Da Vinci Code, Review

I finally saw the DaVinci Code. It was a fine day to escape into air conditioning. I really enjoyed the book and the movie is exciting and moves along. I had a difficult time envisioning Tom Hanks in the lead, but as usual, I couldn't think anyone else to play his role. Somehow I found the book more exciting. The whole point of the story did not come across in the movie like it was worth all the fuss, while in the book it did for me. I was entertained, though, and the AC was working fine!

I'll give it 3/5 acorns.

Kiru, Review

Kiru stars Raizo Ichikawa. He made 27 movies in his short life before he died of cancer at age 37. Kiru was made in 1962. The tale is about revenge that takes place near the end of the Tokugawa Era. It starts with a murder and and execution, and our hero, Takakura Shingo, and the viewer are not made aware of the story behind it for awhile.

His story starts 20 years later. He has grown up in a loving samurai family. He has lost his mother, but is close to his sister and father. He goes away for 3 years to see the world and when he comes back he has become a master swordsman of his own technique. This enrages a jealous neighbor who starts some rumors and ultimately murders Takakura's family. Takakura takes revenge then leads the life of a ronin. Along the way he is influenced by a woman who sacrifices herself for her family, a monk who holds some secrets to his past, and a master who trusts him with his life. The climax is ultimately thrilling and so classic samurai.

Ichikawa made his fame in 12 episodes of The Sleepy Eyes of Death, starring the half-Japanese master swordsman, Kyoshiro Nemuri.

I will rate this one 3.5/5 acorns. I wish it were longer!

More Homework

In one of my favorite anime, Vampire Hunter DD, half-blood vampire literally talks to his hand. When I first heard that phrase, talk to the hand, it was explained to me that it meant, "Stop, talk to the hand , 'cuz the ears aint listening." or I am not going to listen to what you say. After listening to the homework tapes from my Dealing with Difficult People class, it took a new meaning. If someone is in my face angry, or hyper-critical, a way to deal with it is to, "shields up" and stop their words in the space between us. I can then examine their message/venting without taking it personally. I'll just have to see how that works.

Yokai Daisenso, The Great Yokai War, Review

This is touted as a Takashi Miike "family film". I hope he had a lot of fun making all the monsters as I had watching them. Family film? Well maybe. The main character and reluctant hero is a kid, not quite pre-pube age, so I guess that would qualify. His parents are divorced and he has been sent to stay with grandpa, who maybe has dementia but maybe he knows something about yokai. The kids at school taunt him as "city boy" but he is there for a purpose in the bigger picture.

Yokai are a bunch of different types of spirts. There are kappa who like cumcumbers and sumo wrestling, Yuki-onna or snow queens, Rokurokubi with long, snake like necks, shape-shifting obake and tengu, one-eyed goblins, and yuurei-spirits of murdered people who go around in white kimonos. I believe Totoro could also be considered yokai, but I would need someone from Japan to confirm this. I think little kids would find the monsters scary.

The story jumps around a bit and that detracted from the whole thing. I will rate it 3/5 acorns.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Review

While channel surfing today I paused on a Walker Texas Ranger episode and a Walkerism hit me. Our only limitations are the ones we place on ourself. Okay, well, Walker didn't actually say this, I will attribute it to him since I heard it on his show. This is one of those shows I can't seem to get away from. Every time I surf, it is on some where, very much like Law and Order, or CSI. In fact tonight while channel surfing I stopped at a CSI epidsode where a disgruntled chef murders a women who ruined his reputation in the past by falsely claiming she was made ill by his cooking and sued him fraudulently. He gets his revenge by coming on to her, then force feeding her a live octapus.
It reminds me a that time I went ika (squid) fishing with my dad. He caught a baby octapus and put it into a plastic bag (pre-ziplock era), tied a knot in the bag, and stuffed it in his pocket. When we got home, the octopus had escaped through a tiny hole.
Oh my, I'm rambling.

Anyway, back to the review.


Tommy Lee Jones directed and starred in this movie. It takes place on the border near Mexico. The movie jumps around a bit, but basically he meets Melquiades one day when he rides by looking for work. He is in the country illegally. After working together for a while, they become friends and Melquiades makes Tommy promise that if something happens, then he will take him back to Mexico and bury him in his home town. He shows Tommy a picture of his wife and 3 children and says he hasn't seen them for 5 years.

Well something does happento Mequiades as the title says.

This movie was rated pretty well on IMDB. I found it a bit slow. Maybe I just didn't get it. I will give it 2/5 acorns.

I'll have to watch it again.

