Shallow Grave, Downton Abbey Episodes 1- 2- 3

Shallow Grave to me is a film that is a keeper. Tidy, very good cinematography, lots of close up and to the faces of the actors too, great actors (with one of my faves Ewan McGregor) and a decent story of human greed.

I have finally started Downton Abbey and it is very good and kept me interested but I find the whole thing a bit shallow quality wise. Everyother BBC period drama I have watched were heavier than this. Well I guess reading Thomas Hardy is probably not helping me either I guess. I like it but I'm not in love with it - so far that is-.

The Woodlanders is getting worse and worse and wores. Giles died and for such a stupid reason too. Yes men are usually very selfish but once in a while they are good guys but also stupid. Marty was only a secondary character and Grace will probably go back to her husband now and even be happy meanwhile poor Giles. But I'll wait until the book ends before commenting more. Let's say I'm not very fond of Grace right now.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played With Fire This is the most action packed book of the triology. As a film it is average though since the action scenes were ordinary (at least to this viewer, spoiled by East Asian and U.S.A films) and the rythm of the whole thing was off. Some of the scenes were very good though (Lisbeth trying to lift her arms and level her gun to correctly shoot at her half bro all the while she is covered in dirt and her own blood - Lisbeth questioning a corrupt journalist while wearing face paint) but overall this film was not as exciting as the book (despite being pretty loyal to it)

Meanwhile The Woodlanders took unexpected - for me that is- turns. Poor kind hearted Marty is out of the picture for now and the whole thing revolves around Giles, Grace, Edred and Felice.

At least Grace had the good sense to realise the true nature of her husband. But her marriage is an unhappy one with the infidelities of her husband and she now understand the good nature and worthiness of Giles.

Client

Client Well there was not much into it aside from the hot guys who are also very good actors. I enjoyed it but cannot recommend it.

Meanwhile The Woodlanders is still strong. Giles is finally told by Grace and her father that he is no longer wanted as son in law. And he also lost his houses (Marty's dad has passed away and no one actually thought of poor Marty - who has sort of shown a mean streak, scribbling away that poem in Gile's wall) Actually that poem may have gotten Giles and Grace together since Grace actually has written on it, changing it to Giles benefit but Giles never knew Grace was the one who changed it. Anyway now the Doctor is physically included in the story and is very interested in Grace.

King 2 Hearts - End, Başkaldıran Kurşunkalem - End, Quicksand- End, The Woodlanders, The Illusionist, Friends with Benefits

First the films

The Illusionist I remember not really caring for this film the first time I saw it but this time I enjoyed it very very much and not just because it stars Edward Norton (my crush on him is probably as tall as he is) but I have managed to overlook Rufus Sewell (seriously that man is a huge turn off whenever I watch him at a film, even when he is a villain) and was entertained.

Friends With Benefits just when I thought they don't make good rom coms anymore (all of them stupid films starring Katherine Heigl) I watched this one and it was instant like on my part. Even when JT is not that good an actor, the real rom com actor is the female one anyway and Mila Kunis knocked it out of the park. Great chemistry between the leads, great use of locations, a good story, lots of close up shots on the actors's faces = one happy viewer.

Now on to the books

Başkaldıran Kurşunkalem  Didn't dissapoint and I'm looking forward to the next book. I love Ferhan Şensoy more as a novelist than a theater actor - not that he is a bad actor, he is OK- and that book is no exception.

Quicksand Ok Junichiro Tanizaki is the man who made reading a sleazy plot with superb and masterful writing possible. It is not a guilty pleasure anymore. The Makioka Sisters is still my fave of his but this one was a nice little novel.

Then I started

The Woodlanders  if I have to name the works of only three novelists to take with me on a deserted island, Thomas Hardy would be one of these names (the other two would be Jane Austen and Haruki Murakami). The Woodlanders is great. I can't believe I have never read it until now and you usually do not get a happy ending with Thomas Hardy and I hope that Giles will end up with Marty and that Grace will be with the -yet- mysterious doctor or something because she doesn't love you Giles and in truth I don't think you love her either. You love Marty and she loves you so much but she doesn't show it. Oh poor, kind hearted Marty.

