4MiEuQBKKUc0aoNCHDnctNCR0cz3vzSiIyh4QfZw-kZ6HJ4720Ov7KtmBMm8-l9IpkvflwKBaqqRgQ-omctoL1Gk6cF905NO-rjXV9J2R/s1600/Sadako+3D+walkers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYCzEuv4uNZRdCv6h3gLJG3Kntmx1Jlr2UZO4MiEuQBKKUc0aoNCHDnctNCR0cz3vzSiIyh4QfZw-kZ6HJ4720Ov7KtmBMm8-l9IpkvflwKBaqqRgQ-omctoL1Gk6cF905NO-rjXV9J2R/s400/Sadako+3D+walkers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadakos invading streets of Tokyo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="st">Might be a little bit too gimmicky but the inventiveness of the movie promotion gave me some hope for this movie. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="st">The Plot</span></b></span><br />
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Rumor has it that a new cursed video has emerged online and it's drawing people to search for it. Usually they will find that it's been deleted with the Error 404 Not Found message. But when Risa (Hikari Takara) a female student dies mysteriously after searching high and low for the cursed video, her high school teacher Akane (Satomi Ishihara) started to suspect that the rumor might be true after all.<br />
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Meanwhile, after a string of strange unexplained deaths that occurred at the same time, Detective Koiso (Ryosei Tayama) and his partner begun to investigate the validity of the cursed video. Their investigation led them to a popular online artist Kashiwada (Yusuke Yamamoto) who been flamed by other artists. Apparently that caused Kashiwada to commit suicide in a live broadcast and that video is no where to be found. <br />
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Back in school, Risa's best friend started to look for the same curse video and after leaving the Error 404 page opened for a prolong time, the internet site starts to play the video of Kashiwada committing suicide by reviving S, a mysterious long haired woman. When the video ends, Sadako (Ai Hashimoto) crawled out of the computer screen to attack the student. Akane arrived just in time to save her with a supersonic scream that vaporized the computer screen. Sadako disappeared with an eerie "It's you" message for Akane.<br />
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From then on, Akane is consistently haunted by Sadako. Even her boyfriend Takanori Ando (Koji Seto) isn't spared. After Takanori has been snatched by a giant Sadako into a large LCD display truck, Akane joined force with Detective Koiso to rescue her boyfriend. Will Akane's supersonic scream be enough to fight Sadako's evil power off and why is Sadako seeking Akane out?<br />
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<b>Movie Review Sadako 3D | 貞子3D Coming Soon</b><br />
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There were two official follow up movies (one sequel and one prequel) to "The Ring" and while they weren't exceptionally good, they didn't suck as badly as Sadako 3D. What went wrong for Sadako 3D? Here are some of the major issues that I had with this latest installment of the Sadako mythos.<br />
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First and foremost, the biggest problem was that it was filmed for 3D. To serve the gimmicky 3D effects, Sadako had to "reach out" to "touch" the audience. "Spook" the audience with her long pale arms and her badly damaged nails. What's wrong with it? It had the same problem with lightsabers in the Star Wars prequel (as <a href="http://redlettermedia.com/plinkett/star-wars/">RedLetterMedia</a> had pointed out in their informative dissect on what's wrong with the Star Wars prequel). The lightsabers and Sadako's haunting were both used once too often until the effectiveness that were present in the originals were lost in the latest installments. <br />
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Then there was the cursed video. The original cursed video has that eerie aura to it and till today, I still find that video clip spooky. Sadako 3D's cursed video features a girly looking Japanese man who committed suicide because he couldn't handle some "nasty online comments" about his artworks. It's a major facepalm moment. It's just sad to see how the reason for horror had evolved to this stage.<br />
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richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-7826610366657833422012-09-14T08:00:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.161+08:00Dredd [ Movie Review ]<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6sImuXARDgo4X4QeCeyuMX2_sQlbVFidh6ukBR82a7cv_BAU0hon8sF2a0bddcNBC-TgOHr57CAhuhzZs06PYWJZEOzkCYbClgI8CG-sLAhRyZlZ_LHBSTM3tv-oT2b2e3o2912BUNOr/s1600/Dredd+SG+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6sImuXARDgo4X4QeCeyuMX2_sQlbVFidh6ukBR82a7cv_BAU0hon8sF2a0bddcNBC-TgOHr57CAhuhzZs06PYWJZEOzkCYbClgI8CG-sLAhRyZlZ_LHBSTM3tv-oT2b2e3o2912BUNOr/s400/Dredd+SG+Poster.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
It was as simple as keeping the helmet on.<br />
<br />
Sylvester Stallone had trouble keeping them on during the 1995 Judge Dredd movie. It's "understandable" that the filmmakers would not want to hide the face of their most bankable star but then again, it defiles the tradition of the Judge Dredd comics as Judge Dredd rarely removes his helmet.<br />
<br />
The result was a critical and commercial flop. Judge Dredd creator John Wagner made his sentiment clear that the 1995 movie was not a proper Judge Dredd movie. The negative reaction was so bad that no one dares to touch it again for many years.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to 2012 and the tough lawman is getting a reboot. Early indications would appeared that they got it right this time.<br />
<br />
When the new Judge Dredd movie was announced, lead actor Karl Urban (Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy of 2009 Star Trek) reportedly said that he wouldn't have taken on this role if Judge Dredd was to remove his the helmet during the movie. As a long time fan of the Judge Dredd, Karl Urban understood the need for Judge Dredd to keep his helmet on in order to honor the comics roots. That for me was a sign that this reboot was heading towards the right way.<br />
<br />
Another plus point for this Dredd reboot would be that Alex Garland is writing and producing this movie. His screenplay for Sunshine and 28 Days Later are both impressive entries to their respective genre. His short story "Sunrise" was my faveourite story in Batman Black and White Vol 3 comic. I am always interested to see what screenplay will he be writing next and to find out that he will be writing this Dredd movie was just another sweet incentive to catch this movie as soon as it comes out.<br />
<br />
Last but not least, endorsement from Judge Dredd creator <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Wagner/22334044612">John Wagner</a> and one of my faveourite Judge Dredd artist <a href="http://www.facebook.com/simonbisley">Simon Bisley</a>. If these people who made Judge Dredd worked in it's comics form are supporting the movie, it's a really good sign for the movie.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dredd Prologue Comics</b></span><br />
<br />
Before heading to the movie, perhaps you might be interested to check out the origin story for the movie villain Ma-Ma. The origin comics can be found <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/104439907/DREDD-MA-MA">here</a> and IGN has a motion comics over <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/04/dredd-prologue-comic-cover-debut">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Trailer for Dredd</span></b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JqqgrUna28w" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Bulk of the trailer felt awfully similar to The Raid Redemption (shown in Singapore earlier this year). It would seemed that it was an unfortunate coincidence as the writing process for Dredd took place before The Raid Redemption started production and it's unlikely that both parties copied each other's premise for a movie. Other than that, awesome </span><span style="font-size: small;">"Slo-Mo" special effects with it's dazzling color saturation and slow motion effect :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>MTV Exclusive 'Dredd 3D' Featurette</b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: black; width: 520px;">
<div style="padding: 4px;">
<iframe frameborder="0" height="288" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/embed/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:830673/cp~series%3D36%26id%3D1692560%26vid%3D830673%26instance%3Dmtv%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A830673" width="512"></iframe><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 4px; padding: 4px; text-align: left;">
Get More:
<a href="http://www.mtv.com/movies/trailer_park/" style="color: #439cd8;" target="_blank">Movie Trailers</a>, <a href="http://moviesblog.mtv.com/" style="color: #439cd8;" target="_blank">Movies Blog</a></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Contains some new footage that's not featured on the trailer or various TV spots. Karl Urban, John Wagner and Alex Garland contributing some insights to this Dredd movie. Highlight of this featurette would be definitely be John Wagner summarizing Judge Dredd as your greatest hero and biggest nightmare wrapped up in one. Nuff Said!</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot
</span></b><br />
<br />
The future America is an irradiated waste land. On its East Coast, running from Boston to Washington DC, lies Mega City One--a vast, violent metropolis where criminals rule the chaotic streets. The only force of order lies with the urban cops called "Judges" who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner. Known and feared throughout the city, Dredd (Karl Urban) is the ultimate Judge, challenged with ridding the city of its latest scourge--a dangerous drug epidemic that has users of "Slo-Mo" experiencing reality at a fraction of its normal speed.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Quick Review
</span></b><br />
An admirable adaption of Judge Dredd comic. Karl Urban did a fine job in reintroducing the beloved British comic character. the problem was that we just had the raid redemption earlier this year and there was too much repetitive gunfights that were no where as impressive as the raid. DREDD ultimately makes a good introduction arc but it would have been better if there more revelations Dredd and rookie Judge Anderson.
