Populasian

愛的麵包魂 - The Soul Of Bread - Upcoming

2012-02-01T00:02:00.000-08:00

愛的麵包魂 (The Soul Of Bread) is being released in Taipei this weekend. The movie's Zhong Wen title translates to "Love Bread Ghost" or "Loving Bread Lover". It's a stretch for Soul, but hey, it sounds better than the literal translation.

The movie stars the most excellent Michelle Chen that seems to have to make a choice between two most non-excellent men. And baking breads will make the difference.

I hope the movie is better than the trailer. I am in only because the movie has Michelle Chen!

陣頭 - Din Tao:Leader of the Parade - Upcoming

2012-01-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

陣頭 (Din Tao:Leader of the Parade) is released in Taipei over the weekend. The movie stars Allen Ko and Alien Huang. The movie follows two competing Din Tao (drum) troupes in rural Taichung (臺中). The the drum battles begin.

I think I am skipping this one and I doubt it'll make it to LA in DVD.

新天生一對 - Perfect Two - Upcoming

2012-01-20T00:06:00.000-08:00

新天生一對 (Perfect Two) is being released in Taipei today. The movie stars Vic Chou, Ella, and Benny Wen. The movie seems to follow the down and out life of Vic. Vic is handed a son and tries to woo Ella. Sweet! I guess.

If it makes it to LA in DVD form, I'd buy it and watch it.

痞子英雄:首部曲:全面開戰 - Black And White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault - Upcoming 3

2012-01-13T00:59:00.000-08:00

OMG! 痞子英雄:首部曲:全面開戰 (Black And White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault) is now in the theaters of Taipei! Dood, I have a bad feeling that this movie won't be available on Blu-ray until the end of 2012.

If you're Taiwan this month, watch it! I think the cast is far different than the TV series that it won't even matter if you saw it. It'll be enough of a standalone to bring the rest of the world along for the ride.

I still have my doubts about Angelababy and Huang Bo. Very sad that Janine Chang, Ivy Chen, and Vic are not part of the movie.

Alright Taiwan, let's make 2012 a bang up year for Taiwanese movies.

Learning Zhong Wen

2012-01-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Back in 2006, I posted about wanting to learning Zhong Wen. And from September 2006 to about June 2007, I was up to around 600 characters. I was getting good at it. But it took its toll on me. The review of the words went from 15 minutes to 1.5 hours per night. The opportunity to use it my daily life was very hard. Even in the Heights, I don't spend hours on end at places with Zhong Wen.

Back in elementary school, while being schooled by my momz, I was at roughly 900 characters or at 3rd grade level. But its really the lack of opportunity to use it.

If I were living in a country where Zhong Wen was everywhere and I had no choice but to see it daily, I think I would make much better use of it.

I suck and it will be life long struggle to learn, re-learn my zhong wen.

On another note, my daughter is in an weekday Chinese school and her Zhong Wen is now far superior to mine.

This post was inspired by a blog post from Christine about her inspiration to learn Mandarin in Beijing for 6 months. She has a great table of the % of understanding. However, at 100 characters, 42% is close to useless. Even with me at 600 before, 79% was pretty useless. I suspect that you really need to get to that 1500 threshold. Good luck. The major hurdles are to learn tones, pronounce sounds your mouth isn't use to, and use it daily among a people that use it daily. I can tell you first hand how quickly it goes.

弦子 - 逆風的薔薇 -- Xian Zi - Roses in the wind

2011-12-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

弦子 - 逆風的薔薇 (Xianzi - Roses in the wind) was released this month in Taipei. I recently picked it up from my local media outlet in true CD form. I was going to take pictures, the the facebook page has the whole thing.

I've gotten through most of the songs and have repeated some. The majority of the CD is more "rock". Not pop rock, but more rock. Which isn't too big a step away from 天真/Innocent. But it is still a step away. However the music, the constant is Xian Zi and her eclectic spin on it. Not too powerful of a voice, but pure sound none the less. And it does help to be super beautiful and talented at the same time.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Jesus! The celebration of the birth of Christ!

On another note, its the start of the lock out shortened NBA 2011-2012 season.

痞子英雄:首部曲:全面開戰 - Black And White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault - Upcoming 2

2011-12-23T22:01:00.001-08:00

The gang over at Black And White are wishing you a Merry Christmas! Seems that I can't get away from the media coverage of this movie recently within the Taiwan entertainment realm. It's not like tebow coverage, but it seems to pop up all over the place.

Unfortunately, the coverage hasn't all been positive. Ivy Chen, the main female lead in the television series was cut out of the movie due to "length" issues. Haha. Yeah right. Everyone's saying that nothing was behind it. If you look into it, there's some politics that were unfortunately involved.

And Angelababy is reportedly behaving badly by refusing to help promote the film. DRAMA!!

But I can't wait for this movie to come out! Man, I can't wait for it. Just screen it here in LA already!

戀愛恐慌症 - Lovesick - Upcoming

2011-12-16T01:16:00.000-08:00

戀愛恐慌症 (Lovesick) is being released in Taipei this weekend. The movie stars Ariel Lin and Wilson Chen. Lin plays a gal who's been hurt from a previous relationship to meeting Chen, a doctor she magically meets at an hospital. Insert other fun hijinx to connect these two and you've got a Taiwanese rom-com. Nice. Or not. Production value looks good and it also has an who's who of other Taiwanese celebs.

Sweet November - 甜蜜的十一月

2011-11-30T00:03:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've been able to blog for a month. These days, I've been watching a lot of Amazon Prime videos. Although the selection is pretty weak right now, I am catching up on stuff I didn't watch in the past, like Lost Season 6, Dresden Files, and Firefly. And the good thing is that I can choose to watch in HD. Once you go HD, it's hard to turn back. That's one of the major problems with watching the asian stuff, its not HD. And to get HD, it's usually not available or double the $$.

I'll be a lot more sporadic for the next 3 months. I'll prolly be back to do a daily in March 2012. But my days of daily posts year round are over.

In honor of my daily post for the whole month of November, I give you a sappy movie from one of my favorite actors, Keanu Reeves. Recently shown on cable during Thanksgiving break.

Sweet November (甜蜜的十一月) is an 2001 film. The movie stars Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron. The two also played a couple a few years earlier in 1997's The Devil's Advocate. However, this time around, they turn up the romance.

Nelson Moss (Keanu Reeves) plays an high level marketing guru who meets Sara Deever (Charlize Theron) during a DMV visit. Sara sees that Nelson is a complete jerk and proposes that they spend a month together. Sara's way of saving Nelson from his jerkhood. Nelson is too pompous to see and blows her off. High and mightly, he also goes ballistic at a client for an ad campaign and gets fired. Sara sends him a dog and they start their month to the reluctance of Nelson. Thus, Sweet November. However, you are kept wondering what's Sara's story. But while you're thinking about this, Sara changes Nelson into a better human being. Seriously changes him. But what's Sara's story again? I won't spoil it for you.

Keanu always gets a bad rap for his stiff acting and over the top persona when he plays "driven" individuals. This movie was no different. Just watch the scene where he gets fired. You'll also see it in the clothes. Keanu looks really good when he's the bad @$$ ad guru. But when he becomes the better man, he's in jeans and flanel. This is also the time when Charlize was becoming an A-lister. 10 years later, both still look really good in the film. The film actually still holds very well for being from 10 years ago. The clothes, the professions, and the story still provide a lot of strong feelings.

If you like Hollywood endings, you might want to skip this movie too. Its a adult coming of age film for Keanu and plays to another storyline that would spoil the movie. I especially like the OG trailer and how the Enya song, Only Time, played to the emotions of the film. Being a Keanu, Charlize, and Enya fan, that trailer rocked. The movie is one for the ages in my opinion.

痞子英雄:首部曲:全面開戰 - Black And White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault - Upcoming

2011-11-29T00:06:00.000-08:00

痞子英雄:首部曲:全面開戰 - Black And White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault is set for release in January of 2012. The film is set to star the majority of the cast from the television series from 2009. Vic Chou will not be reprising his role as "black" portion. However, it looks like they've gone out and got Huang Bo to be the "痞子" or rascal part of the equation. Mark Chao, Ivy Chen and Janine Chang round out the returning cast. Angelababy and Alex To were added to the cast as well. Add to that an contingency of Taiwanese movie mainstays like Terri Kwan, Dean Fujioka Tatsuo, 阿Ken, Leon Dai, and Jack Kao, this movie looks awesome.

The trailers are starting and the stars are hitting the circuits in Taiwan to promote the film. I would imagine that with an earlier Chinese New Years, the movie will play to that. I have to decide if I can wait for the Blu-ray version to be released in Taiwan or get a crappy version around LA in February. Decisions, decisions.

My Kingdom - 大武生

2011-11-28T00:08:00.000-08:00

My Kingdom (大武生) is an 2011 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Wu Chun, Barbie Hsu, and Han Geng. I actually saw this movie in my hotel room while on a business trip in Zhong Guo.

In the world of Chinese Opera, when a master is challenged and loses, he must exit his studio and remove himself from that world. When Wu Chun and Han Geng's master loses, they are forced to retreat into seclusion and gain their skills to mount a challenge when they are older. The practice for many years until their adulthood. They head back to what appears to by Shanghai and take over the studio their master lost to by beating the reigning master. Once they are the head of the Opera, they become famous and rich in the city. However, they both have a bit of bad boy in them. Will their new found fame and glory go to their heads?

This movie was quite boring. I was waiting for it to get more interesting. However, it wouldn't. It refused. It must have said to itself, "Hey, no one else here, let's make the story confusing, lead characters unlikable, and throw in a love triangle. Seriously, they should have stuck to a simpler story.

My Kingdom

Mortal Kombat: Legacy - 真人快打

2011-11-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

Mortal Kombat: Legacy (真人快打) is an 2011 YouTube web series collected into Blu-ray form. The series was a total of 9 webisodes. The stars included Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan.

The web series explores all the major characters and how they had lives before the tournament. The goal of the series was to explain why they would go if presented past lives.

I didn't know what was going on when I rented it. I thought it was some B movie and that I might enjoy it. I had another thing coming. I was confused at first as the episodes didn't relate back to the previous stories. I was thinking, it's all going to connect right? But it doesn't. The video game connects them at the tournament. I ended up waiting for things to happen when it didn't and also wondering why things were longer and some were shorter. They should have did a directors intro before everything started to set the tone.

Love in Cosmo - 搖擺的婚約

2011-11-26T00:04:00.000-08:00

Love in Cosmo (搖擺的婚約) is a 2010 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Yao Chen, Zhu Yu-Chen, Guo Xiao-Dong, and Annie Wu.

