Folks, this should be a good movie to catch - it's going to be shown in KL starting October 16th as part of GSC International screens. Tissue required. I am a sucker for dog faces like these.
Sounds like a completely scary title all in one. However it is not a scary movie though. This is a japanese movie that recently hit town, amidst their usual horror movies and love stories, this one represents one that is not part of the norm.
This movie also hails the return of Takeshi Kaneshiro to the japanese silver screen after 6 years of working overseas in foreign production. I am ecstatic though, for many reasons and quite obvious reasons - lol.
Title of the movie, in japanese translates to Shinigami no seido and it is adapted from a novel by Kotaro Isaka. Kaneshiro plays a shinigami or the grim reaper named Chiba. When i first heard that, my first thought was .. ah.. Meet Joe Black! I was a bit put off by that thought. However, this version is a complete and different view point of death and life.
Chiba, normally appears 7 days before a person is to die and he observes the person's activities, interacts with them ( this is the creepy bit for me ) and decides if the person is to die ( proceed ) or can continue to live ( suspend ) . He is followed in his adventures by a dark black golden retriever who acts as Chiba's guide and rational mind. Chiba, is child like in some instances taking a keen interest in things we take for granted, like music. At the same time he is a complete dufus in human interactions. Take one example when Kazue Fujiki thinks she is being "picked" up by him. His reaction is immensely funny.
He meets 3 different characters in the space of the movie, a lonely and unwanted Office Lady, and has been gangster who is no more in favor with his bosses and and old lady of 70 who is a hair dresser.
The Office lady is played by Manami Konishi. For those who watched japanese doramas, she is already a well known name in that area. Her dreary job includes answering the help line for a electronics company and her life is mundane and dull. To make it worse, she is harassed by a stalker who calls her daily just to hear her voice when one day, she meets Chiba. He rescues her... sort of... well, he was the one that sapped the life out of her for a minute ( note. shinigami's cannot touch people with their bare hands will turn them gray, so notice the people with white gloves ) and he sort of changes her life and a her view of life. It's funny though, he asks her what is her thoughts on death but eventually ends up changing her life giving her a whole new perspective of what to life for.
For one, Sweet Rain, is a show you must pay attention to what people say and read in between the lines. ..... this is a broad hint here. :) Oh, btw, the show is covered with rain, it rains practically every scene.
Takeshi shines in this show. Rightly so as he uses more of his expression to convey the child like Chiba. And thought the title sounds heavy, this is a show that is funny as well. Trust the japanese humor, it is simple yet all due to timing.
I must say that black dog is somewhat of a character as well. He could stand in the rain dripping wet given my dog, he would have run for cover. The dog does not however say anything in the show, but all his thoughts are conveyed to Chiba via telepathy. You get to read the "thoughts" on screen and some are pretty hilarious. Like the one Chiba asks how people are chosen to die, the dog answers "you draw lots"... and waits... but Chiba was a bit shocked to reply. Dog adds on.. you are suppose to laugh here. That bit had everyone in the cinema roaring with laughter.
I truly like this show. This show is not like the normal shows you see out there. it is thought provoking as well gives you a viewpoint of if you have to change your life, you are also part of the change process. Also, you get some quick history of japanese cultures and beliefs. Ever wondered why crows are not welcomed in japanese house holds? they are the harbinger of death .
I highly recommend this movie. Watch it if not to just drool at Takeshi but get your thoughts thinking on this one.
Credits of pics go to mtime.com. I took most of the picts there. Thanks a lot.
I am so in love..................... with Christian Bale. After watching this show, i realized how much i miss watching him. My first screen encounter with him was in Little Woman, i was already in love with Laurie the character in the book then on screen. *Sigh* Lup -leh....
Anyway, anyway i will stop drooling first but today's topic is about BATMAN- The dark knight. I am never a fan of batman. In fact even Batman Begins, i did not watch even though Bale was there. So since Lil Bro promised he will watch The Mummy with me, i will return the favor with Batman. Boy did he regret it. Cause i fell in love with Christian Bale- LOL....
BTDK is a continuation of Batman Begins, continuing on the Caped Crusaders work in cleaning up Gotham city. It is not a very easy task as people take him for granted. After awhile, it is like working in my current company, you feel tired and want a change. That is when a new star in the war of cleaning up the city's crap - Harvey Dent appears. He is the DA in the town and takes on the roll of being the town's hero.
