Okay, time to write about the films I watched in December. But before that, I shall share with you my favorites for the entire year. Hm, I've been looking over the list I keep of the films watched - which was a whoppin' 126 films (not that I went to the theater to see them all). Most were DVD rentals, quite a few were aired on network television. I think Mikako and I went to the theater twice for the entire year. We went and saw "Burn After Reading" which wasn't as funny as the previews made it out to be, and "Rainfall" which didn't do the book any justice. I rather enjoyed the action flicks like "Hitman" and "Shoot 'Em Up". The Thai action flick "Chocolate Fighter". I watched some great documentaries like the title listed below and "In the Shadow of the Pagodas". The music documentaries like "Heavy Metal Parking Lot", "Global Metal", and "Heavy Metal in the Country : The Nuclear Blast Story". Crazy comedies like "Pineapple Express" and "The Hangover". As to films I can actually recommend to my friends and readers - Germany's "Vitus". Quite a few Japanese films worth watching that I don't mind recommending - "Departures" for one. "Detroit Metal City" for another. "Ichi", "The Magic Hour" and "Happy Flight" are also fine gems. The animation flicks - "Monster House", "Wall-E", "Kung-Fu Panda" and "The Girl Who Leaped Through Time". And now for the films I watched in December:
WATCHMEN (2009) – The title everybody said would be impossible to adapt to the silver screen. Based on Alan Moore’s award winning graphic novel of the same name. This is a story of an alternate earth in 1985 where superheroes were a normal part of life. Yet, because of new laws, most of either retired or disappeared from the public view. But on one particular Friday, history is changed as someone is killing off masked superheroes one by one and only one masked superhero named Rorschack is investigating it. Well, I must agree with most of the critics that this should have never been adapted. It could be labeled the “thinking man’s action hero movie” as their isn’t much action to speak of. Either that or the “K-Mart of action films” or perhaps a low-rate “X-Men” would be the simplest way to explain it. You would be far better off reading the original graphic novel and would probably find it more entertaining.
S.W.A.T. (2003) – American television drama from the '70s makes it to the silver screen. I had previously watched this when it first came out on DVD. It was aired on network television so I found myself watching it again. It’s a better action movie than “Watchmen”. 
I LOVE YOU, MAN (2009) – A rom-com for men? I must admit, I laughed quite a bit when watching this. A man who is about to get married has absolutely no male friends which his fiancée and her friends think is a bit abnormal. So somebody has the bright idea of using the Personals to find a best friend – a “man-date” so to speak. For Rush fans you get the added bonus of hearing quite a few of their songs and they actually appear in the film as well (but only as a backdrop to the story). There was only one problem with this flick – the conflict created by soon-to-be-groom’s best friend borrowing $8000 for some unspoken reason. When you learn why – you can’t help but think – LAME!! The conflict was so contrived and unbelievable that it lowers this great flick down to good. You can’t blame the actors though, this was the screenwriter’s miss. How stupid to those screenwriters think their viewing audience is anyway? 
BORN INTO BROTHELS (2004) – A friend of mine recommended this award winning documentary to me a few years ago. I immediately went out looking for it only to find that it wasn’t released in Japan at the time. I had to wait at least two years before I finally found it available on DVD over here. Although the subject matter may seem depressing, this is actually quite an uplifting story of survival. Zana Briski takes it upon herself to teach photography to the children of prostitutes in the red light district of Calcutta, India. The DVD includes footage of some of those same children as they are today. Highly recommended.
THE OTHER SIDE OF (2003) – Korean rom-com. However, when watching this, it seems the director couldn’t decide if he wanted to make a fun comedy or a serious drama. And why the girl falls for the school bully goes beyond all reasoning. In fact, Mikako got bored a little more than half-way through the film. The laughs are had only at the beginning of the film. Once it reaches the half-way mark, you just can’t wait for the damn thing to end. If you want to watch a great Korean rom-com, stick to “My Sassy Girl” and “Love Story”. And for you Korean trivia buffs (who probably already know this, the actress featured in this movie committed suicide a couple of years ago - what a tragedy).
HERO (2007) – Popular Japanese drama series of the same name starring Takuya Kimura and Takako Matsu has a story adapted for the silver-screen. It could just as well been a made-for-television movie but I suppose the added appearance Byung-hun Lee and the Korea location gave it cinema value. And the Kimura/Matsu pair is also quite popular as well as they also starred together in a drama series called “Love Generation”. It kept me entertained. Oh, this was also aired on network television.
