Tangled

Ahhh, who doesn't love the occasional Disney tale? Tangled fulfilled all the Disney cravings I had, tracing back to the glamor and feisty fun of Little Mermaid, Cinderella and of course, Shrek. Tangled is the story of Repunzel told in an intriguing, funny and charming fashion.

I recommend it for all those that want to fulfill their Disney appetite.

The Black Swan

The Black Swan is one of those really artsy movies you can't help thinking about after watching it. It's very well made, kind of over the top though and a bit scary. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a professional ballerina. She's very rigid, delicate and involved with her career, actually too involved. In a new play called "The Swan Lake," she's chosen to be the lead by a charming but manipulative director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Casserol). In her role, Nina has to play "The White Swan," a role that she's perfect at. But she not only has to play the White Swan role that shows vulnerability, fragility and meticulous perfection, but also another role, that of the "Black Swan," which is loose and sensual.

Natalie Portman does a very good job in portraying her character as a strained and obsessive artist, desiring perfection. After every single practice, she vomits. And for breakfast she readily eats a grape fruit, and that's it.

Trouble starts when Nina meets another ballerina Lily, who seems to fit the role of the "Black Swan" perfectly. Lily is everything Nina is not: confident, bold and attractive.

Because of her repressed way of life and her secret desire to be free, Nina starts having dark fantasies and hallucinations, several of which include, a "Black Swan" mirror image of herself trying to take over, killing Lily, her feet getting webbed together, her fingers bleeding, etc.

All this mental havoc continues consuming her, until the end, when she reaches her final act....

I feel like her mom has a part to play for Nina's destruction, asking for nothing but perfection from her daughter.

I would recommend this movie if you like thrillers and are looking for a new movie experience. This movie might have connections with real life too: with obsession for an art.

It's like Heath Ledger and the pill overdose: how far are you willing to go to master your art. And is it worth it?

Nina seems to think so.

The Last Airbender

WOW... this movie sucked! It was the WORST. I can't describe how terrible it was. You'd think that in a two hour movie... SOMETHING would have gone right, or at least okay... well, after watching this movie, I realized that it's completely possible to create a laughably bad movie.

I was LAUGHING throughout the movie because it was just that bad.

Why was it bad, you may ask? Well, the acting was bad, the dialogue was flat, and the characters were boring, and their names were mispronounced.

The evil King Ozai might as well be Ozai uncle. He was totally not intimidating!

OH MY GOD...... it was bad.

Season Finale: Lost

I just finished watching the season finale of Lost (Caution: Spoilers ahead).
What I got was a message rather than a plot development.
Before he kicks the bucket, Jack Shephard, the consummate leader of the "Lost" gang, was advised by his father to reach out to those he loves for support (how typical...).
Other than that, some loose ends were tied and the surviving characters got to reconnect with the dead characters before they all journeyed to heaven.
So did I like it? You can say so. The episode had a necessary "finale feel" to it.
It wasn't tear-jerking status though...

Mulholland Drive

I chose to watch Mulholland Dr. because it was on the IMDB top 250 list and in my treasured book, "1001 Movies You Have to See Before You Die." It follows Rita (Laura Harring) and Betty (Naomi Watts), two aspiring actresses in Hollywood.
The plot is REALLY confusing so I am not even going to try to explain it here...
The only thing I can say is that the cops, the voodoo guy hiding behind a coffee shop, the director, the creepy cowboy, the gangster, and basically the whole first one and a half hours of the movie is TRIPPY and CONFUSING.
By the end, no one knows what the reality is. Is Betty real or Diane real? Both are played by Naomi Watts... but who is real? I think that Diane is real (if you watch the movie, you might agree....)
The plot makes me feel frustrated, but I would like to believe there is some significance behind it. The film could be about illusion vs. reality or the craziness of Hollywood.
OVERALL, the only thing I really admired about the movie is its cinematography. Each scene made me feel differently. In the beginning, when a car is driving down a seedy street, it is eerie and ominous. Later on, when Rita and Betty are stepping into a taxi late at night in LA with lights flashing everywhere, it is glamorous and exciting. When Rita and Betty have their love scene (the screen seemed to be covered with a palate of beige), it is romantic. When Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux), a famous director drives to his house and sees his wife cheating on him, the lighting is bright and the scene is funny. Especially when Kesher furiously dabs pink paint all over his wife's jewelry as a comeback...
Therefore, it's careful attention to the camera lens that makes this movie unique and probably worth watching...

