:: Sixtwentyseven ::

Looks like I have really procrastinated on my backlog as I haven't been watching the movies and dramas still lying around in my inventory. But I did have a chance to catch a jap movie today and decided to choose Bayside Shakedown 3, as I've almost forgotten I have this movie lying in wait.

Shunsaku Aoshima (Yuji Oda) is promoted to section chief and is also in charge of supervising the shifting of the Bayside precinct police station to a new state of the art building. On the shifting day itself however, the station first received a call of a bank being broken into and later, a public bus being hijacked. What is strange about the 2 cases however is that in both instances, nothing is stolen from the bank and passengers on the bus respectively. Aoshima and his team, already busy with the shifting of the new office, has to take on these 2 cases. Things, however become complicated when the police chief, while inspecting the new building, discovers 3 police guns went missing while the shifting was carried out.

What I love about Bayside Shakedown series is that they have managed to retain the whole original cast from the first time when the drama serial was aired in 1997 till now in 2010 where the 3rd movie was produced. Furthermore, a drama special and the 4th and final movie are being planned to conclude the movie. As such, if you watched Bayside Showdown before, you wouldn't feel lost with a change in cast members.

However, with this 3rd edition, I do have a few grouses with the movie. Although the movie was paced in a appropriate manner throughout, I thought the starting hour of the movie was a bit slow for my liking. Thankfully, things starts to pick up thereafter. As usual, Yuji Oda and Eri Fukatsu put in creditable performances in this movie and the huge supporting cast makes this movie an enjoyable movie to watch. The director also follow previous editions but giving the slow parts a lighter touch with a tinge of comedy in it. However, the slow first half pace really got to me by the time I crawl to 59 minutes into the movie.

Overall, the movie is still an enjoyable watch, but I do feel previous editions were done better.

Love is a romantic story directed by Niu Chen Ze who also acted as one of the characters in the movie. Love tells a story about 8 intertwined characters and how each of them overcome their problems with Love.

A Taiwan tycoon Mark (Zhao Wen Ting 趙又廷) has a relationship with a socialite Yi Rou 柔伊 (Shu Qi 舒淇). However, due to his past and childhood, he can't commit to the relationship. This upsets Yi Rou, and she promptly hook up with her lover Lu Ping 陆平 (Niu Chen Ze 钮承泽). On the way out of the hotel where she met up with Mark, Yi Rou pumps into a butler Xiao Kuan 小宽( Ethan Ruan 阮经天) who took a photo of Yi Rou. Xiao Kuan is the brother of Yi Jia 宜珈( Ivy Chen Yi Han 陈意涵), who in a drunken stupor, had a one night stand with Ah Kai 阿凯(Peng Yu Yan 彭于晏), who happens to be her best friend's Xiao Ni 小霓( Amber Guo Cai Jie 郭采洁) boyfriend. Worse still, she got pregnant from the incident. Xiao Ye 小叶(Vicki Zhao Wei 赵薇) is a housing agent in Beijing, who happens to serve Mark as a client. However, they did not hit off well from the start and by a coincidence of events, Mark has to play the role of Dad for Xiao Ye's son. What sparks may fly between the two? Love is a story of these eight characters and the sequence of events that will test each of them.

First off, I got to say that Love definitely has some loopholes in the plot. There are several circumstances that in this modern world, I doubt thing will occur in such pace. One particular loophole was at start where there's a scene whereby Xiao Kai riding a bicycle accidentally bumped into Mark's car at a traffic junction. As Xiao Kai rides off the bicycle after the accident and Mark drove past him, Xiao Kai miraculously disappeared from the scene.

However, I do appreciate the effort by the director to try to establish the links between each character right at the start of the movie so that you roughly know the part each character will take in the movie. Also, the acting by each actor and actress is top notch, although i have a bit of reservations for Zhao Wen Ting. Just felt that he is a bit stiff in the movie.