HOSTAGE (2005) – Another film I watched on television. This one stars Bruce Willis as a hostage negotiator. After a failed hostage crisis, Bruce takes a job as a local sheriff for a small community that also includes a very ritzy neighborhood. Bad boys give the eye to hot chick who flips them off and leaves. Bad boys follow hot chicks, find out where she lives (hot chick is daughter of seriously rich dad), bad boys invade the house, create a hostage crisis, and Bruce gets caught in a situation he doesn’t like. Why? Cause rich dad is accountant for bad buys (who are never mentioned, named, or revealed – there just bad guys). Bad guys take Bruce’s family hostage to get him to do what he doesn’t want. You can figure out the rest – this being a Bruce Willis film after all.
THE HEARTBREAK KID (2007) – A fairly entertaining romantic comedy starring Ben Stiller (with Jerry Stiller playing his Dad). Ben is being pressured by his family and friends into getting married. By chance, he tries to help a woman who just has her purse snatched. Woman visits Ben at the store he owns and works at. They hit it off. Before you know it, Ben proposes to said woman and finds that the woman he married turns out to be one psycho-woman from hell with boat load of baggage. Purse-snatcher turns out to be her boyfriend, she used to have a cocaine addiction, and is a wild woman when it comes to sex. They head to Mexico for their honeymoon where Ben then has eyes for another woman and lots of laughs abound. The surprise ending leaves a bitter taste in your mouth though.
G.I. JOE : THE RISE OF COBRA (2009) – Decent action movie which unfortunately relies almost exclusively on CG effects. I also find the making of this movie to create another franchise appalling. Hollywood reaches another low as they can’t seem to find an original story to produce. Its either sequels, remakes of other countries films, or creating a film from a toy. How sad is that? Oh, and Byung-hun Lee plays a bad guy in this flick. But I will probably watch the sequels when they come out. Damn Hollywood!
PUNISHER : WAR ZONE (2008) – It seems the makers in Hollywood still can’t decide if the Punisher should be all out action film or should be another Marvel Comic franchise. This is the third Punisher to movie come out. It’s gotten more bloody and violent than the previous one, although it still leaves the first one in the dust (to refresh your memory, I’m talking about the one that starred Dolph Lundgren back in 1989). I can still recall the film critic who said “it’s too comicky”. Well, duh, it’s based on a comic. Then the second one made in 2004, had a better story but pretty much did away with Punisher’s trademark T-shirt. This third installment is not a sequel – it’s a separate story. Only for action freaks. The stunt choreographer added some parkour scenes as well. 
パコと魔法の絵本 [PAKO TO MAHO NO EHON] / [PACO AND THE MAGICAL BOOK] (2008) – As you can surmise from the title, this is a Japanese film. It stars Koji Yakusho and Ayak Wilson. You may first think this is a silly children’s movie – and how wrong you would be. This is a wonderful but sad story. You see, Paco was in an accident in which her parents were killed. Paco survived but she can only retain her memory for only one day (kind of like that Drew Barrymore flick – “50 First Dates”. Koji Yakusho on the other hand is a grumpy old man named Onuki who collapsed at a board meeting at the company he built and finds himself in a hospital with Paco. As you continue watching the film, you realize that they are hospitalized in a mental institution with quite a few other quirky characters. What makes this film wonderful is Paco’s love of a particular picture book which she reads everyday because it was a present from her mother. The story in the storybook is about a mean Toad king who comes to realize the error of his ways. Onuki who learns of Paco’s short-term memory loss finds himself reading the picture book to her every day and finds himself changing for the better as well. A beautiful story. 
容疑者Xの献身 [YOGISHA X NO KENSHIN] / [SUSPECT X] (2008) – Another popular Japanese television series "Galileo" makes it silver screen debut. This stars the popular Japanese talents of Masaharu Fukuyama and Kou Shibasaki. It’s a movie where the physicist “Galileo” Yukawa (Fukuyama) is pitted against his genius mathematician friend Tetsuya Ishigami played by Shin’ichi Tsutsumi. Ishigami’s neighbor Yasuko and her daughter kill Yasuko’s no-good ex-husband. Ishigami comes to their rescue and plots an air-tight alibi for Yasuko and her daughter. Of course Yukawa does not believe the alibi and suspects that there is a way to prove his theory correct. If you were a fan of the television series, then you would enjoy this flick as well. I can't believe we only went to the theater twice last year. That's pretty sad. At least we had an early start for 2010 as we went and saw our first film at a theater on New Year's Day. That would have been "Avatar" but not in 3D. I'm also planning on seeing the new Tony Ja film at the theater as well (it starts next Saturday). What? Who is Tony Ja? The next big name when it comes to action films. Segal and Van Damme have had their day (and they be get old and their movies get lamer with each release). Sorry Jackie - who's also getting up there in years as well.
To another year of watching movies - good and bad!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment