ARTICLE: TOP TWENTY HEROES (FICTIONAL) - PART 1

1. Ryūki Shi (Saiunkoku) the reigning emperor of Saiunkoku kingdom who saved Shurei single-handedly when she was kidnapped. 

2. Wizard Howl (Howl's Moving Castle), a powerful wizard who appeared to be shallow (can't blame him coz his heart was stolen by a demon) but ultimately, valiant in fighting the war mongers and saving Sophie. 

3. Nakatsu Shūichi (Hana Kimi) A soccer player who was totally smitten with Ashiya Mizuki and fiercely loyal to his opponent, Izumi Sano. 

4. Seol Gong Chan (My Girl) the heir to the Seoul Hotel who concocted a scheme to save his grandfather, and risked all for the imposter-cousin-sister (yeow-tung-seng). 

5. Haku (Spirited Away), an apprentice who was a dragon spirit. Saved Chihiro and subsequently her parents from the entrapment of the spirit world. 

6. Solomon Goldsmith (Blood+), dashing hero who was unable to win over Saya and yet, remained true and noble. 

7. Hagi (Blood+) is Saya's first, and only living, chevalier. Loyal, faithful and IMMORTAL. 

8. Constantine, the tortured living exorcist who was deadly cool enough to exile demons but stumped by Ms. Detective..because she is the divine Rachel Weisz 

9. Seiran Shi (Saiunkoku) a very skilled fighter and swordsman and is usually found following Shūrei to guard her. 

10. Masahiro (Shōnen Onmyōji) is no ordinary hero. As the grandson of the great onmyoji, Abe no Seimei, he fought monsters; saved his shikigami, Guren; rescued SYT Princess Akiko and entered the underworld...wow wow... 

11. Yoda (Star Wars), the most lovable wizard who spent years living on a mudland waiting for Luke to come to his senses and duty. Don't bother to think what he was feeding on all those years... 

12. Luke Skywalker (Star Wars), the almost-tragic hero who battled and won over the dark forces. 

13. Hans Solo (Star Wars), a rude pilot, in love with Princess Leia and yet willing to step aside for Luke....only Luke coz he was a better man. A faithful comrade both in war and love. 

14. Aragorn (The Lord of the Rings) who did not desire any glory, stepped up to save the MiddleEarth at the end. 

15. Azumi (Azumi), the only female protagonist here. An assassin with short khakis and cute looks. Relentless in terminating very evil men....her chop chop skills are much preferred than her air-headed-stewardess role... 

16. Izumi Sano (Hana Kimi), the brooding high jumper who was willing to survive gruelling tests to protect cutie pie Ashiya Mizuki. 

17. Ashiya Mizuki (Hana Kimi), ok Azumi is not the only female...but since Ashiya was supposed to be a boy....anyway, Maki Horikita is super kawaiiiiiiiii! 

18. An additional female makes the list. Kara Hui as the Cheng Tai-nun in My Young Auntie was a classic heroine figure. Her prowess in martial arts combined with her graceful acting was lethal. Fighting! Fighting! 

19. Started of as an unlikely and reluctant hero, Iljimae (acted by Lee Jun Ki) was brave and smart. Even with the almost tragic ending, our Chosun-period Robin Hood could never die… 

20. What happens when you need a diplomat, a martial guru, a doctor, a model citizen? Well, you look for Wong Fei Hoong. An admirable hero, Jet Li embraced the character with dignity and style and like no other actors before him. With sweet and British educated 13th Auntie at his side, what could possibly go wrong. A daring damsel, she was downright bold. Armed with her favorite first generation camera, she could hit baddies..err with whatever she could get her hands on... 

21. Okay more females... Charlize Theron acted as a loyal assassin with mysterious past in Aeon Flux. As a matter of fact the show was underrated but it truly has very nice choreography, storyline and scenes. Aeon Flux's elegant and lanky assassin defnitely strikes foes with very nice acrobatic moves. 22. Mummy Heroes - Brandon Fraser as Rick O'Connell, a suave hero killed mummies, married heroine and saved the world .. and Rachel Weisz was in her best element as the dreamy, effervescent librarian, Evelyn Carnahan who banished supernatural villains with books and swords. Can’t help noticing that they are ying and yang of Indian Jones - the pairing works as one of the best fictional duo heroes. 

23. Another classic hero is San Te from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Acted by Gordon Liu, the hero was a transformed truant and he probably gave birth to Shaolin Kung Fu in the most contemporary manner way before Jet Li etc. Oh yeah, Quentin Tarantino was a fan too. Liu was the bearded kung fu Master Pai Mei in Kill Bill. 24....seeking more heroes...

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MUST SEE KOREAN DRAMAS 2000s - DRAMAS PART 1

Alice in Cheongdam-Dong

It gets better and real in every episode of this not-quite-fairy-tale. Park Shi Hoo aka Cha Seung Jo aka Jean Thierry Cha aka Secretary Kim is hilariously looney, knocking out every scene with stars, sugar and spice with the adorable Moon Geun Young. Our boy shows us what thumping heart means in this post tension scene.