North by Northwest

Well, I watched this movie in school, which automatically makes it ten times more exciting then it generally would be... (I'm not being sarcastic)....

"North by Northwest" is a stylistic film and very impressively made, especially for the 50s. It has an interesting flavor to it. The characters seem to mould into the plot and give it life, which is lacking in movies nowadays. Well, I believe Alfred Hitchcock REALLY deserved an Oscar. Hitchcock is indeed my hero, no joke. His movies are very suspenseful but not to the point at which they'd wanna make you throw up or leave the theater. That's the difference between watching a Hitchcock film and "I know what you did last summer" or even "Se7en" and "Silence of the Lambs" (PUKING seriously...)

Anyways, why should YOU watch North by Northwest? Well, it's one of those classics that's just well made. There are a bunch of plot devices that are generally present in Hitchcock's films: McGuffins, the Anti- Hero, Cool Blonde, and Charming Villain. What makes North by Northwest SLIGHTLY different from his other films is that it falls short on the gloomy bank. It's PRETTY humorous most of the while...

SO, if you want to watch a more light hearted Hitchcock film (with of course some sHOCK), I recommend you see North by Northwest. And if you're worried about its credibility: its number 32 on imdb top 100. And also, it has a rating of 8.6 AND was nominated for three oscars... so there you go. By the way, Cary Grant is hot.

GLEE

Well, who doesn't love Glee? Umm... no one? No, I'm serious.

I was talking to my friend the other day, and she mentioned that Glee had more normal people  in it and that's why she liked the show. WELL, I agree!  The characters show emotions that we can relate to and express it through song and dance- as we probably do in our own private bedrooms and showers. We see jealousy, happiness, anger, and all sorts of other things, that we at one point in our own high school lives have felt. It's not like High School Musical with barbie doll characters and zero plot substance... Even Zac Effron couldn't sit through the first half of that crap... 

That's why I think Glee makes more sense! It's a well done musical and show...the characters are content with being themselves and surface ALL emotions- whether good or bad!! The actors are also really talented, a characteristic really lacking in High School Musical (except for Corbin Bleu- he's cool).

Just be happy!!!! And be free!! Wow, Glee has rubbed off on me too much :P 

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL = POOR QUALITY

GLEE= HIGH(ER) QUALITY 

ALRIGHT, I need to continue studying for the test tomorrow. God, I hate being a second semester senior....

Death Note

Death Note is something I’ve not witnessed before in animation. It has flair to attract adults let alone teenagers. It is highly stylized and brilliantly animated- with the characters showing incredibly diabolical expressions with eyes turning red and the hair color becoming more distinct. Dragon Ball Z and Pokémon do not compare to this level of artistry. Boy is it great to see how much animation has evolved over the years.

Anyways, it starts out with seventeen-year-old Light Yagami, a brilliant kid who finds a “death note” that can kill anyone whose name is written in it. At first, when Light flips to the first page stating a few ominous rules, he’s quite skeptical. He tosses it to the ground, and keeps walking: just like any other person would. Then with a breeze, he flips his head and looks at the book, eyes filled with a sudden mischievous curiosity.  From that moment on, we instantly assume that Light’s not the good guy of this series. And indeed, he is not. Death Note involves interesting people, like the world’s greatest detective “L” who constantly feeds on sweet cakes and sugary tea. He suspects Light from the very beginning to be the guy who’s been causing all the murders. And indeed he comes very close. But the story is more complex than a simple cat-rat chase. There are Death Gods, twists, turns, and miscalculations by both Light and the other geniuses trying to nail him and the death note. It’s a hodgepodge of style and action. It’s a must-see. 

Avatar

Avatar has SPECTACULAR special effects- and if you don't watch it in 3D, then you are missing out. As the screen showed the surrealistic world of Pandora, I felt as though I was in some sort of utopia, with exotic plants and pretty skies (you can practically see planets caving in). To fill you in on what I'm talking about, let me give you the gist of the story: 

There's basically this planet called "Pandora" that is home to a group of graceful blue natives. The humans, with all their robotic machinery and ambition to gain this special "rock" from their world, send Sam Worthington- in a native's body, to pretend to be one of their kind and influence from within. This is when the plot transforms into a Pocahantas adaptation with Worthington meeting a woman native, learning the ways of her tribe, then falling in love with her. The main difference here is the interesting fact that Worthington has two separate bodies.

