Reconstructing Amelia

Reconstructing Amelia is a novel I picked up at JFK. Not a novel I'd especially choose but it was part of a deal and in the end I was interested. Gone Girl spoiled a lot of novels or this ilk by being excellent and compared to it these kind of pale (and it doesn't help they are marketed as either the new Gone Girl or "if you liked Gone Girl you are going to love this one"). Anyway I was not into it at first but after twist after twist I kind of got hooked towards the end and all in all it ended up being a nice read thank God.

Uptown Girls

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Uptown Girls is a film I saw years ago on a return flight from somewhere (I think Hong Kong but not sure). I remember liking it then and I liked it now. It is a tale of first world problems but the performances are good (especially Dakota Fanning) and it produced a lot of good tears from me.  

Innocent Thing

Innocent Thing turned out to be predictable but entertaining. I only bought because I like Jang Hyuk. And he didn't dissapoint. He plays a high school physical education teacher. He is in his thirties with a pregnant wife. He used to be rugby player but now got his job due to his in laws' connections and even though they have a decent life they are not really well off (which kind of bugs the in laws). His wife loves him and his job is not bad. The problem is that it is an all girls high school and he is handsome, attracting a lot of good natured attention from the majority of the girls. It helps that his co worker is an old friend and she is always there for him. But one of the girls really falls for him and tries hard to seduce him and almost succeeds at a rainy evening. They are luckily interrupted before they went further than probably first base. But the girl's feelings are strong and he is not indifferent. So everything goes from bad to worse. And it ends badly (especially for the girl)

All in all I'll not recommend unless you are into any of the actors (who were all good).

The Dark Valley (Das finstere Tal)

Photo credit: http://blog.flicks.co.nz

The Dark Valley interested me since it was just there on Dvdigi and I didn't have anything better to watch. But I liked it very much (not really expecting to not really that into westerns). It is a revenge film with muted but clear cinematography. Close up shots on the actors' faces. Great costumes and make up and nice scenes of violence that comes out after long moments of non violence.

The actors were all good and it was extra good for me to be able to understand some of the German. 

Something Borrowed

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Something Borrowed was a novel I picked up at Goodwill in San Francisco and kind of liked (or least didn't hate). The film is a decent adaptation but the source material is just not that good. In the end it was blegh (no tears from me) 

The Heart of a Lion (Leijonasydän)

Photo credithttp://www.ioncinema.com

The Heart of a Lion attracted me with its plot. The story of a White Supermacist falling in love with a woman who has a child from a black Muslim. She has doubts but he loves her very much and convinces her to let him in their house and be a stepdad for the kid. He is a gang leader and it takes sometime and pain for him to see the light.

I love redemption stories and totally bought that he saw what is right in the end. I loved the close up shots and how the story is told in linear fashion with some twists towards the end. I have cried.
All the actors were good and I think this may actually be the first Finnish film I have seen. Very happy to like it and recommend it. 

Pek Yakında

 Fotoğraf: http://hayatindili.com/


Pek Yakında Her nedense geçen haftalarda izlediğim bu filmi bir yere kaydetmediğim geldi. İnşaallah böyle unuttuğum başka filmler yoktur. Neyse filme gelelim.

Öncelikle Cem Yılmaz'ı pek severim. Harika bir stand up komedyeni, yetenekli bir oyuncu ve gayet iyi bir karikatürist. Fakat yönetmenliği yapamıyor. Hayır film gayet güzel, naif duygular ve hoş esprilerle dolu. Oyuncular ve konuk oyuncular şahane performans vermişler ancak bir şeyler tutmamış. Filmde, özellikle bir komedi filminde olması gereken o ritm burada bir şekilde bozuk.

Cem Yılmaz bence o kadar iyi bir oyuncu ki her filmde oynasa sıkılmadan izlerim. Fizik avantajını da gayet güzel kullanıyor. Ama film yönetmesin bir süre.

Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone

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Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone yeah after being pulled an all nighter (due to K-Drama marathon) the next day was a day of rewatches. And rather than other alternatives I have found myself sticking to this because I love this story. It is not a good adaptation as far as I'm concerned (but I don't see how it can be improved upon either) and after having watched the films so many times, I'm scared to read the books because I will probably picture the actors as I read the characters
:(   (I don't have anything against any, in fact they are a great bunch altogether, I just don't like to do that unless there is no film and I'm imagining one)

Sweet Home Alabama

Photo credit: http://www.cinemablend.com

Sweet Home Alabama is not really my favorite romance film or anything but I like Reese Witherspoon and Josh Charles and seem to stuck with it whenever it comes on TV. This time was no exception.