Mr. Handy, Review

Kim Joo-hyeok (김주혁)stars as Mr. Handy, a man from a small town who hires himself out to anyone willing to pay him $50/day. He becomes a singer, take out man, real estate agent , interior designer or nightclub entertainer when ever someone is sick or has other business. Uhm Jung-hwa (엄정화) is a rich girl who is fired from several offices because she is uncompromising. She tries to strike it out on her own but the only place she can afford is a run down place in Mr. Handy's town. She meets him as he is the real estate agent. She then hires him to help fix up the office. Suddenly he is everywhere she turns. They decide to be friends even though the town is a twitter that the are sleeping together. When the opportunity comes, she returns to her high class life in Seoul.

Can she forget every woman's dream man? Handsome and handy?

I am really in need of some good cyborg action and senseless killing. Ho hum.

I will rate this 2.5/5 acorns. Mr. Handy was very cute and he does know martial arts as well.

Homework

Thursday I went to a conference called "Dealing with Diffiult People". I had a challenging person at work and I was hoping to get some tips on meeting this challenge. Good intentions, yes? Well on Monday she quit! Gave two days notice and when I came back the next day, her office was empty! Wow. Lucky me:)

I went to the class anyway and today I was supposed to do homework. I already can't remember exactly what the assignment was, so I will just review some of the "hot ideas". In order to improve myself, I should identify my weak links under stress, and work on changing them by studying learning resources and doing it at least 6 times.

Easier said then done.

I took the short personality test, and no surprises. I'm still one of those analytical, thinker types-show me the process! I can think myself into paralysis. Give me a rule and I'll enforce it to death. Don't ring my doorbell, sent me an email. If I can't be right, I'll run. Heh. Lots of work to be done!

Yikes! I better look for some of those resources.

Victim and Vampire Cop Ricky, Review

Ricky has a girlfriend who he can't get to first base with. He is not a notable lover, boyfriend or cop. All this changes after he gets bitten by a mosquito that just happens to catch a plane all the way from Rumania to Korea. A priest shows up to help him return to being a human and teaches him how to control his metamorphosis.
Okay it's pretty cheesey. I will give it 2.5/5 acorns. It made me laugh.


Victim, Muk lau hung gwong, was a little hard for me to follow. A man is kidnapped by what appears to be ghosts. After that he is a changed man. I can't say more without giving the whole thing away.
I will give this one 2/5 acorns.

X-Men: The Last Stand, Review

A scientist finds a "cure" for mutants. He wanted his son to be "normal" and the he sets up his laboratory on Alcatraz to product a substance that neutralizes their power. This causes a split amongst the mutants. Half believe they have no disease and the others want so much to be like the rest of family. Rogue longs to be able to touch another human

Jean, who gave her life in the previous episode comes back to life but she has changed and is quite scary now. Magneto is his ole slimey self, going after the formula for the cure to help him neutralize his enemies. Wolvarine is back looking very buff and fuzzy, blades all polished.

The showdown is very cool and action packed.

All in all it was a very entertaining movie. I felt like crying in a couple of parts (but I'm not telling!).

I will give it a 3.5/5 acorns.

I suspect I haven't seen the end of the X-men yet, even thought it was the Last Stand.

I really like Rogues and Jeans sweaters.

Dogora, Review

Dogora is a Toho movie that combines sci-fi and spoofs yakuza movies at the same time. "Johnny Yuma" must not have been available for this one, so Robert Dunham plays the token American. The monsters aren't the usual rubber ones but are more like jellyfish that turn into rocks. The dubbing is bad and the acting stilted. It is really like two movies and the sci-fi part is pretty good. The "young soldier" scientist comes up with the solution to the alien invasion and that is pretty cool.

I will rate this 2.5/5...a cheesy delight.

Running Wild, Review

Ya-soo stars Sang-woo Kwon, from My Tutor Friend and Ji-tae Yu from Oldboy. Yu is a very anal policeman trying to bring to justice a ganster who has become a political figure. Kwon is out to avenge his half brother who was gunned down by the same man's hitman. His mother is dying in a hospital. These two actors are very good, the fight scenes were pretty convincing, but somehow this movie did not grab me. I will rate it 2/5 acorns.

While watching this movie, I kept reflecting on the scenes on the golf course and at the driving range. I'm beginning to wonder if golf is connected somehow to the Korean underworld or is it just Seoul? (as many movies are filmed at Seoul Film Studio Complex, I guess that is the equivalent of Hollywood). I must confess, though, I don't really know if there IS a Korean underworld and if there is, what it is really like.


Now that all my shows have ended for the season, except for the NHK Taiga drama, Komyo ga Tsuji, I hope to get my movie going mojo back. There are X-men to see and Codes to figure out. I'm sure as summer grows hotter, I'll need to seek out the AC!

Goyokin, Review

Goyokin is the gold and silver mined for the Tokugawa Shogunate and shipped by boat to Edo.

