I wanted to stay away from all the trailers for Force Awakened, but I've been watching the trailer for Rogue One every chance I get. It looks great and I have to say, the actress they got for Mon Mothma is dead on.
Sadly, it was Pitch Perfect 2... The songs were great especially at the World Tournament. One of the downsides for me in that movie is the story line. There are a lot of plot holes in that movie. So, probably, I'll rate it: 7/10
The curious case of Benjamin Button. It's like a long sad fairytale. I enjoyed it although few things happen and the plot could be told in one minute. 7/10
I rarely post here so here comes the (mostly) Japanese movies I've watched in the past 1-2 years with short comments post. \o/ : D I prefer serious movies so most of them are going to have a quite low rating but it doesn't necessary mean they are useless for you. There is a place where I watch Japanese movies with others and they select movies like these... There are some here I've watched alone though and there are some others I've forgotten already or I'm too lazy to look for their title on the net. 1/5: D: 2/5: not worth watching 3/5: okayish 4/5: interesting 5/5: something that one can only watch in this movie. It can be watched more than one time. ex: Dare mo Shiranai / Nobody knows -> you can watch this movie on veoh 3/5 Wood Job! + I liked the city guy meets with the country side Japan concept. + Nice message for the future generations. - Funny but kinda childish. 1/5 Lupin III / ルパン三世 + Kuroki Meisa = pretty woman *. * - Overcomplicated boring action movie with hero like characters. NO! 3/5 Ask This Of Rikyu + Old Japan with traditional Japanese values. Slow. - It's a little too long. 2/5 Flying Colors / ビリギャル - A stupid story about preparing for Japanese university entrance exams. - Childish movie with overreacted scenes. 3/5 La La La at Rock Bottom / 味園ユニバース (2015) + The authors of the movie have managed to create a nice atmosphere and they really knew when they need to end the movie. + Nice pace + Funny songs - Sometimes strange / stupid situations. 2/5 Phone Call to the Bar 2 / 探偵はBARにいる2 ～ススキノ大交差点～ + Really funny at the beginning - Overcomplicated investigation - Too long with too many too long boring fights - Disappointing ending 4/5 Ryuzo and the Seven Henchmen / 龍三と七人の子分たち (2015) One of the best movies I watched in 2015. Recommended. + It shows the current corrupt Japan through yakuza ojiisans' eyes. + It contains funny criticisms about the current (young) Japanese society. 4/5 SARA (HK movie) + Interesting topic: about child prostitution and sugar daddies + Quite serious drama (it's not a perverted AV) - Sometimes the story falls apart. 3/5 Seventh Code (2013) A Maeda Atsuko movie. + Takes place in Russia, great, something new. - Kinda boring, too few actors. - Felt unreal. - Resident Evil like boss fight at the end. wtf xD 4/5 Kabukicho Love Hotel (2015) A Maeda Atsuko movie. The best movie I saw in 2015. + Great characters, great story + Almost every scene was interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes serious + There isn't too much Atsuko 4/5 My Little Sweet Pea + very simple relaxing movie. + it just feels good to watch a movie which features almost only Horikita Maki *. *
^ I didn't really like that one... but then I don't really like that type of J-movie. I only liked the part where they both meet somewhere in the middle... Brad Pitt looked so cool during that part. Two Japanese movies you should definitely watch IMO. Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu/ BE WITH YOU (2004) Spoiler if the video does not show watch the video here ^ The trailer looks like it gives away the whole movie, but it doesn't... something happens in the final act that changes the whole movie. I remember watching it thinking I couldn't believe how the last 20 mins changed how I felt about the entire movie. Great movie; amazing ending... and awesome OST. Shinigami no Seido/ SWEET RAIN (2008) Spoiler ^ I wanted to post the trailer, but all the dumb trailers give away the cool plot twist in the movie. Takeshi Kaneshiro plays a very cool looking Death... so basically a Japanese Meet Joe Black... except you know... awesome. LOL. This movie also has an amazing ending too.
I watched Batman vs Superman like two weeks ago and I actually feel ashamed of watching that movie. It was awful and confusing. The plot was confusing and never understood what was happening. All the fights were meaningless and the end was the worst (maybe it's because I wanted Superman to won for once). In general, the meaningless fights got some awesome super powers and Superwoman was pretty badass. 3/10 Well, now I feel like I want to watch a Japanese movie. They are better tho
I watched a Brazilian movie, "Rio, I love you." I knew Harvey Kaitel appears in this movie, so I thought it should not be so bad. Unfortunately, it was challenging but boring. Some scenes were really nice but totally bad. 4/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1456606/
Perfect Blue Surprisingly ex-idol life + psychological thriller makes a good combination. I should watch more Satoshi Kon's works. 9/10
^ I watched Tokyo Godfathers & Millennium Actress... kinda meh on both. I think Perfect Blue is regarded as his best film however... didn't watch it yet though.