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rating *** 1/2
</span></b><br /></div>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-89483173356576999142012-09-06T16:45:00.002+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.212+08:00Ruby Sparks [Coming Soon]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pwCXbYAPHh_RcGoXFhxOA4Mj0Q8ehaFrxw_BIEV4F7Oj9zlEvHC3VAcAlSA7IaqdDFkeQPJJMwCjv4nlcHzh8j3eCd6YhU2iX1rUbn3N-zWXL2-09ppWyN_npC5IfgzO4ZAOgP3z47Fr/s1600/Ruby+Sparks+SG+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pwCXbYAPHh_RcGoXFhxOA4Mj0Q8ehaFrxw_BIEV4F7Oj9zlEvHC3VAcAlSA7IaqdDFkeQPJJMwCjv4nlcHzh8j3eCd6YhU2iX1rUbn3N-zWXL2-09ppWyN_npC5IfgzO4ZAOgP3z47Fr/s400/Ruby+Sparks+SG+Poster.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
It's not a new concept. When it comes to magically creating the dream girl, John Hughes did it with Weird Science back in 1985. A successful novelist with writer's block encountering his creation in real life and realizing that what he writes could have an effect on his creation? Marc Forster's Stranger than Fiction with Will Ferrell did a pretty good job back in 2006. <br />
<br />
So what made Ruby Sparks stood out? I would say it's the Little Miss Sunshine factor.<br />
<br />
The directorial film debut of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris was seriously good and unforgettable. The comedy drama road film Little Miss Sunshine was quirky, heartwarming, poignant and funny. The directors demonstrate that they could handle multiple characters well and make us love them all. It's hard to believe it's been six years since their debut and I been anticipating their follow up to their critically acclaimed road movie.<br />
<br />
Little Miss Sunshine also brought my attention to Paul Dano. He continues to reaffirm his acting chops in There Will Be Blood. Lately he been doing forgettable supporting roles for the likes of Knight and Day and Cowboys and Aliens. I wonder if the trio of Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris and Paul Dano could bring back some of the Little Miss Sunshine magic.<br />
<br />
Before I ends this pitch, it's interesting to note that Zoe Kazan who plays Ruby Sparks is currently dating Paul Dano. Let's see if any of the real sparks get rub off on the film reel.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot</b></span><br />
<br />
A sharp, modern take on the Pygmalion myth, RUBY SPARKS is the story of a
novelist’s vision who inexplicably comes to life, only to prove far
more complicated than even he could have imagined. With a light touch
and a dash of magical realism, the first screenplay from actress and
playwright Zoe Kazan attracted the attention of Jonathan Dayton &
Valerie Faris, the married team who directed the run-away hit LITTLE
MISS SUNSHINE. The film takes an unpredictable route into fantasy,
identity and the ways we invent love – and how love can re-invent us.<br />
<br />
(Taken from <a href="http://www.cathaycineplexes.com.sg/movie_detail.aspx?status=coming&movie_id=764">Cathay Webpage </a>) richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-44682428925304753642012-07-27T02:16:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.113+08:00Branded [ Trailers ]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh06rGnDcNgoHP1xNIL3s2Dff4U6I53iSXTCBnXwmb4_ExJkCYWLfZv0qyeazOY4iGrAxtU6VqA61_hW31PoyGsm1JDkovbB1OCQp_RdJhHaiocExyXz-QgjY_wWHzaHmBISqy_rg1fWxm/s1600/Branded+movie+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh06rGnDcNgoHP1xNIL3s2Dff4U6I53iSXTCBnXwmb4_ExJkCYWLfZv0qyeazOY4iGrAxtU6VqA61_hW31PoyGsm1JDkovbB1OCQp_RdJhHaiocExyXz-QgjY_wWHzaHmBISqy_rg1fWxm/s400/Branded+movie+Poster.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<br />
While flipping thru Flipboard on my Samsung Galaxy S3, I came across this article that talks about the <a href="http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2012/07/26/new-trailer-for-dystopian-sci-fi-thriller-branded/">New Trailer for Dystopian Sci-Fi Thriller Branded</a> by <a href="http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/">heyuguys.co.uk</a>. Even before playing the trailer, I was intrigued by the following synopsis.<br />
<br />
<i>“After Misha skyrockets to the top of the advertising
business, a tragic mishap on the set of one of his productions torpedoes
his career and he retreats into self-imposed exile. Ten years later,
Misha returns to a radically changed world and finds himself plagued by
visions of bizarre and terrifying creatures with the ability to
influence peoples thoughts, desires and actions. Creatures only he can
see.</i><br />
<br />
<i>He soon realizes the creatures are part of a clandestine campaign
unleashed by a rival advertising agency to make fat the new fabulous
and create a new era of uncontrolled consumer appetite. In order to save
mankind, Misha uses his own considerable marketing skills to launch an
ingenious plan to try to eradicate the plague. But the corporate legions
will not go down without a fight.”</i><br />
<br />
I know this is a Sci-Fi movie that plays with fantasy elements but perhaps the subject matters that this movie is touching on couldn't be further from the truth. The advertising medium as the villain is pretty much a novel approach and the trailer somehow invokes the feel of Donnie Darko. I just hope that it doesn't take the easy "Hollywood" way out like the recent <a href="http://filmsblitz.blogspot.sg/2011/03/adjustment-bureau-movie-review.html">The Adjustment Bureau</a>.<br />
<br />
and here are the two trailers to wet your appetite <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Trailer 2</b></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SKUTs3w9LEk" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Trailer 1</span></b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HInOg12jMiY" width="560"></iframe>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-88986260409064242582012-05-14T02:53:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.208+08:00How I Spent My Summer Vacation | Get The Gringo [ Movie Review ]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRnQYKGcMOke25qy_Ns7D8Hxrj1IeHmQQE6z7DI3EGujqR764Y6War84A1wLC397euEcvktUcejxbpKyqHK1xKsR3UMTLFSTdVDVsNVEm2I0jYIkM_k7RMfXijAyDMPRC2XoJJU9XBjpb/s1600/How+I+spent+my+summer+poster+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuRnQYKGcMOke25qy_Ns7D8Hxrj1IeHmQQE6z7DI3EGujqR764Y6War84A1wLC397euEcvktUcejxbpKyqHK1xKsR3UMTLFSTdVDVsNVEm2I0jYIkM_k7RMfXijAyDMPRC2XoJJU9XBjpb/s400/How+I+spent+my+summer+poster+2.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
"How I Spent My Summer Vacation" sounded like it was either going to be a slasher horror, travel comedy or a coming of age movie. But taking a closer look at the movie info, it's Mel Gibson and the movie plot is nothing remotely close to the impression given by the movie title.<br />
<br />
Yup Mel Gibson, one of the most recognized but unbankable Hollywood star right now. His <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_under_the_influence">DUI</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisemitism">anti-semitism </a>remarks and the ex girlfriend's domestic violence still lingers around his reputation. Jodie Foster tried to put his career back on tracks with <a href="http://filmsblitz.blogspot.com/2011/06/beaver-movie-review.html">The Beaver </a>but poor box office collection in the USA seemed to put the final nail on his career coffin.<br />
<br />
Well he's back and in a movie that seemed seemed to tailor fit Mel Gibson's brand of screen charisma. It also seemed that to minimize the risk of another box office bomb in the United States, Mel Gibson's independent production company, Icon Production will be releasing this movie through video on demand. The rest of the world who don't "hate" Mel Gibson that much will be getting a theatrical release. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The story of Driver, a career criminal
who is picked up by the Mexican police as he desperately tries to cross
the border in a car stuffed full of stolen cash. The police take the
cash and dump him in the infamous El Pueblito prison - a hell on earth
where the prison gangs run the show.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Driver has no ID or fingerprints but he
still gets a visit from a corrupt American Embassy official who has
heard about the money. If Driver doesn't find a way of paying him off
while he's inside, then he's going to let the authorities know where
Driver is. And it won't be long before the guys he stole the money from
find him too. Driver knows it is sink or swim. He hooks up with a young
boy who shows him how to survive in the prison, but the kid has a
terrible secret. He shares a rare blood type with Javi - the criminal
who ruthlessly controls the prison and everyone in it. The kid is Javi’s
life insurance policy and he has doctors on standby to transplant his
liver whenever the time comes. But Driver has other ideas and pretty
soon he devises an audacious plan to escape with the kid, the kid’s
mother and the money.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
(Plot Outline taken from <a href="http://www.cathaycineplexes.com.sg/movie_detail.aspx?status=coming&movie_id=619">Cathay Cineplexes</a>) </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfI8TVkRF3uAgo3_A0zbRkY9xfwIo4GPYWJFbgH_rRuXtqTW8-t-WpzdqAylr7u2ZA2lUX5MsPQlFBcaG89UiqD-Zg9j2TNo4UhofeQARz3t7agapHCkWM1OoiFdkKPPjqPsxvk47BBc3h/s1600/How+I+spent+my+Summer+Vacation+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfI8TVkRF3uAgo3_A0zbRkY9xfwIo4GPYWJFbgH_rRuXtqTW8-t-WpzdqAylr7u2ZA2lUX5MsPQlFBcaG89UiqD-Zg9j2TNo4UhofeQARz3t7agapHCkWM1OoiFdkKPPjqPsxvk47BBc3h/s320/How+I+spent+my+Summer+Vacation+Poster.jpg" width="220" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorh3T8DRx-iBB3n3qJV6BJtJTntm9Zzlh20BN_45-SgWHlQ1bMoumYSWVhm_5JYin6DbQTzO7_5lYzi9d8cFrC26LKOsyfHLmEpNAIQW4iL3e8qLwTedET0DhCM39wDJ3UtoHK2Jt-Zle/s1600/get+the+gringo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiorh3T8DRx-iBB3n3qJV6BJtJTntm9Zzlh20BN_45-SgWHlQ1bMoumYSWVhm_5JYin6DbQTzO7_5lYzi9d8cFrC26LKOsyfHLmEpNAIQW4iL3e8qLwTedET0DhCM39wDJ3UtoHK2Jt-Zle/s320/get+the+gringo.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How I Spent My Summer Vacation or otherwise known as Get The Gringo in America</span></span><b><br /></b></span></div>
