You From Another Star

You From Another Star The reason I chose this drama is that I love Jeon Ji Hyun. Ever since I saw her in My Sassy Girl she is a delight to me. She is not in many films or dramas though so when she appeared in this one I'd have gone for it even if it was not such a well liked drama with high ratings.

The reason for the ratings and the one who got all the awards is Kim Soo Hyun though, the male lead. He is loved by virtually everyone and causes ovaries to explode. But he doesn't do anything to me. Not because he is way younger than me since I like Lee Seung Gi and Jae Joong but this guy does not have that effect on me. His performance was not bad but he is not uber talented like Lee Byung Hun or Cha Seung Won. Anyway on to the show with loads of SPOILERS.


Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) is an alien who landed in Joseon era Korea and missed his ride back. So he has been living in the world for 400 years and now his kind will be back in 3 months. His only friend and manager of human affairs is Lawyer Jang (it reminded me a bit of Dracula)

Chun Song Yi is a S.Korean super star actress and commercial darling at the top of her career. She is not really into culture though and is known and laughed at for her ignorant remarks.

Do Min Joon has been in the earth forever and tried many professions astronomer, doctor, banker, lawyer and now he is a (albeit very young) professor. To his dismay Song Yi moves right next door to his lovely apartment. Now that they are neighbours, his quiet, undisturbed life is in caos since Song Yi gets drunk, has lots of reporters etc. following her and she is noisy (he, of course has super hearing).

The secondary guy is in love with Song Yi for 15 years but Song Yi only sees him as a friend and never actually gave him hope.

The secondary girl is also Song Yi's friend for 15 years and she is also an actress but she is nowhere near as successful as Song Yi and usually takes small parts in films and dramas Song Yi stars. This time she is in love with the secondary guy and she hides her pettiness behind a nice girl facade.

Our villain is secondary guy's elder brother who is a pyschopath. He kills Song Yi's rival in business and everyone assumes that the rival committed suicide because of Song Yi's bullying. Song Yi is now a disgraced celebrity whose career is in fast decline. Commercials are cancelled, projects shelved, they even removed her as the lead of the drama she is currently filming. All these go to secondary girl SeMi.

Anyway all in all this alien with super powers drama who is influenced heavily from Dracula, Twilight and towards the end Time Traveller's Wife, ended being only OK. I wonder if it is me of they don't make them as good anymore. Of course I kind of leaked tears towards the end but I can't say I felt the need/desire to marathon (which is the best indicator of how much one likes a drama).

All in all I'll recommend since the cast is good, it is entertaining and Jeon Ji Hyun is excellent in it. 

The World We Found

The World We Found was among a batch I picked up from a discount at an internet store. I really like India and most of the meager amount of the Indian literature I have read. This is the reason I purchased it and it ended being an OK book about four women and two men who were social activists in their college days but life turned out to be very different from their ideals. It is a slice of life kind of book with less amount of flashbacks than I thought there would be. All in all I ended up enjoying it. Having been to India and/or watching Indian films would help one like it even better in my opinion.

The Thief

The Thief is one of the books I got from San Francisco. Not a secondhand book. I usually don't hesitate when it comes to Japanese literature since I almost always end up liking it even when not really caring to seek other books from the author. This one was interesting and read like the wind. The protagonist is a pick pocket who gets into trouble with a rather scary villain. Not that he had done anything in particular to antagonise the man. I felt for the thief and hoped that he'll get away.

There is a certain simple fluency in English translation of Japanese books. I love the uncluttered prose.

This one I can recommend if you are into J-lit. Otherwise not necessary. 

Mini Shopaholic

Mini Shopaholic is a book I picked up from the small library at work (since I have forgotten Brave New World at home that day). I'm definitely not into Shopaholic series. Not that Becky is adorable and I remember that I even liked the film. But I'm not a shopaholic for clothes and shoes and bags. If the character was a shopaholic for books and films then I think I might have been more into it. Anyhow this is a timepass. 

Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit

Photo credithttp://www.btchflcks.com
The site has a snarky review of the film.