The movie follows the life of Yao Chen, a magazine employee that's set to get married in a matter of days. Yao already lives with her fiance Guo. However, Guo is cheating on her with Wu and they run off. But before Guo does, his college friend Zhu comes to crash for a few months. Zhu comforts Yao after the breakup and they fall for each other.

Yao is uniquely pretty. With that big mouth, he has a natural smile and is very easy on the eyes. Although I didn't think this a few years ago. But her leading lady turns are starting to covert me. I think she can be a leading lady.

The movie is Zhong Guo quality for 2010. Production value is there, but the story, transitions, and character development are not enough. What I mean by transitions is the way the story moves from one section to the next. Zhong guo movies have a hard time with that in general as of 2010. I am seeing it improve, but its not quite there yet.

In all, it was a light hearted movie that really features Yao. If you like to watch Zhong Guo films, you'll want to see this one.

Conan the Barbarian - 蛮王柯南

2011-11-25T00:08:00.000-08:00

Conan the Barbarian (蛮王柯南) is an 2011 summer film. The movie stars Jason Momoa. The supporting cast includes Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, and Ron Perlman. The is a reboot of the Conan and is supposedly closer to the orignal material of creator Robert E. Howard.

The movie starts with an young Conan learning the ways of the barbarian in his homeland, Cimmeria. Conan's mother died giving birth to him in battle. Because of this, Conan and his father have a very tight bound. Conan proves to be an excellent warrior. When his village is attacked and wiped out, Conan vows to take revenge. Along the way, he leaves a trail of carnage.

The movie was quite disappointing. The mythic character of Conan I watched in Arnold in the 80s and the Marvel Conan I read around the same time was missing. Conan's line of "I live, I love, I slay, I am content" is barely there. Conan is much more Kull in this film. I was hoping for a better villain and lead love interest. The movie was completely casts wrong too. Production value is really high. Story, cast, and flow were not.

The Sorcerer and the White Snake - 法海:白蛇傳說

2011-11-24T00:07:00.000-08:00

The Sorcerer and the White Snake (法海:白蛇傳說) is an 2011 film out of Zhong Guo. The film stars Jet Li, Eva Huang, and Raymond Lam. The supporting cast include Charlene Choi, Wen Zhang, and Vivian Hsu. I watched this in the comforts of my hotel room on an recent trip to Dalian, Zhong Guo. And it was playing in the theaters, what?!

The movies follows Abott Fahai (Jet Li) with his assistant Neng Ren (Wn Zhang) as they battle an temptress demon (Vivian Hsu). After finding out how powerful Fahai is, you know you don't want to mess with him. We move to two lovely nagas played by Eva and Charlene. They decide to play a joke on a medicine picker and than save his life. In order to save the life, the naga has to kiss the person. There goes the love story. The naga now wants to enter into the medicine mans life. They marry and have an happy life. However, when demon's run amuck. Trouble follows. When the medicine man wants to save the ppl of a sick village, the naga lends her hand. Fahai enters the picture here and says that humans and deities can't co-exist. Its not part of nature. From here on out, the movie gets crazy with the fighting and special effects. Will love win out?

The movie was quite entertaining. I like Eva. I like that she's willing to play both meek and strong roles. In this movie, she plays a very strong role and it helps carry the movie while Jet is at his temple. The movie gets good when both main characters are at it with each other. However, you can see just how important Jet is to movie. When Jet is absent, the story drags and felt uninteresting. When he was there and with Eva, the movie was great. And it's a total shame to waste Vivian as a temptress demon. Only 5 minutes of film time. Weak! More Vivian!

If you're an Jet Li fan, you should watch this. If you're new to these stuff, it might be a hard watch.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. - 熟男型不型

2011-11-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (熟男型不型) is an 2011 summer film. The movie stars Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, and Emma Stone. The supporting cast includes Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei, Analeigh Tipton, and Liza Lapira.

The movie starts with Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) and his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) are having a hard time picking a dinner at a restaurant. A very uncomfortable looking Emily declares that she wants a divorce and reveals that she has cheated on him. From this point on, Cal puts in motion the process of divorce by moving out. Cal makes his way to a bar the night Emily wants a divorce and meets Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). Jacob is presented as an successful playa that gets all the pretty girls. However, the first time we meet Jacob, he unsuccessfully beds Hannah (Emma Stone) at the bar. Jacob takes pity on Cal and teaches him the tricks of the womanizing trade. Eventually, through osmosis, Cal becomes a player. However, Cal is still in love with Emily and goes back to the house and secretly maintains the lawn and garden. Will he win back the love of his life?

The Zhong Wen translation for this movie is quite weird, 熟男型不型. 熟男 means mature male. 型不型 in this context means capable. Put together, it does not equal Crazy, Stupid, Love. I can see how they have a judgmental angle on the character of Love, but its not what the movie is about. Again, very weird name for the movie. In general, its hit and miss with the translations. In this case, it totally missed the mark and contains nothing from the orignal English name.

The movie was quite trying for me. I am not a particular fan of both Steve Carell and Julianne Moore. However, the trailer looked so good and it had Ryan Gosling. The movie presented a unique story. I am married with children, so getting movies with that life stage is a plus. Unfortunately , in order for Hollywood to spice things up, it usually comes with infidelity and divorce. Unique story and perspective with lots of things. The Jacob and Hannah story had a unique twist and you ended up cheering for them. There were a couple of side plots that I didn't care much for, but was needed for things to move along.

Ryan Gosling is my current favorite Hollywood actor. Dood chooses good films. He's entering the prime of his careers and hopefully it'll last. As for Steve Carell, he didn't play that comedic type guy that we see on Office or Bruce Almighty. Steve played the role straight as a hurt man who's wife cheated on him and wanted a divorce. Not a imbecile that I want to run away from.

Illusion Apartment - 異度公寓

2011-11-22T00:02:00.000-08:00

Illusion Apartment (異度公寓) is an 2010 horror film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Stephanie Hsiao Chiang, Eddie Cheung, Ray Ma, Yao Lin-Na, and Amguulan.

The film follows Stephanie as an housewife that lost her son. The husband is a successful entertainment executive. When Stephanie's friends notice some strangeness, they start to snoop. The snooping doesn't do them any good. The husband is concerned for the sanity of his wife and starts to secretly meet with a psychologist to seek help. However, when the psychologist's sister enters the picture, it confused everyone and starts a mess. Will they ever figure out what's going on? Is the ghost of the son real?

This was a terrible movie. I had it on while washing dishes. That's prolly the main reason I didn't turn it off. I didn't have dry hands to work the remotes. If you like to torture yourself with bad movies, put this on.

Captain America: The First Avenger - 美國隊長

2011-11-21T00:08:00.000-08:00

Captain America: The First Avenger (美國隊長) is an 2011 Marvel film. The movie stars Chris Evans
Tommy Lee Jones, and Hugo Weaving. The supporting cast includes Stanley Tucci, Hayley Atwell, and Sebastian Stan. Captain America probably didn't do well enough in the US box office to green light a sequel. Captain America is one of primary characters in next years Avengers movie.

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants desperately to join the army during WWII. In New York City, Steve tries repeatedly and is turned away each time. Mainly because he appears too weak. However, his patriotism is notice by a scientist. This scientist is looking to make a super solider serum. Looking for the right person, Steve Rogers qualifies with flying colors. Injected with the super solider serum, Steve Rogers body is enhanced to 100% and grows a few inches to boot. However, Red Skulls minions infiltrate the experiment and kill the scientist. Leaving Steve as the only subject, but a successful one. The US gov't decides to have Steve trout around the world as a beacon of hope for victory. Hoever, Steve again desperately wants to be in the thick of the action serving his country. Eventual getting into the action, he tracks down Red Skull and they go at it. If you know the Story, he is launched out by a rocket and lands in an icy place to be perserved. The movie ends with his discovery 70 years later and being asked to be part of the Avengers.

The movie was one of the most enjoyable action films I watched this year. No fanfare, just tell a great story and let the action speak for itself. Very well made movie. Its too sad that no sequel is in the works and that Captain America's big screen appearances will be in other movies like the Avengers. Chris played Steve Rogers straight up. A patriotic guy that wanted to serve his country. There was any extra character development needed. There wasn't any extra gimmicks needed to move the story along.

If you're looking for an fun action film, you got it with Captain America: The First Avenger.

樂之路 - Road Less Traveled - Upcoming

2011-11-20T00:03:00.000-08:00

樂之路 (Road Less Traveled) is an upcoming film being released in Taipei on December 2, 2011. The movie stars Van Ness Wu, Jimmy Hung, Dean Fujioka, Eric Tu, and Christopher Lung.

From the trailer, it looks like a rags to riches story of a band. Van Ness has very long hair, so I'll have to date this movie his pre Autumn Concerto days. Looks like all these fellas are also raised aboard.

Looking forward to the movie. Especially Van and Xian Zi.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 - 哈利波特:死神的聖物II

2011-11-19T02:03:00.000-08:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (哈利波特:死神的聖物II) is a 2011 film. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. The film is Part 2 of 2 of the seventh book of the Harry Potter book series. Part 1 was released in the fall of 2010. The it is the final film of this film series.

The story start off with Harry's landing and his continued quest to destroy Lord Voldemort. Eventually, it leads back to Hogwarts. Where they search for more clues to destroy more horcrux. It leads to an epic battle and a conclusion. Does Harry and crew survive this ordeal?

I really wanted to make it out to watch this in the theaters. However, I couldn't find ppl that had watched all the previous films. When I did, they had already watched it. Which my busy schedule, I was resolved to watch this on Blu-ray. OH well, still very good. And the movie itself was very good. If you've been following along, you have to have the historical reference of the other movies to understand this. It was a fitting conclusion and left me closure.

I am guessing they'll wait another 10 years before they resurrect this property for another film series. 2 billion reasons to do it again.

喋血孤城 - Death And Glory In Changde

2011-11-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

喋血孤城 (Death And Glory In Changde City) is an 2010 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars an ensemble of people, but the stars were Ray Lui and Ady An.

The movie is placed in 1944 when Japanese troops are trying to take down the Nationalist Chinese army in the Changde area. We follow the lives of one particular troop. This troop ends up holding off the Japanese long enough for reinforcements to show up. However, in that process, many lives are lost and the movie moves to make the Japanese the bad guys with honor. In this mix is couples that wonder if they will ever get married or survive.

The movie was quite a surprise. An Nationalist army movie released in Zhong Guo? And a very patriotic tone to it. Yes, it was about overcoming the Japanese invasion, but it wasn't about the communist army. I thought it strange and continue to try to reconcile that. Unless I am completely wrong and those uniforms have confused me. Which is quite easy. Ady An plays a part in the bigger ensemble but still shines.

Horrible Bosses - 老闆不是人

2011-11-17T01:54:00.000-08:00

Horrible Bosses (老闆不是人) is an 2011 film. The movie stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis. The supporting cast includes Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, and Julie Bowen. The film did well enough that there are talks for an sequel.