</div>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-40105347526184101582012-05-07T08:30:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.093+08:00The Avengers [ Movie Review ] ★★★★1/2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJPy6KbdsvVF-bweXVT2IR-urXH0SFwNwNzKdFWZHq861YtbLoMQTWN1OMSKQkFvOz7mnc_JWnSeUk7bxp-CV_EMwQpQE5G51Dzkal1tDdzKJVijzuc_SU9-UTy5KNk3QNwALflnGgv0w/s1600/The+Avengers+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJPy6KbdsvVF-bweXVT2IR-urXH0SFwNwNzKdFWZHq861YtbLoMQTWN1OMSKQkFvOz7mnc_JWnSeUk7bxp-CV_EMwQpQE5G51Dzkal1tDdzKJVijzuc_SU9-UTy5KNk3QNwALflnGgv0w/s400/The+Avengers+Poster.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
<br />
The Avengers is not like any summer blockbuster movies that came before. It's a comic book superheroes team like no other. The seed for this movie was planted in the first Iron Man, way back in 2008. From then on, it was a cumulative of movies that introduced the likes of The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America that collective forms the basis for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<br />
<br />
With this group of super-powered individuals, it gave Marvel the opportunity to bring one of their most beloved and long enduring superheroes team onto the big screen. Personally The Avengers is one of the most anticipated movie of the past few years.<br />
<br />
The biggest worry would be how would these characters be handled. Will the main characters from four different movies blend well together or will they be jostling for screen time? Would the filmmakers be able to make a villain / threat so menacing that requires a team up of such super powered individuals? <br />
<br />
The burden / task / glory lies in Joss Whedon's hands. Mainly known as the creative force behind the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly television series, Joss Whedon had only directed one movie and that's Serenity, a movie spinoff from Firefly. The Avengers would mark as his second directorial effort and it makes me wonder if he could handle the scope of such magnitude. He is a comic book fan and wrote well received comics for Marvel Comics before but it was the Astonishing X-men comics, not the Avengers.<br />
<br />
But still Joss Whedon has impressed many with his writing skills and it's unlikely that Marvel would just throw one of their biggest movie event in recent years to someone who might not be up to the job. There's only one way to find out if The Avengers will live up to the hype. <span class="st"></span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot</b></span><br />
<br />
Marvel
Studios presents “Marvel’s The Avengers”—the Super Hero team up of a
lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible
Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected
enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury,
Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D.,
finds himself in need of a team to pul<span class="text_exposed_show">l the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">(Plot taken from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TheAvengersSingapore/info">The Avengers Singapore Facebook Page</a>) </span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="text_exposed_show">The Perspective </span></b></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">Joss Whedon's The Avengers definitely managed to live up to the hype, met the expectation of (most) comics fans and set the bar real high for the next few superheroes comic book movies to come. It's been a long time since I had so much fun with a superheroes comic movie and the last one that made me craved for more was Iron Man. Here are some of the highlights of The Avengers movie.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">First and foremost, the movie did a great job in characterizing the various superheroes in the limited time frame. There are four main heroes (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Hulk) and three supporting ones (Nick Fury, Hawkeye and Black Widow). It's not easy to handle all of them and yet this movie managed to put enough focus on them for the audience to care about their respective motivation and struggle. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">It's a delight to see how these various characters interact with each other. Their conflicts in personalities and opinion brought out quite a few interesting insights to their character and how much they differs from each other. The only thing that topped their fight with each other was the antagonist of this movie, Loki.</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show">Let's just put it that these heroes need a cause so epic and a villain so devious that they would brand themselves together to fight the common enemy. Loki's evil plans and methods in this movie </span><span class="text_exposed_show">were definitely the crescendo rising to the climatic finale. </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">Last but not least, I couldn't remember caring so much about characters like the Hulk, Thor or Captain America. Iron Man was a delight when the movie came out but the other three were simply unmemorable. In Joss Whedon's direction, he brought out the essence of why these characters had remained so popular after all these years and he did it while juggling with all these other characters. Marvel needs to rethink how to handle those three characters in their respective upcoming sequels.</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show">The Avengers is simply the best movie of the year. Nuff Said. Now go watch it in a good cinema near you.</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: ****1/2</b></span> </span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Coda</span></b></span><br />
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As usual for the movies in Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are some goodies left after the movie. The scene occurs during the mid Credits. <spoiler -="" alert="" over="" read="" roll="" to=""> <span style="background-color: black;">It's Thanos getting report from the minion that the invasion had failed. There's a line in that scene that the minion said gave me goosebumps ... the Infinity Gauntlet type of goosebumps ... and that line is ""To challenge them is to court death!"" </span><end of="" spoiler=""></end></spoiler><br />
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Reportedly, <a href="http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=89820#commentLstTop">ComingSoon</a> mention that there's a additional second scene at the End of Credits that's NOT included in the international prints. Yup that's right! Only the US theaters get it. But then again, there are those people who seen it and complained that the scene was too short and was a waste of time to stay back for. I was anticipating that scene and was disappointed that it wasn't included in the Singapore print. In case you want to know what is it about, <spoiler -="" alert="" over="" read="" roll="" to=""> <span style="background-color: black;">it was a quiet scene of the Avengers having shawarma together in a diner.</span><end of="" spoiler=""></end></spoiler><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Avengers Official Trailer 2 </b></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tqpuglZgS5E" width="560"></iframe>
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<h1 id="watch-headline-title">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span class="long-title" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="Marvel's The Avengers Super Bowl 2012 - Official Extended Clip">Marvel's The Avengers Super Bowl 2012 </span></span></h1>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FR28EExLewI" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Avengers Official Trailer</b></span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eOrNdBpGMv8" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>New Set of Avengers Banner poster</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIeIM76r4LLJ4kr6e0gQ3BC3gvxEU0iE-SubVVkK0Asx7GnPHGJZRWFlfWMwjbKCs_7magJv_xOwZ-0jicMQ5LpRUEjaIzM90gMRGDL786Qd6CQQ7CvZFiv9mwv7RNwa-w939apqeqn5D/s1600/Avengers+Poster+Set+Captain+America+Hulk+Ironman+Thor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIeIM76r4LLJ4kr6e0gQ3BC3gvxEU0iE-SubVVkK0Asx7GnPHGJZRWFlfWMwjbKCs_7magJv_xOwZ-0jicMQ5LpRUEjaIzM90gMRGDL786Qd6CQQ7CvZFiv9mwv7RNwa-w939apqeqn5D/s640/Avengers+Poster+Set+Captain+America+Hulk+Ironman+Thor.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGo3j25FZomX2fKJOsZEBXAyzV7uh_1T_qXO6e3nVrmC3cepbsu3i4vpB2M4vupq0BMvKTKtXDbPe0HbbXLIREpYQamaY60PbPdB2yx95S84fH5MehtG2M-gIRGto0UYM03x-rrkXZeTBT/s1600/Avengers+Poster+Set+Nick+Fury+Loki+Hawkeye+Black+Widow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGo3j25FZomX2fKJOsZEBXAyzV7uh_1T_qXO6e3nVrmC3cepbsu3i4vpB2M4vupq0BMvKTKtXDbPe0HbbXLIREpYQamaY60PbPdB2yx95S84fH5MehtG2M-gIRGto0UYM03x-rrkXZeTBT/s640/Avengers+Poster+Set+Nick+Fury+Loki+Hawkeye+Black+Widow.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Marvel Studio just released a set of characters poster for the upcoming The Avengers at Comic Con 2011. Awesome piece of work isn't it? Nuff Said!