Avatar is a breath of fresh air. It's nice to experience the change from a boring human platform to the gorgeous world of the natives. 

The technology is AMAZING and the final battle involves not only the bows and arrows of the dexterous natives, but also the animal, the wildlife, and the network of energy surrounds all. I’ve observed through my movie viewings, the general idea of a force connecting all. In Star Wars you succinctly have, “the force” and in Avatar, you get a willow tree of some sort with branches extending everywhere… an interesting development.

Anyways, Avatar truly engages its audience in a battle between Nature and Mankind of which we can only hope that the former wins. 

Ordinary People

 “Ordinary People” is a deep film with significant nuances but not much entertainment. The protagonist is Conrad (Timothy Hutton), a sad sad teenager suffering from low self-esteem, fear and guilt of his older brother’s sudden death. Conrad’s feelings and relationships are complicated- especially the one he has with his mother, which he feels has died along with his older brother. In my opinion, his mother is a scary cookie. She puts on a cheerful façade and serves breakfast to Conrad, but when he says he’s not hungry out of clear emptiness, she nonchalantly dumps his French toast down the sink. She is obviously so selfish that she doesn’t care about anyone. I hate how the movie shows her being nice and polite to Conrad when all I really wanted her to do was strip off and show her true colors.

Conrad visits a psychiatrist who is a HUGE disappointment. I just watched Goodwill Hunting yesterday, and with the enthusiasm, energy and skill Roger Williams uses to deliver his lines as Will’s psychologist, this movie’s shrink definitely falls short. “I’m your friend Conrad,” he says in a monotone drab, and the kid has to act as though he has a life changing experience… HOW LAME.

“Ordinary People” won four Oscars and does not qualify as a bad film. There were many elements to it that were impressive. Timothy Hutton was amazing as Conrad and there were touching scenes: my favorite one is the ending, when Conrad’s dad who was always shy and reluctant in expressing his love, finally shows it. 

In the Land of Women

“In the land of women” is one of those slow chick flicks that either touches you, or makes you bored.  Although this film was interesting to me in places, overall, it just wasn’t worth my time. Carter (Adam Brody) is supposed to be a porn writer, which I find absolutely ridiculous. He’s sensitive, romantic and a good listener- if he is all these things- why can’t he be a romance novelist, why does he have to write about something so physically dimensional like porn? His “Randy” the teddy bear story is based off of his own circumstances, but it doesn’t seem like it would fall in the porn category anytime soon. Anyways, Carter lives with his demented and might I say funny grandmother, who is on the verge of death. The conversations between him and his grandmother are the best part of the film. They are funny and charming. This relationship is probably the only real one in the movie- not the ones with Kirsten Stewart and Meg Ryan. Those are just too complicated and SAD to bear.

If I were you, I would skip this movie altogether since it doesn’t seem to go in any real direction. Carter, who’s practically the most important character in the film, does not seem to change or feel better in anyway (about his breakup- the context for the story)- and that is what the audience would want to see the most.

The First Daughter

“The First Daughter” is one of the most mundane movies I’ve ever seen. It bases its entire plot on a formula that’s been used in better movies:

 Girl meets cute with a guy, and wants freedom, blah blah blah. Give me a break!! If you want the same boring thing all over again, then you should watch this film. 

Vampire Knight

Vampire Knight is the biggest joke ever. The characters are stereotyped, the plot is repetitive, and the ONLY signs of action are dialogue. For anime, that’s terrible. Should you watch it? No, no no….

Well, what is it about? It’s about an academy that caters to day students and night students (the vamps). Now, to give the show some credit, the vamps are hot, but the characters are as dry as slab. And they don’t do ANYTHING but talk, talk, and talk, Anyways, the dean of the academy chooses his adopted daughter Yuuki Cross, who’s basically the size of a munchkin, to whip the night students in line. She’s not strong, which makes it necessary for her to be constantly protected by another adopted academy student (a vampire in the making).  Does this fellow love her? Yup. Is he a big fat jerk with a chip on his soldier? You bet. But there are of course complications coming in the form of Kaname, the beautiful and desirable head student of the night class, who of course, treats Yuuki like she’s a princess. It’s almost incredible to me how many characters in anime are introduced as demi-gods. For instance, every girl has the hots for Kaname. He’s worshipped like an angel. Also, consider Sasuke from Naruto. I don’t think many students can relate to someone who’s constantly bowed down to (or that gorgeous), especially when it’s OVERDONE. Well. That’s okay, cuz I’m DONE with this show! 