Nonetheless, the movie is a good feel movie and you have a rough idea of why love is the reason we all exist. Not to mention that this movie has a great song sung by Yoga Lin You Jia 林宥嘉.

After catching up on a few japanese dramas/specials I thought it would be nice if I catch up on a korean drama as well. Of all the dramas still pending in my stash, I've decided to watch Padam Padam first.

Padam Padam caught my eye not because of the lead actor or actress, but because of the OST that I happen to listen randomly. I think I've mentioned before that if the OST of a drama is good, most than likely I will watch the drama. And this proves true for Padam Padam, where the OST really caught my attention. So for this time round, I thought I should introduce the OST first and I leave my reviews for the drama later.

The first song that caught my eye is the first OST from the show. The song is sung by Noel, a 4 men vocal group who recently made their comeback after a 3 year hiatus. I was introduced to their song albeit randomly as well and since then I never turned back. The title of this song is called "To Live" and the song fits the sorrow of the main character who is innocent but the whole world doesn't believe in his word.



The second song of the OST is sung by Jea from Brown Eyed Girls. The title of the song is "Fool for You" and it talks about the sweet and innocent love of a girl for a guy. For your info, Jea is a very talented artist who composes as well as produce songs for other singers as well as for her own group. I also love Jea's voice and I do feel her voice suits OST tracks very well.



The third song of the OST is a powerful track sung by Hwanhee. The song, "Don't Go", is about wishing a lover's well-being as it tells the pain of the ended relationship. I don't exactly touch Hwanhee's songs as it did attract my attention but this song definitely did. It was very well used in the drama especially for emphasizing the emotions of the male lead. Of all the tracks, I think this is the most powerful track in the OST although Noel's "To Live" is a close second.



The fourth song of the OST is a slow ballad by Kim Yeon Ji, who is formerly in the now-defunct group Seeya. Compared to Jea's "Fool for you", "Love is Right" is more mellow, but not lacking in emotions.



The last song of the OST is by a group called F.I.X, and the song they sung is called "Because it's you". Although the lyrics highlights the pain felt from a lover who is gone (spoiler alert!), I would say the song is applicable to any scenario, be it death or the person is going away for a period of time for work, study etc.



And if you think you still doesn't have any idea what this drama is all about, I think the clues in the OST track can somewhat point you in that direction.

Padam Padam is a french word for "to thump", and this drama exactly talks about the heartbeat of love that is so strong that it can withstand the obstacles that stood in its way. Yang Kang Chil (Jung Woo Sung) was wrongfully accused of a murder and he spend 16 years behind bars. In the prison, he met a fellow inmate Geok Soo (Kim Bum) who claimed that he is his guardian angel and told him that 3 miracles will happen to him, hence asking him do not give up on life and the world. After his release, he went back to his hometown Tong Yeong to patch things up with his mother due to his conviction. There, both of them worked as handymen and at this time he met Jung Ji Na (Han Ji Min), a vet who hired the both of them to renovate her animal hospital. Through their interactions, Kang Chil began to fall in love with Ji Na, but he doesn't know how connected Ji Na actually is to his conviction. Will their love withstand the obstacles ahead?

The last time I watched any Jung Woo Sung drama/movie was Athena, and to be frank I feel Athena wasn't a good performance from him. He was okay, but I do feel that the drama can do much more from his acting. However, Padam Padam trully tested Woo Sung's acting and I got to be mightily impressed with Woo Sung in this drama. As a thug, he was convincing enough when he terrorised his mother when they first met. As a lover, he became soft and gentle. And when he realised he had an illness, he broke down and cried. The crying scenes in particular, left a deep impression on me. Jung Woo Sung, Han Ji Min and Na Moon Hee, who acted as Kang Chil's mother gave solid performance in the drama. There were a few particular scenes that required one take and the actors and actresses had to synchronize their emotions and crying scenes in one take. 2 instances impressed me a lot: 1st was between Kang Chil and Ji Na when Kang Chil told her to visualize the scenarios where he was in pain and gave her his decisions and instructions should he leave this world. 2nd would be the scene between Mother and child where Kang Chil's mother chided him for losing all hope and trying to send everyone away from him.

