You didn't think I was going to forget to let you know what kind of movies I watched for the month of May did you? Lots of action, some comedy, a documentary, and a few Japanese films as well. I like variety in my films as much as I do with books. And I have a few movies that are still waiting to be watched but I will talk about those next month. For now, enjoy:
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (2008) - I love totally mindless movies, especially ones like this. Seth Rogan is my new hero! Whereas "Superbad" was aimed at the teen scene, we now graduate to an overweight, pot-smoking process server (Seth) who's girlfriend is an awesome babe in high school (every losers wet dream kind of movie) - but it's so damn funny, it won't really bother you. Process server dude is about to serve another person but before doing so, he decides to take a toke or two of some good sh*t his dealer just sold him - a brand called "Pineapple Express". As he toking, he witnesses a murder - which happens to be the guy he was supposed to serve papers to. Of course he runs away but the thing is - the baddie (big rich dude) is process servers' dealer's main supplier. And since the big baddie is the only one who has "Pineapple Express" - the chase is on.
ENEMY OF THE STATE (1998) - It was aired on network television so I watched it again. Those NSA baddies (who believe there good guys) thinks its alright to invade anyone and everyone's privacy (although the system hasn't yet been approved by Congress). So, NSA bad boy decides to kill the major opponent of the system. However, the murder gets filmed by accident and falls into the hands of Will Smith. Now all these baddies (who think they're the good guys) are out to get Smith. Smith doesn't have a clue what's going on but later hooks up with Gene Hackman who gives him a few facts of life about the NSA.
BODY OF LIES (2008) - Another movie with terrorists as the back drop. This is just a better version of "Syriana". With Leonardo DiCaprio (CIA field agent) and Russell Crowe (CIA Deskman in Langley who is DiCaprio's boss). Field agent and boss go loggerheads over how to deal with Jordanian intelligence on the War on Terror. Uh-huh.
REIGN OF FIRE (2002) - Fairly decent science-fiction film starring Christian Bale and Mathew McConaughy. Earth in the future. Humans are near extinction, fed upon by the dragons that now inhabit our world. Still, a few remaining survivors are fighting back. They have found that all the dragons are females, that there is only one male. If they were to destroy the only male dragon, not only will the earth be saved, but mankind would survive as well.
THE DA VINCI CODE (2006) - With the release of Ron Howard's "Angels & Demons" this month in Japan, of course the broadcast network is going to air the blockbuster movie to make people want to spend money to see the new film. I loved the way it was described in a recent book I read - After a murder in the Louvre, Robert Langdon is chased while trying to solve it; teaching us that museums are bad. Robert and Sophie, who is trying to help him, are hunted by manic religious zealots while searching for the Holy Grail; teaching us that Opus Dei is bad. In the end, they find out that Mary Magdalene is the Holy Grail and Sophie is a descendant of her and Jesus. The Catholic Church thinks this is bad. 
IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH (2007) - It's "A Few Good Men" without Jack Nicholson and returning soldiers from Iraq for those army boys in Guantanamo Bay. Tommy Lee Jones is the father of one of the returning soldiers. However, it seems his son has gone AWOL. Unfortunately for Lee, his son's body is found but it's burnt to a crisp and cut up in a bunch of itty bitty pieces - eeewwwww!. The military and local police won't help him solve his son's murder so he takes it upon himself to investigate. 
THE INCREDIBLE HULK (2008) - Another Marvel hero gets the Hollywood treatment (for a second time). Why? Anyway, lots of people to hurt and things to break for the big green guy. Oh, and Dr. Bruce Banner is played by Edward Norton this time around. Also with Liv Tyler as his love interest.
EAGLE EYE (2008) - The latest Spielberg flick that I thought might be similar to "Enemy of the State" where some unknown person seems to watch every move you make, and makes you and another unaware person do his/her bidding. But when you find out who that someone is, it's kind of a letdown. Lets just say its the 21st century version of HAL9000.
WANTED (2008) - Bored out of his mind office worker finds that his father was a member of secret society of assassins called "The Fraternity", and they've come to recruit dude into their fold. Uh-huh? Opus Dei they are not. This stars James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, and Samuel L. Jackson. Lots of explosions and gun action and shootings and death and mayhem. Did I mention there was a lot of explosions? Oh, and if you think Angelina Jolie's tattooed body and ass is fine, then you will have a lot of fun watching this. The story is absurd but it's entertaining.
