72 posts tagged “movies”
this is one sequel I won't mind waiting for.
Richie Ren has confirmed that he's working on the script now and will invite Sammi Cheng to co-star again.
Weeeeehhhhh!!!!!!
Because aside from the big budget and the big stars to gawk at, and yeah, the occasionally dizzying effects, they are just crap.
And I just found one more reason: The Day The Earth Stood Still.
It is so BAD that I could not even cry when it was over, I felt so numb. I just wasted two hours of my life on this CRAPPY movie???? I mean, what were Jennifer Connelly and Kathy Bates thinking?! If there's one thing going for this movie, the cinematography and effects were awesome and Keanu Reeves is perfect as a human-turned-alien ('coz the guy can't act to save his life). But overall, WHAT WAS THE POINT????????????
Am I just blur or it was really that baaaaad?
This review is both funny and sarcastic. Exactly my thoughts!
As Keanu's character says repeatedly: "I need to go back to the city."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
... she became annoying and not oh so funny.
Truth be told, I wasn't really excited to watch the movie version especially when I noticed in the movie trailer that they have totally turned Becky into an American. Her being British was part of her charm and humor, just as Bridget Jones' being Brit was so much part of her character. All throughout the movie, I kept on wondering how it would have been if Richard Curtis handled the material. It was just so Hollywood and for me, that would mean, shallow. I mean, being a shopaholic to some is already a shallow preoccupation but the movie version just made it totally pointless. I can't even feel the excitement when Becky weaved a series of lies just to get the Denny & George scarf. But in the book, it was so vivid and funny.
Maybe it was just Isla Fisher. She just didn't capture Becky's life and vivaciousness. And though I always had Michael Vartan in mind for Luke Brandon, Hugh Dancy was a charming Luke. I also loved Kristin Scott Thomas as the snooty French editor of a magazine. Good thing Joan Cusack, John Goodman and John Lithgow offered very good support. Because of them, I didn't feel my afternoon was totally wasted.
But in Chicago the musical, I liked Velma Kelly (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie). Velma was just more funny onstage.
On a side note on the opening of the musical here in BKK, there were a lot of stars in attendance; even more star-studded than Cinderella. But we didn't know anyone... oh except for that actress whose giant movie tarpaulin was hanging over the stairs going down from the theatre. I am a useless stalker of Thai stars.
This is a delayed review of For The First Time (since I just watched it now) but I just have to waste my breath on such a wasted movie that wasted my time. (Warning: biyatch ahead.)
The script is bad bad bad. Joyce Bernal, what happened?
The script is already bad, the lead stars especially KC Concepcion had to make it worse with those bloody adlibs that fall flat.
No chemistry between KC and Richard Gutierrez. None. Nada. Zilch. Not even Greece could help put magic onscreen and those who say they are a perfect pair, ARE YOU BLIND???? (Why did they have to force this tandem? If it would have been a seasoned actor like Piolo Pascual or John Lloyd Cruz, maybe the movie would have been saved even with a bad script.)
The support cast are so dry and yes, that includes Philip Salvador. Jeez, he's one of the country's good actors but he just cannot play the role of a wealthy, English-speaking businessman, okay? (Whateveerrrrr it tayks.)
The main and support casts do not have chemistry. Their interaction onscreen made me squirm. (In movies like Cathy Garcia Molina's One More Chance, the chemistry among the cast is so palpable and draws you in.)
KC looks like an easy girl. And so many unnecessary acting and gestures. Her mother may not be as beautiful as her but at least Sharon Cuneta has the charm.
This movie is one big mistake that KC could not have afford to commit for her first movie. I just hope Joey Reyes will be able to save her in her next movie, but that's only half the goal done. Unless a miracle happens overnight and Richard Gutierrez suddenly can act, their second tandem could be as disastrous as this. Although judging from the hype over this movie, it seemed nobody told the princess that her debut film tanked.