This movie stars 3 actors so familiar to me during the formative years of my love for samurai movies...Tatsuya Nakadai, Kinnosuke Nakamura, and Tetsuro Tamba. Nakadai plays so well a ronin haunted by a crime perpetrated by his brother-in-law, played by Tamba, to uphold the domain of their Lord. Nakamura is an undercover Bakafu agent investigating the disappearance of a whole town.

The filming is classic for it's time...artful waves, fire, rain and snow...well choreographed fight scenes with tense, quiet moments preceding swift and final blades...all very well done indeed.

And, there is the "inappropiate" laughter, the idea of duty before love, the geyser like gushing blood, melting into the white snow.

I was happy to come across this gem. I give it 3.5/5 acorns.

Three Seasons, Review

This movie follows several stories about life in Vietnam. One is an American ex-GI looking for his daughter, another is a pedicab driver who falls in love with a prostitute, another is a street child and the last a young girl who sells white lotuses for a poet who suffers from leprosy.

The stories don't really come together like some ensemble flicks. The filmography is very poetic. There are some messages to be read into the stories.

Not much action, but pleasing to watch.
I will rate it 3/5 acorns.

On The Run, Review

This is an older Chinese action flick about a detective who investigates the murder of his wife, a police woman, by a cool hitlady. He and the hitlady get handcuffed together and end up running from everybody-corrupt cops, drug lords and the police. She explains that she kills for money, not really getting into who the victim is. He has a very cute daughter who warms the heart of this hitlady, but of course that doesn't spoil her aim.

I was knitting during the movie and that always alters my ratings. I notice Internet Movie Database rates this a 7.4. I give it 2/5 acorns.

Laundry, Review

Teru fell into a manhole when he was little and has a scar on his head and his brain. His grandma knitted him a hat that he never takes off, because if he does he will have a "spasm". He works at his grandma's coin operated laundry, making sure no one steals anything and cleaning up. One day a sad, beautiful woman comes in to do her laundry and leaves behind an article of clothing. He closes up the laundry and returns it to her. She invites him in and holds his hand, obviously wounded and lonely.

Her story is that she always wanted to move to Tokyo and work in a flower shop. While there she falls in love with a delivery man. When he dumps her because his wife is having a baby, she is crushed and starts stealing. Eventually she moves to the end of the busline to live. Teru follows her there to return her blood-stained dress-blood stained from an attempted suicide.

The actor playing Teru wipes his nose much in the way deCaprio did in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" to indicate he is mentally challenged.

The question is can these two people get together and have a good life together? And what about the pigeons?

Oh yeah, there are pigeons. On his way to return the blood stained dressed, Teru hitches a ride with a surly man who likes Teru and gives him his card inviting him to call if he ever needs help. It turns out he does wedding pigeons.

There were some cute moments and characters in this movie, but it didn't quite work for me. I will rate it 2/5 acorns.

My Mother the Mermaid, Review

My Mother the Mermaid is a about a woman who goes in search of her father after he goes missing. She hates her life, and can't decide about her boyfriend. Her mother is a foul mouthed masseuse. She finds her father in the fishing village on the island where her parents were from. Somehow she is transported back in time and meets her mother and father in their 20s and gets to watch their romance blossom.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to let go of baggage from their first family. This is a story of one person who manages to let go and move forward. It is also a story of how love can be smothered and forgotten by the desire for material things.

I will give it 3/5 acorns.

Space Amoeba, Review

Now I'm very fond of rubber Japanese monsters like Godzilla, I mean who isn't? and Space Amoeba has Gezora, Ganime, and Kameba, but this movie was not the best in terms of story, acting and action. Perhaps that is why it has 4 other AKAs listed in The Internet Movie Database. I was expecting more from the octopus, crab and turtle mutated and taken over by space aliens.
I will have to give this only 2/5 acorns. Maybe if Nick Adams or Raymond Burr had made an appearance it would have helped. Maybe if I watched it with the Japanese audio it would have helped. Lotta maybes. Maybe not.

Yikes, I'm reading a book!

(image from Mandarava.com, hope they don't mind)

Yup, it has been known to happen, I'm reading a book, "Kitchen Table Wisdom" by Rachel Naomi Remen, MD. One of her stories talks about the Dancing Shiva. The God is dancing on a little man who has his attention on a leaf in his hands. She explains that in this session she attended everyone wanted to know about the little man The man, is caught up in the material world, and is oblivious to the fact that a glorious God is dancing on his back.

This book was actually recommended by one of the shrinks at work, and appealed to because it is "Stories That Heal". For me the focus was in the word "stories" as in short, as in, may be read by someone sucked in at work and with short attention span.

The message I got from this story? "Must be present to win". I also got another candidate for my values bracelet. Possibility.

Well to change gears now, I was very happy to see Molly Ringwald on Medium on Monday. I was wondering where she went. Perhaps having a family and living life. I hope so. But it was great seeing her.

