Adrienne

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (E.T.) (1982)

2011-07-17T00:45:00.000-07:00

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 befriend a stranded extraterrestrial (E.T.) and assisted him to return home. With a budget of US10.5 million, the film was shot from September to December 1981 and became a blockbuster to be the most financially successful film released of all time.

2011-02-10T00:44:00.000-08:00

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Raved by viewers, this hot drama is making waves. An unusual blend - it is a marriage of philosophy and adventure. Find out more...

Tamra the Island

A delightful Chosun period drama, this is a gem among all the Korean offerings. Almost perfect cast and rich in history, Tamra may turn out to be a cult favorite. Find out more...

Vampire Knight (ヴァンパイア騎士)
Dark and thoughtful, this anime is a hot favorite among manga (and anime) lovers. Needless to say, vampires are hot favorites among supernatural lovers or fools. Find out more...

Mononoke (モノノ怪)

Mononoke refers to Yōkai (妖怪) a type of spiritual beings i.e. demon, spirit or monster or a form of creatures in Japanese folklore. The titled anime is a psychedelic fare, strange and stimulating.

Seirei No Moribito ( 精霊の守り人)
A splendid mix of adventure and supernatural, Seirei No Moribito is a charming epic on human values and principles. This anime is an absolute rare find..

A Series of Unfortunate Events
A dark comedy, this film tells the story of Count Olaf (acted by JimCarrey) who viciously craved after three orphans' fortune left by their deceased parents. Wicked and addictive.

The Twilight - Ten Things To Love
Can't say the same for the other sequels. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart lived up to the hidden cravings of young teens for cold blooded sensitive vampires.

Howl's Moving Castle
Handsome wizard, flying castle and a clever damsel. This Oscar nominated blockbuster owes much to the whimsical author, Diana Wynne Jones and visionary direct or, Hayao Miyazaki.

Top Twenty Fictional Heroes
Find out more about top twenty heroes - why they are worth watching and the world is worth saving..

Dororo
A Japanese apocalyptic epic is a bloody fare involving a female warrior who joined a young samurai to recover his body parts from demons.

Blood +
Blood+ (ブラッドプラス or Buraddo Purasu) is an anime series inspired by the 2000 anime film Blood: The Last Vampire.

Drama: Sungkyunkwan Scandal

2011-02-02T03:15:00.000-08:00

Sungkyunkwan Scandal, set in late Joseon era is a delightful historical-fictional K-drama revolving a female student who impersonates a male in Sungkyunkwan University. Sounds familiar....yes Hanazakari no Kimitachi e!!!

Thanks to the upright and uptight Lee Sun Joon, the pretty female lead, Kim Yoon Hee (Park Min Young) enters the school under her brother's name, disguised as a boy in an attempt to provide for his illness and to escape the clutches of a dirty old minister.

Took a while to warm up to Lee Sun Joon, the righteous son of a powerful minister and leader of the reigning party. Yup! Republicans and Democrats during the reign of King Jeongjo. Staunch and loyal, Sun Joon (Micky) wins friends and viewers.

Playful and playboy Goo Yong Ha scores points with viewers, being likable and heroic. Shedding a disguise of a shallow exterior, Goo Yong Ha emerges solid and sensitive. Song Joong Ki who plays the flamboyant character is undoubtedly the new K-STAR.

Rebellious and moody Moon Jae Shin is endearing as he fights to protect Yoon Hee's identity amidst his growing affection for her. Sloppy but with a winning smile, Yoo Ah In as Moon Jae Shin is winning votes to return in a spin-off drama..

The brother of actress, Ha Ji Won(the star of Hwang Jini and more recent, Secret Garden) plays the bad boy but he is worth mentioning an effective evil emissary, Ha In Soo.

Professor Jung has to be noted because he is the real deal here. Jeong Yak Jong was amongst the earliest converts to Catholicism - a Catholic martyr and father to Saint Paul Chong Hasang.

The hilarious exploits, political struggles and emotional dynamics made Sungkyunkwan Scandal a drama worth watching worth watching in the Top Ten List.

Ranking: 9.2/10.0

Tamra the Island

2010-11-15T06:04:00.000-08:00

Initially apprehensive about picking up this drama, i did. Despite the oddities, Tamra the Island was irresistible from the very first episode. Strangely unbelievable yet unpretentious. This manhwa adapted drama fused with Chosun and Western histories could be easily mistaken for some unbelievable films, in the past but not this one. Girls in short beach attires aka sea girls seemed unthinkable and misplaced but it worked out fine at the end.

And guess what!? I found another stalker in this drama..an exile who trails after missing horses, who appears behind bushes ..but like Edward, who could resist Kyu? Right from the start, the stiff-looking noble was unbelievable as a supposedly notorious playboy. And what crime was that supposed to be when this period was noted for the gisaengs...remember Hwang Jini?

Like Joo Yu Rin (Lee Da Dae) in My Girl, Beo Jin was all silly and goofy, over-acting. But it became part of her charm. As our heroine set out to win the Cutie Pie of 2009, she was worth strangling for being totally dense.