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIBh8KOso8ogn4hjN4Udsz99-tEnSdQx0R4rRdSchIwS_ELz1mmQwAD9I8SwpUCjTzSm83Hp1lrJO8pEtV44kK54KLVy4H7Ku4v3pk-m3h2NY_pQk-UEAPiH1q-NHDdZFyamZ8m4pSWwE/s1600/Avengers+Characters+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIBh8KOso8ogn4hjN4Udsz99-tEnSdQx0R4rRdSchIwS_ELz1mmQwAD9I8SwpUCjTzSm83Hp1lrJO8pEtV44kK54KLVy4H7Ku4v3pk-m3h2NY_pQk-UEAPiH1q-NHDdZFyamZ8m4pSWwE/s640/Avengers+Characters+Poster.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-42595401439713656232012-02-14T18:41:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.106+08:00Love | 愛 [ Movie Review ] ★★★<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqKMY681K-9xglrd9FwM3oSGeeJ3j1oxzTo7N3Rmw7LtQSLIyeziOT5KEOiPLbVCNnRRbTz2ZwCn-2s1glRaZ9LWcBVDOb2G9sZ9ct5agfd3mB01Qy3EUmpFXEDMGIl_vJgu7mbs646s3/s1600/Love+Poster+1+Eddie+Peng+Doze+Niu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqKMY681K-9xglrd9FwM3oSGeeJ3j1oxzTo7N3Rmw7LtQSLIyeziOT5KEOiPLbVCNnRRbTz2ZwCn-2s1glRaZ9LWcBVDOb2G9sZ9ct5agfd3mB01Qy3EUmpFXEDMGIl_vJgu7mbs646s3/s400/Love+Poster+1+Eddie+Peng+Doze+Niu.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
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No, this is not the movie installment for the popular long running Taiwanese television series that just ended it's run in Singapore. This is Doze Niu's Taiwanese rendition of "Love Actually" that's out to wrestle with Sammi Cheng's Romancing in Thin Air and Ah Niu's The Wedding Diary for the Asian Valentine Day box office <strike>profit</strike> love.<br />
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<span class="st">Love </span>愛 comes with a stellar cast <span class="st">of actor and actress from Taiwan (and China). Shu Qi and Zhao Wei probably needs no introduction in this part of the world. Ethan Ruan, Mark Chao, Eddie Peng, Ivy Chen and Amber Kuo are the new upcoming good looking Taiwanese young stars who each had participated in at least one movie that was shown in Singapore cinema recently </span><span class="st">(Monga, Hear Me and Au revoir Taipei)</span><span class="st">.</span><br />
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But personally, the main attraction for Love 愛 would be due to Doze Niu's participation in this movie as the director and actor. His previous two full length features "What on Earth Have I Done Wrong?" and "Monga" (which he directed and acted) were pretty enjoyable and it made him one of my "Asian directors to watch out for" list.<br />
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It's not easy to make a "Love Actually" type of movie and quite a few had already failed badly (Valentine Day and Hot Summer Days). It's not easy to manage multiple plots and numerous big stars but I am having good vibes that Doze Niu might be able to deliver this.<br />
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(Special Thanks to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/festivefilms">Festive Films</a> for a chance to preview Love 愛)<br />
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot</b></span><br />
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Love 愛 is a story of eight individuals entanglement in various romantic dilemmas and their search for a happy ending in their respective situations.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDgcVmYyGzshcCMhyphenhypheniw5XpWDxGlteef8iuSAslM5R2vLPz9owtmYi86ev8Bmv6JtpFFR_zXduMSph3qsPwMOgdCEs2Po6ikCtCcu-WzWkRYG-DH2ZMZFRBxtes0iO7EuIPv1b0kT-61Zs/s1600/Love+still+Amber+Kuo+Eddie+Peng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDgcVmYyGzshcCMhyphenhypheniw5XpWDxGlteef8iuSAslM5R2vLPz9owtmYi86ev8Bmv6JtpFFR_zXduMSph3qsPwMOgdCEs2Po6ikCtCcu-WzWkRYG-DH2ZMZFRBxtes0iO7EuIPv1b0kT-61Zs/s320/Love+still+Amber+Kuo+Eddie+Peng.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Ni (Amber Kuo) and Yi Jia (Ivy Chen Yi-han) had been the best of friends and they practically shared everything. What Ni didn't know was that Yi Jia had been in love with Ni's boyfriend Kai (Eddie Peng) for a long time. Their relationship became estranged when Ni discovered that her boyfriend Kai (Eddie Peng) had a one night stand with Yi Jia and impregnated her best friend.<br />
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Ni became depressed with the betrayal by her boyfriend and best friend. Kai tried to win Ni back by professing his love publicly and dramatically. Tormented by the situation, Yi Jia tried to get an abortion. Ni also realize that her temper and mood swings had a role to play in her friend's betrayal. How will these three friends resolves the issues between them?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsUNi-iZBoI6KFVFeIkn8nqTqlcAAwnijWouJIE2saaXoOmZZookv4n5O2zx1zXjdKEhTw06enFMDwJN1uZyWetTB0QQKMmf8DhOsBvfbWSGOexvno8-VjCVZchSg2VRzOHKNU_DwqswT/s1600/Love+still+Shuqi+Doze+Niu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsUNi-iZBoI6KFVFeIkn8nqTqlcAAwnijWouJIE2saaXoOmZZookv4n5O2zx1zXjdKEhTw06enFMDwJN1uZyWetTB0QQKMmf8DhOsBvfbWSGOexvno8-VjCVZchSg2VRzOHKNU_DwqswT/s320/Love+still+Shuqi+Doze+Niu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The second story focus on Yi Jia's brother, Ni's father and his girlfriend. Mr Lu (Doze Niu) is a successful middle age businessman with a trophy <strike>wife</strike> girlfriend Zoe (Shu Qi). Zoe had wanted to settle down with Mr Lu but he has no intention to stop fooling around. They fought on the streets and a waiter Kuan (Ethan Ruan Ching-Tien) (Yi Jia's brother) came to rescue her.<br />
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Zoe became infatuated with Kuan but Kuan didn't dare to woo her as he felt inferior with his stammering and his financial status. Spending times with Kuan made Zoe realize that she had lived a superficial and useless life. Mr Lu became aware of Zoe's infidelity and realized that he really loved Zoe. He decided to propose to Zoe with the hopes that it would end the affair. Who will Zoe choose in the end?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9ESw7-Axct_epLi4muBuAJWtgro25SvS-q8tIFtVQV0cRwALMXMHeoyoXBJVv8aSxLw3X2PZMUcv9Xkwllg5kwzJkm4QgHCNXQkt1_Ua1AomKnfQxqBG_Bapu1FQF3lnZId3Gwu11Agj/s1600/Love+Still+Vicky+Zhao+Wei+Mark+Chao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb9ESw7-Axct_epLi4muBuAJWtgro25SvS-q8tIFtVQV0cRwALMXMHeoyoXBJVv8aSxLw3X2PZMUcv9Xkwllg5kwzJkm4QgHCNXQkt1_Ua1AomKnfQxqBG_Bapu1FQF3lnZId3Gwu11Agj/s320/Love+Still+Vicky+Zhao+Wei+Mark+Chao.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The last story revolves around Mr Lu's successful business partner Mark (Mark Chao) and a single mom cum Beijing real estate broker Xiao Ye (Vicky Zhao Wei). They met while Mark was looking for a courtyard house in Beijing. An accident occurred during the house visit and Xiao Ye was forced to do a day surgery.<br />
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Mark offered to pick Xiao Ye's son from school but after Xiao Ye's son mistaken Mark as the father that he had been waiting for, the little boy ran away and went missing. The panic search for the missing boy started the unlikely romance between Xiao Ye and Mark. But Mark with his own personal daddy issues, has difficulties in starting a relationship with the single mom and her son. Will this unlikely relationship work out in the end? <br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3487161816907187422" name="lovereview">The Perspective - Love Movie Review ( Coming Soon )</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">The Other Posters </span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-mCPMqS5vy0QayObloRTGqmeQjJX5SfxuUdd2IdfEP8Ee_hHCNdo6VCm8S2BwLP7canmBQ1ZdVKKTjFtFh6XOnUCKosmMpNp8KKvUVoHvhSXmWpUgPdRPyEGWbC_WTF0ZG0fiOMGDyr7/s1600/Love+Poster+4+Ivy+Chen+Amber+Kuo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-mCPMqS5vy0QayObloRTGqmeQjJX5SfxuUdd2IdfEP8Ee_hHCNdo6VCm8S2BwLP7canmBQ1ZdVKKTjFtFh6XOnUCKosmMpNp8KKvUVoHvhSXmWpUgPdRPyEGWbC_WTF0ZG0fiOMGDyr7/s400/Love+Poster+4+Ivy+Chen+Amber+Kuo.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtR4WGQiQEG6PS-VqLiFIYjS7Z1VqvrfMVdGBWJ8QnNCKtlXhvGz7Ai1rAdJN20tz94eKbCDp0SeQsHSt30NMxQodLDnQx2LxlqCZuj2hOrDvuQoyxNPCnuH3VpopkuSLfadXokwCdoLCb/s1600/Love+Poster+3+Ethan+Ruan+Mark+Chao.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtR4WGQiQEG6PS-VqLiFIYjS7Z1VqvrfMVdGBWJ8QnNCKtlXhvGz7Ai1rAdJN20tz94eKbCDp0SeQsHSt30NMxQodLDnQx2LxlqCZuj2hOrDvuQoyxNPCnuH3VpopkuSLfadXokwCdoLCb/s400/Love+Poster+3+Ethan+Ruan+Mark+Chao.