The Bangkok Asset

The Bangkok Asset (I need to use flash in the photos)  It is a good Sonchai novel and fits to the formula : starts very good + goes towards the deep end making you eager to read more + a far out, truly outrageous finish that somehow sticks out like a sore thumb. I wonder what is going to happen to Sonchai now. 

Endless Night

Endless Night is probably one of the most sickest novels Mr. Laymon wrote. It is not my favorite although I liked it a lot (I like all of his novels) 

Romeo Must Die

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Romeo Must Die is another blast from the past and I enjoyed it a lot this second time. I really liked it more the first time though since then I was crazy for Jet Li. I still love him to bits but not as much as before. 

Sleepless in Seattle

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Sleepless in Seattle I actually wanted to watch You've Got Mail but it was not available so I decided to give this one yet another go and again I loved it to bits. Great film that aged very well. 

The Bodyguard

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The Bodyguard this was a blast from the past. I loved this film so much when it came out. Actually Kevin Costner in Hidden Figures reminded me of this one and I'm very happy with the rewatch. I LOVED the soundtrack of this film and memorised all the songs back then. Whitney Houston (RIP) is great singer and she is a decent actor too. I like their chemistry and Costner is at his element. It may not be a good film (with the exception of the soundtrack) but it worked for me then and still works for me now. 

Bright

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Bright the first time I have noticed the promotion for this was when in Rio. I was kind of interested since I like Will Smith a lot. And Joel Edgerton is a fine actor and a decent director (not directed this one). I was not expecting much and was entertained although the film is too long for its premise. Could have used a trim of at least half an hour. I fell asleep and had to rewind. But I liked the plot and I think it will make a decent TV show (and it was obvious that they were planning that all along). I would have like a little subtlety in dealing with the racial issues. It would have made the whole thing better and there was not enough gore for a 16+ rating. 

Hidden Figures

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Hidden Figures turned out to be great fun and very emotional. It is hard to surpass what human beings do to each other. At least in the film the characters learn and improve their behaviours in the end but it still hard to watch (I can't imagine how hard it must have been to live through). At least now these women are given credit for their achievements.

And I like Kevin Costner. Not the Dance With the Wolves or Postman Kevin Costner but the Tin Cup, Bodyguard and Bull Durham Kevin Costner. And he has aged well  (here I will say that I don't like his entertainment persona in the interviews etc. but I like watching him on screen) and I have read somewhere that Tarantino offered him the role of Bill but he turned it down. Not to diss David Carradine but I think Kevin Costner would have made a GREAT Bill. 

Always Shine

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Always Shine turned out to be one of those intense USA independents that has a bit of horror but mostly psychology with some patriarchy critisizing thrown in. It was not very good but at least I didn't fall asleep during.

When The Bough Breaks

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When The Bough Breaks is one of the films that was going out of Blutv and I have had some luck with trying a few of them out. This one is not one of the good ones though. I actually was so boring that I have fallen asleep at the crucial scenes towards the end. The whole thing went on and on and on and I have rewound and completed it but it was boring. 

A Cure For Wellness

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A Cure for Wellness I remember watching and liking the trailer for this film but never pursued its release and it went off from my radar. Last night I saw it on Blutv and decided to check it out. And I loved it for many reasons. First of all its cinematography and art direction. I love how clean and uncluttered it was. It made me happy just for that but I liked the silly story in its gothic glory. The actors are fine but I think there is something about Dane DeHaan. The guy doesn't seem to get a hit. He is nice looking and talented but one just doesn't care for him for some reason. I imagine a young Leonardo DiCaprio or Johnny Depp in this role or even James Franco and they would have been just fine. Anyway it was also kind of scary but not really. 

The Equalizer

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The Equalizer turned out to be a great fun of a film. It is not really very good but it sure is entertaining and emotional and I actually liked the TV show it's based on. 

Kill Bill: Vol 1 and Kill Bill: Vol 2

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Kill Bill Vol.1 and Kill Bill: Vol 2 I have watched them both again and this time back to back and I LOVED the whole thing despite the fact that I probably memorised a large portion of both. Pulp Fiction is still my all time favorite Tarantino film but Kill Bills are a close second. 

50 First Dates

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50 First Dates yes I have watched this again. I just love Adam Sandler films and I love Hawaii and can't resist. I also like Drew Barrymore. She is just so adorable in this one. 

Recep İvedik 5

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Recep İvedik 5 diğer filmler kadar komik değildi. Hatta hiç gülmedim diyebilirim. 

Where'd You Go Bernadette?

