Film Report -Dark Shadows

Gave myself a treat and had a solo-movie morning to see Dark Shadows. Wonder when it'll be that I can do this and take advantage of the Ladies' Day Wednesday (1000 yen for a film for ladies) again, once I enter my motherhood.

I liked how Tim Burton didn't put too fine a point on the vampire aspect of Barnabas's character. It bolsters the story, yet the film doesn't entirely draw on the darkness that is vampire-hood and the prominence of the story remains purely human and innocent.

Until next time,

Sak

Film Report - MIB3

I don't recall seeing the second movie, but it mattered not. The film was a lot of fun to watch.

I am to head to my parents' house next week for the final month (finally!) of my pregnancy, so Sunday was the last day off that T and I got to spend together. Hard to believe that when I come back, it'll be not just the two of us any more around here.

Until next time,

Sak

Film Report -The Artist

Just had another solo-movie outing, and saw The Artist.


Great movie. I liked it. It pulled the whole classic-themed aspect of the film simply well. Too bad they can't make another film like this again - or it'd be really hard to pull off following this one anyway.

Took me back to to the summer of 2001 when I was taking a Literature in Cinema I or II at CSULB, where we were to see a movie every week in classroom. They usually had us see movies that are either black-and-white and silent, or the kinds that you can't rent from Blockbuster.

The music can be, at times, annoying, though. I don't know if that's because of my pre-maternal hormone level, or it's purposefully done that way. I am guessing the later.

Until next time,

Sak

Film Report -The Iron Lady

Going to see a movie solo was something I hadn't done in ages. I think it goes back to 1999, when I had the whole weekend wide-open from Friday to Sunday in southern California. I didn't have a part-time job yet, nor much of a friend, really, at that point. My life in the states had been a big fat bore. So to spend the littlest money as possible and still manage to entertain myself outside the house, I would often go to the nearmost theater, Edward Cinema, to have a cinema-rathon of 3 or 4 films. I think back of that time of my life with a bitter sweet sorrow and nostalgia from time to time. I was young and still very uncomfortable with my own self. Things seemed to be happening and I was barely catching up with them, unable to get a hold of the ride at all. It was much later on that I learned how to stay happy enough within the paradigm that's not my control.

I got off track.

Anyhow, it's my 32nd birthday and I wanted to take myself back to that period of time. What was different this time was that I was among tiny Japanese housewives of my mother's age, instead of hefty Caucasians in shorts or Latino teenagers in jeans and thongs, around myself. And instead of a bottle of Snapple and Snowcaps to sneak in, I had oo-long tea and string cheese.


I never really learned about Baroness Thatcher, and wiki-ed her before I headed off to the theater. Had I been a Brit in the years she ruled, I might not have agreed with her political view on things. But I very much liked the film. It did a good job on making me want to read more about her, though, since the film wasn't drawn on the historical and political background of the time period the way one should know to fully get the story.

Until next time,

Sak

Film Report -One Life

Finally saw the BBC film, "One Life" that I had anticipated since spring.

I'm a sucker for anything with animals and nature to begin with, but I really, really loved it!

This strawberry-colored frog carries its infants on its back, one baby at a time, climb up a tree to let them swim in a dew paddle on a leaf and raise them there. Isn't that amazing?


You go, little frog mom!

Until next time,

Sak

Film Report - Narnia III

I had been waiting for this since last summer. And I have to say it was worth all the waiting, because The Voyage of The Dawn Treader was awesome!

And personally speaking, what a hottie Ben Barns is!!


I repeat. He is a hottie!



Sorry, that's all I have to say.

Until next time,

Sak

Film Report - RED

Haven't done a film report in a while, have I?

Before I give a report, let me reminisce and talk about my movie-going days in So Cal.

I used to be a huge movie buff, which T finds hard to believe. The second year in California, I lived just a mile away from Edwards Stadium 26, and used to just walk there to spend a day off. I didn't have a class on Friday, or a part-time job yet, so my weekends were endless. So I would grab a Snapple or something, and visit Edwards for a movie-marathon, by myself too, at least once a month. You can easily cover 4 movies a day if you were there from the earliest show. Sure my ass fell asleep after, like, two movies, but hey, it was a lovely way to spend my 8 bucks (student discount, baby!).



These photos found on line almost brought me to tears. So many memories! The smell of popcorn... unfriendly customer service at the box office... redundantly huge diet coke... annoying teenagers in groups... the whole scene. It's one of those things that I wake up missing horribly, and that I took for granted while I had it.

Ah... memories!

Anyways, I saw "RED" with T on Friday, and I had a blast! It wasn't some testosterone-driven action film for meat heads that I semi-expected.


A story very well written, and I was laughing my head off at John Malkovich's character. But my personal favorite? Helen Mirren.


A red lipstick and a gun. There is definitely something there.

Until next time,

Sak

Film Report -The Last Airbender

Saw it and loved it!

I waited a whole year for this, and now I will gladly wait however long takes for the sequel to come out.

Noah Ringer is divine!


Oh, by the way, I'm starting a tradition at a theater between T and myself. But before I tell you what it is, can I tell a crazy story that, here in the land of politenss and patience, people STAY through the whole credit after the film ended?? I repeat. They freaking STAY in their seat staring at the credit going by. Is that weird or what? I asked T why on earth people do that here, and he said, "Sometimes there is a little extra footage or something during the credit, and the soundtrack playing is still a part of a movie. Why would anyone leave a theater when the film is still carrying on?"

Oh....kay.

While I want to respect his opinion on behalf of the rest of the Japanese film buffs, I just cannot help but feel squeamish in my seat staring at the screen after, in my opinion, the film ENDED. I'm sorry, people. I come from a land of fast food and highways with 6 lanes, and we don't endure anything of a slow-moving kind! I thought about leaving for the bathroom right afterwards, excusing myself form the excruciation, but I thought that's a little deceiving for T and I felt sorry, so ...

I came up with this idea to look for Japanese names in the credit just so we are actually doing something. It's really hard, though, because sometimes there are three columns of names going by, and when you are actually reading the credit, you'll realize the sceeen is moving waaaaaaaay fast. But this time, we found about six Japanese names out of two thousand or so film makers. Horaaaay!

Until next time,

Sak

Awaiting Narnia 3

At the theater to view The Book of Eli T pre-purchased the tickets for Narnia 3 that's coming out in February 2011 (Feb...!?whaaaa?! they have got to be shitting me!Why do they always have to have us anticipate like crazy when it comes to new films?).

And with the tickets they gave us these:



.....oh....kay. You say? Well, watch!



Voila!



Aslan!!



The cutest thing I've ever created with my own hands.

Until next time,

Sak

Film Report -The Book of Eli

Just saw it on big screen, and loved it!

When T told me he wanted to see a movie "The Walker", I had never heard about it. Then a minute into the movie, I realized it was the Jap version title (I don't know why they do that sometimes). And, of course, when Danzel Washington started sleighing the living day lights out of the highway robbers in "his manner" I thought, "Golly, T, must you drag me to this kind of flicks?" But soon I started paying more attention when he started reciting lines from the book of psalm, and I was right in doing that.

The film must have been out in the states for a long time, and how come no one on facebook told me about it? Geez, guys. Thanks!

Oh, and on a personal note, Mila Kunis has never looked better!

Until next time,

sak

Film Report - Alice in Wonderland

The movie rocks!


I opted for the 3D and yes, my eyes were about to fall out in the end because the awesomeness of the film will make you not want to blink at all because you don't wanna miss anything, but it was totally worth the pain.

Until next time,

Sak