Besides the crying scenes, I was also impressed with one scene in particular where Kang Chil was knocked down by Ji Na's car early in the drama. I think this is the first time where I see a scene that was shot from the victim's perspective. I do not know if there are any camera effects but if there aren't, then I'm impressed with the stuntman for that scene.

Overall, this drama is really entertaining for me although at the end I thought they dragged the drama a bit. I really give the OST in this drama 5 stars and for the plot itself I will rate it very highly. Oh did I mention Kim Bum's hot 6 packs and the Kim Tae Hee-aura Han Ji Min as well?

Do catch this drama as I think it's a very good drama.

Hello everyone and Happy New Year to all~~

I've just realised that I didn't put any Xmas greetings nor New year greetings, hence the late shout out.

Well, I thought I'd start of the new year by continuing what I did last year by reducing the back log of J-dramas. I thought I should start off with something short hence I chose Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite. Afterall, I'd consider this drama on the light side.

Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite, roughly translated as I'll Still Love You In 10 Years talks about a time travel story. Onozawa Rika (Ueto Aya) works as a editor for a book company and is in charge of an up and coming author Hidaka Koji (Gekidan Hitori) and demanding accomplished author Hamada Azusa (Watanabe Eri). One day, she suddenly meets a mysterious man Maruyama Hiroshi (Uchino Masaaki) who is stalking her. When she confronts him, Hiroshi told her that he is her husband from 10 years in the future and ask her not marry him when the current him proposes to her.

Ever since Ueto Aya broke away from her cutesy roles like the ones in Attention Please!, I have been following her dramas like Zettai Reido and Nagareboshi. I used to hate her acting in those cutesy roles, but Zettai Reido really changed my opinion of her. I do think her acting has matured as each drama goes by. We do know she can't survive on those roles when she matures, but at last I feel she is giving her performance the credit that it deserves.

In Junnen, Aya continues to produce an assured performance in the drama. I do think that the plot is as stretched out as it can be given that it's only 6 episodes. The ending is of course predictable, given that we all like nice endings, but nonetheless the drama is still worth the watch. Uchino Masaaki also gave a solid performance in the drama, especially in the various scenes where the younger and older him interacts with Rika. If you find Uchino Masaaki familiar, he appears in JIN as well.

Oh, I absolutely love the song "Time of Love" by Crystal Kay. I thought the song compliments the feelings that the drama should evoke.

You can sample the song below:

Instead of watching a full drama series, I've decided to watch one of the various one episode TV special instead. Digging through the trough of SP that I have not touched, I've decided to watch Hitsudan Hostess first since it's was aired close to 2 years ago.

Histudan Hostess is based on the real life story of Saito Rie, who became Ginza's number 1 hostess despite being deaf. Kitagawa Keiko star as Saito Rie in this adaptation. Rie became deaf at age 1 due to an illness. Despite that, her mother attempted to give Rie as normal a childhood as possible compared to normal children. She also sent her to calligraphy classes when she was young. However, as she graduated from high school, she begins to realise that people still have prejudice against the deaf. Her family wanted to protect her by asking her to stay at home but she is determined to find her own footing. A chance encounter with a host owner lead her to join her club to be a hostess. Initially, she still had obstacles in her job but gradually began to excel in her job by communicating with her clients with pen and paper. "Hitsudan" means communicating through writing in Japanese. However, her mother disapproved of her job. Determined to prove her mother wrong, she strive to be Japan's No. 1 hostess.