Jack Ryan Shadow Recruit it was so bad that I fell asleep towards the end. Seriously. Should an action film put you to sleep? But everything was so predictable, so formulaic and so stale that I felt I have watched this film many times. Chris Pine is a decent actor with likable screen presence but he doesn't have what it takes to rebook a character actred previously by Harrison Ford. He is great as Captain Kirk but those films are not one man films no? Anyway the villain is Kenneth Branagh (who is also the director) and he is your typical Russian villain. Aaaand I don't think Russians make good villains in US films anymore. They just don't.
Love interest is Keira Knightley who face looks like she is constantly pouting. Mentor is Kevin Costner who I can't help but like ever since Tin Cup.

So this was a waste of time but I watched it anyway.

Dark Skies

Photo credit: http://www.nerdist.com

Dark Skies was another film I chose to because of its genre. Also I like Keri Russell. Anyway this film had a more of an effect on me. It was about a family harrassed by the aliens. It progressed slowly to a SPOILER   a grim end. Josh Hamilton, who played the husband was a weak link in an otherwise strong cast and a decent cinematography. This may have freak out people who are scared of aliens but it was not scary as far as I'm concerned. All in all had a decent time.

The House of The Devil

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The House of the Devil was among the Dvdigi selections and I decided to check it out. Writer director Ti West was aiming for an original retro look I guess and I enjoyed the whole thing despite it being pretty weak as far as the plot etc. goes. And the retro also extended to special effects. It was interesting to watch Greta Gerwig in a supporting role in so old looking a film. All in all it was an OK passtime but not much more.

Brave New World

Brave New World This one came into my radar at a good dystopian novels list and I loved it. Aldous Huxley offers a different, less harsh but more cunning alternative to Orwell's 1984. And some of it is frighteningly similar to what we are experiencing now. And not only was the novel fascinating but also the foreword by the author and introduction by Margaret Atwood were also excellent.

This one is highly recommended.

Vampire Knight

Vampire Knight I have been hearing about this for years and when I saw a good deal on a second hand disc at amazon I decided to give it a go. Well it was ok I suppose but I was not captivated as I normally am. Three major characters are Yuki our intrepid and kind hearted heroine, Zero our poor hero whose family was murdered by a vampire of highest cast (in this AU vampires have different casts and powers) and now is a vampire of the lowest cast, and Kaname one of the noblest of vampires whose only weakness is his feelings for Yuki. All these are happening at a boarding school that has two separate classes for students who study at day time and for students (vampires) who study at night time. Of course the vampires put their superior abilities to the service of science (though we never get to see it). Yuki has a mysterious past and she likes both Zero and Kaname (who saved her from another vampire once).

This one has a loyal following and everyone who watches it fell for it. I also purchased the follow up Vampire Knight Guilty. I sure hope that it will offer something more to my liking. 

Lay Tbe Favorite

Lay The Favorite is a film I have heard nothing about. But as I saw that it stars Rebecca Hall and Bruce Willis I thought why not? I like Rebecca Hall and don't understand why she is not in more films. She is a good actress with a very likable screen presence. But even if the film she is in becomes well known (unlike Lay The Favorite) her co stars get the fame. Barcelona Barcelona - Scarlett Johansonn, The Town - Ben Affleck, Starter for Ten - James McAvoy.
Anyway I also like Bruce Willis. And I like Stephen Frears. Anyway the film was decent and I loved watching Vegas (I wish I could go there once again free of charge) but it is just not that good. Anyway I had a good time with it. 

Morning Glory

Morning Glory is a film I really like. The main reason is the cast. I love everyone in this thing. Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Patrick Wilson, Diane Keaton and we have Jeff Goldblum in a small role. I also like the hard working heroine and his boyfriend who understand and supports her. I love grumpy Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton (they both aged really well). All in all I don't know how many times I have seen it but I like it everytime.

Devil in Winter

Devil in Winter I don't know whether it is all the books about war or that I'm expecting a visit from Aunt Flo soon but I liked this one very much. It is the "rake reformed" type of romance novel and this one had ample intimate scenes which are of the unintentionally hillarious kind. All in all I enjoyed it very much and appreciated the break from the grim literature I experienced lately (not that I'll stay away from grim - heh)
Recommended.

Good-by To All That

Good-bye To All That was recommended to me after I announced that I love I, Claudius. I never seeked it out since war is my least fave genre and I simply was not interested. But when I saw it at a second hand book store in San Francisco, it was so cheap that I grabbed it for a rainy day. Well after Ken Follet's Fall of the Giants my interest in the First World War peaked up and I thought I'd give it a try as a companion piece. Well it worked out fine and even though it is not a favorite I like the writing style and the story. I especially liked the kind things he wrote about Thomas Hardy (one of my all time favorites). And how he seems to be honest to himself and has no problem writing about his faults - which are not the usual "good" faults if you know what I mean.