I've seen how parallel love stories were tackled in The Classic (Korea) and Love Letter (Japan), two of my favorite movies and I'm interested to see how it will be done here. I hope it will be in the line-up of films for TN's coming film festival.
(Spoilers ahead)
Domyoji Tsukasa is going to marry 'commoner' Tsukushi Makino.
Sounds simple and easy, happy ending here we come.
But no. The tiara, dubbed as the 'Smile of Venus', which has been passed on from generations in the Domyoji family and which Kaede (Tsukasa's mother) gifts the couple, is stolen. And without it, the wedding of Tsukasa and Tsukushi is in peril.
So the bickering couple sets out to recover the tiara from the robber and their mission takes them to Las Vegas, Hong Kong and finally, to a deserted island where they have to survive on their wits.
Meanwhile, some things never change. Tsukasa still bungles his Nihongo and Rui still lazes around in his bedroom all day reading (if he is not
Hana Yori Dango is a Cinderella love story, yes, but without Tsukasa's comedy, Makino's feistiness, Rui's laidbackness and the two playboys' shenanigans, HYD won't be HYD. The gem of HYD is actually in Tsukasa's dialogues, especially when he bungles his words. I just felt sad that the rest of the audience I watched with failed to appreciate the humor. Either they could not get the pun or they were just too busy frying their brains with Matsujun's onscreen presence.
Many parts of the movie made me feel though that I'm watching Survivor, especially the part when T&T were left to dry in an island. And since that was towards the latter part of the movie, that was what I remembered the most when I stepped out of the theatre. Only for T&T (and us audience) to find out in the end that it was all just to test their love. Did I say Survivor, Hanadan love edition? (Was TBS trying to make a statement here? For young people not to rush into marriage? But at least, they didn't turn preachy.)
There were three new main characters: Naohito Fujiki (notably of Hotaru no Hikari) as Shigeru's friend, Akira (of Exile) as the mysterious robber and Kitaoji Kinya (Taku's father in Karei naru Ichizoku) as Kaede's friend who mastermind the torturous journey of T&T (I thought he would be revealed as Tsukasa's father; wonder what happened to Domyoji-sama, nothing has been mentioned ever of him).
Many characters return for the movie from Shigeru to Yuuki although I missed Tsubasa, Tsukasa's sister. I didn't notice if she was in the ending scene, which was quite cheeky especially with the parts of F4. I nearly fell off my seat when Rui came out as a...priest! I mean, I thought this happens only in Filipino movies.
But overall, Hana Yori Dango Final was a fitting finale to the two-season TV series. TBS obviously did not scrimp on the production, taking its cast and the audience across the globe. At worst, the film was cheeky; at best, it was campy. But it would always be fun to watch. Tsukasa's childlike wonder, utmost childishness, fierce loyalty to his friends and Tsukushi and adorkable stupidity alone is a spectacle in itself.
Some memorable lines:
"Without love, food is without flavor." -- Tsukushi's dad
"With it just being the two of us... we can share the painful things, so they're only half as painful. And we can share the happy things, so they're twice as happy." -- Tsukushi to Tsukasa while they were stranded on the island
Wow... a country tour promo aboard a private jet? Domyoji Tsukasa is acting true to form.
From Tokyo Graph:
Last weekend, the highly anticipated Hana Yori Dango Final opened on 400 screens. In its first five days, it was watched by approximately 1.35 million people, grossing more than 1.6 billion yen. This puts it roughly on par with last year's HERO, which went on to take in a total of 8 billion yen.
As a way of showing appreciation for the fans, starring actress Mao Inoue and F4 (Jun Matsumoto, Shun Oguri, Shota Matsuda, Tsuyoshi Abe) will be flying to various cities in a private jet next weekend. The plane is a Boeing 737-500 (which can normally seat about 130 passengers). They will visit Sapporo, Nagoya, and Fukuoka on July 12, then Osaka and Tokyo on July 13. The total trip amounts to 4,660 kilometers.
Chartering a jet for a publicity campaign is said to have never been done before for a Japanese film.
