Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Deadpool 2



Deadpool2 ended up being fun, entertaining and emotional (yeah I have even cried in Deadpool2 so that's how I'm). It is great that I like Ryan Reynolds ever since The Proposal (that is a great film btw).  I wouldn't have been as lovely an experience if I didn't like him. Still Deadpool 1 was better imho.

Set It Up

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Set It Up well Netflix gave me 98% match on this one and their algorithms must do something right since I liked it a lot. The fact is that I like Zoey Deutch ever since I watched that horrible vampire film in Bangkok. But this is probably the secod time I watched her in anything. I liked this one but wouldn't like it as much if it didn't have Zoey Deutch in it.

A Walk To Remember

A Walk to Remember well I remember crying a lot during the film and end up liking Mandy Moore but not the male lead. All of a sudden I thought about this and sought the film out (I do love a good cry over fiction)  but it was not in either of the legal platforms I use and then I saw the novel at a Seoul used book store. And it was cheap too so I got it and liked it a lot. It sure provided the good fiction cry (there was a lot of crying). I still want to watch the film again. 

Monday, June 25, 2018

Something In The Rain (Bap Jal Sajuneun Yeppeun Nuna)

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Something In The Rain (Bap Jal Sajuneun Yeppeun Nuna) which kind of translates to Pretty Elder Sister Who Buys Me Food, ended up being both a niche darling (older woman, younger man romance) and added to the considerable fans of the male lead. Now I have no objection to liking younger men, especially when it is easier to do so on screen. But this guy looks like he is in high school. and maybe he is a good actor, I don't know, but I didn't like him. His facial features are handsome (although high school age) but his mimics and gestures turned me off. I don't really like his voice either (which it turns out a big factor in my liking an actor). Anyway I loved Son Ye Jin in this. She is not someone whose films I seek but she always gives a good performance and this show was not an exception. 

All in all I almost forgot about this one I have seen it before my trip to Seoul but thank God remembered while writing about Secret Love. 

Secret Love (Bimil)


Secret Love has been on my radar for some time but never on my "must watch" list since I don't really care for the lead actors one way or another. But the plot was very interesting. And it turned out to be a makjang fest with liberal doses of melodrama and I finished 16 episodes in about three days. It is by no means a good tv show but it sure entertained me. 

Envy

Envy, purchased on a sale turned out to be pretty good. It reminded me of Mary Higgins Clark novels and I love those.  The reader was very good too, however there were intimate scenes and I still get awkward listening to them. So the next novel of Ms. Brown I plan on getting on print (or as e book) 

Mr. Right

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Mr. Right is a film I have kept seeing but never really wanted to watch (not really liking Anna Kendrick a lot and there being always a more desired choice) But this time yet another hotel room Seoul it started as I turned the TV on and this happy occasion urged me to give it a try. And I liked it, to my surprise, but then again I like Sam Rockwell and this is a good performance. Still no sympathy for Ms. Kendrick but she doesn't need my sympathy anyway. 

The Name of The Game Is Kidnapping

The Name of The Game Is Kidnapping is a Keigo Higashino novel I forgot I purchased. And it was such a gift after a lack lustre mystery.  And it is not even his best novel or anything like that. 

Justice League

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Justice League no, just no. How come DC has the better stories and heroes (I exclude Wolverine) and they manage to make the worse films? I love Affleck as Batman though but that is just one of the total good points since the only other actor and performance I like is Wonder Woman but she was way better in the own film. 

The Post

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The Post Spielberg is a master film maker and storyteller.  It is easy to miss that sometimes since he is so popular. I love his mature films (such as The Post) too and I want to watch The Bridge of Spies now :) Needless to say Ms. Streep and Mr. Hanks are both excellent. I really enjoyed this one and I never thought I would. 

Lady Bird

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Lady Bird now Greta Gerwig is an actress and I guess director you love or hate. She has a certain distinctive quality to her on screen personality and the characters she acted. Fortunately I like her (it is such a waste to dislike someone in films based on nothing, which I'm guilty of more than I want to be and the opposite of it is such a joy). This film is very reminiscent of her on screen personality and the characters she acts. Saoirse Ronan is excellent since even though she is nothing like Greta normally (at least on the outside, which means that I don't really like her that much) she is very much like Greta on screen. This is some exceptional talent here. 

Wonder Wheel




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Wonder Wheel is unfortunately a miss as far as I'm concerned. I guess he expected it to be a new Blue Jasmine but it isn't. There is none of that special charm that Blue Jasmine has despite the best efforts of the cast. Especially Kate Winslet is wasted in the part. Sometimes even when an actor is exceptionally talented (such as Winslet) they may not have a good chemistry with the director which I think is the case here. The story is decent, the art direction is very very good and the mood is conveyed well but for some reason that certain cinematic magic is not there. 

Man Of Tai Chi

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Man of Tai Chi is a film I have watched in the middle of the night at a hotel room in Seoul without subtitles and despite not knowing any Chinese, understood all of. It is strange that Keanu Reeves directing made me skip this film. I love Keanu Reeves at his old and young stages. I love his action films and I can't understand why I stayed away from this one. Loved it. The story, the directing were all good. 

The Woman In Cabin 10

The Woman In Cabin 10 did not work for me at all. It dragged and dragged... In a Dark, Dark Wood was better in my opinion. 

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Middlesex

Middlesex turned out to be an excellent novel with a great reading performance. It was a total and utter joy on many levels. 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

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Kingsman: The Golden Circle well I was not really as enamoured with Kingsman as the majority and this one left me even colder. 

Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

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Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle is not very good but it is entertaining and I like the cast so had a good time. 

Friday, June 22, 2018

Hell Divers

Hell Divers turned out to be very good storytelling. The dystopia is horrible, the action unrelenting and the characters sincere even in the short time we get to know them. I really liked it and maybe will continue the series. 

Shogun

Shogun accompanied me in Ramadan. I loved the story when I first watched it as a child and later read the novel. And this second reading turned out to be very good (but not as exciting as my first one, years ago) And I realise now that the TV series was not actually very good. The reader was very enthusiastic however I did not like the performance very much, it just didn't appeal to me.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Ajda'nın Elmasları

Ajda'nın Elmasları beni baya eğlendirdi. Seriyi seviyorum ve yan karakterlerin önce çıktığı bu roman hoşuma gitti. 

Monday, June 11, 2018

Throne of Glass


Throne of Glass, it turned out, is not for me. The formula is usually the same in these types of novels (female teen protagonist with a particular talent, in a love triangle but her fight against evil etc. is more important than love) but for some reason I love Leigh Bardugo novels but this one left me cold.

Sunday, June 10, 2018

The Beguiled

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The Beguiled well I'm not a fan of Sophia Coppola. I don't even like Lost in Translation that much. Anyway this film's viewing was marred because of the TV settings were too dark. Other than that it looks good, it is acted well but didn't have substance. 

The Age of Shadows (Mil Jeong)

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The Age of Shadows (Mil Jeong) came on my radar during production but then vanished. I'm so glad that I came across it since it turned out to be a very good film with a great cast. It is not a melodrama but tears were shed. 

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

The Giver

The Giver never interested me but it was in the bargin bin and I gave it a go. I'm glad I did since despite the fact that it had not moved me, I liked it and the ideas it presented. This is a children's or YA novel. 

Monday, June 4, 2018

The Killer Inside Me

The Killer Inside Me was in the bargain bin and it turned out to be one of the novels that made me happy. Not that this is a happy novel, oh no. It successfully conveys the thoughts of a murderer and tells the story of how he got there. The best thing I like about it and the way it made me happy is the masterful prose. This is how you make repetition interesting (referring to Martina Cole's The Business, not as successful in that regard). Otherwise it was chilling and scary. Just the way I like my mystery novels.

Fauda Season II

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Fauda Season II is just as good as Season 1 and I loved watching it. The new actors were also unfamiliar to me and it enhanced the viewing experience. The actors actually all are very good and the story is tense and filled with (usually unpleasant but electric) surprises. I'm so happy I watched this show. 

Aile Arasında

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Aile Arasında neden bu kadar sevildi hiç anlamadım. İçerisinde bir iki komik kısım vardı (hele ışıklar içinde uyu esprisi beni baya güldürdü) ama öyle aman aman gülemedim. Aktörler iyiydi filan ama film Kuş Kafesi'nden esinlenmişti biraz. Sonra bazı oyunculuk ve tiplemeler baydı beni. Ama iki başrol oyuncusu çok iyiydi ve aralarında süper bir kimya vardı. Onları sevdim, ne yazık ki filmi çok sevemedim. 

Satanic

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Satanic is the film I have returned to horror film watching. Too bad it was not very good but it was not as bad as making me turn it off (this happened more than once recently). So I watched it and I did fall asleep but rewound and watched the parts I have missed. 

Anon

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Anon turned out to be the type of film that appeals to me. Uncluttered and clean cinematography, actors I like (Clive Owen, aged very nicely) and an interesting plot. However it is not a very good film, even so I enjoyed it very much. 

Gone Baby Gone

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Gone Baby Gone is a film I remember making a lot of good waves at the time of its release but I never get to watch it at the time. I love Ben Affleck but was not excited by his directing and I don't like Casey Affleck (and don't think him a good actor) and I don't like Michelle Monaghan (maybe she is a great person but she doesn't work on screen, maybe she is not getting the right roles, in my opinion she would do better as a character actor (unrelated to her looks, and it pains me that I had to say that here to explain that I'm not politically incorrect) anyway I have read the novel and it is a great novel. The film while certainly not bad would have greatly improve if starred Ben Affleck and another actress. 

La Fille Du Patron

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La Fille Du Patron attracted my attention due to its plot summary. In a knit fabric factory the boss's daughter stars working as an ergonomical expert and falls in love with one of the workers. So I thought this was going to be a love story. However it ended up being directed by a guy who obviously loves Ken Loach and likes to keep things realistic. Well it was not my expectation and I didn't enjoy it very much. 

New York New York

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New York New York well I love Martin Scorsese, actually he is one of my all time favorite directors, however I have some reluctance to some of his films. I never watched The Raging Bull and I never watched New York New York until last weekend. One of the reasons is probably because it is a musical and it is not my favorite genre (there are exceptions but very few) and the only time I have watched Liza Minelli was at Sex and The City 2 in a cameo role, apart from a few episodes of Arrested Development. Anyway now that I watched the film I'm once again in awe of Scorsese. And I love Liza Minelli now. She has a certain on screen shine that not many people have and combined with Robert De Niro (who is GREAT as always) it was a pleasure to watch. I never realised how emotionally charged I was until towards the end of the film where I started crying. Well I'm happy that I watched it and I will try to watch more films starring Liza Minelli. 

Friday, June 1, 2018

Three Dark Crowns

Three Dark Crowns was a bargain bin purchase and I liked it a lot. I'm even thinking about continuing these series.