Shadowless Sword, Review

Muyeong geom is a historical fiction action movie by director Young-jun Kim. He also directed Bichunmoo. I love these period movies because I learn a little bit of history which I was always bad at in Junior High. And, of course, although my grandfather is from Korea, I know almost nothing about Korean history, pre-Mash-time. Maybe it's time to research that branch of the family.
The problem I had with this movie was that the aerial antics of the fight scenes is way overdone, in my opinion. There were some cool moments, such as the exploding people ala Fist of North Star...the poignant pause before body parts spurt everywhere, and stone pillars crashing down. The costumes and scenary are beautiful. And, there is a story line that I could follow. I will rate this 2.5/5 acorns.

Tetsuo II: Body Hammer, Review

Tetsuo II: Body Hammer , is not quite as graphic, and artsy as original Tetsuo. The metal guy's son is kidnapped by some bad guys who are led by a twisted man. We are given insight in to this man's unhappy childhood. We are not told how he comes to induce his own cybernetic transformation with an injection of some unknown substance. It's not entirely clear to me why he kidnaps this little boy, but the result of this event sends metal guy into an emotional rage that causes him to transform into a hulk of deformed killing metal. The bad guy leads a bunch of skinheads, who work out in between doing their master's bidding.

The sound track was not as good as the first. I will rate this one 2.5/5 acorns.

Being sucked into TV has diminshed my movie going. I am sucked in by Sopranos, American Idol, Medium, Boston Legal, Komyo ga Tsuji, and 24. The room cleaning in preparation for the remodel is moving on slowly. How did I collect so much stuff?

Minotaur and Fools Rush In Review

Minotaur is a 2005 made for SciFi Channel movie. It was just okay. The characters are kind of boring and once trapped in the labyrinth with the creature just don't seem to know what to do. The story idea itself wasn't so bad but not very original. The beginning reminded me of Dragonslayer in that kids (virgins) are being sacrificed to a monster, but the king's son is being spared. His girlfriend was one of the one taken and he dreams of her and a leper eggs him on to go to the land of the Minotauer to rescue her. I like the scenes when the bad guys come to kidnap the kids, but once in the land of the Minotauer it becomes a bit of a snore. I got a lot of knitting done watching this one. I'll rate it 1.5/5 acorns.
Rutgar Hauer is supposed to be in this one, but I couldn't spot him. I think he was hidden behind a large beard.

Fool's Rush In was a romantic comedy with Selma Hayek and Matthew Perry. I have been a fan of Selma ever since she slithered on in From Dawn to Dusk. The movie itself was like most romantic comedies, cute, contrived and happily ended. I will give it 2/5 acorns.

My brain is turning to mush this weekend.

Tetsuo, Review

Tetsuo is a 1988 movie directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. He is probably more well know for Koroshiya (Ichi the Killer). Tetsuo is a very graphic, black and white movie, about a man who mutates into a metal monster after he cuts him self shaving. Now if that isn't a good reason to stop shaving I don't know what would be. I couldn't quite figure out where the other metal guy came from, but he lives in the sewer as far as a I can tell, and of course we all know that the Ninja Turtles mutated down there, so it's not so far fetched that a metal monster could also. A couple reviews I read suggested that the sewer metal man is also homosexual. Anyway, being that this is a Japanese movie and both metal men suffer from extreme adjustment disorders, you can assume, there is no happy ending here. But, there is a sequel. I will watch that another day.
The music is quite interesting and matches the black and white images. All the actors have very expressive faces.
I will rate this movie 3/5 acorns. It is not for the squeamish.

Only Yesterday, Review

I have been obsessing lately on how I'm trapped in eight grade emotionally and I keep thinking of this animated movie from Hayao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli. The director and author of the screenplay is Isao Takahata of Grave of the Fireflies fame.

The synopsis from Nausicaa.net states, "Only Yesterday revolves around Taeko, a single woman working a desk job in Tokyo in 1982, taking a vacation in the countryside with the family of her sister in-law. During her vacation, Taeko finds herself looking back at her time as a young schoolgirl growing up in 1966. The film flips back and forth between the two time periods with a lot of nostalgia and beautiful country scenery as Taeko sorts out her flashbacks and tries to make some tough decisions about her future."

There really isn't a lot of action in this movie, but it is never dull and obviously still speaks to me even though I haven't watched it for a while. The "Country Road" theme is from my time and so familiar.

I will rate it 4 of 5 acorns.

Chasing Secrets and The Promise, Review

Chasing Secrets is a made for TV movie that sucked me in on Lifetime TV this am. I hate it when movies make me cry because they are so touching. I must view it as a sign that I am weak or something.