The movie follows Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis as they go through life. However, circumstances would have it that they all hate their bosses for different reasons. The plot to kill them so their lives can be happier. The stumble across Jamie Foxx that gives them ideas on how to kill them off. However, these guys are not career criminals and bumble their way through it.

The movie was just OK. I didn't feel like I laughed that much. Nor did it gross me out as much as I thought it would. Good performances by all involved.

麵引子 - Four Hands - Upcoming

2011-11-16T00:02:00.000-08:00

麵引子 (Four Hands) was released on October 14, 2011 in Taipei. The movie follows what appears to be 3 generations in both Taiwan and Zhong Guo. The main lead is an older fellow that's based in Taiwan, but from Zhong Guo.

In interesting trailer that deals with what lots of Waishengren (外省人) go through in Taiwan now. Are you or are you not really "Taiwanese". It's an easy answer from an American point of view. However, that alien feeling still abounds.

X-Men:First Class - X戰警:第一戰

2011-11-15T00:04:00.000-08:00

X-Men:First Class (X戰警:第一戰) is an 2011 film from Fox and Marvel. The movie stars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Rose Byrne. The supporting cast includes January Jones, Oliver Platt, and Kevin Bacon. Since this was a team film, there were many others, but too many to list. The movie is a prequel to the other films released by Fox. Essentially making it a reboot movie. But the movie had Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn in cameo appearances.

In the ancient days of the 1940s and 1960s, mutants were just starting to come into existence. The movie tells the story of how Xavier and Magneto because who they are in the future. Magneto is found in the concentration camps of Poland and experimented on. Magneto than sets out for revenge against these people. Xavier is brought up in high class upstate New York and takes in Raven, a homeless mutant that can shift change. They both develop their skills and eventually meet and team up to form a secret gov't group of mutants. However, Magneto's need for revenge and Xavier's never kill mentally come to a head during the cuban missile crisis. Which sides will the mutants take, go with Xavier or go with Magneto.

The movie was very good, but also a little disappointing at the same time. You have to have extreme circumstances to make evil people. In the case of Magneto, it was there. I think they needed someone human than Fassbender. I didn't think he was evil enough looking. Kevin Bacon was also pretty good in this film.

賽德克 - 巴萊(下):彩虹橋 -- Seediq Bale 2 -- Upcoming

2011-11-14T00:09:00.000-08:00

賽德克 - 巴萊(下):彩虹橋 (Seediq Bale 2) was released in Taipei back in September. I was on an business trip and wasn't able to blog about it. Well, now is better than later right? From the acclaimed director of Cape No. 7, Wei Te-sheng, this is the second part of Seedig Bale. Seedig Bale was so long that instead of cutting it more, they just split the movie in two. The first was release a few weeks before the second part.

So far, its doing very well at the box office. To what degree, I am not exactly sure. But I am really looking forward to its release on Blu-ray and for it to make it here to LA.

Green Lantern - 綠光戰警

2011-11-13T00:05:00.000-08:00

Green Lantern (綠光戰警) is an 2011 film from Warner Bros. The film stars Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. The movie is based on a DC Comics character of the same name. The movie did not perform well enough for an sequel.

The universe is overseen by elders who give guardians to each of the 3,600 sectors. The guardians are given powers through their greens that gets power from the will. However, an evil force called Parallax and former elder wanted to gain power using fear. Parallax is captured by Abin Sur and trapped. Parallax is released and seeks revenge and gravely injures Abin Sur. Abin Sur crash lands on Earth and his ring seeks a new worthy owner in Hal Jordan. Hal is a failure in life except when it comes to flying. A daredevil by nature, Hal is chosen and immediately needs to figure out what this whole Green power is. If not, the power of the Parallax approaches earth and wants to destroy it. Hal must learn the power of Gray....um...hmm... the Green Lanterns and save it from Parallax.

The movie was entertaining but not very good either. The special effects looked really fake. Fake to a point of annoyance. Blake however kept me engaged because she's so dang pretty. Other than that, watch it only if you're a Green Lantern fan.

Shower - 洗澡

2011-11-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

Shower (洗澡) is a 1999 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Zhu Xu, Pu Cunxin, and Jiang Wu. The film is directed by Zhang Yang.

In an old part of Beijing, a bath house is being run by Old Liu and his 2nd son, Liu Erming. Erming is mentally challenged. The older son, Liu Daming returns when he receives a postcard that he interprets is the passing of his father. Daming and Old Liu are not on good terms because Daming went south to get rich and abondoned his family. Old Liu goes so far as to say that Daming is ashamed of his fathers profession. However, upon his return to Beijing, Daming starts to make amends. Will it work out for this family?

The movie was slow and hard to follow. Going for character development more than a fast pace movie, it grows on you and at the end, you may feel satisfied with the film. I was. I am glad I didn't give up and let the movie develop, because the pay off was good. Worth a watch, but beware that its a movie that shows its age. And for those not aware of the showering custom of those in Zhong Guo. Showering isn't a daily occurrence for them. For many, have one every couple of weeks is common. In the more rural areas, once a month is common too. Will it change in the future, we will see.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - 變形金剛3

2011-11-11T00:08:00.000-08:00

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (變形金剛3) is an 2011 film. The movie stars Shia LaBeouf. The supporting cast also includes Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, and Patrick Dempsey. The is the third movie in the series by Michael Bay.

The transformers had some evil land on the moon and its surfacing now. This evil is so menacing, it takes over the earth. Its up to Shia and his crew to bring them down in Chi-town baby. Let the fun begin.

The movie was better than 2, but not as good as 1. The love interest in the film was also a little disappointing. Its hard to replace Megan Fox in her prime. Watch it for entertainment value only.

A World Without Thieves - 天下無賊

2011-11-10T00:07:00.000-08:00

A World Without Thieves (天下無賊) is a 2004 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Andy Lau, Rene Liu, and Ge You. The supporting cast include Li Bingbing, Wang Baoqiang, You Yong, and Gordon Lam. The movie is also directed by

Andy Lau and Rene Liu play con artist that just made it off with a BMW and are heading to trade it in for cash. Along the way, Liu wants to stop the stealing and settle down. When Lau refuses, she says she wants to leave him. After the car trade in, Lau gives in and they head home. Along the way, Liu takes in a country bumpkin with no clue about thieves. However, on the same train is a team of skilled thieves that want to take the bumpkin's life savings. Let's the battle wits begin!

The movie was the first where I saw Andy and Rene being directed by a mainland director and based in the mainland. And this was during a time in life where I wasn't watching much from Asia. But an interview on a showbiz blurb had Andy Lau saying how he tried so hard to be "ugly". Seriously. I had to watch it. Andy is not ugly nor does he deserve that hair. I recently watched it again while washing dishes. The movie wasn't half bad and I liked the presentation of the world of grifters.

Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides - 加勒比海盜神鬼奇航:幽靈海

2011-11-09T00:05:00.000-08:00

Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides (加勒比海盜神鬼奇航:幽靈海) is an 2011 film from Disney. The movie stars Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz. The supporting cast includes Geoffrey Rush and Ian McShane. This movie is without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, whom appeared as co-stars in the first three of this film series. This is the fourth movie in the film series.

Jack Sparrow tries to rescue his first captain in England. In a failed attempt, he piggy backs on a quest to find the fountain of youth. Along the way, Sparrow makes a uneasy alliance with Cruz's character Angelica and Angelica's father, Blackbeard, played by McShane. There they go on their quest to find the fountain. However, its like a a treasure hunt and they have to collect artifacts for a ritual at the fountain. However, on this quest, they are not the only ones. The spanish and brits are both on their quest too. Who will make it their first and how can Sparrow survive and live another day!

The movie was actually pretty entertaining for me. I had read so many negative reviews that I thought it was going to suck really bad. Which it didn't. It was entertaining and fun to watch. Being a long time fan of Depp (from the 21 Jumpstreet days) and love his rendition of Sparrow. Maybe if you go in with such low expectations as I, you might like it!

星空 - Starry Starry Night - Upcoming

2011-11-08T00:03:00.000-08:00

星空 (Starry Starry Night) was released this past weekend in Taipei. The movie stars the "boy" from CJ7, Josie Xu. The film is directed by Tom Lin, whom also directed another coming of age story in Winds Of September.

The movie looks a little too "young" for me. Josie looks like shes still in Jr. High. I am gonna pass.

Thor - 雷神索爾

2011-11-07T00:03:00.000-08:00

Thor (雷神索爾) is an 2011 film from Marvel Studios. The movie stars Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth. The supporting cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, and Kat Dennings. The movie is based on an Marvel Comics character of the same name. A sequel is in the works for a 2013 release. I really wanted to see this in the theaters this summer, but had to settle for it on Blu-Ray.

In norse mythology, there are nine worlds. The immortal gods live in Asgard, whereas the mortals live in Midgard or Earth. Thor is the son of the ruler of the gods of Asgard, Odin. As Odin's son, Thor is brought up to be a super warrior and given the hammer called Mjolnir. When Thor almost starts a war with the frost giants, Odin sends Thor to Midgard to figure it out. Along the way, Thor's powers are bound to Mjolnir and given an enchantment of "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." Once Thor figures it out, he can regain his powers along with Mjolnir. Sent to earth, Thor lands in a remote town in New Mexico to figure it out. However, when he lands on earth he's met by Natalie Portman's character of Jane Foster. Jane Foster is an astrophysicist study alien energies. Well, Jane got it in the form of Thor! Loki, whom doesn't know he's not the birth son of Odin starts to feel a need to rebel and take over Asgard. Thor to the rescue.

The movie was a pretty straight forward introduction to Thor. A lot of norse Asgard and a lot of Thor figuring it out. Throw in a very lovely Natalie Portman and the occasional Kat, you've got a pretty entertaining movie. What's a little cool about the movie is the multi-ethnic take on Asgard. Tadanobu Asano as Hogun was quite weird and didn't work for me. There were some Asian extras, but beyond that, it was only Tadanobu Asano.

13 Assassins - 十三人刺客

2011-11-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

13 Assassins (十三人刺客) is an 2010 film out of Japan. The film stars Kōji Yakusho. The rest of the group is too many to name. The movie was released in various ways in the US. First on VOD, than limited theatrical, and eventually to DVD. I got this from Netflix.

In ancient Japan, a tyrant is having his way with the people, leaving a murderous trail behind him. A group of people want to eliminate this tyrant. However, it must be covert and in a time of peace, not a lot of people know how to fight. The recruiting process starts by looking for capable people. When they get the crew together, they plan a attack. These 13 take it to the tyrants 200+ entourage. Will they succeed or die trying.

