(M) In Search of a Midnight Kiss Grade: B
This B&W indie film has some similarities to Before Sunrise: a man and a woman get to know each other in one day as they explore a new city, which in this case is Los Angeles. The script is decently written and funny, though it sometimes borders on sappy. The weakest part of the film is probably the woman, who is a bit too much at times. I guess like how Julie Delpy’s character was in the Before film: a bit too neurotice and intense. The other main female character, the man’s friend’s girlfriend, isn’t very likeable either, so I guess the film doesn’t have the best female characters. I enjoyed the scenery, since they were all local spots, and found it funny that the filmmakers made Los Angeles look so great (i.e. the characters rode the Metro and explored downtown).

Topic: Stargate Atlantis, Quark bar

*Yesterday news came out that the Sci-Fi network cancelled Stargate Atlantis. This season will be the last but there is a movie to follow after the show ends. (Sigh) Why do they keep canceling sci-fi shows? Grrrr. I mean BSG is already ending next year and now no Stargate. Well I can't say no Stargate because this new version called Stargate Universe has been green lighted BUT still what the frak?


*A friend of mine introduced me to the Quark bar at the Las Vegas Hilton that was created for the Star Trek Experience section. Well according to reports, it is closing its doors after 11 years on Sept. 1st. The funny thing is I'm going this weekend so I might stop by for one last drink.

Topic: Summer Olympics

*Man the Olympics are very entertaining. I don't remember watching ANY of the 2004 Athens yet here I am watching most of this year. And seriously Shawn Johnson is so cute!! I'm glad she won the gold for balance beam. Oh and Nastia Liukin is impressive to watch and I like how cold as ice she seems.

(M) Pineapple Express. (David Gordon Green, 2008) Grade: C+

Thoughts: Stoner Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) and his weed dealer Saul Silver (James Franco) are on the run after Dale witnesses a murder by a dangerous drug lord (Gary Cole) and crooked cop (Rosie Perez). I might be in the minority here by thinking this movie was just okay. Yes there were some funny moments and every scene with James Franco was perfect but aside from that the movie ran too long (it is called editing people) and it was pretty violent. I am all for violent but some of it seemed unnecessary. Oh and Danny R. McBride did a nice job as Red, another weed dealer.

(M) Mamma Mia!. (Phyllida Lloyd, 2008) Grade: B

Thoughts: A bride-to-be Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is trying to figure out who her real dad when she invites them all to her wedding as told by hit songs from the popular 70’s group ABBA. The casting for this movie was perfect. Amanda Seyfried was a dead on Sophie and Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski and Colin Firth were terrific. Unfortunately, their singing was only so-so; the roughest one being Pierce Brosnan. While not as entertaining (or sung as well) as the actual live production, this movie was a pleasant surprise.

(M) Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. (Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, 2008) Grade: C

Thoughts: Picking up where the last movie left off Harold Lee (John Cho) and Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) are on their way to Amsterdam so Harold can see the girl of his dreams and Kumar can smoke his brains out. I wanted to like this movie because I really enjoyed the first one but it was just too random and all over the place. The use of Neil Patrick Harris was not as funny or smart as the first film but they did manage to get in some good stereotype jokes.

(M) Definitely, Maybe. (Adam Brooks, 2008) Grade: B-

Thoughts: Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) tells his curious 11-year-old daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin) how of the three women he dated in the past, which one ends up being her mother. A surprisingly decent movie, though I expected nothing, with great acting from Elizabeth Banks (Emily), Isla Fisher (April Hoffman) and the lovely Rachel Weisz (Summer Hartley). Oh and there were some nice scenes with Kevin Kline, who I always enjoy as an actor. I would have rated the movie higher but the last 15 minutes was just too cheesy / corny for me. Oh well that is Hollywood happy endings for you.

Movie Count: 78

Topic: Summer Olympics

*I have been watching a lot of the Olympics recently especially gymnastics and tomorrow track and field starts. What are you guys watching?