Where'd You Go Bernadette is a novel I can't understand why I stayed away for so long. I loved it so much that  I actually finished it in a day. There. 

The Adjustment Bureau

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The Adjustment Bureau is a film that I wanted to watch for a long time but not enough to spend money on a dvd. And I'm glad I didn't. It is not that the film is bad, but it is just bland with no chemistry between the leads and the obstacles not really believable. A good example to a romantic film of this sort would be The City of Angels starring Meg Ryan and Nic Cage (which is actually the remake of a probably better film). I didn't really like The City of Angels but despite not being so good, it has some sort of a flair to it. Go watch that one or maybe the original film Wings of Desire I think, but don't waste time on The Adjustment Bureau. 

Traitor's Blade

Traitor's Blade didn't turn out to be as exciting as I hoped. It is a decent enough novel but produced no excitement out of me (yeah I cried at a few places but it is my de facto reaction). I don't plan on continuing the series. 

The Family Stone

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The Family Stone is one of my all time faves. And it was such a pleasant surprise to see it on Blutv last night. I actually planned to watch another film (one I had never seen) but immediately lured by this. It is maybe not very good but I just love the whole thing, the liberal and loving family, the horrible Meredith who is still sympathetic if only because she is unintentionally hillarious. And I love the house the locale and the ridiculousness but also the rightness of the pairings in the end. 

The Girl Who Was Taken

The Girl Who Was Taken was a bargain bin purchase I guess and it turned out to be very good choice. Not only I like the slow unfolding of the plot but also the fact that I never saw the ending coming. 

The Merciless

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The Merciless had a false description in the in flight film list not to mention got the lead actors wrong. I just thought I'd check it out because it is a South Korean film and I like them. This turned out to be my kind of film. Not only starred Sol Kyun Gu at his top form but also surprised me with Im Shi Wan, an actor who facial type I don't really like but totally won me over in Misaeng (what a GREAT show that was) and here he is a totally different person. He actually held his own against Song (a truly wonderful actor not always mercifull to his co stars) and once again won me over against his physical appearance.  

The Tudors

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The Tudors I was never really interested in since I didn't (and still don't) think that Jonathan Rhys Meyers is suitable to play Henry VIII. You see he is a tiny guy and Henry was tall and well built (fat really after Anne Boleyn) anyway thanks to Ken Follet's Column of Fire I got interested in Tudors again and decided to check it out. I was really hooked right from the start. The photo I chose shows a happy time which is not often in the show. It had good production values and a concise, decent script (which got bad towards the end since I guess they decided to begin and stop at Henry, so it is not really The Tudors but life and times of Henry VIII). 

War For The Planet Of The Apes

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War For The Planet of The Apes is a film that makes you root for the apes. I actually expected a war film but it was not that. It is Caesar fighting with his own demons and conquering them. I actually cried a lot during this one. 

27 Dresses

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27 Dresses I remember watching in theatre however it didn't leave much of an impression. Now I watched it not expecting much and not finding much. Katherine Heigl is the same in every film. It gets boring after a while. 

Alien: Out of The Shadows

Alien: Out of The Shadows was given as a gift from Audible and I thought it would be a nice listen (not really captivating hence allowing me to concentrate on the wonders of Rio De Janerio) and it was. A dramatisation done nicely by voice actors and sound effects it reminded me of the radio plays I used to love when a kid. 

Every Secret Thing

Every Secret Thing turned out to be a very good mystery. It is characterisation heavy with lots of descriptions just the way I like it. I wonder whether the film is any good but probably not. 

A Family Man

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A Family Man was chosen by me as a filler and it turned out to be just that. Although I think I cried a little during it. It is about a corporate predator finding his conscience and getting rewarded by it in the end. 

Consequences

Consequences  (I'll just copy what I wrote in goodreads here) Kindle gave it free so I thought, hey I'll give it a try. After all I have actually read all three Fifty Shades novels. And I started this one and found myself in a battle with it. I kept on reading wondering how this will all tie up. And here are some bullet points that may include some spoilers

- The female character of this novel is suffering through a severe Stockholm Syndrome but is completely unaware and the novel treats the whole thing as "adapt to survive" .

- There is the idea of how a very rich person lives and spends money but the vision is too limited and not very convincing (even Fifty Shades did better)

- The novel has a lot of nipple action and nothing else (do not expect The Story of O here). 

- There is very little or no pyschological depth

- The whole thing goes on and on and by the end it turned out everything was (and going to be) about revenge. 

Not going to continue with this one and if it is offered for free, I'll just pass. 