Anonymous, The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

First off I have completely forgotten to add Anonymous to the weekend haul.

Anonymous - aaand the reason for that is I have watched the film, liked it a lot and then in the end I have realised that it was directed by Roland Emmerich. Yet another reason not to prejudiced. This is not a masterpiece or anything, I don't think I'll even want to rewatch it again but I liked it. Maybe it is because it is a period film and British actors are in it, maybe it is the great costumes and sets or maybe the story which I have found very interesting. In the end I had a good time watching it and this only ever happened once as far Emmerich films go.

Now last night I have watched

Flying Swords of the Dragon Gate now this one I loved. Whether it is the novelty of filming in 3D or the great cast or something but Tsui Hark has got his mojo back. I have had a great time watching this and most probably will not to watch it again and again.

Now some of the special effects were not flawless but I was caught up in the good parts and totally forgave them. This reminded me of the good old Hong Kong films I love to watch. 

Martyrs, Hanna, Click, Captain America, One Fifth Avenue - End, The Tree With Deep Roots - End, Başkaldıran Kurşunkalem

The Tree With Deep Roots (SPOILERS) was excellent and although it was not a happy end for our fictional characters, as a person who is learning Korean today, Hangul alphabet is a happy ending for me and King Seojong. I love Jang Hyuk and Han Suk Kyu and both were excellent. I didn't like the female lead but this didn't stop me from sobbing my heart out during her death scene. This was a great purchase.

One Fifth Avenue also turned out to be a decent book. It didn't consume me but then again this kind of book usually doesnt.

Currently reading Başkaldıran Kurşunkalem (Rebellious Pencil) this is the second part of an authobiography by Ferhan Şensoy, an actor & playright & writer. I really like his plays and shortstories. His sense of humour definitely appeals to me and this book is no exception. Normally I don't really care for biography/autobiography but this can rewrite a phone book and I'll probably still like it.

Now on to the weekend film haul (now that we have got our TV back all shiny and new)

Martyrs Very good horror film. It was different and interesting. Recommended for the lovers of the genre but stay away from spoilers.

Hanna I have tried to watch that one on the plane but fell asleep but this time I finished it off and didn't really like it or dislike it. It was a so so film. Mostly I don't like the female lead (she was in Atonement and My Lovely Bones)

Click I don't know how many times I have watched this one but I love Adam Sandler and his films for some reason appeal to me. This is no exception.

Captain America I liked the other films better but I didn't fall asleep during or anything.

I have also tried to watch Red Riding Hood but fell asleep somewhere in the middle, woke up and watched the end.

The Tree With Deep Roots Eps-17, Kushiel's Chosen - End, One Fifth Avenue

Well The Tree With Deep Roots was killing me softly and then there came episodes 16-17 where our focus is somehow shifted from Tol Bok to King's debates with Mil Bon (aka the most unintentionally hillarious secret organisation in a K-Drama, why they are almost comic relief!!!)  I love Han Suk Kyu and King Seojong seems to be a awesome guy but I'm kind of invested in Tol Bok now and want to watch more him.

Kushiel's Chosen ended very nicely and I even felt pangs of withdrawal (but not as strong as to start the third book, meanin it is nowhere near Game of Thrones leves).

Instead I have chosen to go to a completely different direction and decided to give Candice Bushnell's One Fifth Avenue a try.  Now obviously Ms.Bushnell is a good writer and I find myself oddly interested with the characters. All in all not a bad choice of book this turned out to be (ironically purchased at a thrift store in SoHo for 1 US dollar) 

The Tree with Deep Roots Eps 1- 10

Oh yes. The Tree with Deep Roots (it is translated in my legit Malay copy as Deep Rooted Tree but I'm going to go with the wider known title) completely hooked me. First off this one is a powerhouse of acting both from cinema greats and drama veterans. Visuals are good and the music very catching. Also the drama has this habit of cranking music up in dramatic scenes which is hillarious but I love it.