The Witness

The Witness was in my colleagues audible library he so generously allows me to share and I chose it due to lack of decision on what to purchase for myself. I have read only one other Nora Roberts novel before and didn't really care for it. Well I liked this one better maybe because the reader was excellent and I liked the story. Our heroine is a witness whose witness protection goes awry (to say the least) when she is just sixteen and she has to run away. Of course it helps that she has a high IQ, an eidetic memory, expert computer skills etc.

12 years later she moves to a small town in Arkansas and meets with Chief of Police. Of course they fall in love and the time to live (as opposed to stay alive) must start for both since they want to get married and have children.

So I can recommend if this kind of generic stuff is your thing, or if you require something like this before starting on a better book. 

Fated to Love You (Korean Remake)

Fated to Love You yes I loved the original Taiwanese version and was looking forward to this one as well. But I was not ready to just how much I was going to love it. First off I love Jang Hyuk (more on that below) and I don't mind Jang Nara at all.

And this one turns out to be a chip off the old romantic comedy Korean drama block. Everything is there, the angelic secondary male lead, the charismatic, offensive chebol male lead who actually has a heart of gold, terminal illness, wonderful "angel" female lead, amnesia, evil secondary female lead. Also some cute meta, some cute animations and a very Korean and nice take on the zany original.

Our male lead is Lee Kon, who is capable, handsome in love with his girlfriend of 6 years and on his way to propose to her. This girlfriend is a career oriented ballerina who loves him but also takes him for granted. Kon's parents have died when he was a kid and there is some sort of heridetary disease that causes all the males in this line to die early.

Our female lead is Kim Miyoung. She is a very nice girl who doesn't want to say no to people who ask for favours since she is scared of hurting anyone's feelings. Her dad died when she was a child and her mother and two elder sisters are living in their home town small island.

And yes, fate brings these two together with a memorable one night stand which leaves Miyoung pregnant and Kon obliged to marry her since he just can't allow his child (whose heartbeats he has heard) to be aborted.

And after some lack of communication from Kon (which is very unusual in their relationship) Se-Ra the girlfriend visits and finds the horrible truth. Meanwhile Kon is slowly but surely falling in love wiht his adorable wife.

Our secondary lead is Daniel who is a famous industrial designer and is looking for his sister. He lost her and later was adopted to USA. They meet cute with Miyoung who thought he was a priest. Of course handsome Daniel falls for Miyoung too.

And just when things are getting good for our couple (despite external annoyances trying to tear them apart) amnesia makes a visit. We have an episode full of angst and it goes on since this amnesia may very well be an early symptom of the disease. So logically we need to see some noble idiocy and we do, oh how we do. Miyoung loses their baby due to a car accident. And despite the fact she wanted to get back to Kon, he curtly refuses her (since he doesn't want her to go through the suffering of having to take care of someone who has a terminal illness - Huntington's Disease), she is young and should live her life.

Well as we all know these two are fated together and after a 3 year time jump, she returns to Korea now an up and coming artist (paintings) and he is so adorable in wanting to see her but also being resolute in his decision of not getting her involved. And she thinks he is a cold hearted man who never loved her and forgot about their baby as soon as it was gone.

Well we have a happy ending and I actually marathoned this one 6 episodes back to back, pulling an all nighter (something I used to do in the old days when I was first introduced to Korean dramas).  And it was worth it.


Now for Jang Hyuk. This actor is one of my favorites in Korean cinema and especially drama. He is good looking but in a regular way. He didn't have plastic surgery and even his teeth are his own (although capped of course). His acting style is not sublime. He tends to overact but it suits him. He is the master of "single tear" and is the BEST on screen kisser in Korean drama and film. His lips are strange in the fact that his upper lip tends to dissapear when he laughs or speaks but is full otherwise. he also has a beauty spot on his lip which is just adorable. This man is usually at his best in period dramas where he suffers a lot (Chuno) but he does good comedy too. Even though I have found traces of the iconic Dokko Jin in the performance I still liked it especially because he struck the right tones in all shades of melodrama. Kudos. And thank you!