William...hmm...I must say he had lovelier hair than barbie doll. All golden and soft. Indeed, he is all softie when it comes to Beo Jin. Almost annoying but he's forgivable, afterall it is tough ending up on an alien shore.

Yan with his dimpled grin reminds me of my cousin brother who had half the girls in my school admiring him, but oh well, back to Yan, he is super cool and mysterious as the East Indian company Japanese turned Dutch trader.

Not used to man weeping, tsk tsk..this scene is absolutely heartbreaking...sob sob. In the entire K-Drama log, I could not recall a more painful scene ...one that came close was Bae Yoon Joon as King of Goguryeo, in a teary-eyed bull cart scene.

This scene....i must protest...can't recall any lake interludes like Kyu had with Beo Jin. Totally unfair. Anyhow, not a single scene or line was corny when it comes to Kyu. While not dense or clueless like Beo Jin, our hero was so inept in expressing and yet it was this very trait that kept viewers rooting on for him.

Our Kyu is a rare find. He has indeed won himself in the place the place of Top Heroes....gotta squeeze him in, somehow.
Rating: 10...minus 0.5 for 16 episodes instead of 20.

Anime: Vampire Knight

2010-09-24T05:25:00.001-07:00

Crafted within a Gothic theme, Vampire Knight weaved a tale of vampires - the night creatures caught in the middle of intrigues and conflicts between humans, vampire hunters, mutated vampires. The setting, Cross Academy, is a private school running Day Class and Night Class. The later being vampire class. Two student councilors, Cross Yuki and Kiriyu (or Kiryu) Zero are the only ones who know about the existence of the vampires.

Led by Kuran Kaname, a true noble blood vampire, the student vampires are celebrity students who are constantly being stalked by the Day Class students. While the plucky female protagonist, Yuki leads the scenes with her sense of idealism, it is the two male leads that capture the essence of the plot: the magnetic Kuran Kaname and the guilt-ridden Kiryu.

Popular among the manga fans, this anime deserves 9.0/10.0

Michishirube - Kenji Kawai (Seirei no Moribito)

2010-07-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Music: Michishirube - Kenji Kawai (Seirei no Moribito)

2010-07-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xilO-52D1M

Anime: Mononoke (モノノ怪)

2010-07-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

A highly stylistic 2007 anime, Mononoke chronicles the supernatural encounters of a medicine seller. His ability to exorcise demons is dependent upon the discovery of spirit's shape (Katachi), truth (Makoto) and reasoning (Kotowari). This brilliant production gets 8.5/10 rating for a wonderful tapestry of techniques, storyline and animation.

Anime: Seirei No Moribito 精霊の守り人

2009-07-05T00:57:00.000-07:00

Seirei no Moribito (Moribito: Guardian of The Spirit 精霊の守り人) is a wonderful discovery for anime lovers. The 2007 anime chronicles the adventures of Balsa (a spearwoman/warrior) and a young prince, Chagum. Full of substance, Seirei falls into a mixed genre: feudal (historical) - fantasy - action - martial arts.

The character development has a moderate undertone similar to Howl's moving castle. However, the length of drama allows more opportunity to display more depths and variations. I can find no fault in the characters and yet, they are rendered with flaws. Most of the characters wear a clock of melancholy, silent desperation to survive and to reconcile with their past and destinies. But despair not, the wonderful scenery and detailed artwork would provide some distraction from the gloom.

The unlikely pairing of Balsa and Chagum is the highlight of the epic. Never too melodramatic, it still induces sympathy and pride in the way the characters deliver each meaning and intention eloquently, both in gestures and in words. At one point, the star diviner, Shoga's character portrays some inconsistencies but his persistence makes up for them. Tanda is one character that you would definitely root for and the rest of the supporting casts are given adequate attention and detail to make this whole series worth watching.

Contrary to the dark and tragic ending of many Japanese movies/mangas/animes, Seirei renders an atypical hopeful saga of different cultures and people growing amidst struggles and sacrifices. The divine execution and manipulative antics of the opposing unseen powers are conveyed with a high sense of surrealism and revelations. The fight sequences, actions and movements are choreographed and animated with fluidity rarely seen.

Another wonderful discovery is the beautiful soundtrack. The OST is almost on par with some of the Ghibli productions featuring beautiful classical, folk and instrumental pieces such as Kizuna, Daichiyo, Mizu No Tami, Tanomareya and Michishirube by Kawai Kenji. Overall 9/10.

