The Perfect Score

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The Perfect Score was not as bad as I thought. Then again I have watched in two parts with a four week break in between.  

The Returned

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The Returned was on Dvdigi and since it was the only horror film available I watched it. And I was pleasantly surprised with the original plot and great acting and that clean, uncluttered cinematography that I like so much. Congrats Manuel Carballo.

First off I don't know whether this is a horror film. The plot make is seem so but to me it was more a drama.
There is an outbreak in the world where people are turned into zombies. But the humanity found a serum which reverses the effects of the virus (if applied on time) and the person is returned to being unaffected. Of course he'll need to inject the serum everyday but the government provides it and all is good. However the serum is produced from infected people so when the number of the zombies start to recede the serum stocks diminish in consequence.
Our heroine is a doctor who works with the returned patients during their initial stage. She is living with a musician who is also one of the returned.

The film's main conflict is people's paranoia where The Returned are concerned. What will happen when the serum stocks are emptied? If these people do not inject the serum they will become zombies. And this makes a lot of people afraid and they start to harass the returned (who were already subject to prejudice) and even kill them. And as the crisis reaches its zenith the Government begins to collect the returned (who are all registered since they need to get the serum). Our heroine and her lover accumulated a healthy stock of serum but they need to escape from the Government meanwhile their closest friends offer them shelter but they have a different agenda.

This is a slow moving film with dramatic moments that feel natural and very likable leads. I felt for this couple and I liked how understated the whole thing was. Recommended.

Taken

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Taken was a film I have kept hearing about and I have come across it late night at my hotel room in Miami. So it was OK. Actually at one point I think I dosed off (during a fight scene probably) Maybe I should stop watching these for a while, I have obviously become too jaded or something. Anyhow, I like Liam Neeson and he did a good job.  

Chef

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Chef  John Favreu is just not my type of director/actor etc. Never really liked him (and his Ironman films, despite loving Robert Downey Jr.). This one got good box office etc. and I love John Leguizamo and I like looking at food. So in the end I enjoyed it a lot. It has a good laid back, natural feel to it and I have no trouble recommending it. 

RED 2

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RED2 is entertaining and I love Lee Byung Hun (who was the best thing in the film) and it flowed by. But Catherine Zeta Jones' collagen/botox or whatever that was that made her face look like that was not worth the money she paid for it. Look at Helen Mirren, she doesn't do anything like that and she looked better than Ms.Zeta-Jones. So did Mary Louise Parker. In fact everyone, including John Malkovich (I love that guy) looked better than her.

Anyway this one is a good flight film. 

Divergent

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Divergent the novel was not as bad as The City of Bones but it is not as good as The Hunger Games. The film ended up being just decent. Not a boring watch but nothing I'd want to see again. 

The Fault in Our Stars - The Film

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The Fault in Our Stars is a decent adaptation but not as good as the book (not that the book was very good) It is a good weepie though so watch it if you are into weepies.

Maleficent

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Maleficent is a film I wanted to see sometime. I like Angelina Jolie. I don't think she is a good actress but I like her nevertheless. And I like Elle Fanning too (she is a good actor, though not as good as her sister). All in all I enjoyed it. It made my flight go easier. 

Sweet Tooth

Sweet Tooth - This is the first Ian McEwan novel I have read (liked the film adaptation of Atonement) and this writer is not for me. He is good but the style does not work for me for some reason. My reading experience was uneven with great heights at some parts but really low at some others. It is not him, it is me.

So give it a go if the plot (a young girl recruited by MI5 is assigned to an operation called Sweeth Tooth and messes it up a bit - though not due to the things one would think) sounds like your thing. One of the characters in it is a writer and I actually liked reading his stories included in the novel better than the novel itself.

This was among the buch of novels I have bought at a second hand bookstore in DC. 

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage  Great novel. But then again I'm a fan of Mr.Murakami and his novels always move me deeply. This one was no exception. Everything about it fit me like a glove and I was immersed in it not wanting to leave it (so I ended up finishing it on the beach in one day). Highly recommended regardless of whether you like the author or not. 