Another thing that got to me was that I was truly suprised when a crucial twist was revealed. This doesn't happen to me anymore that often (side effects of watching/reading too much). Actually the last time I felt this way was when Ned Stark was beheaded.

Against my better judgement I tried to watch 4 episodes last night but could only make two since I had been out in Istanbul all day today benefiting from good company and excellent weather (I wish I was able to say good food too but everything was fail except the creme bruleé and I'm not that much of a dessert person).

And lastly Jang Hyuk - this man is great with comedy and drama and I love him best when he is the hot headed man with a haunted past in a costume drama. He has an excellent way of acting completely bonkers (and congrats to the child actor who was also very good) and to me he is a very handsome man (his face looks feline and those lips are very very kissable).

Of course the acting powerhouse in the Deep Tree house is Han Suk Kyu. His acting is of the understated type but he makes it work so well - I swear he made the whites of his eyes turn red in one scene. I'm - once again - in awe. 

Meanwhile Kushiel's Chosen is going great, I don't even mind the lack of romance now.

Sunny

Sunny this one is a winner all around. The type of film where you cry tears but also feel happy. It is not perfect by any means (lots and lots of whimsy in script) but the cast is all around excellent, the soundtrack, the cinematography - it is the type of clean cinematography I like so well- help out the story telling and it is a good story to tell too.  This one is highly recommended but it is a chick flick all right.

Meanwhile Kushiel's Chosen is going great. I like it much better than Kushiel's Dart.

Still, Life Goes On - End

This drama made me cry tears into the night. It is such a good drama, championing forgiveness, human goodness and making sacrifices to atone (for the guilt you have even if the sin is not your own).

So Fumiya really murdered Aki and not only that but throughout the show he has put a young mother (the divorced daughter of the Orchard owner) into a coma from which she'll probably never wake up.

And what does our heroine do? She volunteers to replace this woman who is harmed by her Bro and look after her daugther and be a daughter to the Orchard owner. She explains Hiroki that even though she loves him, and even though Hiroki may be able to forget his sister's murder, she will not. It is just not possible for them to be together even though they are soul mates. And the way the drama puts it is so touching and subtle. Yes, there will not be a happy ending together for our couple but they manage to find peace on their own through their actions. Futaba being a mom in a far away orchard and Hiroki managing to forgive the killer who murdered his sister. Even his mother is not so revenge minded anymore. She let them visit her daughter's grave too.

Hiroki is such a good good man that he even saved Fumiya from his suicide attempt. He tried to put some hope into him too but to no avail. The only thing that got a reaction (other than murderous intent, dissapointment etc.) out of Fumiya was when he saw the photograph of her mother (whose face he forgot).

Needless to say I fell for Hiroki. Unfortunately Eita is not a good actor. He looks a bit like Kimura, talks like Kimura but he just didn't have the pathos to handle that character and this is a shame really since it is such a good one. The leading lady actor on the other hand was very very good.

Still, Life Goes on Episode 5

This gem of a Japanese drama is just what I needed. I really like the premise

One teenager kills a little girl and 15 years later we see the families of the murderer and the victim.
The victim's family is divided. Mom and Dad got a divorce and Mom left with the little bro and Dad and Big Bro stayed together. Mom got remarried and then the little Bro got married and had a kid himself. The Big Bro (our male lead) is Hiroki and he is still single (29 years old).

The Perp's family stayed together but they were harrassed and had to move constantly. Dad lost his job, Elder Sis (younger to the Perp) got dumped and this incident follows them whereever they ran to.

The Elder Sis (our female lead) is Futaba and she visits Hiroki & Dad's fishing inn to tell them to stop the harrassment. But not only she finds out that they never harrassed Perp Family, Hiroki is actually a very good guy. Well Hiroki thought Futaba came to their inn to commit suicide and he was extra nice to her but in reality he is a good guy. Dad has cancer and he wanted to kill the Perp Bro Fumiya before he expires but after he got out of jail (only 8 years!) he stayed down and never even contacted his own family.

Futaba simply doesn't believe her brother is guilty. Her brother lives and works in an orchard owned by an older man who pays his debts to society by hiring ex cons. There is also his divorced daughter and her little daughter (similar to the age Hiroki's sister Aki was killed).