The movie was quite good. Bloody good. Quite literally, bloody. The movie does start slow because of the recruiting process, but the rest of the movie is all about getting the "bad" guy. I can also see why this movie got so much hype. It's really a story about good vs. evil. We can all identify with that type of concept. We have an "unfairness" gauge in us that loves to see the struggle. This isn't a deep film or one built on character development. But there was enough to keep you engaged when each of them met their fate.

How to Train Your Dragon - 馴龍高手

2011-11-05T00:05:00.000-07:00

How to Train Your Dragon (馴龍高手) is a 2010 animated film out of the US. It ended up being a very successful animated film and a sequel is on the way for 2014.

The story of a vikings battling dragons. The chief of the village has a son Hiccup. He's not too keen on killing dragons. Much less anything. On his way to the forest one day to retrieve a dragon, he comes across an egg and a dragon pops out. Hiccup can't find it to kill it and lets it go free. Going back to search for it, they become friends. However, back at home, Hiccup is getting pressure to from everywhere to kill dragons. But he's seen them as friendly creatures. As the story progresses, Hiccup has to make a choice. The dragon or his clan. BUT there's more, they find the nest and hunt it down.

The movie was just OK for me. I think it had been hyped too much for me going in. I don't normally go and rent animated features, not even pixar ones. But did so on many adult recommendations. Do I regret it? Yes. I normally find it hard to follow the animation. I like real people in general.

電哪吒 - The Spin Kid - Upcoming

2011-11-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

電哪吒 (The Spin Kid) is being release in Taipei on 11-11-11 next week.

The movie stars Blue Lan and Nikki Hsieh. Blue appears to be a spinning DJ who gets in with the wrong crowd. Nikki plays his love interest. Intersting trailer. Vague and surreal at the same time. Looks like a very cerebral watch or its gonna suck. I hope its a good film.

Unknown - 狙擊陌生人

2011-11-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Unknown (狙擊陌生人) is an 2011 film. The film stars Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, and Aidan Quinn. Supporting cast includes Frank Langella, Bruno Ganz, and Sebastian Koch. The film was based in Berlin, Germany.

Liam Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris who is married to Liz, played by January Jones. On his way to a conference in Berlin, Martin is part of a massive car accident and wakes up in the hospital. However, when he goes back to the hotel, he's no longer Martin Harris, but an impostor. Eventually finding his wife Liz, even she does not remember him. This sets a chain of events where Martin tries to get his identity back.

The movie was very much like Liam's action hero breakout roll in Taken. However, he doesn't kick as much @$$ in this one. But its about him finding a solution to his predicament. The ending does have a twist that you sort of already know might happen. See how much attention you can pay during the film with the little details.

聽說 - Hear Me

2011-11-02T00:04:00.000-07:00

聽說 (Hear Me) is an 2009 film out of Taiwan. The movie stars Eddie Peng and Ivy Chen. The supporting cast also includes the lovely Michelle Chen. The movie was released in support of the 2009 deaf olympics in Taipei.

Eddie Peng plays Tian Kuo, a delivery person working at his parents cantonese restaurant. Ivy Chen plays Yang Yang, the sister of an deaf swimmer, Hsiao Peng, played by Michelle Chen. Tian Kuo delivers food to their swimming site one day and takes a liking to Yang Yang. They communicate in sign language. Although Tian Kuo isn't deaf and takes up sign language as an hobby. Due to his liking of Yang Yang, he studies extremely hard to keep up with her and learns new ways to express himself. Yang Yang however is too busy trying to make money, that she doesn't take to Tian Kuo's advances. However, Tian Kuo doesn't give up. In the meantime, there's the issue of marrying a deaf person that's addressed and actually handled pretty gracefully.

I have watched the movie twice already and found out more about the leads with the second watching. In all, this may be one of my favorite romantic comedies I've seen in quite some time. Eddie Peng is an endearing male lead that lets love lead the way. Ivy Chen gives an cute and subtle performance as an younger sister that's willing to sacrifice for her family. Add that to a very unique storyline, you've got a, dear I say, great movie?

If you're a recent fan of Taiwanese cinema, this is a must see gem. All three leads have gone on to bigger and more hyped movies, but this movie could be the one that will establish their legacy for years to come.

I had an "upcoming" post for this movie back in the summer of 2009. It has since become one of my most visited post.

Taken - 即刻救援

2011-11-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

Taken (即刻救援) is an 2008 film. The movie stars Liam Neeson. The supporting cast includes Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace. Taken was a sleeper hit in 2009. With a very weak opening weekend, it ended up grossing a little over $225 million worldwide. A sequel is in the works.

Liam Neeson plays Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent. Liam retired to the Los Angeles area in an attempt to spend more time with his 17 year old daughter, Kim played by Maggie Grace. Kim convinces Bryan to let her spend the summer in Paris at her friend Amanda's cousins house. When they get to Paris, they make quick friends with a handsome local. However, this local is setting them up for a kidnapping. While the kidnapping happens, Kim phones home to Bryan. Bryan starts from there to track down her daughter in Paris.

This film was very slow to start, but ended with a bang. I can see how it was sleeper hit. Liam isn't exactly your household action hero. However, the film was quite good and has made Liam a action star now. Maggie Grace does dump down your performance to play a 17 year old. A little too over in some cases, but effective enough. I just wonder where the authorities were when Liam went all action hero taking no prisoners in Paris and got home safely. Ugly Americans. Even though Liam is a Irish.

A Moment Of Romance - 天若有情

2011-10-31T00:05:00.000-07:00

A Moment Of Romance (天若有情) is an 1990 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Andy Lau and Jacklyn Wu. The supporting cast includes Ng Man-tat and Tommy Wong. I had this film in my Top 20 Hong Kong Films of the 1990s.

Andy Lau plays Wah Dee, a triad gang banger that's bad@$$. His "die lo" loans him to another "die lo" from the same gang to be a get away driver for a jewelry store heist. During the heist, he inadvertently takes JoJo, played by Jacklyn Wu. At the drop off sight, Wah Dee tells JoJo to lay low. However, she's spotted and becomes a target. From that point on, they go their separate ways. Jojo however ends up being the only eye-witness and gets targeted for elimination. Wah Dee now has to protect her.

This movie deserves its place among one of the best films out of Hong Kong for the 1990s. HK Triads? Check! Sacrificial romance? Check! Disapproving parents? Check! Classic HK tragic ending? Check! Around this time, Andy Lau was a bonafide TV star that made the transition to the big screen. Already a superstar on the big screen, this was one of his most successful movies.

燃燒吧!歐吉桑 - War Game 229 - Upcoming

2011-10-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

燃燒吧!歐吉桑 (War Game 229) is being release in Taipei as I write. The movie is based in the Kaohsiung (高雄) area of Taiwan. The movie follows old military ppl vs. new kids looking to take over their turf. Turf war movie. Guns a blazing, I am looking forward to this movie. I have a strong feeling I'll have a hard time finding it on DVD in the LA area.

賽德克 - 巴萊(上):太陽旗 -- Seediq Bale 1 -- Upcoming

2011-09-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

賽德克 - 巴萊(上):太陽旗 (Seediq Bale 1) is being released in Taipei today. TODAY! After years of anticipation, the follow up film from acclaimed Cape No. 7 director Wei Te-sheng is here.

Seediq Bale is ~4 hours long. Because of its length, the movie was split into 2 parts. Part 2 is coming out on September 30th, only three weeks away. The film is based on the Wushe Incident of Taiwan history.

Can this movie become the number 1 movie of the land, surpassing Wei's predecessor Cape No. 7? You're The Apple Of My Eye is already breaking records.

那些年,我們一起追的女孩 - You're The Apple Of My Eye - Upcoming

2011-08-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

那些年,我們一起追的女孩 (You're The Apple Of My Eye) was released in Taipei last week. Jiubadao’s (九把刀 or “Nine Knives”) is whom this movie is based on and it entails a coming of age story set in Jibbadao's past. From what I can gleam from the clips and trailer released, this movie takes story telling into the bedroom of an adolescent boy's mind and spills outward. Commonplace for cinemas here in the US, a la American Pie and its rip offs, its finally made its way to good ol' Taipei.

I am a fan of Michelle Chen and would watch this movie for her even if it suck "balls". Ha, get it? ;-) However, the rest of the cast from the trailer leave much to be desired. As does the storyline. At my age, its annoying to watch "boys" find themselves, figuratively and literally for this film.

It's already broken major record records in Taipei at the box office. Good for them. On this end, I am looking forward to it, but in a much more subdued way.

Roomie - Upcoming

2011-08-17T01:31:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a dance routine posted by the DanceSoul folks for a new gurl band called Roomie to their song So Long.

I initially thought that the gurls were performers from the studio. However, after viewing a live performance video, the dancers were the gals from Roomie. My favorites from the group are 凱悌 (Katie),貝貝 (Baebae), and 安柏兒 (Amber). The song itself isn't very interesting, but it did grow on me. I would buy their CD when it comes out based on this song alone.

This group is put out by the Avex promotion and they have a lot of influence from JPop and KPop. Hope they have at least a year or two shelf life as a group. In the meantime, check out their over the top pop infused happiness.

翻滾吧! 阿信 - Jump Ashin! - Upcoming

2011-08-12T07:03:00.000-07:00

翻滾吧! 阿信 (Jump Ashin!) is being released in Taipei today! The movie stars Eddie Peng, Lin Zaizai and Lawrence Ko. The movie is the product of Lin Yu-hsien, whom also worked with Eddie on Exit No. 6 a few years back.

The movie is mainly the story of Ashin, played by Eddie Peng. Ashin is a gymnast in his hometown of Yilan. Not having much success, Ashin gives up gymnastics and starts to get into trouble. So much trouble that he flees to Taipei. However, the troubles follow and Ashin heads back home determined to put gymnastics number one.

Seems like a very compelling story and I am a big fan of mista Peng so I am on board. I wonder when I'll be able to get my hands on a Blu-ray version here in Los Angeles. Who knows, but I look forward to watching this film.

Coming back in a week or so....

2011-07-08T17:56:00.000-07:00

I am trying to make 1000 post by the end of 2011. Looks like I will have an hard time doing that with this hiatus and prolly a couple more as the year goes on. Which leaves me at roughly 950-980 posts as the year ends. Just depends on how many breaks I take.

I wasn't planning on stopping this time around, but the 4th of July weekend wreaked my schedule and I started watching "Autumn's Concerto" again. Spawned mainly by the reruns recently on LA 18.8.

There's also a truckload of wuxia series that I have yet to get around to.

When I watch series, its a huge time sink that spans days. Movies are a one night shot.

I am looking forward to Wuxia with Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro.

Season Of The Witch - 魔女神兵

2011-07-03T00:07:00.000-07:00

Season Of The Witch (魔女神兵) is an 2011 film. The movie stars Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman. The film was based during the crusades era of the middle ages.