And it is once again evident how stupid and unnecessary that war was.

Recommended if you are interested at that period of time but otherwise you won't lose much by not reading it.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is not a film I sought out. But it was there on TV and I like Ben Stiller (and Adam Sandler for no identifable reason what so ever). This one is also directed by Mr.Stiller adapted from a short story.

Walter Mitty works in Life magazine as the person who is responsible for managing the negatives of the photos sent by great photographer Sean O'Connel. He is a man whose dreams of travelling the world were stunted with his father's unexpected death when Walter was 17 years old. He felt responsible for his mother and younger sister and immediately started working. He is great at his job but not very social and prone to day dreams (but not the type most of us have, he goes into a trance of some sort and doesn't hear people around him etc.) and cannot find the courage to express his interest in his co worker. As Life magazine is going on a transition (to solely be on line) a lot of people are fired and just at that time Walter can't find an important negative sent by O'Connel. So he goes on a journey to track O'Connel to find the negative, even though he is already sacked because of it (or maybe this was just an excuse, he has been working there for 16 years).

His search takes him to Grönland and then to Iceland and then to Himalayas and he felt happy and with each new adventure his day dreaming reduced.

I liked the film (there was not any bona fide crying but only some leakage from the eyes). It has clean cinematography, close up shots, an interesting story acted well, and great visuals. I was happy.

I Think I Love My Wife

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I Think I Love My Wife was always coming on TV but I never got the start so despite kind of liking Chris Rock I didn't watch it. This weeked it was on Dvdigi and I said why not? But it was not really that good. And apart from showing the beauty of Kerry Washington (who was the antagonist, not the wife) I didn't see the point.  It was a blah film.

American Horror Story Asylum

 

It looks interesting doesn't it?

American Horror Story was an unexpected delight and I didn't hesitate ordering the second season. I was not really dissapointed although I liked the first season better. This one is crammed with stuff. First off, an asylum full of insane people, some of them murderers not in prison because they are found insane. The place is run by a born again catholic Nun (the excellent Jessica Lange) who hospitalises a journalist trying to make a story about a nasty seriel killer who flayed his victims. The man accused of being that is actually abducted by aliens (yeah I'm not kidding) and is examined by the court appointed pyschiatrist who is actually SPOILER the killer. There is also a medical doctor who experiments on patients trying to improve human beings (the experiments are kept at a secret place in the garden, they are horrible, attacking everyone and everything they see) and this doctor is actually a former Nazi officer who tortured people at concentration camps. Not to mention a sweet nun assistant to born again Nun who was possessed by a demon during an exorcism gone bad. Oh and we have a Priest whose ambitions to become a Cardinal and later Pope over shadows everything else in his life. Yeah the only thing lacking was the kitchen sink, vampires, werevolves and witches.

I liked it a lot though. The cast is very good (and I don't really like Joseph Fiennes, nowhere near as talented as his brother, but enjoyed hating him here), the soundtrack entertaining and I'm now eager to watch American Horror Story Coven (the fourth season called The Freak Show is currently airing in USA).

Recommended.  

Fall of Giants

Fall of Giants is not the type of novel I'd have chosen since the back ground of the story is the First World War. But not only I was captivated throughout but also I started to read Rupert Graves' Goodbye to All That' which is his First World War memoir.

The novel is the story of the start and end of the First World War told from the point of views of several characters. Billy and Ethel are Welsh and they are the children of a Socialist Preacher and Union Representative in coal mines. Ethel works as the house keeper in the house of the Earl of that town, Fitzherbert. The  Earl has a sister who is a suffragate and in love with Walter, a German nobleman (who is a consular employee) who loves her back. Meanwhile in Tzarist Russia we have brothers Gregory - the elder and responsible- and Lev - four years younger and a scoundrel, the one that has that certain charm and luck getting out of every bad situation-. Also we have an American, Gus who works for the President.

Mr.Follet is a great story teller. I loved The Pillars of the Earth but this one is even better. It even got me interested in the war (my least favorite genre, a horrible stain on humanity in whatever shape or form). The reader is effortlessly being informed of the historical events and easily captivated by the whole thing.

