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rikkuxeynjell
Reviews
Stand Up!! (2003)
Coming of Age story of four boys
This TV series/drama is basically about four high school boys coming of age. It's summer, and these four boys (who are all friends) recently found out that they're the only virgins at their school. They try their best-- attempts to lose their virginity as summer came to a close. Meanwhile, their "long lost" childhood friend (who happens to be a female) came back to town after oh so many years. This girl was admired by these four boys when they were kids, but it seems as if everything's changed. They don't treat her as a "princess" anymore, unlike how they treated her when they were kids. I can't say much about this series because I'm not a fluent Japanese speaker... But all I can say is it is very entertaining. Hiroki Narimiya does a crack up job on being the "perverted" kid. And as most of us (maybe just the fan girls) know, the Johnny's kids are here too... from Arashi is Nino, and Yamapi from News...
Kagen no tsuki (2004)
slow-paced, but great tune to "un-bore" you.
OK, to the people who've NEVER read the manga: This movie is slow-paced. You may, or may not get bored. It depends if you get hooked in by the storyline, the characters, or the tunes. Of course if you're a fan-girl, HYDE will definitely hook you in. But Hiroki is a cutie as well. He delivers such adorable faces that you won't be able to refuse. The tunes are great also, because HYDE sings it (obviously). But Hiroki sings a little bit in the beginning of the movie too (don't miss it!) The storyline can get a bit too tidy and boring. But the "mystery" will keep you going if you want to find out what's behind everything.
ABOUT THE MOVIE: It's a story of a girl (Mizuki) who has a miserable life (but they don't show much of it), and meets a mysterious man named "Adam." She finds peace and somehow "familiarity" in Adam. And then, Mizuki gets herself run over by a car, and mysteriously finds herself trapped in a mansion with absolutely NO memory of her life EXCEPT Adam. The story starts from there. Go figure why Mizuki is trapped in the mansion as you watch the movie. (*note* no matter how much I mention Hyde's character "Adam" in this review, it does NOT mean that HYDE appears in most of the scenes. BECAUSE HE DID NOT.)
ACTORS & ACTRESSES: Chiaki Kuriyama really gave her best opposite performance in this movie (compared to her character in Kill Bill.) She really did great. Hiroki Narimiya also did awesome. He's got quite a character. I loved him! But I have to say that HYDE wasn't as good as he was in Moon Child. He's cool though. And he's hot. So I suppose that covers it all for the fan-girls? Hah! I also have to say that Hyde speaks some English in this movie, and I know it's adorable, but he can't pull off a British accent to save his life (and his character's supposed to be half British!) Anyways, the supporting kid actor and kid actress weren't what I expected. I guess they're alright? I had high hopes for them to be "adorable." But I wasn't attracted to "Hotaru"'s acting skills. And "Miura" was a bit dull.
OVERALL: I give this movie a 6 or 7. But since I'm being nice here, I'll give the IMDb poll SEVEN STARS. The piano version of the song "Last Quarter" (the movie's theme song) was soooooo GOOD in the movie! That song was used VERY WELL too! HYDE rocked the soundtrack! The movie's theme song is English by the way!
**************SPOILERS ALERT!!!!! WARNING!!!****************
If you've read the manga by Ai Yazawa (the "graphic novel" that this movie is based on), then the first thing I have to say is DON'T EXPECT A LOT OF "COMEDIC ACT" IN THE MOVIE. This movie goes VERY slow, VERY serious, and VERY heavy on the foreshadowing. You won't get confused if you just follow the foreshadowed scenes, or the scenes with the "clues."
The movie is a little bit different from the manga. First of all, Sayaka had a twin brother (in the manga, she didn't.) There are only two kid "investigators" in the movie: Miura and Hotaru. So you don't even see a "relationship" forming between the kids, because the other two kids aren't in the movie. And Tomoki is supposedly the reincarnation of Sayaka's brother (which you will find out much later on in the movie.) Another difference is that Aya recorded a video of her and Tomoki in her cellphone the morning after they "did it." That's how Mizuki finds out in the movie that Tomoki "cheated" on her. In the manga, there wasn't any "cheating" involved. It was just Mizuki giving way to Aya's feelings for Tomoki. The movie also starts with Mizuki celebrating her birthday (unlike in the manga, whereas Mizuki met Adam.) Adam didn't overdosed himself with drugs (from what I understand, compared to the manga), Adam in the movie committed suicide by a "car accident," supposedly to follow his lover. And in the movie, the connection between Mizuki and Sayaka is more than a "reincarnation." It's something to do with the necklace that Adam gave to Sayaka and then, Tomoki gave to Mizuki. Also, don't expect a lot of "comedic act" like in Ai Yazawa's manga (as I have already said). The movie is so much slower. There are some funny parts, but barely... probably only when Tomoki makes funny faces and idiotic comments. Also, the movie has a lot more foreshadowing because it's a movie (I repeat). Like for example, in the beginning, Mizuki tells Adam that she's heard "that song" before because her dad used to sing it to her (although in the manga, Mizuki never heard that "tune," but rather she came to like it until she heard it on the radio.) Yeah, I think that's pretty much it.