Nicolas Cage plays Behmen and Ron Perlman plays Felson. Both are Teutonic knights for the Church during the crusades. After a battle where they kill many innocent women and children, they both quit the army and head back to Germany. As fugitives, they have to keep a low profile or risk being thrown into prison. However, they much replenish supplies and head to a town where they are captured. The Church offers them a pardon if they take the black witch to a monastery for a trial. The two agree to the deal and set up on a quest to delivery the black witch.

If you like medieval type films of knights and chivalry, this is a good modern film for it. You've got knights honor, fighting for good, and a genuine antagonist that causes lots of headaches for the protagonist. Although the movie as a whole had a weak premise, it plays very much like a video game. Strong and skilled protagonist are charged with a mission of dangerous proportions with a huge payoff at the end. I enjoyed it.

Ashes Of Time Redux - 東邪西毒

2011-07-02T00:03:00.000-07:00

Ashes of Time Redux (東邪西毒) is a 2008 film out of Hong Kong. This film is the restored and slightly adjusted version from the original 1994 film, Ashes Of Time. Some of the film's main characters are very loosely based on characters that appear in Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. This is also the only film directed by Wong Kar-wai that is adapted from material he didn't create.

The Cast
Leslie Cheung as Ouyang Feng
Brigitte Lin as daughter of Murong clan
Maggie Cheung as Ouyang Feng's sister-in-law
Jacky Cheung as Hong Qigong
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as Blind Swordsman
Tony Leung Ka-fai as Huang Yaoshi
Li Bai as Hong Qigong's wife
Carina Lau as Blind Swordsman's wife
Charlie Yeung as Girl with mule

The Story
Ouyang Feng is a dealer for people looking for assassins. Feng has an outpost in the desert where people go to wheel and deal with him. Every year, Huang Yaoshi visits during springtime and they catch up. Along the way, various people roll through the outpost looking for action. Among them are all the others listed in the cast, with exception of Feng's sister-in-law and the blind swordsman's wife. One by one, an story of lost love and betrayal is presented. Everyone's running from something.

My Thoughts
If you read my first post on the original version, you'll see that I didn't enjoy the 1994 version of Ashes Of Time much. However, I had fond enough memories of the film to include it in my Top 20 movies of the 1990s. And this version was also in Cantonese. The only Mandarin is from Brigitte Lin and Li Bai (and when Jacky speaks to Li Bai). So, I wasn't getting the language patterns other than from the subtitles. Which is disappointing. Mandarin dubs still try to stay within the emotional realm of the native tongue.

So, how was it this time around, 15 years after its release? Was this condensed version that included title headings to break up story arcs and "what they become" abstracts on the 3 of the five greats good? Much better! Even though I don't like watching canto dubs, this one was ok since it was such a beautifully shot film. The wide angle shots really presented the mode and the way things flowed made it seem like a dream. And all the stars were 15 years younger! Maggie Cheung was stunning! The rest of the cast just made things easy on the eyes while the environment was gritty and dusty.

The music was also re-scored with Yo Yo Ma on cello. I have the original soundtrack from the 1994 film and use it as finals study music for years. Unfortunately, I can't find the CD now, but the music was vastly different this time around. But it still entranced me in the moment and mood of the scenes.

Is there an coherent story, not really. Yet, it was the search for something on the horizon that made the story arcs move. I also think the Wong assumes you actually knew the story behind Feng, Huang, and Hong, which adds to how you think they are, but they break that character mode.

In the end, I believe this was a well deserved re-mastered version and one that should not be missed. Even at 17 years old now (really 18 in terms of filming), this film not only holds up well, its a testament to how good the HK movies were in the pre-turnover era.

The Men Who Stare at Goats - 超異能部隊

2011-07-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

The Men Who Stare at Goats (超異能部隊) is an 2009 film. The film stars George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor, and Kevin Spacey.

Ewan McGregor is a journalist that follows George Clooney around trying to write a story about the US Army's program for psychic powers. Clooney goes to IRAQ because he felt a vision tell him to go there. When they get to IRAQ, they try to camp out. They than get captured by criminals that want to sell them to terrorist. During the exchange, they manage to escape with another captive who takes them to his house. From there, they find their way to a underground psychic company doing experiments.

The movie was a trip. I didn't know what to expect from one scene to the next. Because of this, I wasn't all that engaged and fell asleep a few times. The story was unique but not all that interesting.

City Under Siege - 全城戒備

2011-06-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

City Under Siege (全城戒備) is an 2010 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Aaron Kwok, Shu Qi, Collin Chou, Jacky Wu, and Zhang Jingchu.

Aaron Kwok plays Sunny, a orphan and an apprentice to the knife throwing star of a traveling circus. Collin Chou plays the main bad guy and main knife thrower. However, when they trick Sunny into finding buried treasure, they are all exposed to gas from an long forgotten WWII lab. They all inherit superpowers and start to mutate. With this mutation, Sunny becomes an star, but Chou's gang robs armored bank trucks. Jacky Wu and Zhang Jingchu play a couple that are also special agents set to bring in the Chou gang.

The movie was really full of action, but the action was way over the top. The mutations are at an extreme at the end of the film. I'll be honest, this wasn't a good film. But its one of those guilty pleasure films. Lots of action, cheezy dialogue, really hard to follow plot, a gazillion characters.

第36個故事 - Taipei Exchanges

2011-06-29T00:04:00.000-07:00

第36個故事 (Taipei Exchanges) is a 2010 film out of Taiwan. The film stars Kwai Lun-Mei, Lin Zaizai, and Chang Han.

Kwai plays Doris, a pastry chef that opens a cafe in an art district type neighborhood. Doris opens the shop with her younger sister, Josie, played by Lin Zaizai. Doris has grand dreams of her cafe where she can serve drink and desserts. For her grand opening, her friends and ex-coworkers give her a bunch of weird items. Instead of getting rid of the random junk, Doris decides to put the stuff around the store. Josie strikes up an bartering system one day. From that point on, its a exchange system. And the items are required to come with a story.

The movie's Zhong Wen title is actually "The 36th story". In the movie, there's a significance of that number. However, with or without that number, the movie will make sense.

I wasn't so sure about the movie, but it plays well as a story that tries to stay away from the usual. There isn't really a "love story" presented. But one does develop and you wonder about Josie's role in all this.

Matchstick Men - 火柴人

2011-06-28T00:02:00.000-07:00

Matchstick Men (火柴人) is an 2003 film. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Alison Lohman, and Sam Rockwell.

Cage plays Roy. a con artist in the San Fernando Valley of the Greater Los Angeles area. Cage is in cohoots with Frank, played by Sam Rockwell. Frank is learning from Roy and doesn't go on his alone on gigs yet. Suffering from a near mental breakdown, Roy seeks professional help and finds out about an 14 year old daughter. Roy sets out to enter her life. Eventually Roy does enter Angela's life, played by Alison Lohman. From there, they catch up and form a strong bond. However, there's a twist to the story that I won't give away.

This movie was quite simply amazing. The story is unique and has a very "real" ending to tragedy. A very twenty something Alison Lohman lights up the screen as an 14 year old Angela. Sam's part as Frank is small, but very significant to the story.

In the end, its a story of redemption for something that caused a lot of pain to others and likewise, suffered it himself. A very enjoyable watch.

有一天 - One Day

2011-06-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

有一天 (One Day) is an 2010 film out of Taiwan. The movie is produced by famed Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. The movie stars Nikki Hsin-Ying Hsieh and Bryan Shu-Hao Chang. It is also the first full film from director, Hou Chi-Jan.

Nikki Hsieh plays the daughter of a single mom, Singing. Singing is a ferry worker and heads out to work one day. Bored, Singing dozes off and dreams. In this dream, Singing is chased by a Indian man looking for food and water. While avoiding the Indian Man, Singing runs into Tsung, played by Bryan Chang. Bryan is in the army and currently on a short leave. They are introduced to each other and fall for each other. However, they both know its a dream and they want to make it last. When Singing awakes, she tracks down the real life Tsung and slowly enters his life. Slowly but surely, her invasion is complete and they become a couple.

From one of the interviews, they mentioned that it took 13 days to film the movie. Which seems quite amazing considering the number of locales and utter sense of loneliness it presents. The story itself has a twist that I didn't reveal, but you don't know this until half way through the film. A very stylistic film that moves rather slowly but deliberately. Singing and Tsung are strangers in the real world, but lovers in their dreams. Would you let love blossom knowing that it will eventually die?

Nikki Hsieh puts on a pretty good performance. Having to carry the majority of the film, you had a lot of close ups and her face had to carry it. And it did, nothing to much for her to stretch. Bryan's role was a little less, as he was complimentary to the story.

The movie was slow, but the payoff was good. This movie really reminded me a little bit of romantic movies out of HK in the late 80s and early 90s. Love can triumphs over the situation, but tragedy will befall you.

You Don't Mess with the Zohan - 特勤沙龍

2011-06-26T00:02:00.000-07:00

You Don't Mess with the Zohan (特勤沙龍) is an 2008 film. The movie stars Adam Sandler. A bunch of others are also in the movie including John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Lainie Kazan, and Rob Schneider.

Zohan is an Israeli super solider that quits the armed forces and comes to the USA to be an silky smooth hair stylist. That's it, that's all you need to know.

This is a classic Sandler movie with a guy thats is normally likable coming of age and getting the girl. But there's also a "can't we all get along" message passed along. The Jews and Palestinians getting along at the end of the movie.

The Warrior's Way - 沙漠戰士

2011-06-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

The Warrior's Way (沙漠戰士) is an 2010 film. The film has been credited to both the USA and New Zealand. Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston, Tony Cox, and Ti Lung star in this b-movie western.

Jang plays Yang, a master swordsman who's left for the wild west of the US from some unnamed Asian country from accross the sea. Yang lands in a town where a former friend ran a laundry shop. There, Yang meets Lynne, played by Kate Bosworth and Ron played by Oscar award winner Geoffrey Rush. All three have a shady past that they would like to escape. When some bandits visit the city, Yang is forced to draw his sword, which leads his former clan members to converge on the town.

This was a guilty pleasure kind of western. The main protagonist, Yang, was like cartoony in his powers. Able dodge bullets and slash everything in sight. Lynne and Ron brought some humanity and angst to the film.

A good watch, but one that I could have waited for cable to give me.

Drive Angry

2011-06-24T00:09:00.000-07:00

Drive Angry is an 2011 film starring Nicolas Cage and Amber Heard.

Nicolas Cage plays a father that escapes hell to exact revenge on a leader of a cult who killed his daughter and has his grandchild. Cage plays someone that's already dead so he can't be killed. Amber Heard is saved by Cage and comes along for a ride. Nothing romantic happens between the two. If anything, its more of a father/daughter relationship. All hell breaks lose with he find the cult.