A Passage to India

A Passage to India found its way to me from an on line second hand book store. Now I have watched Howard'd End and barely remember it. I have watched A Room With A View and didn't really liked it. I was almost going to watch A Passage to India but waited for a better time and I have realised that I have not read any of the novels. Surely I needed to check at least one novel of his out. And I chose this one because, well, India.  And I liked it. This struck me mostly as a mood novel. I think Mr. Forster was among Kazuo Ishiguro's inspirations. It has three distinct sections and tells of an unpleasant event and its after effects. Well it worked for me despite the fact that it was not really an exciting read (I'm not talking about events, I'm talking about not getting excited while reading it).
I'll keep an eye on Howard's End. 

The Guardians of the Galaxy

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The Guardians of the Galaxy was fantastic in theater and I actually looked forward to a second viewing. However either its lost some of its shine when viewed in my living room (albeit on a large flat screen) or I was expecting to feel similar and didn't. In fact I fell asleep at some point (where they were running away from the mines) and had to rewind. Anyway it was still entertaining and I still love the soundtrack. And Chris Pratt is handsome (best looking Chris among Evans & Hemsworth as far as I'm concerned). 

Our Sunhi

Photo credit: http://www.screendaily.com


Our Sunhi was just looking at me from my sister's film selection (which are files on the computer and one doesn't have any idea about the film if not previously familiar with the title). And imagine my surprise when at the first shot I knew that it is directed by Hong Sang Soo. And I loved it. Great performances and that certain something (which is said to be French new wave) that appeals to me in Hong films. I like the way it ended too. This is not for everyone (and I think it didn't get good reviews) but I liked it very very much. 

With Honors

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With Honors is one I have watched in cinema years ago. I think I have cried then and I have certainly cried in this second viewing. I don't really care for Joe Pesci for some reason unknown to me. And Brendan Frazer - though very handsome- is not my kind of actor. But I like this one a lot and again shed many tears over it. 

Cassandra's Dream

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Cassandra's Dream Oddly enough I had not heard anything about it prior to coming across it on TV. I love Evan McGregor and despite feeling guilty about it, I love Woody Allen films. This one is no exception. It is darker than his usual filmography (closer to Match Point in tone) since even when he is telling a story of bad things, he manages to keep a light tone (Scoop is such a film, or Blue Jasmine - which is one of my all time faves). Not in this one. It is starts somehow light but one feels that things are going to get worse, meanwhile everytime a nice thing happens I was surprised and the film went deeper and deeper into bad lands.

Still I liked it. Now Colin Farrell is not my type of actor but this doesn't mean that I think he is a bad actor. In fact I think his performance in this one was better than McGregor's (I still like McGregor A LOT more than him) and I think it is because Farrel suited Allen's directing a lot better. Sometimes actors do and there is a certain chemistry between the actor and the director. McGregor didn't have it this time with Woody but it didn't hurt anything.

This one may not be for everybody but I loved it (and felt guilty about loving it). 

Hero In The Shadows

Hero In The Shadows I borrowed it from the Company library since I had finished the novel I had (The Goddess Chronicles) during my lunch break. It was not something I'd chose to purchase but I have enjoyed it a lot, even leaked a little towards the end. 

While You Were Sleeping

Photo credit: http://www.billpullman.org

While You Were Sleeping is a blast from the past (1995!!!!) and it turned out that I still like it as much as I did then. Lucy is a great character and Sandra Bullock will probably have chemistry with  a  log if she is paired with it at a rom com. Highly recommended if you like rom coms. 

Blended

Photo credit: http://izleryazar.com

Blended is hated by the audience and did badly at the box office. There is so much one can go on with filming in resort with barely a script and weird cameos. It worked in Just Go With It but this time it didn't. For everyone else that is. I loved it. I even cried some tears. What can I do? I love Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and furthermore I love to watch them together. Yeah I probably am the only sucker who loves this and will probably get the dvd once it is in the one dollar bin. 

Hara - Kiri: Death of a Samurai

Photo credit: http://mondo70.blogspot.com.tr

Hara- Kiri: Death of a Samurai is a remake of Kobayashi Masaki's excellent film Harakiri. Takeshi Miike is a director I like. Not only for his shock value films (which are great for single viewings) but also I like the way he goes all out. This one turned into a first class melodrama that made me leak tears (despite the fact that most of the melo scenes were so dark it was not easy to see properly). I like Eita (who is in the photo) and his performance was great. The rest of the cast also did a nice job and I recommend this one but please watch the original (a superior film imho) as well. 