The two leads are kindred souls and they started to develop feelings for eachother and I like to watch them together. They have that quiet intimacy and they seem very comfortable together. But of course neither of them is ready to confess. Both are damaged but they are trying. It is just that the obstacles are too high. Hiroki claims that he wants to kill Fumiya (the reason is more to do with the possibility of Fumiya doing it again than revenge) and Futaba loves her brother despite everything she went through because of what he did.

Now we don't know for sure Fumiya killed Aki, we did not get to see it. And when he and Futaba met by coincidence (at their Grandmother's nursing home, she is senile) Fumiya asked her to live with him in a town where their true mother lived. Oh the Perp Mom is not the real mother of Fumiya and Futaba  (poor Futaba was only 1 years old when her father remarried) and I feel sorry for the Perp Mom. She was pregnant with a girl when the incident happened and now the girl is 15 and living -relatively- happily, as happy as can be with all the harrassment etc.

It turns out that it was Vic Mom who regularly pays an agency to follow and harrass Perp family. But Hiroki finally made her see the light and she stopped the agency and moved out from the younger Bro's house to Hiroki's fishing inn (now that his father died because of cancer and he is all alone).

Bourne Legacy

Oh and for the first time in what seemes months, I have actually gone to a film theater to watch a film. A lot of things contributed to this monumental decision.

* We don't have a TV at home. Some of the pixels were dead and they took it away before providing a replacement. So we are without a TV and even though it doesn't affect me that much (also we had lots and lots of social activities these past weeks) this weekend I realised I have missed getting up and then lazing on the sofa watching TV.

* I have changed my glasses and the optician is at the same mall where the cinema is. (There is something wrong with them by the way, I'll show them to the doctor this evening insaallah)

* I love Edward Norton and saw him in my dream the night before watching the film.


So I have watched The Bourne Legacy and it was not bad but Jeremy Renner is not a good action star - not that he lacked anything action wise - but the best he could be in action is the second man to Tom Cruies (in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol). He just lacks that certain masculine cool factor the good action stars have. Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Michelle Yeoh, Bruce Lee etc. all have that masculine quaility (and I don't mean manly, I want to say something different than manly, otherwise Mr.Norton himself would not be that good in Increadible Hulk, or when we mention Hulk, Eric Bana would have been a great action star. Mr.Renner is a good actor though and I think he'll do much better in drama genre.

Edward Norton was excellent though. He is ageing well and does look great in a shirt and tie. And that silver hair and those steel eyes... Well.. The film was not a total loss.

Doc Martin Season 4 - End, The Sleeping Dragon - End, Wuxia, The Great Magician, Kushiel's Chosen

This weekend ended up being fruitful as far as reading and film watching goes. It feels really good when the only problem you have is to decided on what to watch/ro read, thank God :)

The Sleeping Dragon ended up just as good as other Miyabe books I have read despite the fact that the whole thing was not a suprise (if I was new into mystery I think I would be though).

Kushiel's Chosen is what I chose -heh- to read next since I have already bought it (a mistake) and find myself enjoying it. Something different from what I usually read and a palate cleanser.

I have watched

Wuxia - I love Peter Chan's visuals, the close up shots, the colours, the attention to detail. The story was also an interesting one to me.  The only thing that marred the film as far as I'm concerned is Donnie Yen, whose fight careography I loved and highly appreciated but whose on screen presence is unfortunately something to be suffered for the sake of the good things in the film. Vanity is such a bad thing, stay behing the camera Donnie, that is where you truly excel man.


The Great Magician - Now this one was a suprise from all those moody Derek Yee films.It actually felt like a better Jeff Lau film. The two acting veterans who are great in drama and comedy both really made it work for me. And I like Zhou Xun and despite being & looking young for either lead, the relationships worked for me - I especially liked the ending.
Oh and how well Tony Leung aged. I can't wait for WKW's Ip Man film.

Doc Martin Season 4 - Well this sure washed away the unpleasant taste left by Season 3. I enjoyed it to the max and even shed a tear or two for the happy ending.