Dhoom 3

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Dhoom 3 was released when I got out of my Indian film phase. I was totally over it by then and never thought to check this out despite liking the franchise. Abishek and John were great in the first time and the second one is really great for unintentional laughs but Aamir is an actor I respect more than I like. And this film put me into Team Aamir big time. First of all it is a ridiculous film. Even more than Dhoom 2. The premise is not original, the script it barely there and yeah the action is not bad but not spectacular either. And I really don't care for circus (even though the one in the film is more like cirque de soleil but I don't like that either). So trapped in the flight I just wanted to see how awful it was going to be and get a few laughs at its expense but I overlooked the Aamir factor. Yes by the end of this awful film I was crying because Aamir's performance was really good. How? How? I don't know. I have no idea, I just caught in the current and went along crying without realising I was and all the while knowing how ridiculous that I was crying. Anyway I can't really recommend this but even if you don't like Aamir Khan this film is a good example of how a great actor with star power can turn even an awful film around. Not many actors can do that. 

The Black Tower

The Black Tower was a Daily Deal purchase and I didn't really want to read it but I needed something to accompany in my walks at a new city and this should be something I wouldn't really get into (Boston and Kate Morton worked well but I can't expect this intensity every time. I actually hiked in the middle of the night to get to listen to The Girl On the Train more when in Kauai. My experiences taught me it is best to stick to an audio novel you will not get sucked into). I knew I would not get sucked into this since I'm not that much into French history and this is a French history mystery with Vidocq as the lead detective. I truly could not get into this novel at all. But I finished it, that's something no? 

The Bollywood Bride

The Bollywood Bride was probably purchased during one of my Indian phases and I dnfed it while in Phuket. However since I'm failing at my reading challenge. I decided to give it a go during short flights and waits at the airport. While reading I somehow got connected to it without realising and I was in tears by the end (and it was not that time of the month either). 

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables is a novel I hear about from time to time but for some reason was never interested. Audible gave this one for free and it is read by Rachel McAdams (whom I LOVE) so I said why not? And surprise I truly loved it. Started crying right away and cried at the end too. The characters are so life like and lovely but also there is a fairy tale air to it too. Anyway I'm glad to have found this novel. 

Gifted

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Gifted I stayed away despite the fact that it sounds exactly like my thing but I guess I'm just not into Chris Evans. Nothing wrong with him, he is great looking, sounds like a decent guy and a good actor. Anyway I thought I'd check this out since its length matched the remaining time of my flight to Buenos Aires - yeah yeah I city name dropped- heh) so I started watching it and I loved it. It is a good story, simply told, wonderfully acted by everyone involved and I may even start to like Mr. Evans. 

Atomic Blonde

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Atomic Blonde I like action films and I like them with smart, strong female leads and Charlise Theron turned to be a lot successful in this niche than Angelina Jolie (not that she was bad, I liked her too) This one has a decent amount of fight scenes and I do like James McAvoy (who was starred with Jolie in Wanted) I guess Mad Max did it the best, there is nothing wrong with pairing a strong, smart woman with a strong smart man you know (not that James is not strong looking).

Anyway this one has the added retro flavor of being a historical spy film (so no cell phones or satelite assitance) and I enjoyed the whole thing but probably will not try and watch it again.

And Charlise Theron is so beautiful it is a pleasure to look at her. 

This Is Not What I Expected

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This Is Not What I Expected there is probably a trend where a rich guy falls for his talented chef. Anyway I only chose to watch this one because -yep you guessed it- Takeshi Kaneshiro stars in it. This man to me is the epitome of manly beauty. If I had a robot husband I'd want it to look exactly like him. Anyway the film is your usual rom com of meet cute and opposites attract. Some nice food shots (but they are very short) and two people with zero chemistry. It was bland but seeing Takeshi Kaneshiro was worth it. 

Gintama

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Gintama I only chose because I remember reading about it long ago at a blog and liking the way Oguri Shun looked. I have not watched the anime and knew nothing about it before going in. However the whole thing was explained very well and it turned out to be one of those wacky Japanese comedies that you either love or hate. I LOVED this one and actually laughed out loud more than once.

Disgusting Side Note: Oguri Shun is probably one of the few people on earth that did not disgust me when he picked his nose (on more than one occasion) on camera - and he dug deep too!

The Wasp Factory

The Wasp Factory was not a novel I liked very much. Nothing wrong with the prose but the feel of it did not really worked for me and I saw the final revelation pages ahead. 

The Verdict

The Verdict this novel turned out to be a decent one with a decent mystery and nice characters. The thing I most liked about this one is how decent the lead character is. He is a good guy and I like good guys. I also liked the ending very much.