I have not read the original novel by Saito Rie, but I would like to believe the scriptwriter has more or less followed the novel. Hitsudan Hostess does not serves to be heavy, but I was touched by the story, especially at the ending 15 minutes which is essentially the essence of the TV special. The ending footage includes the real Saito Rie as well, and I got to say she is a real beauty in person. But what I was more impressed was the acting of Kitagawa Keiko in this drama as she almost has no lines in the whole 90 minutes, save for a few. Even so, when she speaks, she has to speak creditably like how a deaf speaks, which I feel is pretty convincing. Most of her acting require a strong display of facial expressions, which for an actor requires some skill as well. I do think that in this aspect, she has pulled it off creditably. Of course, with as a hostess, Keiko is dressed in several beautiful dresses and kimonos, which is a great plus point to watch the drama as well.

Continuing with my backlogging of Jap dramas, the next show still lying around is Nagareboshi. As compared to Boss 2, which i took pretty long to complete, the time I took to finish Nagareboshi is somewhat much lesser. I will explain why later in this post.

Takenouchi Yutaka is the main lead Okada Kengo, a diligent employee in a local aquarium. All seems well on the outside for the Okada family, but Kengo's sister Maria (Kitano Kii) is sick with liver problems and needs a transplant. Due to Japan laws, only relatives are allowed to donate their livers to Maria, but all of them shunned away from the family. It is at this time that Kengo met Makihara Risa (Ueto Aya), a sex trade worker who is forced to pay off her brother's Shuichi (Inagaki Goro) debts. Risa is also facing problems with her brother's debts and his swindling ways. With both sides in desperation, Kengo trying to find a donor for his sister and Risa trying to start a new life away from his brother, they decide to enter a "contract marriage" where Kengo will pay Risa for her "donation" of her liver while Risa acts as his wife. But as go along the plan, they discover about that their feelings for each other is true.

This drama particularly reminds me of Bara no Nai Hanaya, not because of the similarity of the story but because of the usage of certain items and the pace of the story. For Nagareboshi, they used the Moon Jellyfish that links the two main characters together, as well as the shooting star to describe if their relationship will turn out as it is. (If you didn't understand, it's because I'm trying not to reveal too much). The pace of the drama, although slow for some, is just right for me. Anything faster and I'll feel the writers are trying to rush the story. Some dramas like Bara no Nai Hanaya can't be fast, and this is also true for Nagareboshi.

Another aspect I really liked about the drama is that every shot is beautiful. I especially loved the shots they took in Yamanashi, where Mount Fuji served the backdrop with a lake in front. The scene, taken in autumn, showcased the beauty of the spot with everything in red hues.

As for the storyline, of course I do think certain things are a bit far fetched, but a drama is a drama, so I wouldn't take all those things into account. Nonetheless, this drama does have its pulling strength. If not, I wouldn't complete it in 2 nights. Do watch it, as I think it's a beautiful drama.

And of course, Takenouchi Yutaka is pointlessly handsome.

Phew! I thought I would never write this article for some time! It has been a loooong while since I've last completed a Japanese drama (just did a quick check and realised my last entry for a Jap drama is in Oct 2010!!). Well, I'm just glad I've finished this one as I have tons of Jap dramas to backlog and waiting for me to clear.

Boss 2 carries on the story from season 1 where most of the cast members are still the same. Takenouchi Yutaka is Nodate Shinjiro, counsellor to the Countermeasures unit in the Metropolis Police Division (MPD) headed by Osawa Eriko (Amami Yuki). As compared to season 1, Toda Erika's character Kimoto Mami has reduced screen time and only featured at the beginning and the ending of the drama. In replacement of her character, two characters are introduced: Kurohara Rika (Narumi Riko), computer expert and daughter of the division police chief and Tadokoro Sachiko (Hasegawa Kyoko), forensics experts and a direct replacement for Kimoto Mami in the drama.

Similar to the first season, there is always a major case that will be revealed at the final few episodes while the other episodes are used to develop each character's story. In this sense, there is no surprise in Boss 2. However, the production team has managed to retain the uniqueness of the comedic acts in Boss 2, although I'd say, barely. Boss 2 also seeks to shift its focus towards the relationships between the characters as season 1 focused on each member and how were they chosen to join the Countermeasures team.