The Silent Wife

The Silent Wife  I have been hearing good things about this one for a while. Unfairly compared to Gone Girl (since it is nowhere near as good and there is not much in common with it except a man and a woman and a betrayal)

In the end I didn't have trouble with it. But it didn't shake my world or anything. It is an OK read but not much else. 

The Story Teller

The Story Teller I like Ms.Picoult and her flawed characters. They do not seem that interesting when reading the plot summary but they come to life in the novel and this was a great read (despite the fact that I have seen the little twist far early)

NOS4A2

NOS4A2 is the second Joe Hill novel I have read (that must be the theme of the this trip :) ) And I enjoyed this one too, not as much as The Heart Shaped Box but enough. However poor Mr.Hill is Mr.Stephen King's son and it was not possible for me not to compare him to his dad. And his dad is one of my all time favorite writers. So Mr.Hill falls a bit short. The main thing is that when reading a novel written by Stephen King, one truly cares for the characters and feels. Mr.Hill didn't make me feel as much. It was nice to observe but I was not shaken or scared. I will continue to follow him though since 60% of King is still a lot better than what's out there.

Almost Heaven

Almost Heaven is the second novel of Judith McNaught's I have read. And I enjoyed it as much as the first one (Something Wonderful I think). Anyway I chose this because I thought it would be a good travel companion and I was not wrong. However the novel was unnecessarily long. The way it went on and on and on erased some of its charm. But as far as the romance novels go, Ms.Mc Naught is my second fave writer (first is Barbara Cartland - heh). 

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

Pride and Prejudice is my favorite novel of all times and this adaptation is like a fast forward of it. I don't really care for it deeply but the film looks beautiful and the actors very fine.

The things that I don't really like is how pronounced they way Elizabeth and her Dad mocks Mr. Collins. Yes he is a ridiculous character often mocked in the novel but the film was so vicious that I felt sorry for him (never once felt that way either during the novel or the other adaptations I have seen).

I also don't like how Elizabeth kisses Darcy's hand in the end. Seriously this came off as a supplicant act and I don't associate Elizabeth with that.

I like Judi Dench's Lady Catherine De Burgh best in this one though. 

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book is the third novel of Neil Gaiman I have read and I like this writer a lot. Even though I liked Neverwhere and The American Gods better, this one still moved me deeply and I felt sad when it ended. 

Only You

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Only You was a blast from the past. I remember loving it the first time I watched it and this second viewing was also very good. I don't really care for Marissa Tomei and like Robert Downey Jr. but not crazy about him. They make such a lovely couple, great chemistry, charming visuals and a hillarious Billy Zane at a small part.

The pic I chose is dark because this is the time when they met.

To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird I love the novel and I love the film. Gregory Peck is so good and Atticus Finch is one of my literary crushes. Not much to say about this one except that everyone should watch it.

The Vineyard Man

The Vineyard Man This is my second viewing of a not well liked and probably underrated drama. Well I love it. Not only because I like the plot - city girl goes farming due to a promise of an inheritence- and the actors. It is funny, heart warming and gives a good message. I like the fact that the lead actor Oh Man Suk is not handsome - since the package really doesn't matter in the long run. His performance was great and I totally get why SPOILER  our heroine chose him over a handsome doctor. This one is a keeper for me. 

Body

Body is a collection of short stories by Asa Nonami whose novels I really like (yes even Now You Are One of Us). All the stories were good and made pleasant reading. And normally I don't care about this stuff but I love the cover art of this one. 

Border

Border is a Japanese TV show I have only chosen to purchase because Oguri Shun is starring. Unfortunately it turned out to be a procedural centering around a detective who avoided getting killed but stuck to live with a bullet in his head. This gave him abilities to see and talk to dead people who are murder victims. It was episodic and ended badly. Only 9 episodes and I was very emotional during two of them but overall this show was mediocre.

As for Oguri Shun, I think he never looked better. Also mastering "the single tear" he was a delight to watch. Just not enough to save the show.