The recurring theme in the interactions between the major and side characters was, oddly enough, virginity. One gets to read all kinds of first experiences which seemed odd to me. Not disturbing but I have noticed it. The good characters in the novel are all respectful to women and the two major female characters are really strong, intelligent and capable women.

I definitely recommend this one since John Lee was an excellent reader, making all the accents and conveying all feelings perfectly well. Great job Mr.Lee. 

Opapatika

(Yeah looking at the dvd cover one would think this film would be exciting)


Opapatika, or shall I say, major fail, is definitely not my type of film. Pulled it out of the bargain bin lured by its Thai and action origins (Thais make good action films) but severely dissapointed. This one decided that it will be an art film and an action/horror/fantasy. And this is not really a combination many can handle (in fact I can only count Ashes of Time as the film that successfully pulled this off). The action is not interesting. The story is so bad it is not even good. And the characters sit and muse about their lives over and over again. Of course I fell asleep at one point but am stubborn and decided to complete it by rewinding. There was not even eye candy who suited to my taste :(

Anyway this one was not a winner, and I don't recommend even if you are into action and/or art films. This hybrid will waste your time.

Bluebeard's Egg

Bluebeard's Egg was something I picked up at a second hand book shop in San Francisco before I read anything by Margaret Atwood. The other book of hers I chose was The Blind Assassin (which is a GREAT novel and a must read for lovers of literature).

This is a book of short stories and despite the fact that I'm slowly delving into them, I can't seem to like them as much as novels. Anyway Ms. Atwood is not only a great writer but a perfect one for me, I who like clean uncluttered prose find delight in every sentence of hers. I can't pick up a favorite from this one. I did like Bluebeard's Egg and I did like The Sunset. But then again there is not one I didn't like. 

10 Items or Less

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10 Items or Less came to my attention years ago as a trailer on another dvd. But I didn't pursue it and was not really interested. And then it came on Dvdigi and I decided to give it a try.

Morgan Freeman, who I love, is a respected Hollywood actor who didn't work for 4 years and decided to dip his toes into films again by starring in a small indie. He is taken (by Jonah Hill - talk about an annoying man who happens to be a good actor which further annoys me) to a small supermarket at the poor side of town to observe the store manager. There he meets Scarlet, who is played by Paz Vega, an unlucky actress who happens to have similar features with Penelope Cruz but she doesn't get as many jobs but she is very likable and actually good. Anyway Scarlet is over qualified for the job but lacks the self confidence to seek other employment more suited to her abilities. Well Morgan takes her on when his ride (annoying Jonah) doesn't come back and he was unable to reach anyone that will take him back to his house. So they spend a day together and just talk, eat etc.

 It was fun to watch and in the end I'm glad it came out my way. 

Villiage Doctor Jumbo

Villiage Doctor Jumbo

Now what's with me and low brow entertainment. This Japanese drama doesn't have good performances (in fact it is full of bad ones), it has low production values, a generic story (which was the hook in this purchase) and piles of melodrama acted in a silly manner. And I loved it. Cried, smiled and generally entertained despite the fact that it is not good at all.

Jumbo is the nickname of an unusual, highly skilled doctor who comes to a villiage clinic that is about to be shut down due to the old owner being deceased. He left his daughter, an inexperienced but good hearted nurse who knew Jumbo when he was young and a nice person. Now he is rude, money obsessed and strange. So is the nurse who happens to be a first class operating nurse who has arrived upon his invitation. They must endeavour to keep the clinic alive fighting the evil genius surgeon who just wants the clinic to merge with the fancy hospital he works in and also destroy Jumbo because of a personal vendetta.

Oh my God as I type this all of its faults grin at me and I still like it. I won't recommend this one but I enjoyed it very very much.   

Casino

Casino is one of the films I don't know why I have not seen so far. It is probably Joe Pesci, never liked the guy (again for no particular reason). Anyway this one is a bit like Wolf of Wall Street (a story inspired by real life where people are not so nice. But this one is not a comedy. I don't think it ended being as a fave of Scorsese but it was alright I suppose. Interesting to see Vegas in the old times. I loved Sharon Stone (always liked her) and De Niro is great but it is expected no? Pesci was as annoying as ever and played a character similar to his Goodfellas one (now that one is a fave of mine, never get tired of it).