(M) A Bout De Souffle (Breathless). (Jean-Luc Godard, 1960)Grade: B-

Thoughts: Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is a petty thief who steals cars. During a job Michel is pulled over by a motorcycle policeman, who he shoots dead. Now hiding in Paris, Michel gets some money from an old girlfriend and meets up with American girl friend Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg). Michel and Patricia have plans to go away together until she discovers the police are searching for Michel and has to make a decision that changes their lives. This is a classic film which began the French Nouvelle Vague but honestly I am not a film studies major so I think I missed the point of the whole thing.

(M) Zaak Alzheimer, De (Memory of a Killer). (Erik Van Looy, 2003)Grade: B+

Thoughts: Vincke (Koen De Bouw) and Verstuyft (Werner De Smedt) are the best detectives in the Antwerp police department. Angelo Ledda (Jan Decleir) is an almost retired assassin who is suffering from Alzheimer’s and is Vincke and Verstuyft’s number one suspect in the disappearance of a top official. Unknown to them, Ledda is not behind the disappearance and is trying to clear his name. This is a gripping cop thriller that has you guessing until the end with great acting from everyone especially Jan Decleir.

(M) Stargate. (Roland Emmerich, 1994)Grade: C

Thoughts: Egyptologist Dr. Daniel Jackson (James Spader) is brought to an underground military base to decode Egyptian stones that are symbols to opening the Stargate, a device used to travel to other worlds. Led by Colonel Jonathan “Jack” O’Neil (Kurt Russell), a group of US troops and Jackson walk through the gate and into a world of adventure. The movie was a bit on the cheesy side but I guess some science fiction usually is. It eventually led to the Stargate SG-1 series and the spin off Stargate Atlantis, which I watch all the time.

(M) Fan Yi Cho (Lavender). (Riley Yip Kam-Hung, 2000)Grade: C

Thoughts: Athena (Kelly Chan) is an aroma therapist, who is depressed ever since her boyfriend Andrew died. However that changes when wayward angel “Angel” (Takeshi Kanehiro) comes crashing through her skylight and proceeds to change her life. Often slow and a bit random, Lavender does a weak job of entertaining the audience. Nevertheless, by the end of the movie and with nice acting from Kelly and Takeshi, it ended up not being too bad.

Movie Count: 74

Topic: Summer Olympics, funny

*I should have posted something on 08/08/2008 because that is one lucky day for the Chinese. Apparently tons of people, especially Chinese people, got married that day ... good for them!

*Did anyone watch the opening ceremony for the summer olympics on Friday? It was very impressive and entertaining. From Wikipedia: The ceremony was co-directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou and Zhang Jigang. It was noted for its focus on ancient Chinese culture, and for its creativity. The musical score for the ceremony was arranged by composer Tan Dun. The final ascent to the torch featured Olympic gymnast Li Ning, who appeared to run through air around the top ring of the stadium. Featuring more than 15,000 performers, the ceremony lasted over four hours and was reported to have cost over $300 million to produce. The opening ceremony was lauded by spectators and various international presses as spectacular and spellbinding.

*Nothing much to report on my end. I have just been watching movies and the Olympics games recently. Here are some funny videos to entertain you:

(M) Get Smart. (Peter Segal, 2008)Grade: B-

Thoughts: Maxwell Smart / Agent 86 (Steve Carell) works for CONTROL. With the help of his more competent partner Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway), they are on a mission to battle crime nemesis KAOS. A funny and silly movie based upon the popular 1960’s television series. I think Dwayne Johnson did a nice job as Agent 23 and Terry Crews, David Koechner and the rest of the cast were entertaining.

(M) Brideshead Revisited. (Julian Jarrold, 2008)Grade: B

Thoughts: Captain Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) is stationed at Brideshead Castle during WWII. There he remembers his involvement with the Flyte family when they use to live there, especially with brother Sebastian (Ben Whishaw) and sister Julia (Hayley Atwell). This was a well done film with an excellent performance by Emma Thompson as Lady Marchmain, the mother. I read the 1981 11-hour tv mini series is amazing so I need to figure out some time to plow through that.