Arang and the Magistrate

A masterpiece rendition of a Korean folklore, Arang. An intelligent plot, clever twists, a sassy girl and a complex magistrate makes this one of the most enjoyable drama. Nice spot here - Arang gives multiple dimensions to its cast.

Queen In-Hyun's Man
A fantasy sleeper hit, the protagonist is a thoughtful super-time-traveling man. Defying time, space and logic, Queen In-Hyun is a classic. In an era of Google and smart-phones, the library scene is a dinosaur but not to the leads here as they discovered the best and the worst of what history recorded and about to write.

Faith

Another time-travel piece, Lee Min-Ho depicts General Choi Young, the military genius during the Goryeo period and Kim Hee Sun plays a fictional modern day doctor. No they didn't kiss, but this is a cutesy scene so this is why it ends up on the list.

The Moon that Embraces the Sun

The fantasy Joseon adaptation (from same novelist of Sungkyunkwan Scandal) bull-eyed the 40% rating, marking it as a national drama in the league of Dae-Jang-Geum. It also cements Kim Soo Hyun, in an earnest King role, as a serious lead, and shaman Han Ga-In who should have more roles like this...

The King of Dramas

To all die-hard fans of comedy, this is an extra-ordinary show for three reasons. First, good girl will triumph, bad guy needs a bad break to be good and diva boy can be funny. Jung Ryeo Won symbolizes a too-good-to-be-true idealistic scriptwriter, alternatively viewed as plain gullible. Kim Myung Min is a heartless producer who stumbles and redeems the day. And Choi Si Won, Super Junior K-Pop artist, ends up as an unlikely comedy star along with Park Shi Hoo.  

Nice Guy
A melodrama, Park Shi Yeon is bewitching as a scheming and manipulative woman. Although it is not my favorite genre to begin with, Song Joong Ki shows off versatility and depth. Henceforth, it is worth watching. 

Alice in Cheongdam-Dong
I believe it is perfectly alright to be bias, so the final stealing scene has to be this lunatic moment between Cha Seung Jo and his best friend, Dr. Dong Wook. Hip-hopping and grooving to a Barbra Streisand number by Duck Sauce, Park Shi-hoo locks down the funniest scene of K-Drama year.

HEIRS | INHERITANCE 

Airing now...

The much-hyped drama turns out to be unassuming in many ways. Lee Min Ho leads the show with a depth, distinguishable from the glitz and glamor displayed by the other "heirs". Wistful, somber, defeated and melancholic. Helpful, confident, optimistic and playful, Kim Tan rolls in unexpectedly across two spectrum rarely seen in K-drama roles.

 

I HEAR YOUR VOICE 

The noona-dongsaeng courtroom and thriller drama that kept everyone on the edge. Lee Jong Seok was smashing and superb. Lee Bo Young was wittingly endearing. Yoon Sang Hyun was goofy and good. Lee Da Hee scored here in a breakout role. 

TWO WEEKS

After a winning performance in the understated Arang and the Magistrate, Lee Jun Ki again proved his worth in a Fugitive rendition of former "framed" convict turned hero. 

THE MASTER'S SUN
Quirky. Queer. A palette of horror, crime and romance. Charming and stealing.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)

The Ten Commandments, a 1956 biblical epic, was directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It is one of the most financially successful films ever made, grossing over $65 million at the US box office. Adjusted for inflation, the film would be the sixth highest-grossing movie domestically (in the US), with an adjusted staggering total of $1,025,730,000 in 2012. Key casts include Charlton Heston in the lead role, Yul Brynner as his adoptive brother, Pharaoh Rameses II and Anne Baxter as Nefretiri.

MUST SEE SHOWS (RANDOM)

 

Game of Thrones
The epic adaptation of George R.R Martin's book, Song of Ice and Fire series is dark and dramatic.
Like both in drama and book: Cersei, Tyrion, Jaime, Samwell, Davos, Sansa, Littlefinger
Like in drama but don't quite like in book: Arya, Joffrey
Don't quite like in drama but loved in book: Daenerys, Jon, Mellisandre

Zenkai Girl

Okay, it is a 2011 drama but the little breakout star, "Hinata" is simply too amazing and irresistible to miss out a spot. In a role reminiscent of Alice in Cheongdam-dong, Aragaki Yui's Wakaba is a much more interesting character than her previous outing in Code Blue.

FILM. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (E.T.) (1982)

Title: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial

Type: Science Fiction

Country: USA

Genre: Science Fiction, Suspense

Airing Date: 1981

Rating: 9.0/10.0

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (E.T.), an American science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg famed for its emotional appeal and special effects. E.T. was a timeless story about a boy and his siblings who befriended a stranded extraterrestrial (E.T.) and assisted him to return home. With a budget of US$10.5 million, the film was shot from September to December 1981 and became a blockbuster, one of the most financially successful film of all time.