@edwn thanks for the recommendation. i heard about this movie some time ago. i've watched the trailer and it looks like a typical investigation movie. i'm not a big fan of these because the Japanese tend to over complicate these and at the end when we finally find out who the murderer actually is there is always an unexpected twist that suppose to shock the viewers. in my case, i'm just already bored at the end. maybe it's because i'm lazy but it's hard for me to follow every character, their possible motivations. i'm just not good at playing along the investigator while watching movies like this. @aratafuru thanks for the recommendation to you too. SWEET RAIN looks good based on the reviews i've read. i will put this and BE WITH YOU in my list. looking at your avatar, i've seen Matsui Rena's Gift movie too. a little low budget movie but i really liked Rena in it and the development of her relationship with the old guy. the guy's motivation was kinda wtf at the end, but it didn't ruined the whole movie because it wasn't focusing on this anyways. simple but enjoyable movie with some annoying overdone side characters. also, minna should watch the Ergo Proxy anime. almost half of it is filler episodes but the concept and the atmosphere are interesting. great AMV: if the video does not show watch the video here
^ Yah, Gift was great... the scene where... Spoiler the guy tried to trick Rena into thinking he changed his mind and Rena knew he was lying and stayed with him ...was soooooo good IMO. And not Japanese... but I also recommend the Korean thriller Cold Eyes (2013)... it is the best crime thriller movie I have ever seen in any language. Plus, the main actress is like the prettiest girl I have ever seen onscreen I think. LOL.
Coen Bros are cool. I like the film too and "The Hudsucker Proxy" is also nice. Japanese film "Tennen Kokekko" became one of my most lovable films. This work is directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, you know as the director of "Kueki Ressha" and "Moratorium Tamako" where Acchan appears. The herion Soyo played by Kaho is really cute and charming. A series of short comical and lovely episodes bring out her charm wonderfully. Incidentally this film was shot in Shimane prefecture where Japanese earth god is enshrined. 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997184/
I don't know either animated film is considered or not, but the last film I watched is LoveLive! The School Idol Movie. (It's actually the 7th time rewatching the film) The first time I watched it was on 9 October 2015, that's the special screening of the film 6 days before the screen date (since it is actually screened from 15 October 2015 in Malaysia). It is only screened at GSC Signature, Premiere Class 2 and the online booking started on 28 September (which sold out in 3 hours). Spoiler: More... (warning: not suitable for people who dislikes reading) I woke up late on 28 September (the online booking day) which at 11AM and since I get to know that the booking actually starts on 10AM instead of 7AM, I quickly go to education block C (I was in university at that time) and plug in my CAT5 cable connecting my laptop to the wall internet socket (there's no WiFi in my university) and hoping there is seat available for me. Yes, I get to book it on 12PM even though most of good view positions were taken. A day before the screen, I take the Train 20 Express Peninsular (Normal train) on 10:45PM, economy coach from Arau Train Station, Perlis and arrive at KL Sentral Train Station, Kuala Lumpur on the next day 8:30AM. Note for Malaysians, at the time, the normal train going towards south was shifted to 10:45PM (Arau station time) because they are running test of electric train and the normal train is then returned to its original time 7:30PM when the electric train is given new time slot. From KL Sentral Train Station, I walk to the KL Sentral LRT Station and took the LRT towards Mid Valley LRT Station. I use my MyKAD's Touch n'Go functionality to board on the LRT. Then, by the help of Google Map and my 3G-capable Android 2.3 phone, I search for the cinema since there's lack of signboards and this is the first time I went there. After an hour, I arrived at the cinema, which is still closed (since it's around 9:30AM and it opened at 10AM). Then, I claimed my ticket at the counter by showing the printout of the online booking and leave the cinema for sightseeing Mid Valley (since it's my first time there). On 7PM, I returned to the cinema, I saw there's so many people. Then I found out from one of the people that there is some technical stuffs happened and some of paid seats were given to other people, they decided to open Premiere Class 4 too, to make sure all people who paid it can watch it. On 8PM, they started to give the paper bag filled with stuffs and open the door of both Premiere Class 2 and 4. The filmstarts at 9PM. After the film, my friend who watched it with me send me to Duta Bus Station and he goes home after that as he live in Kuala Lumpur (but only available at night). I board the SRT002A express bus at 1:00AM from Duta Bus