I'd say Boss 2 is a decent sequel to season 1. However, the storyline and the level of entertainment did not surpass the previous edition. That said, it is still enjoyable to watch and I'd definitely recommend the drama to be the drama to catch if you're tight on time. Maybe, just maybe...

I missed Superfly's My Best of my Life too much.....

p/s: Superfly's opening and closing theme ROCKS as usual.

Now how do I categorize Lan Kwai Fong? Judging from the movie poster, this is definitely a NSFW movie. And with that judgement, if you're expecting a movie with an intense plot and superior acting, I'd suggest you watch an art film instead, because this film is definitely not.

"Lan Kwai Fong"'s plot is mainly set in a fictitious bar "Club Billion" in the popular night district Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong. Boss (Sin Lap-Man), a retired triad leader frequents the club ran by Belina (Emme Wong). Steven (Z.O) run a alcohol distribution business who unexpectedly falls in love at first sight with LKF newbie Jennifer(Shiga Lin), a flight attandant. She is accompanied by her colleague Jeana (Jeana Ho), a fellow LKF newbie. Jacky (Jason Chan), a manager at the club, has his eyes on Jeana, but is always pestered by his girlfriend (Bonnie Xian). Lawyer Sean (Gregory Wong) sets his sights on Cat (Dada Chen), but Cat is the alpha-female who is only interested in looking for stand(s). Loberto(Gary Cheng) is the final piece in the casting, who pretends to be gay in order "play around" with unsuspecting girls.

As I've mentioned earlier, if you're looking for a plot then sorry to say Lai Kwai Fong is definitely not the movie to watch. It does have a loose plot of trying to tie the characters up together, but it is as loose as you can imagine. However, if you're looking for girls who bare their cleavage, boob-grabs by the male leads, stimulated intimate scenes, then you're only the right track. This movie only serves to shorten the bond between the M18 rating and the Cat III rating. The only difference being? There's no baring of boobs in this movie.

Perhaps, and ironically, the saving grace of this movie is actually the OST of the movie. Shiga Lin lends her voice to sing a nice little number called "I'm still loving you" which will totally throws you off. Shiga has a sweet voice and she pens the lyrics for the song as well. The other song from the OST is "Wonderland", sung by 24herbs featuring Janice Vidal. It's a song that fits the movie more with the dance-infused rhythm, cantonese rap and auto-tuning.

In summary, watch the movie for the intimate scenes but enjoy the songs more.

I think this is the first time I have ever shared an un-boxing of an album in here but I've recently gotten my hands on Brown Eyed Girls' repackaged album "Cleansing Cream". And I got to say, this album has to be THE album of the year based on both the quality of the songs as well as the physical appearance of the album. This repackaged album consists of a CD, a DVD, a desktop calender, 4 pictorial cards with each member's signature, a pictorial book and poster. Let me start with the physical album first.


One the first look of this album, you'll notice that the exterior texture of the album is in velvet cloth. I don't know if you've bought much physical albums, but for an album box to be covered in velvet, this has seriously impressed me. Previously, I have bought the Secret Garden's OST soundtrack box and that has already impressed me. But BEG's repackaged album has definitely up the ante.


The first thing when you open the box is poster. Although it is folded, the uniqueness of this poster is that both sides contain something. The picture above shows all four members in it, while the back list down BEG's album concept:

"Resistance For Freedom of Expression Through Music via Sixth Sense"



Next up are the autographed cards. These cards are placed in a nice little brown square envelope. When you open it up you can see the individual card of each member. Their photo is on one side while their personalised message with their signature is at the back. Unfortunately, i do not understand korean hence I cannot tell you what message did each member wrote.


I absolutely love this calender as this calender is packaged in such a way that it can be folded and kept like a normal book. In the calender there are 12 different cards which represent each month. Behind the calender are random shots of each member.



This, for me has to be the favourite part of the whole deal because it is the picture book! But before I give a sample of the picture, I shall show how the exterior of the picture book looks like.


The white booklet on the left is the pictorial book while the black book partially covered by the ribbon is where it contain the CD and the DVD, which is shown below.