Movie: Lemony Nick's A Series of Unfortunate Events

2009-05-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is a 2004 black comedy film starring Jim Carrey as the evil Count. The movie adaptation of the popular book series follows the adventures of three siblings, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire, after their parents were killed in a fire at the family mansion. Sunny was the star of the show. She squeaks and bites like no one else....Twisted. Charming. Gothic. I like it very much so it gets 8. 9/10

Movie: The Twilight (2008) - Ten Things To Love

2009-04-30T07:01:00.000-07:00

1. Supernatural Stuff. Yes! Fantasy. The ultimate escapism.
2. Good Triumph over Evil. The same old recipe works.
3. Charming Handsome Heroes. Brat Pitt was a beloved vampire. And now Edward Cullen. Even younger, sweeter, faster, smarter and hotter. Plus, he was Cedric Diggory!!
4. Beautiful Vulnerable Heroine. Winona Ryder was unforgetable as a prospective vampire bride and now everybody (sorry, every girl) wants to be Isabella Swan.
5. Forbidden Love. Hated Romeo and Juliet coz bad ending. But Twilight is a different matter coz all ..ends well.
6. Love Triangle. Vampire loves vampire, werewolf loves vampire. An UNDERWORLD spin-off? Anyway whats not to love about having two men vying for a beautiful heroine's attention? Guys love the challenge, and girls love..the attention.
7. Hot Home. The Cullens' Home is now everybody's dream home.
8. Protective Boyfriend. Har! More like a stalker..hovering over her bedstand, following her on a shopping spree and girlfriends but since Edward Cullen was devastatingly handsome, perfect gentleman, killed a fellow mean vampire (and almost almost bashed up bad guys), cares about her dinner and drives her home, Isabella stops short of calling the cops aka her dad.
9. Loving-But-Not-Hovering Dad. For not hovering, or messing around with her diary ...
10. Nice Parents-In-Laws-To-Be. Minus the cold blooded flesh and blood sucking charateristics, the Cullens are perfect as daddy and mummy, sis-in-law, bro-in-law...the All-American-Family-Baseball-Players.
Didn't really "get" the lion-loves-stupid-lamb line..anyway, everything else is well-scripted and super entertaining. 8.5/10

Movie : Howl's Moving Castle

2009-04-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

A visual feast, a magical castle, a charismatic wizard, an unlikely heroine; all that and more makes Howl's Moving Castle a top favorite. My favorite and thus, highly bias to claim this timeless tale as Hayao Miyazaki's best piece, the famed Studio Ghibli director who stepped in to direct when the original director left abruptly.

As it turned out, this achingly beautiful fantasy (ハウルの動く城, Hauru no Ugoku Shiro) courted more than US$200million worldwide in 2004. Described as a Japanese animated steampunk film in Wikipedia, this movie was adapted from Diana Wynne Jones's novel. The English dub was provided by Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal, Jean Simmons, Blythe Danner and Lauren Bacall to voice the characters. Again, I am bias but I believe Howl's moving castle is a bolder creative venture, a much more refined artwork, albeit a smaller rendition than Laputa: Castle in the Sky. Miyazaki's fascination for flying devices was evident in most of his films but Howl's castle is a marvel - a rapture. It floats playfully, bids sorrowfully, glides with rhythm and it is fanatically protective, shielding each and everyone aboard it with its very own life. Howl's Moving Castle is a super notched film at 9.3/10.

Top Twenty Five Heroes : Fictional

2009-01-29T00:27:00.000-08:00

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...

Movie : Dororo どろろ

2009-01-09T04:58:00.000-08:00

A highly entertaining quest involving a female warrior (Shibasaki) who joined a young samurai's deadly fights to recover his body parts from demons, Dororo (どろろ) combines humor and horror.

The male protagonist, Hyakkimaru, a seemingly normal lad was a limbless and organless infant abandoned and afloat via Moses-like inside a bamboo basket. That is until he was rescued and practically resurrected through some unusual form of surgery and sorcery. Satoshi Tsumabuki, a popular boyish looking actor blends effectively into his character but it is Yoshio Harada as Jukai, a wizard doc with a limited screen time who represents the heart of the movie. As he tranformed Hyakkimaru into a pseudo-human, he did more for Hyakkimaru than what poor Frankenstein had. A heart and soul.

Tahomaru (by actor Eita) was likable until he found out the truth about Hyakkimaru then he turned out to be selfish and downright foolish. Nakai, Kiichi as Kagemitsu Daigo was more or less made-to-be-hated as the evil conqueror who pledged his soul and family to the demons.

This epic from Osamu Tezuka was adapted from his novel and animated cartoon into a live-action film in 2007. The production was pretty interesting. The special effects alternate between amatuerish 2-D and amazing 3-D animated feel, of which the reason I have yet to figure out. And at first, the Daigo castle appeared rather odd, a post-apocalyptic structure which stood in defiance against backdrop setting in ancient samurai times. However, it made sense as the theme surrounding this oddly endearing story explores the depths of choices and the deceptions of spiritual realms as good and evil fought for supremacy. Strange and smart, Dororo has a 8.7/10 rating.

Anime : Blood + ブラッドプラス (2005 - 2006)

2008-12-31T03:08:00.000-08:00

Blood+ (ブラッドプラス or Buraddo Purasu) is an anime series inspired by the 2000 anime film Blood: The Last Vampire. The series is centralized on Saya Otonashi, a teenage amnesiac girl whose life is dramatically changed after discovering that she is a chiropteran—a vampire-like creature born in 1833. Her nemesis turned out to be her own kind and aiding Saya in this century long quest is an organization called the Red Shield and Hagi.

Lots and lots of actions. Chemistry between the characters - Stormy and Poignant..hey this is only anime!! Hence, it deserves a 9.5/10