It

It gave me the creeps when I was a teen. And I liked listening to it as an adult. The reader Stephen Weber was very good and despite the fact that it is a looooong long novel, It was good to the almost last drop (except the last two hours where I guess I suffered from readers/listeners fatigue). Anyway highly recommended unless you are not into suspense, horror and drama. 

The Goddess Chronicles

The Goddess Chronicles was chosen by me due to Natsuo Kirino. I like her ever since I have read 'Out'. This one is a little different than her contemporary novels. It is a myth re imagined/re written or a story based on a myth. I liked it not only due to the tragic story but also, maybe more, to the prose. Also I love English translations of Japanese novels. For some reason, they bring me much pleasure.

Anyway this is only recommended if one is already familiar with the author and/or loves myths. Otherwise skip. 

Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz is from the bargain bin and it has been on the shelf for ages. I have watched The World's End in San Francisco and fallen asleep towards the end, at the time I thought it was because I needed sleep or something since it started very well. But same thing happened with this one. It started well, funny and interesting but sagged at the second half, so much so that I have falled asleep and returned to it one week later. And I think I was only able to finish it because I didn't take it off the player the first time. It may appeal to a lot of people but it didn't work for me (and stalled the project!!!!!) 

A Most Wanted Man

A Most Wanted Man was among the novels I picked up at JFK (a movie tie version!!) and it is a typical John Le Carré novel. As in it doesn't give you the tense excitement the way the events unfurl in the story somehow should but nevertheless you just keep on reading because the prose is so good. 

Whiplash

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Whiplash is a film I have been eager to watch. Not only because it got all these great reviews and an Oscar for the supporting role, but also I like psychological suspense films. And this one was excellent. It was nicely edited for starters. There is never a dull moment. And great performances by everyone (not a wide cast).

The film is about a drummer in the best music school in USA, getting into the school's best band ruled by a conductor who is respected by everyone, revered by his students and is, I think, an emotional sadist, who has found a plausable excuse for his tortures. He thinks that the only way to get a talented musician to reach his full potential is to push the musician to his/her limits. His way of pushing is manipulation, constant insults and humiliation and lying to his students. Trust JK Simmongs to give this chracter life in a way that at least you want to hear him out, at one point.

Our protagonist Andrew is talented and driven, already and seemingly all he needs is someone to bring out the best in him. Pyscho teacher is willing and he pushes him to the very limits.

The ending was a good one. A reconciliation and an understanding over music but you know that one party will remain psycho (since he now thinks that his methods are validated) and the other on his way there already.

This one deserves every praise and I highly recommend. 

Blow

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Blow is a boring film that I had seen years ago (on that age where I though Johnny Depp was so handsome) It didn't do much for me in this second viewing either. I only watched it because there was nothing else (yeah I know, bad reason to watch films) 

The Lack of Films Viewed And The Progress of the Project And Survivor All Star

Well there is a considerable decline in the films I'm viewing and the main reason for that is a Turkish reality show called Survivor All Star. This show is on for four nights of the week (Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) and this only leaves 3 nights to watch films or dramas. And I have started to watch a film that I initially liked but later on got bored with (hopefully I'll be able to finish it and add it here).

As for Survivor, my mother loves this show. And she likes it when someone else watches it with her. My sister also does so we come together four nights a week and watch it. At first I was only watching to make mama happy but now I'm also into it and support a player.

And I actually purchased some things to view but no new books as yet. Head duly hang in shame and I will mark these as such if/when I review them. 

Sins of the Flesh

Sins of the Flesh was chosen by me among a bunch of romance novels at an online second hand bookstore due to its cheap price. But as can be understood from the cover this is not a romance novel. It is a porn novel with some semblance of a story. The male character is called Devon Carnavorn (!) and there was a thing in it for just about every taste (except S&M). There was also an excerpt of another novel of similar ilk (werewolves this time). Did I enjoy it? It took me more than a month to read but I have finished it to my surprise. 

Desperate Duchesses

Desperate Duchesses were among a bunch of romance novels I have picked up at an on line second hand bookstore. I don't remember having read any other Eloisa James novel before and I hoped to like it as much as Lisa Kleypass or Judith McNaught. Alas it was not to be. This one is a bit too cute for my taste and despite the fact that I applaud the progressive approach as far as feminism went the romance was just not to my taste. The only things I liked were the intimate scenes. They were written without any stupid similie for organs.