I remember getting sucked in to an old movie years ago. I was staying up pretty late channel surfing (or probably knob turning, ahem, as it was probably before the remote, gasp). I don't know the name of the movie. I don't remember any actors or actresses. I do remember it was a black and white movie maybe around the Rebecca time, or maybe even before. It was about two children from different social levels who meet and pledge true love to each other for eternity. After they are separated, the women marries (I think she heard he was dead or something) and when the guy shows up he ends up killing her husband and is sentenced to life in prision. He survives by having her visit him in his dreams and when he dies they are walking amongst flowers heaven. It was the kind of movie that I always chastise myself for staying up to 3am to see the end.

I would give that movie a half acorn if I knew what it was called. But then, I digress.

Chasing Secrets is sappy in the way Lifetime movies are. I know I get sucked in to these shows because the stories are very nice and actors and actresses are usually people who exude goodness or are thoroughly depraved. It really helps to know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are.

In this story a young "white trash" child grows up in a very abusive family. The family supports itself by using the child's mom as "bait" in a bar, and when she goes out the fella, her grandfather bushwhacks him and robs him. The child runs down a path one day and meets a black family who provide her with the parenting and love she never had. The movie ends with her returning years later, successful in life, love and family and telling the tale to her daughter.

Shen she opens a present left by the family, it is the apron made with love with her name embroidered on it. Waaaah! The tears came. And I swear, I'm not pregnant! I'll rate this 3/5 acorns.

BTW, this movie was much better then The Promise.
This was a very sappy Chinese action/comedy/romance/fantasy, that was just a little too corny and over the top. A man from the Land of Snow becomes a slave after his village is destroyed when he is a child. He doesn't remember who he is or where he comes from. He becomes the slave of a general and the general uses him to get the woman he loves from the King. Because the slave is dressed in the general's armor, it is assumed the general is the assassin. The woman also started as an urchin who in an encounter with a goddess promises that she will forsake love for riches, until time runs backward, blah blah blah. Well I won't bore you with more, but the slave from the Land of Snow can really run fast! I will rate it 2/5 acorns because I love the costumes and the scenary. The fight scenes are all bogus. Rent this, don't buy it:)

V is for Vendetta, Review

According to Guy-fawkes.com :
in 1605, Guy Fawkes and a group of co-conspirators attempted to blow up King James 1 and the Houses of Parliament in what has become known as the Gunpowder Plot. Before they were able to carry out their plan they were caught, and subsequently tortured and executed.

V is a futuristic reenactment of this historic event. The world has changed drastically and Britain is ruled by a twisted tyrant playied exceedingly well by John Hurt, and his cronnies. Natalie Portman's character gets caught up in the whole plot when she is saved by V after getting caught by the unsavory "fingers" after curfew.

This movie was very well done. It is dark, well-acted and the special effects are no over-done.

I will rate it 4.5/5 acorns.

March 12

Well today is a birthday, I won't say which one. Just let me say I'm old. Heh. I just realized how neglected this blog has been. Perhaps it has served it's purpose and and I should close it down.

It's not that I don't have any movies to review...I have a ton to watch yet. I think it's because I don't have much to rant and whine about. But then it is a matter of degree. There are little rants and whines, but mostly I feel content.

This here is what I call the Mickey Mouse plant. Why? because those green olive like things turn black and look like his ears. There are never any black ones anymore. Some really beautiful ring neck doves sit in the bush outside my window and eat them all up. When I close and open the windows the all fly away. I'm not sure how smart it is for them to sit in that bush. It is cat level.



The lady across the street from me lives in a fortress. Her house is totally walled and gated and I don't think I would recognize her if I saw her even though I have been her neighbor for most of my life. She is a plant lady and has great flowers planted outside the wall. One of them is this flowering banana, getting ready to flower.

There really isn't any reason to close this blog down. I know there are movies, rants and whines to come. It's my blog and if I blog I blog, and if I don't I don't.
Heh.

Big Momma's House 2

This movie was very funny in parts, especially the "Bo Derek" moment in the picture. I enjoyed the movie without having to think one bit! It had a very happy ending.
Martin Lawrence is a very appealing man, but then I've always been a sucker for dimples.

I'll give this movie 3/5 acorns.

Air Kitty

While all the airlines I get to fly these days have decreased service to the point that I just automatically take my own pillow, blanket and food, Air Kitty has gone out of it's way to pack custom lunches and celebrate cute.
What's up with that?

Slim Pickin's, so thanks to TV

Book and Sword was a disappointing Kung Fu flick. The Story is boring and hard to follow as the focus is on the wire/acrobatic type of fighting. I was hoping for real combat as in Ong bak. I rate it 1/5/5 acorns.

I liked The Boy from Hell a little better as it was at least cheesey. Mom is some sort of brain surgeon who's only son is decapitated in a freak car accident. She hesitates a little before taking up the old woman with the bad wig up on bringing son back from the dead, so of course he is deformed and has become a zombie. She trieds to fix him up with brain surgery, but alas, it doesn't help. I will rate this one 2.5/5 acorns.