Now back to the pictorial book. This pictorial book is of the highest quality and each page of the book is glossed with a layer of wax, hence making the pictures last longer. In the last few shots of the book contain actual performance shots as well as a picture which showed a group photo with their fans. A preview one of the pages of the pictorial book is shown below.


Overall, I'm absolutely amazed with the packaging of this repackaged album. The quality of the album is top notch and I definitely can say this album is definitely worth the money that I've paid for it. If you haven't heard the albums' songs, you can sample a few below.

Due to my recent craze with Apple of my Eye and taiwan cinema in general, I've decided to catch a few movies based on the nominations at the recent 48th Golden Horse Awards. One of the movies that caught my eye was Jump Ashin!, where Eddie Peng (彭于晏) was nominated for best actor and the movie's theme song was nominated for best soundtrack.

Jump Ashin! is based on a true story of a gymnast called Lin Yu-hsin (林育信). Coming from a single parent family with his dad dying young, Yu-hsin or Ah Shin as he's commonly known, lives with his brother and mother. Born with a natural agile body, Ah Shin chanced upon the school gym one day and decides he wants to join the gymnastics team. He soon turned out to be a natural and Ah Shin loves gymnastics as well. However as he grew older, his mother disapproves him continuing gymnastics and wants him to help her with her fruit business. To rebel against his mother, Ah Shin became a street punk. Due to an incident with his good friend Pickle (Lawrence Ko, 柯宇綸) and his drug addiction, Ah Shin was forced to flee his hometown and flee to Taipei. To survive, both Ah Shin and Pickle joined a street gang. However, all that changed when Pickle was killed in a gang fight. Devastated with the loss of his friend, Ah Shin decided to head back to his hometown and resume his training in gymnastics.

Right from the start of the movie to the end, you could see why Eddie Peng was being nominated for best actor. Make no mistakes, Eddie was very dedicated in this movie with his body trained to be as strong and agile as a professional gymnast. Also, his facial expressions in various scenes makes the character believable, which is a marked improvement since I last saw him in Hear Me (聽說). Lawrence Ko, as his good friend Pickle, chips in with the good acting as well. I was especially impressed with the scenes where his addiction kicks in as well as silently feeling sorry to Ah Shin because of the trouble that he has created.

With all the acting kudos given, the only part i was disappointed in was the later parts that showed the determination of Ah Shin trying to become the best gymnast again. This is especially so when the director tried to tease the crowd at the beginning and seriously shortchanged the viewers when he replayed that scene later in the movie. I was waiting for something more and yet he just skipped to the next scene. I do not know if I call this bad editing or a serious lapse in the storyline.

As for the nod for best soundtrack, I do have to say the lyrics of the song is very apt for the movie, in the sense that it sang about the struggles of Ah Shin. Okay, this may be due to my bias in "Apple of my Eye" but I wonder is that enough to win the award. Probably the judges heard something that I missed out.

I would give a good to very good ratings for this movie, since I did shed a few tears, but I still feel I was seriously shortchanged at the back for its rushed ending. It could have been better and I do think an additional 15 minutes worth of footage would not kill the movie.

雖然這首歌不是在<那一年,我們一起追的女孩>, 但是,我覺得看過電影的人, 都會有這個可望, 希望在平行時空, 他們是再一起的.

而這首歌,也一直在我耳邊, 因為在心底, 我也希望我有這股勇氣,說出我當初沒有說出來的話.

有個承諾, 也許你已經忘了一乾二淨, 但我帶現在,還是記得清清楚楚.