This is a guilty pleasure type of film. Don't try to reason with it, just let the violence entertain you. Things explode, bad guys are killed, and there are lots of car chases! Dood, its the 70s action movie genre all over again.

命運化妝師 - Make Up - Upcoming

2011-06-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

命運化妝師 (Make Up) is being released tomorrow in Taipei on June 24th. The movie stars Sonia Sui, Nikki Hsin-Ying Hsieh, Matt Wu, and Bryant Chang.

From the trailer, it looks like a mystery suspense with a little "horror" edge to it. But it stars Sonia Sui and Nikki Hsieh! Dood, that's enuff for me to get on board.

Just Go With It - 愛情大臨演

2011-06-22T00:03:00.000-07:00

Just Go With It (愛情大臨演) is a 2011 film. The movie stars Adam Sandler, Jennifer Anniston, and Brooklyn Decker. Supporting cast and cameo apparences by Nick Swardson, Nicole Kidman, Dave Matthews, and Dan Patrick.

Adam Sandler plays a plastic surgeon who was extremely hurt on the eve of his wedding 20 years ago. After that, he gets a nose job and finds that wearing a ring let's him get some action and not have to stay committed. Now, a very successful Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, he's rich and living life. However, at a party by the beach, he bumps into Brooklyn Decker as a 2nd grade teacher. But when the awake the next morning, she finds a wedding ring in his pocket. Distraught, she doesn't want to see him again. Adam's office manager is played by Jennifer Anniston and he confides in her with all his life stories. Anniston suggest that he fake a divoce to prove that's he truly wants to be with Decker. They goto Hawaii to make this happen!

The movie was very very very predictable. From the get go, you knew that things were a little off. It is a typical Sandler film. Sandler starts the film off as a jerk with a big heart. A coming of age story unfolds and he realizes what's really important in his life and he gets the girl! Same story all the time. Its just the getting there and with whom that changes from film to film. For this one, it wasn't so bad to see Anniston and Decker square off in bikinis. Nice.

你是否依然愛我 - Will You Still Love Me - Upcoming

2011-06-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

你是否依然愛我 (Will You Still Love Me) is set for release in Taipei on June 24th. The movie stars Megen Lai and Shaun Tam. I cannot find his English name of the third star, 金佳.

The movie seems to be set in Taipei with a maybe a love triangle between the female star and two male stars. I like Megen and will try to catch this film on DVD when it reaches LA.

Shutter Island - 隔離島

2011-06-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

Shutter Island (隔離島) is an 2010 film. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, and Michelle Williams. The movie was directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese. The movie is based on an 2003 novel by Dennis Lehane. This was the fourth film together for Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays an U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels who's been assigned to Shutter Island off the coast of Boston to investigate the disappearance of Rachel Solando. During the ferry ride, Teddy is assigned a new partner Chuck, played by Mark Ruffalo. They start the investigation and things start to get weird when the staff refuse to cooperate with Teddy and his investigation. As they get deeper and deeper, a bigger conspiracy is uncovered.

This movie was a total trip. From the opening to the ending. I was on the edge of my seat. The suspense and layers of truth came a very good pace and I was wondering aloud sometimes at the things unfolding.

If you like DiCaprio or Scorsese films, this is a much watch.

Who's the PHOB? - Taiwan-Born American

2011-06-19T00:04:00.000-07:00

Who's the PHOB this week? Laura Hsin Feng of the most epic blog Taiwan-Born American.

Laura (TBA) was born in Taiwan and at a young age, moved to the good ol' USA. Hey, sounds just like me. TBA decided to move back to Taiwan to teach English at a Bu Shi Ban institution. I've been semi-following TBA for a little over a year now. I think it was some US Census 2010 Taiwanese post that got me there. TBA is doing what I wish I could have done back in the 90s when I got out of college. Living in an "foreign" homeland.

If you're looking to goto Taiwan to teach English, TBA has some helpful posts. If you've young and not established in a career just yet, go abroad. Seriously.

<< The last PHOB, Di "Moon" Zhang...

True Grit - 真實的勇氣

2011-06-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

True Grit (真實的勇氣) is a 2010 film. The movie stars Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Barry Pepper. The film was directed by famed siblings, the Coen brothers. This is the second movie adaption of an 1968 novel by Charles Portis. The first adaption starred the legendary John Wayne from 1969.

Hailee Steinfeld plays a 14 year old lass named Mattie Ross. Mattie's father was murder by Tom Chaney, played by Josh Brolin. Seeking justice, Mattie enlist the aid of an U. S. Marshal, Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn played by Jeff Bridges for $50. A large sum in the 1880s. However, a Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf played by Matt Damon, finds out about Mattie and asked for Roosters help to help bring in Chaney for the reward money. They start their quest into Native American territority for Chaney, who's joined "Lucky" Ned Pepper gang, played Barry Pepper. The quest starts and eventually, there's a conclusion that isn't all that happy.

The was a pretty good movie. Long, slow, but full of intensity when things started up. The character development of Mattie, Rooster, and LeBoeuf was steady and not overwhelming. Once the action started, it was a ride. This may be the best Western I've seen in quite some time. The only westerns that pop to mind are Tombstone and Dances With Wolves.

Another awesome thing about True Grit was the dialogue. Simply Amazing. The way it flowed was as if they were from the 1880s. The dialogue was not modernized for today. That's something that Zhong Guo's "Gu Dai" films do very well. Keeping the language of the era. In True Grit, it felt as if they were from the 1880. The expressions were awesome. I need to work that vocabulary back into my communication patterns.

Even in this western, there some Asians! Rooster stays in the supply room of a Chinese man whom ones a General Supply store. Nice! I like how Rooster runs into a bunch of hanging ducks when he's trying to get dressed.

帶一片風景走 - Leaving Gracefully - Upcoming

2011-06-17T00:54:00.000-07:00

帶一片風景走 (Leaving Gracefully) is being released in Taipei today. The movie stars Huang Pin Yuan and Hou Yi Jun.

The movies seems to follow the lives of a couple with an daughter. The wife comes down with an brain tumor and slowly starts to deteriorate. But the husband is by her side. Seems like a very moving movie. I'll try my best to catch this if I see it on DVD around town.

River's Edge - 大河邊緣

2011-06-16T00:05:00.000-07:00

River's Edge (大河邊緣) is a 1986 film. The movie stars Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, Crispin Glover, Daniel Roebuck, and Dennis Hopper. The movie was partially based on a true story.

A group of friends in High School are led to a nearby river to view the dead body of an missing friend. One of the friends decided to kill one of them and show off about it. The self proclaimed leader of the group tells them all to keep quiet and he'll handle it. However, someone reports it to the police.

I recently caught this again on some movie channel. It was about 2 minutes in when I flipped over. While washing dishes, it brought me back to the late 80s when I saw this. I rented it for $0.50 at a local Sam Goody's on VHS. During that time, I was a huge Keanu fan. Dood had that "it" factor that I still follow today. In this movie, the lead role is split between Keanu, Ione, and Crispin. But Keanu plays the conscious, he's the one that reports it to the police. During that same time in life, I had hair just a bit longer and had a similar "skater/punk rocker" look. Well, at least I tried with my super limited budget. The leather jacket with an cut off jean jacket was a look that was quite popular in those days. And those bangs! Ione's hair was a reflection of mid 80s to early 90s hair. Aquanet it all!

The subject mater and the acting is a bit dated. Dialogue from older movies like this seems so elementary to indie films these days. But I was really captivated by the film's depiction of that slice of childhood for me.

JabbaWockeeZ - Devastating Stereo

2011-06-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

ABDC Season 1 winners JabbaWockeeZ have been on a roll since there competition days. They've appeared in the NBA with Shaq Diesel. They have been in an Nike commerical. And they ripped the stage in ABDC's season five charity episode. They also recently blew us away on the finale of ABDC's season six as I aM mE were crowned champions. But they're biggest accomplishment may be their Las Vegas show. Seriously, Las Vegas show. And with that notoriety, they've released a video recently to top that off. In the word of Marvel fanboyz, "'Nuff said", just watch.

Battle: Los Angeles - World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles - 世界異戰

2011-06-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Battle: Los Angeles / World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles (世界異戰) is a 2011 film. The movie stars Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Peña, Ne-Yo, Ramon Rodriguez, and Bridget Moynahan. The movie was shot in a neo-documentary style.

Aliens attack 20 cities around the world. Los Angeles is among one of them. A platoon of marines is sent in to retrieve civilians from an police station from within enemy lines. The story follows them as they get to the target to retrieve and how they get out.

The movie was quite intense. Shot in an neo-documentary style, its majority shot with handhelds and in your face.

I really enjoyed the movie. After looking at the box office numbers, its sad that this film didn't do better. There were no big names in the film to pull it and maybe that's why it was released in the spring to avoid the summer bloodbath. All the actors and actresses did a pretty good job of protraying their characters. With as much of a event film like this, you have to set up the main guys to at least care about them as they start to get picked off. I was onboard from the beginning to the end.

Mother - 母親

2011-06-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

Mother (母親) is a 2009 film out of Korea. The movie stars Won Bin and Kim Hye-ja. This was the first film by Won Bin after he fulfilled his mandatory military service. The movie was also well received on the international market and one of the top 10 domestic films of 2009 in Korea.

Won Bin plays Do-joon, a mentally challenged individual who seems to have problems with his memory and ability to tell right from wrong. Do-joon's mother is a worker at a traditional medicine shop. Do is suspected of killing a local girl and put into prison. Do's mother believes that the police coaxed an confession and that he's innocent. From that point on, the mother is hellbent on getting to the truth and getting her son free.

What's not to like about a mother's quest to get her son released from jail? But a very common theme among the recent high profile Korean films is darkness. What type of activity drives individuals to do what they do? What drives a mother to go beyond her means to get her son released?

Did I like this movie? No, I was following along with the story, but was uneasy the whole time. It took over 2 months to finish this. Seriously, ten minutes here, ten minutes there. Finally, I said to myself, finish it. And I did and I also said, "Why'd you watch this movie?". The hype. I gave in to the hype. And it did not live up.

Bridesmaids - 伴娘

2011-06-12T00:04:00.000-07:00

Bridesmaids (伴娘) is an 2011 film. The film mainly stars Kristen Wiig. With a huge supporting cast of Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, and Chris O'Dowd. The movie was based in the Milwaukee and Chicago area.

Kristen Wiig plays Annie Walker, a woman going through a rough patch. Annie's bakery failed a few years back and has had a real run of bad luck in life. Annie's bestfriend is recently engaged and Annie's the maid of honor. Hijinx follow. Seriously, hijinx follow. That's about all you need to know.

Is this a chick flick? Heck yeah. It does take the "gross out" humor of the last 7-8 years to true form to a predominantly female cast. If you're a fan of the Apatow movies like Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin, this is right up your alley. Labeled as "Hangover" for gals, this movie may have lived up to the hype. I found myself laughing and cringing for much of the movie.