Saat po long was a better Kung Fu movie in that Sammo Hung and Donnie Yen are in it and there are some great fight scenes. It is a bit plot deficient. I will rate it 3/5 acorns, cuze those fight scenes are really something.

Ice Rain is a Korean love story with the usual great looking actors and actresses with incredible sweaters and a single theme song that plays ad nauseum. The scenery is Asiq in Alaska and the mountains and snow are pretty wonderful. One word, corny. I will rate this 2.5/5 acorns, too.

The Green Mile was on TV again and I found it just as mesmerizing as the first time I watched it. Michael Clark Duncan is wonderful as the gentle giant and the rest of the cast is great, too. Stephen King has penned such a great story. I will rate this 4.5/5 acorns.

My sister who visits from Tacoma every year for two months has returned home and so now life will go back to the hum drum. My number 1 son has moved in with his dad. I pray he will find a spark in his life.

As I look around, my house still ain't neat! Help, I need a self-cleaning house.

Mrs. Henderson Presents, Review

Mrs. Henderson Presents stars Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins in this movie based on real business partners. Mrs. Henderson has been living in the shadow of her wealthy husband in India. They had lost their only son at age 21 in WW1. She returns to England a very wealthy, well connected widow. She finds the usual hobbies like embroidery and charity work boring so she buys a theater. Bob Hoskins becomes her show director. They have a very confrontational relationship. In order to sustain their initial success, the show has nudes in it and when WW2 breaks out, the show becomes very popular for the very young soldier.

The show is well acted and has both dramatic and funny parts. It was all quite enjoyable and I will rate it 4.5/5 acorns, even though it had no zombies or cyborgs.

Pulse, 2005 Review

This movie by Kiyoshi Kurosawa has a creepiness to it, but I found it difficult to follow. I kept thinking perhaps something was lost in the translation. Something has found it's way into the world through the Internet and it isn't a good thing. People start committing suicide and gradually the world starts to empty out. It's hard to figure out a message if there is one. I could never figure out the red tape around the doors, but if you see it, don't go in! The cute guy says that, but breaks his own rule and goes into the Forbidden Room. Will he end up an oil black smudge like so many others? If you can stay awake until the end, you will find out.

I'll rate it 2.5/5 acorns. My sister would say that is generous, but I like the dark special effects and creepy sounds.

And, now my Bones

Results of bone density just in....I'm dense! YAY, I don't have to force those big honking calcium rock pills down, just stick with the yogure:)

I watched the Big Lebowski again. I keep thinking that this movie will make more sense to me. There are some very good actors ans odd characters in this movie and a Pulp Fiction type plot. Turturro and Buscemi and John Goodman, as well as the star Jeff Bridges play some very quirky people. I did not recognize Julianne Moore until I saw her name in the credits. This movie is rated 8/10 on IMDB, so I'm going to go read their review now. I just didn't get it, although I was amused. BRB

Comments from IMBD: "A celebration of the ultimate man, nay, the ultimate dude"-I'm not sure what this means. Compared to The Big Sleep...mmm, I still don't get it.

I will rate it 3/5 acorns. I may watch it again.

Gunhed, The Big Lebowski, and my Bones

Gunhed is a live action mecha movie. The greatest scenes imo are right in the beginning when narrator tells the tale of the island taken over by the computers. Ultimately the Gunhed troops sent to rescue the island are defeated and left a giant junkyard. It is visited by various pirates seeking chips and parts to salvage. The acting is a bit stilted and cheesy in a way only the Japanese can make it. The Gunhed units and battle scenes are pretty cool. I will rate this one 3.5/5 acorns.

Gingko Bed 1 and 2 Review

Gingko Bed 1 is a melodramatic love story that crosses time. A general obsesses on a the love of his queen, but she is love with a musician. His jealousy leads to killing the musician and a curse. The lover become two Gingko Trees who untwine their roots while the General wanders in pergatory.

Gingko Bed 2 is an entirely different kind of movie. The story is a little hard to follow with the subtitles. The leader of one tribe betrays the other and bears his daughter for sacrifice un order to gain power with the help of a holy mountain. Father escapes with his daughter. She grows up in love with one man, but his best friend in in love with her. At the time of the eclipse she is supposed to sacrifice for some reason. The best part of this movie was all the cute Korean actresses and actors. To hell with the story;)

I will rate them 2/5 acorns for GB2 and 2.5/5 acorns for GB2

Walk The Line, Review

My son who usually nods and grunts when I ask him about movies he'd seen actually spoke words of praise for this movie, so my sister and I took this rainy afternoon to see it. I had forgiven Joaquin Phoenix for being such a bastard in Gladiator, and I think he did a great job as the man in black. Reese Witherspoon also gave a really great performance and looked perfect in the 50s and 60s clothes. And, there was Robert Patrick, ex-Terminator! It is tough to squeeze a man's life into just a little under 3 hours and a I would love to read or hear more about Johnny Cash and June Carter. They were married 35 years and died within 4 months of each other.