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQrMnho9Ghlb_O8Dadzfo0ibklEHcHtfmhFr2Ma6b7460REI6ymI-vC2M23PXE-omJCBDXWGhLqwF-wGV2MQMJgIBZzCNHe1CGvEJYYeq6CBLdil31h63WxMnWLLf5A974a4cQiiEtEoA/s1600/Love+Poster+2+Shuqi+Zhao+Wei.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQrMnho9Ghlb_O8Dadzfo0ibklEHcHtfmhFr2Ma6b7460REI6ymI-vC2M23PXE-omJCBDXWGhLqwF-wGV2MQMJgIBZzCNHe1CGvEJYYeq6CBLdil31h63WxMnWLLf5A974a4cQiiEtEoA/s400/Love+Poster+2+Shuqi+Zhao+Wei.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"> from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-%E7%88%B1-Singapore-16-Feb-2012/311381498903168">Love 爱 - Singapore Facebook Page</a></span><b><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span></span>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-32699209410930927452012-02-10T19:25:00.001+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.072+08:00The Wedding Diary | 结婚那件事 [ Movie Review ] ★★★<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxS29db7WRRJCjNDgQuwAkEZXMxRgFJwtqdcjugkq8Qgs9riw0MhcfXX9_jtbuyCiYEa5LGefIDWJndmWtSoRT9BE2E9XDNppZqTcC0gNVXvcCMY5Pezn29bE00HcJACppMS5ddKmwZZL/s1600/The+Wedding+Diary+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxS29db7WRRJCjNDgQuwAkEZXMxRgFJwtqdcjugkq8Qgs9riw0MhcfXX9_jtbuyCiYEa5LGefIDWJndmWtSoRT9BE2E9XDNppZqTcC0gNVXvcCMY5Pezn29bE00HcJACppMS5ddKmwZZL/s400/The+Wedding+Diary+Poster.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<b><span id="lblstory" style="font-size: large;">The Pitch</span></b><br />
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<span id="lblstory">This year, there's three Asian movies that is out to <strike>cash in on</strike> celebrate the Valentine Day season. From Hong Kong - China, there's Romancing in Thin Air. From Taiwan - China, there's Love. Last but not least, from Singapore Malaysia, there's The Wedding Diary. </span><br />
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<span id="lblstory">The Wedding Diary is a comedy about the difficulties in preparing and executing the most important day in a couple's life. It features artists across the straits such as Ah Niu </span>阿牛<span id="lblstory"> (Anniu), Elanne Kwong </span>江若琳<span id="lblstory">, Kara Hui </span>惠英红<span id="lblstory">, Zhu Houren 朱厚任, Marcus Chin 陈建彬, Chris Tong</span><span lang="zh-Hans">童冰玉 </span><span id="lblstory">, Shaun Chen 陈泓宇 and Maggie Theng </span>邓妙华<span id="lblstory">.</span><br />
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<span id="lblstory">Ah Niu's recent debut as a director and leading actor for Ice Kacang Puppy Love was pretty impressive. The Wedding Diary marks the second time for Ah Niu in the leading role. Not bad for a guy who don't really fit the usual handsome suave stereotype for a male lead in a movie. It would be interesting to see how he fares in this movie.</span><br />
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<span id="lblstory">This review is made possible with special thanks to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/cloverfilms">Clover Films</a>.</span></div>
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<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span id="lblstory">The Plot</span></b></span><br />
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<span id="lblstory">Daniel (Ah Niu) and Tina (Elanne Kwong) are the most unlikely couple. He is a nerdy engineer working in Singapore and comes from a small humble Hokkien family in Penang. She is a pretty Singaporean who comes from a rich Cantonese family. But after a few failed relationship with unfaithful men, Tina decided to settle with the trustworthy Daniel.</span><br />
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<span id="lblstory">While Daniel had always wish for a simple wedding, Tina's parents (Kara Hui and Zhu Houren) demanded a lavish wedding banquet to be held in Singapore. In order to "save face" and prove to his future in-laws that he is able to take care of their precious Tina, he agreed to the lavish wedding. Daniel's dad (Marcus Chin) was unhappy with the wedding dinner decision but reluctantly went with his son's decision. </span></div>
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What Daniel didn't expect was the mountainous amount of bills that this lavish wedding could rack out. It certainly make matters worse when one of his relatives has "stolen" the red packets that he has planned to use to pay the wedding banquet.</div>
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The desperate Daniel heads to the casino to recoup the missing money with his buddy (Shaun Chen). In order to keep the money problems from his wife, Daniel created lies to get away from his wife and dad. Tina finds Daniel action suspicious and started to question his faithfulness. Before they could resolve the matters at hand, Daniel received a call that informed him that his dad had met with a car accident on the way back to Penang.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Perspective - The Wedding Diary Movie Review</b></span><br />
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The Wedding Diary was an enjoyable affair and the biggest credit for that should be given to the casting of Ah Niu and Elanne Kwong as the unlikely couple. Ah Niu's endearing (and adorable) ugly toad persona match well with Elanne Kwong's sweet wholesome looks. Another highlight of the movie would be the funny dialogues delivered with local dialects. It made some of the recycle gags worked and it's something other countries would not be able to reproduce. It was so much fun laughing at Daniel's predicament with the over the top wedding and money problem.<br />
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It's a pity that movie took a sharp turn to "down your throat" melodrama and "in your face" advertisement for the movie's main sponsor "<span class="st">SOLVIL et TITUS" (a watch company). That didn't work for me and the forceful product placement had a jarring effect. It makes me wonder why would anyone want to pay to watch an extended advertisement? The extended advertisement also had an negative effect for SOLVIL et TITUS as I for one would not want to buy a watch that spoils after two years.</span><br />
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<span class="st">But nevertheless, the general feel during the movie was that the female audience enjoyed both the comedy and melodrama aspect of The Wedding Diary. Their laughter and sobbing were heard and easily detected. Given that this movie ended with a good vibe about relationship after all the obstacles and tragedy that were thrown in this two love birds' way, I would say that The Wedding Diary is a good date movie to bring your potential other half to watch on Valentine Day.</span><br />
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<span class="st"><i>P.S. Another advantage of The Wedding Diary as a date movie for guys: It's so much easier to look as good or even better than Ah Niu if you compare it with other impossibly handsome male leads in other romantic movies (wink Wink).</i></span><br />
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<span class="st"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: ***</b></span> </span> </div>
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</div>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-76460965061629699642012-02-09T18:44:00.001+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.157+08:00Chronicle [ Movie Review ] ★★★★<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUntR2ptpOCf6RCg9-aShmICqI75e08au4V-czMRmzvLIrNDaSNd3H1bRkvh2JZk1vftv3idILWLTqFkTo9BgjWPGNKJoHZ3HYtMkaMqPFFfEQ9j_rI9MMIvrerhpSyY_VGFxlp3kNy4h/s1600/Chronicle+SG+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUntR2ptpOCf6RCg9-aShmICqI75e08au4V-czMRmzvLIrNDaSNd3H1bRkvh2JZk1vftv3idILWLTqFkTo9BgjWPGNKJoHZ3HYtMkaMqPFFfEQ9j_rI9MMIvrerhpSyY_VGFxlp3kNy4h/s400/Chronicle+SG+poster.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="bd">The Pitch</span></b></span><br />
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In recent years, the "Found Footage / Shaky Cam" genre has branch out to many interesting premise. No longer constrained in the conventional horror genre, it has move on to mega monster invasion (Cloverfield), space exploration (Apollo 18) and even religious faith (The Last Exorcism). The latest offering of the "Found Footage / Shaky Cam" would be a Chronicle of a group of high school kids gaining superhuman power after exploring a mysterious crater.<br />