Genki Sudo - World Order

2011-06-11T00:30:00.000-07:00

Genki Sudo is an retired MMA fighter turned musician and dancer. Genki had a storied career in MMA, retiring at a time when most were reaching their peak fighting years. Genki turned that energy into "World Order" and other opportunities. Although I like the music a lot, I can't help but be mesmerized by the dancing.

It's such a unique style that many may not even notice it as dancing. However, it is and to a level few will ever reach. From the faux running to the visuals with the industrial park backdrops. You want your mind to go on a trip? Genki's World Order vids will do it for you.

Blue Valentine - 藍色情人節

2011-06-10T00:02:00.000-07:00

Blue Valentine (藍色情人節) is a 2010 film. The film stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

Ryan Gosling plays Dean, a mover and house painter who falls for Cindy, played by Michelle Williams. The movie shows how they first fall in love and than how they start down the path of divorce. A movie about love found and lost. However, we're presented the "lost" part first and as the movie progresses, the "found" part is intertwined. Even though the stories collide, both the past and present are presented in sequence. There seems to be a 7-8 year gap between the two storylines.

The movie was really hard to watch. I think the filmmakers went with trying to tell as realistic movie as they could. You'll even notice that with the way scenes are shot. As you watch both stories unfold in front, you have this sinking feeling in your stomach of "why?". Why can they fall so deeply in love with each other just years ago and not get it back? But as with all things in life, things don't stay the same. Relationships well always evolve. I can't recommend this as its too hard of a story to endorse and its not a lifestyle I would promote either.

Who's the PHOB? - Di Moon Zhang

2011-06-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

Who's the PHOB this week? Di "Moon" Zhang of the newly crowned ABDC season six champions I aM mE! Homeboi Moon's English skillz were so bad that MTV felt the need for subtitles whenever he spoke. Ironically, I didn't notice it until my wife pointed it out to me during the finale. Because I understand homeboi Moon perfectly.

Unfortunately, as of this writing, I can find very little 411 on Di Moon Zhang. Moon has a twitter, a Youtube Channel, and a FB page. Many random postings of his mad dance skillz, but nothing much on the man, the moon, the Zhang. I haven't even been able to find out his Zhong Wen name either. I have deficiencies in my Zhong Wen skillz too. But nothing in English tho. I don't know how old he is. I don't know when he traveled across the great blue yonder (2005?). I don't know much other than his videos kept me from being productive for a few hours.

But homeboi Moon can dance. And Moon's style is very nice and has very precise movements. I've compiled some of my favorite videos, so you don't have to waste hours. But I am pretty sure you're gonna end up watching all his other amazing vids anywayz.

<< The last PHOB, Harry Shum, Jr...
...The next PHOB, Taiwan-Born American>>

拜金女王 - Material Queen - Upcoming

2011-06-08T00:04:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! 拜金女王 (Material Queen) is finally set to be released in Taiwan on June 17th! The idol drama will star Van Ness Wu, Lynn Hung, and Daniel Chan. Seems to be a story of riches again. Seems you can't go through many dramas without something of "Rich" vs. "Poor". A very different concept than what's here in the US.

However, I am looking forward to this series. The first one in a long time for me. Hope its a good one.

I Am Number Four - 獵殺第四行者

2011-06-07T00:05:00.000-07:00

I Am Number Four (獵殺第四行者) is a 2011 film. The movie stars Alex Pettyfer, Dianna Agron, and Teresa Palmer. The movie is based on a fiction novel of the same name.

Alex Pettyfer plays John Smith, an alien from the planet Lorien taking shelter here on earth. Lorien was ransacked by another alien race, the Mogadorians. The Lorien sent eight of their most gifted children to earth. However, the Mogadorians have followed to earth and have to eliminate the eight in order. John Smith is number four. John Smith and his protector, Henri, goto Paradise, Ohio, USA to research something. John Smith falls for Sarah, played by Dianna Agron. However, because of the internet, John Smith's alien activity has made it onto YouTube. How can John Smith stop the Mogadorians?

The movie was very sci-fi at its core. Alien lifeforms on earth. Co-existing among use? Yupe, suspend your belief and just roll with it. Yes, the movie is cheezy. Yes, the protagonist deserves to be found with his foolish, "I want to be noticed", mentality. But without it, how shall we see the bad guys? How will he get the girl? You don't need the answers, you just need your suspend logic for a pretty typical sci-fi movie.

America's Best Dance Crew - Season 6 - The Finale

2011-06-06T00:05:00.000-07:00

Last night was the tenth and last episode of America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6), the Finale. I aM mE and ICONic Boyz had to wait out lame movie award promos to see the 5 past champions preform onstage, before finding out who won for season six. Shockingly, I aM mE won season six! Good job guys. I aM mE was the most consistent group on the show and had the most insane routines in comparison to their competitors.

The show itself sucked! Sucked big time. For some lame reason, it was decided to that they had to plug the lame movie awards in-between the ABDC segments. If you ever watch MTV long enough, you hate it. Commercials galore. Makes me wish I had Tivo. Almost. Add in the lame movie award promos, the show was super long. Seriously made for a miserable watch. I hope the reruns cut that crap out.

I am quite shocked that ICONic Boyz didn't win. These boyz rode the wave of goodwill to the finals, never falling into the final two. Even with subpar and predictable performances, they were safe every week. Until now. My previous posts on the ABDC season reflected what seem like an unstoppable marketing force.

I aM mE! Where do you go now? Chachi is 15 and still has to finish at least HS. Moon! Are you going back to the motherland to ring in a new world of hipsters to your success? Can this be a career to bank on for the immediate future? I don't know, but I think it'll all work out fine for you guys. You guys deserve the win. Mad props to I aM mE for using FM's Rocketeer for their final performance song.

So, what of the past 5 champions? With extended timeslots, they were all able to show up a little bit and inject their personalities that have grown since the show. However, I was most impressed with Poreotix and JabbaWockeeZ. Poreotix did their signature style moves and was quite entertaining. These boys have made strides. JabbaWockeeZ gave a Genki Sudo like performance with a huge group and bounce like movements. Quest Crew's wasn't far behind tho! Looks like D-Trix is really no longer part of Quest.

ABDC producers, its time for an all-stars season. Bring back Kaba Modern, Breaksk8, Fysh N Chicks, SoReal Cru, Fanny Pak, Supreme Soul, Beat Freaks, Massive Monkees, Blueprint Cru, and Hype 5-0 for another run at the top!

Li Na - 李娜 - Wins 2011 French Open

2011-06-05T02:02:00.000-07:00

Last night in Paris, France, Li Na (李娜) won the 2011 Women's Single French Open. Li becomes the first person born in Zhong Guo to win a Grand Slam title. Li is also the 5th oldest to win at the age of 29 years old.

Congrats Li Na! You've been knocking at the door for the past two years and came very close at the 2011 Australian Open, being the runner-up. You've had great runs since 2008. But at the French this year, you did it.

Li Na's had a lot of first for the tennis players from Zhong Guo.

The Mechanic - 極速秒殺

2011-06-04T00:04:00.001-07:00

The Mechanic (極速秒殺) is a 2011 film. The movie stars Jason Statham and Ben Foster. Supporting cast include Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, and Mini Anden. The term "mechanic" is also slang for "hitman" or assassin. This is a remake of the 1972 cult classic by Charles Bronson.

Jason Statham plays Bishop, a isolated mechanic for a secret organization. His handler Harry, played by Donald Sutherland, is framed for a botched job in South American and the organization asks Bishop to eliminate him. Ben Foster plays Steve, Harry's son. Steve has no direction in life and ask Bishop to train him to be an mechanic. The two form a bond as the movie progress and they start going on jobs. However, Steve has a knack to stir up trouble and they are now targets themselves. Bishop decides to take down the organization when they come after him. Steve comes along for the ride.

The movie was actually really entertaining. I really enjoyed the concept and story behind Bishop's life. Although Bishop's past isn't mentioned or explored, you see his current life and how he operates. You get a sense that hitman are very isolated and have to look behind their shoulders at all times. Just when you thought he was a machine, enter a bromance story. I vaguely remember the 1972 original. I remember watching a lot of Charles Bronson during the 80s when they rerun all the 70s action films. This movie has sparked my interest to find the 1972 in the near future.

America's Best Dance Crew - Season 6 - Battle of the Final Two

2011-06-03T00:08:00.000-07:00

Last night was the ninth episode of America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6), the Battle of the Final Two. The show focused on the two remaining crews, I aM mE and ICONic Boyz. The show was not the final episode and highlights each crew in various different ways.

The show had each crew re-preform one of their previous performances with a little bit of extra time. I aM mE re-did their "S&M" performance. The performance was the start of Chachi's focus within the group. And they did that again today. The performance was a little longer and slightly different than the original one. I don't remember the first one so it was hard to tell what changed. But it was a good one. ICONic Boyz re-performed their "Baby" dance. Was about the same.

The show moved on to hightlight friends and family within each of the groups hometown. I aM mE is based out of Houston, but many of the member are not from the area including, Di "Moon" Zhang. My PHOB Moon is straight outta Zhong Guo and ripping it on the stage. They showed a clip of Moon taking to whom I presume to be his dad. Nice, bei fang style mandarin in da haus!

I still have hope that I aM mE can pull this off. But from the fan vids, it looks like the boyz have too much momentum. Good run I aM mE! Moon, am I gonna see you in Hip-Hop Kung Fu 3?

Who's the PHOB? - Harry Shum, Jr.

2011-06-02T01:12:00.000-07:00

Who's the PHOB? Me, you, or maybe all of us! I will be starting a new series by highlighting some of the most amazing PHOBs out and about. PHOB is a play on the derogatory term FOB. But instead of it being negative, I think of PHOB as Asians making it nicely here in the US. Who qualifies as being a PHOB? As this is a Asian focused blog, it'll be Asian related in some sense. PHabulous will happen randomly, but I will try to do a "Who's the PHOB?" at least once a week! Haha, but also let me know if its a bad idea! My wife thinks its a bad idea, but I think its an PHAT idea!

For the inaugural "Who's the PHOB? I want to highlight Harry Shum Jr. Dude has recently been in some of my favorite YouTube videos with WongFu Productions. However, I first remember Harry from "You Got Served" and "Step Up". As one of the few Asian faces in those movies, I looked him up on IMDB. Most recently, Harry has been one of the regular cast members of the television show Glee. Sorry Harry, i don't really enjoy Glee, but you're awesome in the WongFu stuff! Harry's also in a pretty dope YouTube video, 3 Minutes.

The next PHOB, Di "Moon" Zhang...