Gray's Anatomy

Gray’s Anatomy is a slow and unfolding series. Its characters are very passionate doctors… and seem realistic. Doctor Bailey reminds me of my grandmother, and Cristina seems like a typical Monta Vista Student pursuing surgery. That itself makes them admirable, and besides: they’re shown half the time doing surgeries on (mostly sympathetic) people. Therefore, I refuse to say that any of the characters are entirely selfish or dumb (I would like to be a doctor myself some day- although not a surgeon, since it seems so stressful).  Sometimes I wish I could study as hard as some of these people on TV, ANYWAYS… what makes this show so special, is that it’s not played out like a fantasy… it’s not unusual and gloomy like House (don’t get me wrong, I like the show!), or slapstick like Scrubs, it’s more real… the characters on many levels are not relatable to high school students like me, but I can relate to regret and competition (above all since I go to an Asian school). SO…. Should you watch Gray’s Anatomy? I wouldn’t say it’s a must-see. But with the little charm it has, it manages to be somewhat entertaining. 

Gossip Girl

NOTE: I wrote this last semester... 

I am now feeling surprisingly guilty- I just took the SAT IIs, feel as though I’ve failed, and have now wasted the last three hours watching gossip girl to remove my woe. Now, what I feel is even more frustration.

Anyways a review for Gossip Girl:

Gossip Girl is something I did not expect I would find so entertaining. It had all the symptoms of a no-brain- all waste program; the kids do drugs, smoke, sleep around and have humungous egos. But if there is one thing it has taught me- when it gets nicer, some entertainment value is lost. In season 1, this show was tagged “mind-blowingly inappropriate” by one reviewer and another argued that it was “Bad For You.” But is it really that bad? Well it depends on what kind of person you are and how carried away you get with what you see on television. Although Gossip Girl has quite a few ugly characters, I do not think that its intent is to pass on any life messages. The whole lifestyle is a fantasy. And as a viewer and consumer, you have to understand that. You can be the most innocent person in the world, but enjoy watching gossip girl for some entertainment. It’s not quality, but it’s something to escape to. We enjoy it because we see characters on screen make stupid mistakes and criticize them. We enjoy it because three-fourths of whatever we see, we do not wish to implement ourselves. We enjoy it because it is not reality. Period.

That’s why I enjoyed Season 1 above all others: it was naughty, but it had a lot more wit. They should have stopped it at Season 2 when Chuck and Blair got together, why carry on to Season 3? Seriously... 

Bleach

I was obsessed with this show for about a month after watching it for the first time last December. It's easy to get hooked on to something so glamorous and entertaining. Bleach is anime. And anime always seems silly at first, but once you get hooked on, you get hooked on. Bleach is based off of "shonen manga," which means that it particularly has to do with fighting and becoming stronger. I'd like to say that although there is quite a bit of fighting, there's also a good balance of comedy and character building. I enjoy the enthusiasm and personality traits of all the characters- and what sets them apart.

Bleach centers around a fifteen year old boy named Ichigo Kurasaki who, like a lot of other asian protagonists has an intense drive to protect his friends and family. He has the "caring" syndrome and would go out of his way to save even the most annoying person he knows. Kurasaki is drawn in a semi-attractive way with orange hair and a dense, determined expression. Most of the characters in bleach have an interesting, attractive flavor to their physical appearance.

Kurasaki can see ghosts, and because of this strange ability, he soon encounters soul-eating demons known as "hollows." In order to balance the number of souls on earth, and in "soul society," "soul-reapers" destroy hollows. Rukia Kuchiki, a soul reaper, befriends Kurasaki and lends him her powers. By becoming a "substitute soul reaper," Kurasaki begins his journey as a warrior of stabilizing the peace and sanity of his town's souls, and protecting his soul-reaper friends. Kurasaki also has three human friends with supernatural abilities.

At first being a show focused solely on Ichigo and his town, Bleach soon extends to cover the dextrous and skilled guards of soul society and the powers that their captains' wield. Ichigo himself has to become more and more powerful to do the task of protecting his friends and all he cares about. He soon faces villains that get hotter and eviler.

Bleach's battles are entertaining, and the romantic possibilities are infinite - although the show doesn't pursue romance very seriously. The thirst for what happens next is huge and sometimes, the willpower of the main characters is inspiring.

I recommend it for those with lots of free time and willpower- to not get addicted.