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Chronicle's premise sound like a dream come true for anyone who had ever fantasize about gaining superpower abilities to rack some havoc or gain some form of popularity. It's probably going to appeal to the comic books readers and fans of anime. As someone who reads comics during the school days and had daydreams of flying in the skies, Chronicle became a highly anticipated movie after watching the trailer at their youtube channel.<br />
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The climatic end of Chronicle trailer also send vibes of the Japanese animation Akira <span class="st">( アキラ ) . One of the friends is going to get mad with power and it's probably up to his friends to stop him. I can't wait to see how they are going to pull this off with shaky cam.</span><br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span class="st">The Plot</span></b></span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjOMVdAfoCtNwP07Vm8nlcswxgsvCIsxOwqypRbb1BBPqYQKAFyMmhKsw42Vz3P_rbDH9WgeSaGPuoACyWftVMIvokX8oH7qRHBGnBx6OBL4ALZu6r091PPpgRqStgIF3pM-l6xaklgrp/s1600/Chronicle+Happy+trio+Andrew+Steve+Matt+Alex+Russell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjOMVdAfoCtNwP07Vm8nlcswxgsvCIsxOwqypRbb1BBPqYQKAFyMmhKsw42Vz3P_rbDH9WgeSaGPuoACyWftVMIvokX8oH7qRHBGnBx6OBL4ALZu6r091PPpgRqStgIF3pM-l6xaklgrp/s320/Chronicle+Happy+trio+Andrew+Steve+Matt+Alex+Russell.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew, Steve and Matt in happier times</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan) is a socially awkward high school kid with a sickly mother and a dad who physically abuse him. Out of the blue, he decided to a video camera to record things that transpire in his life. That idea didn't go well with his cousin Matt Garetty (Alex Russell) who drives him to school. The whole chronicling his life with a video camera also got Andrew into troubles with the bullies .<br />
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Things seem to change for the better when Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) the popular guy in school asked him to come along with him and Matt to explore a newfound crater. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonj8WxM8p12VfD0ptcHi0KRhlgyTbrw52WJ6zaF6ln5hy3fg5F3ejcP7Oj-Dq57-rOA8uFs33rzSj2QZhjhreJF-sJBD0ZdtlpYN3wF2WXLkDFeHM5MYzFwHpS7xzcoEQ_poxkuLrSdbq/s1600/Chronicle+truck+drowning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonj8WxM8p12VfD0ptcHi0KRhlgyTbrw52WJ6zaF6ln5hy3fg5F3ejcP7Oj-Dq57-rOA8uFs33rzSj2QZhjhreJF-sJBD0ZdtlpYN3wF2WXLkDFeHM5MYzFwHpS7xzcoEQ_poxkuLrSdbq/s320/Chronicle+truck+drowning.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overboard Mischief!</td></tr>
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Their exploration of the crater lead them to an incredible discovery of alien like blue crystals that turns red when they got too close to it. Chaos ensured and the trio fled the crater. Days later, they discover that they had developed strange powers. It started with simple telekinesis (moving objects with the mind) and they eventually learn how to master their power into invulnerability and flight.<br />
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Initially they used their power for mischief in school and mall. The three individuals started to bond as close friends and Steve helps Andrew to become popular in school. It was all fun and game until Andrew nearly drown a man with his superpower.<br />
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In order to prevent his cousin from going overboard with the new power, Matt set up rules for the super powered trio to follow. But will it be enough to stop Andrew from getting absolutely corrupted by the newfound superpower .<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />The Perspective - Chronicle Movie Review</span></b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MTkLc-r7gGpxv1Iw85lYH-n3VQdCXGtKTE46mGMSyjyfkqQDPMDVKe0bSCPjAfTBjwo42p4WXOM9qk9zeBPO19ZHINT3pjiP2kgg9j8d_2WoQNNhdFgjs42fLgWIMpGXWBgCLvtvAtwv/s1600/Chronicle+Andrew+Steve+Top+of+the+World+Michael+B.+Jordan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MTkLc-r7gGpxv1Iw85lYH-n3VQdCXGtKTE46mGMSyjyfkqQDPMDVKe0bSCPjAfTBjwo42p4WXOM9qk9zeBPO19ZHINT3pjiP2kgg9j8d_2WoQNNhdFgjs42fLgWIMpGXWBgCLvtvAtwv/s320/Chronicle+Andrew+Steve+Top+of+the+World+Michael+B.+Jordan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">on top of the world</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Chronicle is going to polarize audiences. There will be those who don't like it and there will be those who felt that this is the first awesome movie of 2012. I belongs to the latter group who felt that Chronicle was all that it's trailer had promised and much more.<br />
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Chronicle worked for me mainly because of the friendship between the three teenagers and the psychology breakdown of one disturbed individual.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsf_0zCRD2frBpAIPSQ-BebXmy4TWB19Yprs34ZQHLt7SsloUYeFmqrdXwoDjeW6bc4JFFFWgvf1aBlIfEhG8ODqrp3Sp3rTILVJ-stMt7qKcqOql8_Cnz-tudIkGhpy7GwUs6TRGy9Zt/s1600/Chronicle+Andrew+Dane+DeHaan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsf_0zCRD2frBpAIPSQ-BebXmy4TWB19Yprs34ZQHLt7SsloUYeFmqrdXwoDjeW6bc4JFFFWgvf1aBlIfEhG8ODqrp3Sp3rTILVJ-stMt7qKcqOql8_Cnz-tudIkGhpy7GwUs6TRGy9Zt/s320/Chronicle+Andrew+Dane+DeHaan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and this is how you kill a spider</td></tr>
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The friendship between them were likeable and believable. It was heartwarming to see how Steve and Matt tried to help Andrew becomes popular in school. They were having so much fun on screen that it makes one wish that things didn't have to turn sour later on. But then again, that is also what make Chronicle so good. The mental breakdown of Andrew Detmer.<br />
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Chronicle had done a great job in laying the foundation of Andrew's eventual breakdown in the end. It plays with the notion that if a person's has a flawed persona, it would be magnified when he or she comes to grip with power. It worked for me in The Mist with Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) gripe with religious power and it's working for me again Dane DeHaan's portrayal of a teenager who became mad with power during unfortunate circumstances.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LSB-9I_yP6qptA0gsDQi5cYiHnmgwXUkyOJJ2NB7dGOvXbqVPPF-Lwpnog0ui5aN9ob7ALtSvMNEIFK7n43kqswqoWAGkbzC94YLmpq6VtudxJFKrKXwki4_gjTFg3X4gWBqibWre8ST/s1600/Chronicle+Andrew+crushing+car+Dane+DeHaan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LSB-9I_yP6qptA0gsDQi5cYiHnmgwXUkyOJJ2NB7dGOvXbqVPPF-Lwpnog0ui5aN9ob7ALtSvMNEIFK7n43kqswqoWAGkbzC94YLmpq6VtudxJFKrKXwki4_gjTFg3X4gWBqibWre8ST/s320/Chronicle+Andrew+crushing+car+Dane+DeHaan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew Crush!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It all adds up a climatic fight which really invokes the awesome memory of watching the ending in Japanese Animation Akira and Superman's brawl with General Zod for the first time. It had a "chaotic epic-ness" contained in a video camera feel to it. It also brought a sense of sadness to see how their friendship would eventually unfold but I am glad that it remains true the foundation that the movie had been building up to.<br />
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Last but not least, I enjoyed how telekinesis was used to do away the shakiness of the handheld camera for most part of the movie. Although it's a shaky cam movie, it doesn't have to be overly shaky and I for one is thankful for that. On the technical aspect, I am glad that the movie utilizes different form of video capturing devices to tell the story (specially in the climatic fight at the end). It would probably be impossible for one or two handheld cameras to capture all that's going on.<br />