I will rate this movie 4/5 acorns.

TV Reviews

Masters of Horror is a Showtime series. I have seen a few episodes including Deer Woman, Homecoming, Fair Haired Child and Sick Girl. I enjoyed all of them. Homecoming is especially cheesey.

American Idol is off to it's start. The beginning is never that interesting to me...so much bad talent out there thinking they are good. I give them credit for putting themselves out there and giving it a try, but I'm sure glad someone else is weeding them out!

24 is my favoritie and it got off to a rocking start. I will be glued to this one.

I'm also looking forward to Medium and hope to catch the ending of Yoshistune (I know how it ends, so if I miss it, oh well:)

March of the Penguins, Review

I recall watching a special years ago about the Emperor penquins and their lifestyle. I also remember how the 75 year old host was dropped off on Antarctica to narrate. I felt shamed that I was too chicken even to leave the country or lazy to work until I was 75!

The narration by Morgan Freeman gives human characteristic to these awesome penquins and the babies are just too too cute. The imprinting of this birds is so amazing. I really hated the gull trying to eat them and the cracked egg and crying was almost too much. Luckily this movie didn't dwell on the real harshness of life or show blood and shreds.

I will rate this documetary 4/5 acorns. It's a story just too amazing to pass up on.

Nausciaa Review

Nausicaa is one of Hayao Miyazaki's masterpieces. The story is quite complex and the creatures fantastic. I love every minute of this movie which I have seen numerous times.

I will rate it 5/5 acorns.

Rawhead Rex, Review

This movie is based on a Clive Barker story. It is not as well polished as the Hellraiser movies and not as endearing as my favorite, Nightbreed. Ole Rawhead himself is a pretty good monster and he manages to rip up a quite of few of the local residents of a very small town. The parish has some very unkindly clergy but then it is built on a very old secret. The pushy American and his family is there to study antiquities. I Will rate this 2.5/5 acorns.

Rasen Review

There are quite a few Ring movies. Rasen is the sequel to the newer Japanese one. It is just a ho hum movie, and and I admit I slept through a lot of it. It did have some good parts, but jumped around too much. I can see why it was ignored in Japan.
I rate it 1/5 acorns.

Reviews: Munich, The Astounding She Monster, and Harold the Amazing Contorsionist Pig

Steven Spielberg brings Munich to the big screen. At the 1972 Olympics, a Palestinian terrorist group named Black September kidnap and murder 11 Israeli athletes. Eric Bana, an Australian actor who was also in Troy, Chopper and Black Hawk Down, plays a Mossad operative who goes out into the cold to seek revenge. Acording to Wikipedia, Mossad is one of the world's best-known and most highly regarded intelligence agencies. Mossad was formed in December 1949 as the "Central Institute for Coordination", at the recommendation of Reuven Shiloah to Prime Minister David Ben Gurion. Mossad is a civilian service, and does not use military ranks, although most of its staff have served in the Israeli Defense Force as part of Israel's compulsory draft system, and many of them are officers. Its many successes in serving Israel's security interests have earned Mossad a reputation for being extremely effective as an intelligence agency. The movie is tense pretty much all the way through and touches on the emotions and fall out from the hit teams actions. Once again Spielberg brings a powerful historical story to the screen with passion. I will rate it 4.5/5 acorns.

The Astounding She Monster is a vintage sci-fi movie with bad music, dated special effects and a corny message. It was entertaining enough for me to watch in its entirety. I will give it 2/5 acorns.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Pig Tale. The humour is deadpan, matter of fact and made me chuckle. I will rate it 3/5 acorns.

Chronicles of Narnia, Review

This was a very enjoyable movie. The characters were so well done. There are fawns, centaurs, minotaurs, beavers, wolves and of course the lion. The acting is very good, especially the White witch who does her character so well. I loved the music, too. Alanis Morissette sings Wunderkind at the end.

Oh perilous place
Walk backwards toward you
Blink disbelieving eyes chilled to the bone
Most visibly brave
No apprehended bloom
First to take this foot to virgin snow

I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind oh
I live the envelope pushed far enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
destined to serve
destined to roam

Oh ominous place
Spellbound and un-childproofed
My least favorite chill to bear alone

compatriots in place
they'd cringe if I told you
our best back pocket secret: our bond full blown

I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind oh
I am a pioneer na�ve enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
destined to seek
destined to know

most beautiful place
Reborn and blown off roof
My view: about face weather, great will be done

I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind oh
I am a groundbreaker na�ve enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne

I am a magnet for all kinds of deeper wonderment
I am a wunderkind oh
I am a joan of arc and smart enough to believe this
I am a princess on the way to my throne
destined to reign, destined to roam
destined to reign�.destined to roam�

See it :) I give it 5/5 acorns, but then I love fantasy.

This and That

From Science News: Circumcision cuts HIV transmission. Apparently this study had to be stopped because the number of men that converted during the study period in this high risk group was twice as high in the uncircumcised group. As much as I hated doing cirucumcisions, this is a compelling reason. The article makes of point in saying that HIV transmission is reduced 60% and not 100%.

I can't seem to get through more then a couple pages of any novel, but I can read craft magazines, especially knitting ones over and over, and I can read Science News. I think it's because the articles are short and my mind wanders if I have to concentrate too long. I can't seem to read the newspaper, though, with any frequency, but then it's always full of sad stuff like, car accidents and soldiers dying overseas. I don't follow sports. I continue to subscribe because I need something to line the birdcages with, and I like the Sunday paper.

I didn't make any resolutions for New Year. I started a list of things I learned in 2005. Number one was, don't use my hand as a hammer. Guess it was just that kind of year.

Syriana Review

A lot of plots and subplots come together in Syriana. There are some really great actors in this movie including George Clooney, William Hurt, Christopher Plummer, Matt Damon and Alexander Siddig. In the beginning it was a bit confusing...lots of characters and lots of locations. Clooney pulls off a unique performance as a CIA operative. Alexander Siddig of Deep Space 9, Kingdom of Heaven and Reign of Fire was intriguing. He is the nephew of Malcolm McDowell and was born in Sudan to an English mum and Sudanese father. He was raised in England.

A very well done movie and I give it 4/5 acorns.

King Kong, 2005, Review

I wasn't going to see this movie in the the theater since I know how it ends. But as things worked out the movie I went to see wasn't playing at the time I thought it was so it was karma that I see Kong. I will have to go back and watch my favorite pre-LOTR Peter Jackson movie Braindead or that other classic of his, Meet the Feebles. It was a good thing he "sold out" on the blockbusters as he has really raised the bar on them. Naomi Watts was wonderful as Ann Darrow. She is beauty with heart...funny, strong and talented as well as beautiful. No wonder she charms the beast. The Skull Island natives are scary. The fauna on the other side of the wall is great. The dinosaurs and bugs are way too real, especially the squishy ones.

I always thought Adrien Brody looked like Chris Johnson of the The Black Crowes.
But well...maybe not.



Anyway, I rate it 4/5 acorns. I enjoyed it very much!

The Snow Queen, Review

This version of Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen is a British production for TV. Gerda, a young girl, befriends a freezing orphan and they become inseparatable. The Snow Queen had almost had him before she rescues him, and he tells Gerda that he has seen her and if he opens the window, she will see the Snow Queen, too. He opens the window and the Snow Queen sees him. Gerda makes him shut the window because she is cold but not before he gets something in his eye. After that he changes and become mean, and one day he disappears. Gerda goes to rescue him from the Snow Queen, braving odd and dangerous beings.

The film has some odd effects which at first I thought was bad PAL to NTSC transfer. They were somewhat like the dream sequences in Gladiator. Once I realized it was intentional, it didn't bother me at all. There is a lot of sweet music in the background which made me think this was a musical, but none of the characters break out in song. The Snow Queen herself is portrayed in a very beautiful and haunting way.

All in all I enjoyed this rendering and give it 4/5 acorns.

Family Stone, Review

I did not know anything about this movie before going to see it. It is not the kind of movie I would pick as it had a sad theme. I loved all the actors and actresses in this movie. Sally Jessica Parker was great as the uptight girlfriend brought home to meet her boyfriend's quirky family. The are preloaded to dislike her and there is a yet unknown sorrow. I haven't seen Claire Danes in anything for a while, and she is sparkly as the sister invited in for moral support. Luke Wilson plays one of the boyfriends brother and I find him just as appealing as ever. The story itself has some very funny moments, but is a bit too contrived. The background snowy secluded neighborhood is beautiful.

I will rate this 3/5 acorns.

Hitting the Note

What is it about the blues? I was giving up the blues because by definition it is about angst and loss and well, the Blues. I was going to take my life away from dark places with World Music where even if the words were really bummers, I didn't know since the music was in a language I didn't underdstand.

And then, I listened to this CD, Hitting the Note. I am an Allman Brother's Band fan going pretty far back. I didn't discover them until after Gregg Allman's untimely death, but I did experience one of the most memorable concerts of my college years hearing Dicky Betts and Duane rock in Kansas City.

The band has reconstituted with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks on guitar, and of course Duane Allman. And yes the lyrics are about life's bumps and love's lost, but I discovered that it's not about the lyrics for me so much as it is about the beat and the wailing guitars. This music makes me stomp my feet and want to get up and dance.

And that's why I love the blues so.