FIREWALL (2006) - Indy Jones, oops I mean Harrison Ford is a consultant for some high tech security system and is forced to cooperate with a bunch of baddies who want to rip off a bank big time so kidnaps his wife and family do get him to do their bidding.
HEAVY METAL IN THE COUNTRY: NUCLEAR BLAST STORY (2005) - I was actually looking for the documentary "Global Metal", the follow up to director Sam Dunn's "Metal: A Headbanger's Odyssey". But my local DVD rental shop moved it from where I last saw it. So I picked up this title instead. It's a German documentary by Andreas Geiger about the second biggest employer in the small town of Donzdorf, Germany - home of the metal label Nuclear Blast. Also includes videos by Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse, Kataklysm, and one other band that I can't remember off the top of my head.
全然大丈夫 「Ｚｅｎｚｅｎ Ｄａｉｊｏｕｂｕ」 Ｉｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ Ｔｉｔｌｅ：[FINE, TOTALLY FINE] (2008) - Not as fine as it makes itself out to be. This is a mildly entertaining and somewhat plot less movie that reminded me of that recent Swedish film I watched "Du Levande" or "You, the Living". The premise seems to be the same. Ordinary people living their ordinary lives. This film features Yosi Yosi Arakawa, Yoshino Kimura, and Yoshinori Okada. Well, maybe the main characters are not so ordinary - they are quite odd. Kimura plays a dork of a girl who's a struggling artist but gets a job at as a cleaning women at some clinic, hired by Okada who gradually falls in love with her. Arakawa who works as a ground maintenance guy loves horror movies and it's his dream to build the ultimate haunted house - and he also falls for the introverted Kimura, who starts to blossom when she meets Yuhara, played by comedian Naoki Tanaka. It's a rainy day movie. 
NAESARANG SSAGAJI International English Title [100 DAYS WITH MR. ARROGANT] (2004) - Cute Korean rom-com that runs out of steam in the last half of the flick. High school girl gets dumped on the 100th day of her anniversary with her boyfriend (apparent a special day, you would know that if you watched a lot of Korean dramas). Anyway, being a little mad at getting dumped she kicks a can to let loose her frustration, which flies into the air and hits a spoiled rich boy on the head who ends up scratching his Lexus. As high school girl can't pay for the damages, spoiled dude gets her to sign a contract to be his servant for 100 days. And in typical rom-com tradition, they slowly fall in love, fall-out, and re-unite. Rainy day fun! 
百万円と苦虫女 「Ｈｙａｋｕｍａ-Eｎ ｔｏ Ｎｉｇａｍｕｓｈｉ Ｏｎｎａ」 Ｉｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌ Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ Ｔｉｔｌｅ：[ONE MILLION YEN GIRL] (2008) - Japanese indie movie (at least that's what it seems like) featuring Japanese Academy Award winner Yuu Aoi. She won Best Supporting Actress in 2007 for "Hula Girl". This is one of those searching for yourself, road movie. The movie starts off with Yuu room sharing with a friend who doesn't tell her that her boyfriend is part of the room-sharing. The day Yuu moves in, her friend splits with the boyfriend and Yuu finds herself living with a total stranger. She picks up a stray kitten and goes out to buy some food for it. When she comes back, the roommate tells her he got rid of it. She goes in search of it and find that its dead. To get back at the heartbroken idiot, she throws his entire belongings away. The guy sics a lawyer on her saying that there was one million yen in one of his bags. She goes to a woman's prison for this and when she gets out, she works to save up a million yen and moves from town to town. Kind of depressing with an unsatisfying ending, but Yuu is awesome and looks great so you can forgive the movie for being such a downer. 
ハッピ・フライト 「HAPPY FLIGHT] (2008) - The latest film from the director of such Japanese comedies as "Waterboys" and "Swing Girls". This flick features one flight from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Honolulu and the trouble that befalls the plane as it suffers a bird strike. As the film doesn't feature just the flight attendants or just the pilots, and is not really an air disaster movie, it's an entertaining peak into everybody who works to make airline travel safe, including the workers in the Tower, the maintenance crew, the ticket agents, and just everybody. Fun movie!Aren't movies great! I love films! Now go out and rent a few yourself. And if you have any recommendations, by all means. I'm looking forward to seeing "The Visitor" (which will be released in the theaters sometime in September, I think) and the Thai film "Chocolate Fighter", makers of "Ong Bak" and "Tom Yam Kun".
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