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Chronicle is not for everyone but for those who appreciate superpower heroes and villain, this might be up your alley. The friendship between the three kids who found superpower was nicely done to make me care about the final outcome of their differences. The handheld camera trick used in the movie was skillfully executed and was pretty enjoyable. Personally Chronicle is the first awesome movie of 2012 and I am hopping to see a sequel for this movie.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: ****</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Missing from the Final Cut</b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZK7-7mGSpSY5EX09id_ZG7iZlNhxqSP4JgUFGFlWwR4mLMhI1TaiqsIMCeYoVZpUS_YNkh71SuAW-ge8xGIUZgVjbE1znhTwM9bEA3-YPsm8yI6wdt3zdTDcBWa4fFQF1X_K3W9UI55S/s1600/Chronicle++missing+scene+from+trailer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZK7-7mGSpSY5EX09id_ZG7iZlNhxqSP4JgUFGFlWwR4mLMhI1TaiqsIMCeYoVZpUS_YNkh71SuAW-ge8xGIUZgVjbE1znhTwM9bEA3-YPsm8yI6wdt3zdTDcBWa4fFQF1X_K3W9UI55S/s320/Chronicle++missing+scene+from+trailer.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where's the semi naked Ashley Hinshaw?</td></tr>
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This scene from the trailer wasn't featured in the movie (Or at least it's not in the Singapore version). I am guessing that Matt using his special power to have some fun with Casey (Ashley Hinshaw). It probably won't do much for the storyline but it would be fun to see what kind of mischief they could think of with telekinesis power.richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-79313603833172600672012-02-08T17:44:00.001+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.176+08:00Quick | 퀵 [ Movie Review ] ★★★1/2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNGtkJhdcL2fg6Pk-8yW1AsYkY7u8B-mgW496mOyIf-nbrh0XHz4zhBlVSMc7qX3bQ3hdXLQ53H82mMhaSeSmShCxg0Y4l1U8kz-ychO1gNYoR03PerSLO3pR6PIMImpQyKJV_tT9iFlJ/s1600/Quick+Qwik+Singapore+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgNGtkJhdcL2fg6Pk-8yW1AsYkY7u8B-mgW496mOyIf-nbrh0XHz4zhBlVSMc7qX3bQ3hdXLQ53H82mMhaSeSmShCxg0Y4l1U8kz-ychO1gNYoR03PerSLO3pR6PIMImpQyKJV_tT9iFlJ/s400/Quick+Qwik+Singapore+poster.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
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Quick 퀵 caught my attention with it's box office performance in Korea. It didn't managed to top the box office during it's run in Korea cinemas. Each week, it was outflanked by other Korean movies like The Front Line and Sector 7. But at the year end tally of total admissions, Quick was ahead of The Front Line and Sector 7. That piped my curiosity. What the draw of this movie which look strikingly like Keanu Reeves' Speed? <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Plot</b></span><br />
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Legendary biker Han (Lee Min-Ki) used to roam the streets recklessly with their motorcycles. Now he works as a courier boy who delivers his customer's goods in record breaking time.<br />
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His past caught up with him when his colleague dispatch him to send Ah-Rom (Kang Hye-Won) a member of a successful pop idol group to a concert. It turned out that Ah-Rom used to be his girlfriend and he broke her heart by cheating on her. Just as Han was about to proceed with the delivery, a mysterious caller warns him that Ah-Rom is wearing a helmet with explosive. If Han doesn't makes the deliveries within the time limited that the mysterious caller set, the helmet will explode. If they try to remove the helmet or are separated more than 10 meters, the helmet will explode.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3Chyphenhyphen8lhBnlp68NX6oFZkuD-lw73EplzaQVb04UtGCSN7C1obM4zAgMhuQC_Gjx7ClxnICqSY4WMjskmsHKvH59dJ910UGE-NrK8CENjsMlOuLwYoK7M1GIiDfk040E-Ufsi_PfdVfVZ8/s1600/quick+still+Lee+Min-Ki+Kang+Hye-Won.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3Chyphenhyphen8lhBnlp68NX6oFZkuD-lw73EplzaQVb04UtGCSN7C1obM4zAgMhuQC_Gjx7ClxnICqSY4WMjskmsHKvH59dJ910UGE-NrK8CENjsMlOuLwYoK7M1GIiDfk040E-Ufsi_PfdVfVZ8/s320/quick+still+Lee+Min-Ki+Kang+Hye-Won.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The deliveries that they have to make are obviously explosive in nature. Not only that, they have to deal with Ah-Rom insistence on making a detour for her pop idol group's performance, the persistent hounding by Ah-Rom admirer cum Han's ex arch rival cum traffic police officer Kim Myung-Sik (Kim In-Kwon) and a conspiracy theory involving Japanese Yakuza. The chain of events and characters provide the set up for a series of unexpected fun and thrills.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Perspective - Quick Movie Review</b></span><br />
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Quick 퀵 - think of it as "Speed" infuse with nonsensical humor and what a ride it was. In fact, there's even a climatic ending on board on a speeding train that stood out as a form of "homage" to "Speed". It might not have been equally thrilling but Quick stood out on with it's side bursting gags that kept me laughing as the explosive thriller unfolds.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
Scenes like Ah Rom performing pop songs and bathing with her helmet made me laugh out loud. The mystery behind the assassination via explosive kept me on the edge of the seats. The unlikely team up between ex lovers had just the right amount of chemistry to make me look forward to resolution of their relationship.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIW5ZeOCdn4cxSOiLmX7ldUilzWcK9B4EGsI2NiTx1RjzrsQQIf_NQf-WRKCDmSHo_20VxxYqi0gqfo82eG230R6tIJ_5ve-Zis5fHv-ekt7isusi5jmJe6sX-ruaZwoJ0qyTe4d8qKd8/s1600/Quick+still+Lee+Min-Ki++Kang+Hye-Won+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbIW5ZeOCdn4cxSOiLmX7ldUilzWcK9B4EGsI2NiTx1RjzrsQQIf_NQf-WRKCDmSHo_20VxxYqi0gqfo82eG230R6tIJ_5ve-Zis5fHv-ekt7isusi5jmJe6sX-ruaZwoJ0qyTe4d8qKd8/s320/Quick+still+Lee+Min-Ki++Kang+Hye-Won+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
One of the reasons why Quick worked as a comedic thriller has to do with the two protagonists. Lee Min-Ki and Kang Hye-Won are pretty good looking and they have screen charisma to carry the movie through. They are also quite proficient with comedy and even in an outrageously nonsensical movie like this, there's enough charisma from them to make one want to root for their tumultuous relationship to work out.<br />
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There's a couple of things that diminished the joy of watching this movie. The special effects used to aid the dangerous speeding scenes were unevenly made . While some was passable, some special effects stood out like a sore thumb. However it's not a deal breaker here
as pace of the story moves quickly and something interesting would come
along and keep the mind preoccupied.<br />
<br />
And then there's the outrageous choices made in this movie that were a bit hard to swallow even in a nonsensical movie. Scenes like Ah Rom's insistence to perform with her pop group when a time bomb is literally ticking on her head really applied the damper on the pace and logic of the movie. But then again, it went on to product one of the most funny and exhilarating scene of the movie and these problematic issues were easily forgotten.<br />
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Quick is a comedic madcap adventure of explosive proportion. It has a well blend of tense moments and laugh out loud moments. There are some minor problems with the movie that could be easily overlooked. Quick comes Highly Recommended. <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Rating: ***1/2</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Coda</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">During
the credits roll at the end of the movie, there are the NG segments
that showed how difficult it was in making this movie. Even though there
were many action scenes that were aided by special computer effects,
some of the crashes were real and the stunt team had to endured painful
falls and injuries to bring us the laughs. Kudos to the movie makers for
making the effort to highlight the stunt team's hard work behind the