Awesome Actor you are heath, sorely missed
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Ok, i didn't expect to watch such a tear jerker drama. Frankly, teen romance shows do not end up high on my to watch list. Possibily because i am way pass that stage or too jaded to think such things ever happen. However, KoiZora, was one i picked because 1) alot of people ( like 11 million said it was good ) and 2) was bored couldn't not sleep so why not watch the movie to get some zzzz... How wrong i was . i think my pillow was completely soaked and tissue paper ran out because of this show. *blows nose loudly*
This show as you all may know is based on a cell phone novel in Japan. I am just wondering how it could be immensely popular and how we can tap such a base in Malaysia. Mental note to self that drama minggu ini may not work so well over here - LOL. The novelist also supposedly based this on her real life experience. If this is the case, it is terribly, terribly sad and depressing. As much as one loves to have a someone to love but the experience that mika goes through makes me thing she is quite strong to go through such life upheaving experiences and still have the courage to smile.
The story starts off with Mika bumping into Hiroki in school one day and he is instantly infatuated with her. She, however is clueless that he is interested in her. One day, she looses her phone, and is picked up by Hiroki, who calls her daily without giving out information who he is. I mean, would you date an asian guy with that blond a hair? First thing i thought - wah ... ini gangster surely.
Yeah, we serioused up when meeting the to-be-in-laws
Wow, i just realized that i have not updated this for a long time. True to what Tan Kia Su says, it is really tough to maintain 2 blogs. :P Hehehehe. Anyway, let's get to business of the review.
I was supposed to watch The warlords with Lil Bro, but we were early that day and the next show was I am Legend, some quick decision, we decided to watch this show. We've been big fans of Will Smith since Fresh Prince of Bel Air, so it was an easy choice.
Anyway, we heard IAL is about 2 hours long, and yes it was. The premise of the story is that Will, who plays Robert Neville, a virologist is the only person left alive on earth. The earth is infected by a virus that turns people into vampire like creatures. Robert spends his time broadcasting daily on his radio - to see if there is survivors there and the rest of his days in NY, adding on rations, waiting at the pier for any potential survivors to meet up with him.
However, by 6 in the evening, both him and Sam ( the dog ) have to go back in doors and ensure the doors are tightly locked. Why? Because the Vampires come out to play...................
Now, though it is 2 hours long, this show is a pretty good show. I mean, you know the typical will smith shows, with his simple brand of humor and he is quite the action hero. You also get to see how being alone for 1001 days starts to play tricks on your Sanity. In fact- because one bit with "Fred", gets you wondering who on earth set that trap for Robert. If it were me, i would have gone insane on the 10th day. Robert is driven to actually eliminate the virus and spends most of his time experimenting on the "vampires" to find a cure for this plague.
Not to be overshadowed, the dog Sam is excellent. This is the first time, a non human shares enough screen time with the main actor. She is not only the cute side kick but an equivalent partner with Robert. She is the cutest and smartest dog i have ever seen on screen. Be prepared for some tears for a certain part in the show.
Would i recommend you this show? Yes. It's a good watch - albeit a bit long. However, there may be some who find the ending not so typical of will smith movies.
You might think a person like me is not necessary interested in gory, bloody movies but surprisingly, me likes! (^_^)V. Lil Bro and myself are big fans of er gaming horror movies and we trooped along after work that day to watch Resident Evil: Extinction. My brother's motives in watching this is just more than his favourite PS2 game, it is a chance for him to drool @ Milla Jovovich. For me, it is mindless relaxation.
Resident Evil is based on that game from PS2 though the only thing in common it has with the game is undead people. Yes, undead people. People that are infected by a virus that turns them into mindless flesh eating zombies. Only very few people are surviving and they are running from place to place to look for food, water and finally the cure.
The hero ( or -ine ) in this show, is Alice(Milla) and she is actually the only person who can overcome this infection. She roams around the US looking for a cure and running away from the people in the Umbrella Group, who are out to get her and harvest her blood to look for a cure. Alice has special powers compared to other humans, in which you will see in the show later.
While on the really humans portion, there is a group of people led by Claire Redfield, that rounds up remaining living people in search for a cure for the diseases.
Along the way, they kick a** zombies and meet up with Alice. They team up and try to find away to get to Alaska, where it seems the infection never hit.
Now, what's great about it? If you like action movies, i can't say this doesn't have any. Frankly, aside from Alice being pretty, she really knows how to knock people off. It's refreshing to see ladies kick butts. Besides Alice, there is Claire Redfield played by Ali Larter from Heroes fame as well as Betty ( one of the caravan followers ) played by Ashanti. The best scene in the whole show is the one where all the black crows were surrounding them. Cool!!!
Not so great part? Hmm- the story line is weak. Not much plotting, you can predict the outcome in about 1/2 way through the show.
But watch if it, if mindless violence let's you destress and if you are true Milla Jovovich fan.