Faster - 極速復仇

2011-06-01T00:02:00.000-07:00

Faster (極速復仇) is a 2010 film. The film stars The Rock, Dwayne Johnson. The supporting cast includes Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino, Moon Bloodgood, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Maggie Grace. The movie was a return to the action genre after a couple years doing non-action projects.

The Rock plays Driver, a man that's about to be released from prison after serving 10 years. Once he's out, he goes and gets a car, a gun, and a list of people he's going to kill. But he has to do this before the law finds him as his killings are all public. Killer, a hitman, is hired to take out The Rock. Slowly as the movie progresses, the reason Driver is after these people is revealed. As they say, the plot thickens.

The movie was pretty enjoyable for the action alone. I wouldn't say it was an world class movie, but it was fun and had its moments. It felt that the character development of the supporting cast, specifically Killer, was more so than Driver. But it didn't matter to the ultimate plot of the movie. A man out to seek revenge on those that killed his brother.

Bedevilled - 金福南殺人事件始末

2011-05-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Bedevilled (金福南殺人事件始末) is a 2010 film out of Korean. The movie stars Seo Young-hee and Ji Seong-won.

Ji plays Hae-won, a modern woman living in Sheol as a banks financial advisor. Hae-won witnessed a beating and decides not to get involved out of fear. After that, she gets into it with a bank customer and co-worker. After the wo-worker confrontation, Hae-won decides to visit her grandfathers island where she visited as a child. Seo plays Bok-nam, the youngest woman on the island. The two had played together when they were young. The two strike up their friendship again. Bok-name however is treated more like a slave than a human. Eventually, Bok-nam cracks.

Seems that many of the Korean movies I've been watching lately are so dark. Exploring the darkness within humans. Where do you think you're humanity starts and others end. In this case, over and over, the abuse of Bok-nam becomes so common, its part of everyday life.

Major props to Seo Young-hee. Seo puts on an amazing performance of transforming herself into this island person. If you've seen her elsewhere, you know how beautiful Seo normally is.

The movie moved really slow as it really focused on character development for more than half the film. Much like other Korean films of late, be prepared to be a little shocked at the darkness presented.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - 歪小子史考特

2011-05-30T00:05:00.001-07:00

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (歪小子史考特) is a 2010 film. The movie stars Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The large supporting cast includes Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, and Jason Schwartzman.

The movie is about a rock band bass player Scott Pilgrim, played by Michael Cera. At a party, Scott meets Ramona Victoria Flowers, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. He instantly falls for her and goes out of his way to woo her. When he does, he finds out that in order to keep dating her, Scott will have to battle and defeat Romona's previous seven boyfriends. Let the battles begin.

This movie was a total trip. I had heard of how offbeat and potential for a mind-trip this movie could be. Going in with those high expectations, I was ultimately let down. Scott isn't a very likable character in general so I had a hard time pulling for him. In the end, I was just hoping for a nice happy ending. Ramona's character wasn't all that much to write home about either. So, strike out on the characters. So that leaves the story and special effects to save the day right? Well, the story was your standard win the girl at all cost kind of deal. Through in the weird boyfriends, it was straight forward and easy to follow. So easy that I was a little bored. So, can the special effects help salvage the movie? Yes, that part of the film was quite awesome. Taking queues from video games and things in gadget culture for reference points. I was delighted by the nice visuals.

In all, I think I should have just watched the movie with no expectations. Maybe I would have liked the movie better.

Echoes Of The Rainbow - 歲月神偷

2011-05-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

Echoes Of The Rainbow (歲月神偷) is a 2010 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Simon Yam, Sandra Ng, and Aarif Lee. The movie is set in the 1960s while Hong Kong was still under British rule.

The Law family of little brother, older brother, father and mother live on Wing Lee Street with their grandmother and oldest uncle. Father Law is a cobbler and business starts to get rough and his short temper with demanding clients. Older brother is a successful student and athlete at an English school. Younger brother is a troublemaker and loves his brother dearly. The movie follow their lives from the narrative perspective of the younger brothers recollection from the 1970s.

The movie was quite heart-wrenching because you see the everyday struggles of people of that era try to make ends meet and to send their kids to school for a better life. Reminds me of my upbringing where my parents with no English come to the US in their late 30s and try to start over. I can't even fathom "starting over". Yet, that's what another generation did and had to do many times in their lives. Yet it was an hard watch because the younger brother was so annoying. Really annoying.

Black Swan - 黑天鵝

2011-05-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Black Swan (黑天鵝) is a 2010 film. The film stars Natalie Portman. The supporting cast includes Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, and Barbara Hershey. The movie is based on a troupe's production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.

Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayers, a ballet dancer with a very shelter life. Nina lives with her mother Erica, played by Barbara Hershey. Erica was a failed ballet dancer in her youth and has poured much of her energy into Nina's career. Nina's troupe leader Thomas, played by Vincent Cassel, has chosen her for the lead role. That lead role includes playing both sides of the black and white swan story. Nina's white swan is good, but Thomas tries to bring out more feeling and depth when in black swan mode. Nina starts to descend into madness as the first show approaches.

The movie was a little disappointing for me. I had friends who saw it in the theater say how awesome it was or how terrible it was. Both sides, no middle ground. I landed in the middle. I think its slick story telling and Nina's fractured reality was presented in a very unique way. At the end, I wasn't sure what was real. I would not recommend this movie to friends though. I wouldn't even talk to them about it. It's too convoluted of a story to discuss and it falls too much into the artistic realm to suit my taste.

America's Best Dance Crew - Season 6 - Kanye West Challenge

2011-05-27T01:09:00.000-07:00

Last night was the eighth episode of America's Best Dance Crew (Season 6), the Kanye West Challenge. The remaining 3 groups battle it out for the last two spots. The bottom two crews were Phunk Phenomenon and I aM mE. After a spirited dance off, Phunk Phenomenon were let go by the judges.

As predicted, its an I aM mE and ICONic Boyz finale. ICONic Boyz never hit the bottom, being saved by votes or MTV. Who knows how the voting works in this things. Had ICONic Boyz ever gotten to the bottom, based on their last 2-3 performances, they would be gone. And based on this episodes' performances, it should be an Phunk Phenomenon and I aM mE finale.

For the bottom 2 head to head dance off, both Phunk Phenomenon and I aM mE brought it hard. Technically, i think I aM mE was superior. From the energy level perspective, Phunk Phenomenon was the winner. And since the judges get to pick, they would probably go with the more technically sound group. For me, there were good moments with Phunk Phenomenon, but I was wowed by I aM mE because I like their style more.

This weeks challenge was based on Kanye West songs, but sucka didn't even bother to show himself. Instead, we got something better. We got season five's winner, Poreotix dancing to the challenges. The challenge was to incorporate ISOS, the Dougie, and Boogaloo. Poreotix ended up being in the crowd as well.

Next week, there's going to be a "Battle of the Final Two" episode which I don't really understand. The finale will have all the past champions there. Which I will be looking for to. Will D-Trix get back onstage with Quest again? Will we ever see Koba back on the ABDC stage again?!

After this episode, I actually think that I aM mE has a shot. The two performances by ICONic Boyz were very underwhelming and could have ppl saying to themselves, "they're cute, but I aM mE killed it". However, my gut has ICONic Boyz winning. I really hope not, but its prolly gonna be ICONic Boyz. Its an unstoppable marketing force.

The Fantastic Water Babes - 出水芙蓉

2011-05-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Fantastic Water Babes (出水芙蓉) is a 2010 film out of Hong Kong. The film stars Gillian Chung and Alex Fung. Supporting cast includes Eva Huang, Stephen Fung, Chrissie Chau, and former olympic gold medalist Tian Liang.

Gillian Chung plays a brass swimming gal who's madly in love with her boyfriend. However, she's gravely embarrass when a secret recording is broadcast of her boyfriend cheating on her and making bad remarks about her. She challenges the gal he's cheated on to a swimming challenge. In order to do this, they kidnap Alex Fong, who's a world class swimmer.

This movie is common HK fare these days. The gals are pretty, the plot suffers from cheesiness, but its a feel good movie at the end. This is so different from the HK movies that I grew up watching from the 80s and 90s. Where happy endings were made fun of. Watch it for Gillian, Eva, and Christy. Skip if you want a good story that makes sense.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - 納尼亞傳奇:黎明行者號

2011-05-25T00:03:00.000-07:00

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (納尼亞傳奇:黎明行者號) is a 2010 film. The movie is the third installment of The Chronicles of Narnia film series. However, it is the fifth story in the C. S. Lewis's epic fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. The movie takes place 3 years after the 2nd Narnia movie, Prince Caspian.

Netflix's plot summary about does it:

With their dour, bookish cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) in tow, the youngest Pevensie offspring -- Lucy (Georgie Henley) and Edmund (Skandar Keynes) -- take an unexpected trip back to Narnia and join noble King Caspian (Ben Barnes) for an epic high-seas adventure. Setting sail aboard the Dawn Treader, the young heroes head for the end of the world, determined to rescue seven once-powerful lords banished by Caspian's evil uncle.

The movie was just ok for me. I really disliked Eustace. Even though he comes around later on, I can't help but hate him for more than half the film. The rest follow a pretty standard epic tall of destroying the evil that abounds. If you've watched the first two, this is around the same, just with a little more special effects.

McDonald's Commercial With Victor Kim and Yuri Tag

2011-05-24T00:03:00.001-07:00

Recently, while washing my daily butt-load of dishes, I saw a McDonald's commercial about their new frozen strawberry lemonade. I looked over because the beat was catchy and saw some spinning yellow dood. Than a familiar voice starts and goes to Yuri Tag. Whaa?!!! After a few seconds laters, I see that its Victor Kim that was spinning round and round. Whaaa?!!! again and I was glued. But the commercial ended. ARGGHHH!!! I finish the dishes and start up to YouTube and find it. Nice.

Good to know that the colors that Victor Kim was wearing was that of Lemon vs. Yuri Tag's red outfit for Strawberry. Well, I hope it was meant for that!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 - 哈利波特:死神的聖物I

2011-05-23T00:03:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (哈利波特:死神的聖物I) is a 2010 film. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. The film is Part 1 of 2 of the seventh book of the Harry Potter book series. Part 2 is set for general release in the summer of 2011.

The Netflix plot summary does it just about right:

The first installment of the two-part conclusion to the Harry Potter series finds the bespectacled wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) walking away from his last year at Hogwarts to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, putting an end to Voldemort's bid for immortality. But with Harry's beloved Dumbledore dead and Voldemort's unscrupulous Death Eaters on the loose, the world is more dangerous than ever.

I loved this movie. It was dark, funny, and gut wrenching all at the same time. Since you probably saw the previous six films, you can see how an innocent childhood is lost to an abrupt introduction to adulthood. From Harry's search for the remaining Horcruxes, to his friendship with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, to his bid to keep others safe around him, it was quite a ride. I've never read the books, but this film series is quite something. Something amazing.