screen.</span><b><br /></b></span>richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3487161816907187422.post-49505837011817386952012-02-05T15:48:00.000+08:002013-11-13T19:24:04.122+08:00The Billionaire | Top Secret | วัยรุ่นพัน<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMy3w09oCcm65O63bLJ_yEThS9fKyOKOSEz3qRjM8aqMfqYhvFLqQDA8sFT9q8lVGsWLX4FHG5cKYIbAhUkzQr0KNiwtJomklmYX0FzxUxfcPR1MTHyXkuc6CzqNK-Y3pAeNPXUgOo_3m/s1600/the+billionaire+singapore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJMy3w09oCcm65O63bLJ_yEThS9fKyOKOSEz3qRjM8aqMfqYhvFLqQDA8sFT9q8lVGsWLX4FHG5cKYIbAhUkzQr0KNiwtJomklmYX0FzxUxfcPR1MTHyXkuc6CzqNK-Y3pAeNPXUgOo_3m/s400/the+billionaire+singapore.jpg" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Billionaire Singapore Poster</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Pitch</b></span><br />
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It's been a long time since a trailer got me so excited over a movie and The Billionaire | Top Secret วัยรุ่นพันล้าน trailer did just that. A tale of rags to riches based on the real life story of a very young Thai businessman who created the crispy Japanese Seaweeds Tao Kae Noi (which I assumed that it's from Japan till I came across this movie) seemed to have the winning formula.<br />
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It starts by questioning what are we doing at his age. It would seems that our protagonist was like any teenagers of his age, addicted to games and failing school. To make matter worse, he had to leave school and his family went bankrupt. How did he turn the situation around and became a rich man?<br />
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<span class="messageBody" data-ft="{"type":3}"></span><br />
Another hook for this movie would be casting choice for the lead actor. Staring "Peach" Pachara Chirathivat from Suckseed (my recent faveourite Thai Movie), The Billionaire | Top Secret วัยรุ่นพันล้าน would test his ability to carry the movie on his own. I believe this movie would also test his dramatic abilities way more than Suckseed had.<br />
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Can't wait till <strike>5th Jan</strike> <strike>23 Feb</strike> 9 Feb 2012<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAJ8st72lXqC9T4TXO1R7_cUvgV7fGxajJbki_Pz1tDbfMh-7Kw-aU3srMJC2gDLmVun3efpjPNsiRIdAvpDqvc-KxTrsNYqUvuXju2hJq4DG2RdexgKsv8tgSxdR-ezOfkl2PLWMRXc0/s1600/The+Billionaire+Top+Secret+Thai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipAJ8st72lXqC9T4TXO1R7_cUvgV7fGxajJbki_Pz1tDbfMh-7Kw-aU3srMJC2gDLmVun3efpjPNsiRIdAvpDqvc-KxTrsNYqUvuXju2hJq4DG2RdexgKsv8tgSxdR-ezOfkl2PLWMRXc0/s400/The+Billionaire+Top+Secret+Thai.jpg" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Billionaire | Top Secret Thai Poster</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The Plot </span></b><br />
<br />
What are you doing at his age?<br />
<br />
Age 16, TOP gained 400,000 Baht monthly from playing online games.<br />
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Age 17, He was willing to fail school and instead earned money from selling chestnuts for 2,000 baht. <br />
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Age 18, His family went bankrupt and remained 40 million Baht in debt.<br />
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Age 19, He released 'Tao Kae Noi' seaweed to more than 3,000 branches at 7-Eleven.<br />
<br />
At
this present, Top is a 26-year-old businessman, the owner of the
bestselling seaweed in Thailand. He owns 85 percent of the market share
which is equivalent to 800 million Baht a year, and has 2,000 employees
in his company.<br />
<br />
THE BILLIONAIRE will let you get to know
"Top Ittipat" in details about how he turned himself from an online game
addict whom always got disparaged by teachers, to a famous young
billionaire. How did he raise himself up to this position? Surely,
everyone desires to get rich, yet not everyone dares to succeed like
him.<br />
<br />
(Plot Write Up from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNYyn17h5wE&feature=share">Golden Village Picture youtube channel</a>) <br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Trailer</b></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HxbeZ6WjLCU" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cool Dvd Alert</b></span><br />
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<a href="http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/">Stefan Shih</a> had just send me <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2012/02/top-secret-gets-deluxe-treatment-on-dvd.html?spref=fb">Wise Kwai's blogpost</a> on Top Secret - The Billionaire Dvd Special Box Set. The Dvd Box Set look so gorgeous that I am tempted to get it even though there's no English Subtitles and I have not seen this movie yet (<i>as of 5th Feb 2012</i>). <br />
<br />
Take a look for yourself.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBZyiZa82xReg2GX3hbn7MZI80Q1iCGYOaYmsXTJNiX8B_kJboRBWJIB19QJvqbJ-Om3nXRB9Eylw47cBww60EOZwicMDcZrWBdP5LnRLcvkXS2ziqk9Ps5Gx5BOXgvVUCyUreI5o3BXq/s1600/Top+Secret+the+Billionaire+Dvd+Special+Package+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGBZyiZa82xReg2GX3hbn7MZI80Q1iCGYOaYmsXTJNiX8B_kJboRBWJIB19QJvqbJ-Om3nXRB9Eylw47cBww60EOZwicMDcZrWBdP5LnRLcvkXS2ziqk9Ps5Gx5BOXgvVUCyUreI5o3BXq/s400/Top+Secret+the+Billionaire+Dvd+Special+Package+picture.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top Secret - The Billionaire Dvd Special Package Photo from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150467296077278.377916.44495517277&type=3">GTH Facebook</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The box set cover is painted like the handmade old movie posters. It comes with a 2012 calender and the box itself could be open up as a "monopoly" style game (complete with paper money, token, plastic houses and "Top Secret Cards" that probably function as the Chance and Community Chest cards ). <br />
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There's even a Video for the Box Set (hosted by "Peach" Pachara Chirathivat, the star of Top Secret / The Billionaire)
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RyRMGwkBJQc" width="560"></iframe>
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According to Wise Kwai, the special artwork on the dvd box set is done by Somboonsuk Niyomsiri (or better known as Piak Poster). It turned out that Piak Poster used to paint movie posters and he went on to direct popular teen-oriented movies in the past. Top Secret - The Billionaire marks his acting debut at the age of 80 (he plays the uncle who help the teenage entrepreneur sell roasted chestnuts in the movie trailer). Interesting background information from <a href="http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/">Wise Kwai</a>. It just fuel my anticipation for this movie even more.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Beyond the Movie</b></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DPL5lyErAtVYMIDdrtpJzr9ygeEnWsgDTkftEoSJ7kXU5wXnm_J2yfU73canPRYR2vTc821x61-yt-nYK1FKPVqolfRPPe3NiUGiVfBIMFclBmQNSJ8t6EmdsGhby5VkK7Bgy1JlAYA2/s1600/The+Billionaire+%E5%B0%8F%E5%AF%8C%E7%BF%81+The+real+CEO+of+Tao+Kay+Noi+Top+Ittipat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DPL5lyErAtVYMIDdrtpJzr9ygeEnWsgDTkftEoSJ7kXU5wXnm_J2yfU73canPRYR2vTc821x61-yt-nYK1FKPVqolfRPPe3NiUGiVfBIMFclBmQNSJ8t6EmdsGhby5VkK7Bgy1JlAYA2/s320/The+Billionaire+%E5%B0%8F%E5%AF%8C%E7%BF%81+The+real+CEO+of+Tao+Kay+Noi+Top+Ittipat.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
The actual billionaire Top Ittipat was in town for a special preview of The Billionaire (Top Secret) | 小富翁 | วัยรุ่นพัน on Wednesday (8th Feb 2012) at Golden Village Plaza Singapura. He even autographed on some of The Billionaire movie posters. Incidentally Golden Village is having a "<a href="http://www.gv.com.sg/promodetails/gv_promotions_5507.jsp">The Billionaire Members Draw</a>" (valid from 9th Feb to 22nd Feb 2012) and every purchase of a pair of The Billionaire movie tickets gets a chance to win a Tao Kae Noi Plush Toy and Movie Poster (It was not indicate if those poster in this draw are signed or not )<br />
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Credit: (Photo from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=299563233433326&set=a.116239385099046.16443.115751371814514&type=1&theater">Golden Village Facebook Page</a>)richardlimjrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15494595586945254090noreply@blogger.com1