Station and arrived at Kangar Bus Station around 5:45AM before taking T101 bus of 6:00AM from Bukit Lagi bus stop to KTM Arau bus stop, and T103ii bus of 7:15AM from KTM Arau bus stop to my university bus stop. The original promo: My ticket: (Note that the pricing in promo is for 2 adults, which explained why it's only RM33 in my ticket, and the promo excludes booking fee.) Return bus ticket: The second time I watched it was on 18 October 2015 (on my 19th anniversary). This time I went to GSC Gurney Plaza, Penang as it is the nearest cinema that did screen the film. Spoiler: More... (warning: not suitable for people who dislikes reading) The normal screening of the film started from 15 October 2015 and lasted for 2 weeks except few cinemas in Kuala Lumpur that extends a few more days after the 2 weeks. I took taxi from my university to the Kangar Bus Station, then took the Plusliner bus from Kangar Bus Station around 10:30AM and arrived 1:00PM at the Butterworth Bus Station, then I take the ferry to Penang Island, and take RapidPenang to Gurney Plaza. Since it is my birthday, I get birthday treat as a member of Golden Screen Cinema (GSC) website. I get to watch one of selected film for free and I select The Martian (3:10PM) from the list and watch it in Hall 11. After that, it's the time for LoveLive! Movie, I did book earlier and just collect my ticket. It's in Hall 4 and start on 7:50PM. I change into Otonokizaka High costume before entering the hall as ... the little bird of the south, iykwim... The image of me in the costume is being used as my Twitter profile picture btw. After watching it, I take RapidPenang bus back to the ferry station, board the ferry to Penang mainland, and board on random bus at Butterworth Bus Station on 3:00AM going to Kangar Bus Station. As usual, after arrive at Kangar bus station, I take T101 bus of 6:00AM from Bukit Lagi bus stop to KTM Arau bus stop, and T103ii bus of 7:15AM from KTM Arau bus stop to my university bus stop. The poster: The Martian ticket: LoveLive! ticket: (If you read the spoiler then it's time for you to come back to topic.) After having wonderful times in cinema, I did rewatch the film on my laptop many times, and the last film I watched is also that film, LoveLive! The School Idol Movie. This film is the ending of the anime series (2 seasons total). It has a sad ending as µ's will no longer be school idol. The ending song is "Bokutachi wa Hitotsu no Hikari" (We are all one light/Kita cahaya sehati sejiwa) which has melody that even adds on the sad feeling. I feel happy because I can see their mother supporting them in the final concert inside the film. Both are in Japanese audio but there are differences. The one I watched in laptop contains only English subtitle whereas the cinema screened trilingual subtitles (English on top, Simplified Chinese at the middle, Malay at the bottom) plus all the naming are inverted (Cinema -> Kousaka Honoka, in laptop -> Honoka Kosaka) and those weird naming is making me quite uncomfortable and I switch it off when I understand the story and no longer needs subtitle. Spoiler: Additions Summary (Source: GSC / Archived) Title: LoveLive! The School Idol Movie Censorship registration number: FCJP2015022716 Approved classification: U - Suitable for all ages Date of approval: 23 September 2015 Release date: 15 October 2015 Format: 2D Language: Japanese Subtitle: Chinese / English / Malay Genre: Anime Running Time: 100 minutes From the APPROVED FILM LIST search query: Overall - 9/10 (that 1 mark I can't give is because I feel the film can be expanded into 3 parts film with further elaboration, I feel it escalated too quickly and I have feeling that some points are skipped in the production process) Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3837248/
Civil War Cap was kind of an ass, Tony never stop getting character development, T'challa and Peter Parker make great debut (Tom Holland best Peter Parker), every character's decision were reasonable so it's kinda hard to choose which side I'm gonna root for, and the battle was amazing. The only con was the villain is too small but other than that everything is good. Truly the pinnacle of shared universe comic book movie. 9.5/10
^ It is so weird that they have never been able to replicate that authentic young adventure feel of that movie in any other live action movie.
I watched Japanese anime "Kiki's Delivery Service" directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. It is based on an illustrated book with the same title, so the story is simple and clear. I heard Sayaya loves this movie and a character, Jiji the black cat. Agree with Sayaya, characters are cute and charming! Heroine Kiki is just an adolescent girl who can fly with a bloom. There is a faint love between her and a geeky boy, Tombo. Incidentally, Kiki's English voice actress is Kirsten Dunst, MJ. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097814/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt
@karles48 i almost never give full marks unless it's really really REALLY good so yeah that's basically the highest score i can give