Ang tanging ina (2003)
Hilarious!
I don't usually see Filipino films, except those I've already seen when I was a kid (like "Sarah, Ang Munting Prinsesa.") This one though, I did like. It's very funny. The kid actors and kid actresses were superb. The storyline goes from comedy to drama to comedy. I absolutely love it. Ai Ai Delas Alas is an excellent mother, and the kids were very adorable. If you like watching family comedy, this it the best Filipino family comedy I've ever seen. There's the gay son, the little kids, the daughter with the crush... SOOOO hilarious. MUST SEE if you're a Filipino! Heck, even if you're not Filipino, this is a MUST SEE... if only the DVD has an English subtitle in it... Anyways, the story plot is simple but touching. And the comedy in it is JUST SUPERB. Really, definitely a MUST SEE.
LxIxVxE (1999)
good series. good soundtrack
This Japanese drama is about High School students struggling obviously through their "hormone" years. I heard that this drama was made because of the popular ex J-pop group called "SPEED." They created this drama as some sort of a "good bye" to their fans.
I give this Japanese drama a 7/10. The story is lacking, but it is entertaining. The songs were also great (seeing as the songs were obviously made by the singers/actors). The story is basically a high school band. The members of the band don't get along. But in the end they all become good friends... and lovers.
If you like the J-pop band "SPEED," this movie is for you. The soundtrack is awesome. They're mostly instrumental/musical songs. So there's no lyric.
The genre is family/drama/romance.
Chikyû shôjo Arjuna (2001)
The soundtrack will hook you in!
I have first seen this anime at the Anime Expo 2002. They showed the first episode in a panel, and I suddenly liked it. It was the music I tell you! I quickly recognized who the composer is, seeing as some of the lyrics weren't Japanese but some made-up language. And I was right! It was Yoko Kanno! She's done brilliant music before, such as Escaflowne, Macross, Lodoss War, and Please Save My Earth. Also, I kind of figured Maaya Sakamoto had something to do with the soundtrack as well (I recognize her singing style from Card Captor Sakura). I'm a big fan of both Maaya and Yoko since before time!
Anyways, Arjuna tells the story of a girl who died and was revived because she was chosen to save the Earth. The animation is alright, but the CG can be a little weird sometimes. Wish they would've just animated the whole thing, instead of CG. And the plot is quite good. But I stand by my word. The music is the one that will really hook you in. Every time they play some song during the episodes, you get to "feel" it like it's magic.
Bishôjo senshi Sêrâ Mûn (1992)
a must see even for those who aren't SM fans
I've first seen this season around the year 1998-1999. I was so desperate that I downloaded it off the internet with my 56k slow modem every night.
Then last year, I finally bought the VCD which isn't that bad in quality. It was simply the best. The opening song is of course different compared to the last other seasons. There are more actions and side stories. It's not just "one day, Sailormoon fights evil and wins, period."
Also, you've got to love the new characters. Seiya Kou is a hot-tie. =) When compare to the other seasons, this is obviously the best next to Sailor Moon S (the Saturn saga). ^_^
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
Weird and sweet...
I've seen this movie the first time it came out on DVD. My sister had rented it out of boredom. I wasn't really attracted with the cover and pictures and all. I'm not even into French or French films. But this one I really liked.
It was very weird at first. Maybe because it's too colorful for my taste? The main character Amelie was really weird too. The movie was cynnically funny (some people don't find it funny though). I like the relationship Amelie has with her father. I loved how she tries to help people as much as possible, yet fails to help her own self (which in many cases do happen to most of us). The mystery of the face in the picture was also quite cool to add in the plot.
The main thing I really TOTALLY loved about this film is the ending. I don't like romantic comedies much (ugh!), but this one was VERY, VERY cute and SO sweet. The part where Amelie finally faces her fear of detachment in a way was touching. (You know--- she likes the guy, tries to get him, denies it, yet fails to have him, gives up, but they still end up "happy together" anyway)...
It's a HAPPY film! I'm sure some people will enjoy it.