(M) Wanted. (Timur Bekmambetov, 2008)Grade: C+

Thoughts: Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a neurotic cube office worker, learns his long lost father was an assassin and has been murdered. He is recruited by his father’s old organization lead by Sloan (Morgan Freeman) and trained by Fox (Angelina Jolie) and others to find the man who killed his dad. A decent action flick that I would have liked more if Wesley was not so whiny (why does James McAvoy play so many whiney characters) and if the plot was stronger. No matter though because Angelina Jolie was very pleasing to look at.

Movie Count: 70

(M) How to Rob a Bank (Andrew Jenkins, 2007) Grade: D
Gosh, this film was bad. Too lazy to write a new review, so I just cut and pasted some of the work one I did. My tagline for this would be, Robs you of your time. Ha ha.
Marketed as a comedic thriller but neither thrilling nor humorous, How to Rob a Bank follows a slacker (Nick Stahl) upset by his ATM surcharge fees who goes to a bank to complain while a robbery is underway. He winds up locked in a vault with a cyber thief (Erika Christensen), and much of the film is spent with the pair as they bicker and predictably fall in love. To add to the comedic elements, most of which are sophomoric, Gavin Rossdale plays an inept bank robber, and Terry Crews is a bumbling police negotiator. Despite the fast camerawork and cutaway shots, How to Rob a Bank elicits little suspense; you never worry if anyone is in any imminent danger. There also is an overall theme about corporations robbing from the little guy, but this Robin Hood-like message gets lost in this mess of a film.

(M) Hooked On You. (Law Wing-Cheong, 2007)Grade: B+

Thoughts: Miu (Miriam Yeung) is a fishmonger working at a neighborhood market to pay off her father’s gambling debt. She is hoping for a better career and actual financial stability; this rules out dating anyone at the market especially rival fishmonger Fishman (Eason Chan). The movie spans over ten years from the hangover of Hong Kong to present day following each character and how their lives intertwine and progress mirroring the changes Hong Kong has made since its independence from Britain.

(M) Elixir of Love. (Riley Yip Kam-Hung, 2004)Grade: C+

Thoughts: The Princess of China (Miriam Yeung) is born with horrible body odor so the King decides to enlist of the help of outsiders to cure his daughter and in exchange they get her hand in marriage. Aromatherapy expert Kai (Richie Ren) sees this as his chance to make something of himself and works to find a cure. With the help of Heung (who looks a lot like the Princess of China), a village fishmonger, he tries out his many remedies. This was a sweet romantic comedy.

(M) Invisible Target. (Benny Chan Muk-Sing, 2007)Grade: B

Thoughts: Three cops are after the Ronin Gang, a bunch of skilled fighters, who destroyed their lives one way or another. Chan Chun (Nicholas Tse) lost his fiancée due to their armored car heist, Fong Yik-Wei (Shawn Yue) is trying to save face after being humiliated by the gang and Wai King-Ho (Jaycee Chan) wants to avenge the death of his brother who was killed by them. It was interesting to see Jackie Chan’s son acting; in some angles he looks like a very young Jackie. This was a great action movie with A LOT of glass breaking, even if the story was thin like they usually are. Oh and I must say I do love me some Shawn Yue.

(M) Densha Otoko (Train Man). (Masanori Murakami, 2005)Grade: B-

Thoughts: An awkward otaku (Japanese geek) (Takayuki Yamada) tries to woo the girl (Miki Nakatani) of his dreams with the help of some anonymous Internet chat buddies. A simple romance flick however in reality I am not sure a girl would be drawn to a guy like Train Man. The premise of Densha Otoko came from series of threads on the Japanese mega-BBS 2channel, one of the largest internet forums. It is supposedly a true story, although some dispute it that has spawned into a book, several mangas, this film and a TV series.

Movie Count: 67