主唱：柯震東,陳妍希

作曲：李煊樂
填詞：李煊樂

你會在哪裡　現在你叫什麼名
密封了勇氣　落空決心
我摀著自己　外面世界不安靜（我摀著自己　不安靜）
而心很確定　想聽你呼吸（我確定　呼吸）

Love　把心扔到海裡（Love　嗚嗚～）
刻上愛的字跡　時光帶我去有你的地方

漂流著一千年都過了我在海裡頭（在海裡頭）
有一種見不到你就不回去的念頭（的念頭）
旋渦中聽見耳邊的風微微顫抖
滄海桑田　黑夜白晝（滄海桑田　黑夜白晝）

我隨著時間的方向一圈圈打著轉（一圈圈打著轉）
你會不會找到我將要在哪裡靠岸（靠岸）
如果有一天　撞上一個小缺口
我怕　沉入海底

我摀著自己　外面世界不安靜（我摀著自己　不安靜）
而心很確定　想聽你呼吸（我確定　呼吸）

Love　把心扔到海裡（Love　嗚嗚～）
刻上愛的字跡　時光帶我去有你的地方

漂流著一千年都過了我在海裡頭
有一種見不到你就不回去的念頭
旋渦中聽見耳邊的風微微顫抖
滄海桑田　黑夜白晝（滄海桑田　黑夜白晝）

我隨著時間的方向一圈圈打著轉
你會不會找到我將要在哪裡靠岸
如果有一天　撞上一個小缺口
我怕　沉入海底

漂流著一千年都過了我在海裡頭
（漂流著一千年都過了　在海裡頭）
有一種見不到你就不回去的念頭（的念頭）
旋渦中聽見耳邊的風微微顫抖
滄海桑田　黑夜白晝（滄海桑田　黑夜白晝）

我隨著時間的方向一圈圈打著轉
（我隨著時間的方向　一圈圈打轉了）
你會不會找到我將要在哪裡靠岸（靠岸）
如果有一天　撞上一個小缺口
我怕　沉入海底
如果愛有錯　也等的起

cr: giddens.tw

雖然,以上的照片是陳妍希,但是在"那一年"裡頭, 她的形象已經變成很多男生心目中的"沈佳儀"了.我其實是可以放其他女生的照片,但是我是因為這部電影導致我有這麼多的感想."那一年"真的觸動了我的心.我真的能與這部電影殘生共鳴.我明白為什麼九把刀真的這麼執著這部電影要用那個方向拍攝.

我星期六約了幾位朋友去看"那一年", 然後因為得知九把刀將出席書展, 所以迫不及待去書展聽他分享"那一年"感言.
如果你想知道內容,其實跟他這個部落post有點相似:

http://www.giddens.tw/blog/post/35928751

老實講, 看完"那一年"的時候,我的感動尺度還處於微感動而已.但我聽到九把刀的故事,他的思想,他辛苦的旅程,他為什麼要這麼鑑定的做這部電影時,我真的感動了.他的愛,我突然能理解.畢竟,雖然這種感覺跟他對沈佳儀的感覺有小小不同,但是感覺的元素還是是一樣的.那些年前,我也曾經有過類似的經驗.那女孩雖然不是我女友,但是我也曾經為她心動過.有緣,無分.

我買了九把刀"那一年"的書,也很慶幸在書展得到九把刀的親筆簽名. 更慶幸,我還得到電影"那一年"的宣傳海報.知道我回到家上網才知道只有首100位得到九把刀的親筆簽名才有海報.



已經決定了,我不會以平常的速度把"那一年"讀完;相反的,我決定慢慢閱讀,因為我相信我會在一次被九把刀感動.

謝謝你九把刀.

謝謝你寫"那一年, 我們一起追的女孩"

謝謝你決定勇敢拍"那一年, 我們一起追的女孩".

I realised through my reviews on the movies/dramas that I've watched, I've seldom review movies that are currently showing in cinemas. The last entry I could think of was Air Doll, and that is not even considered to be a current movie as it was aired in Singapore roughly a year after it was shown in Japan. But for this movie, You are the Apple of my Eye, something inside me was stirred, and I thought I should do an entry before it disappear.

You are the Apple of my Eye is a 2011 Taiwan movie based on the true story of the same name of a popular taiwanese writer, Giddens Ko(九把刀). In the movie, newcomer Ko Chen-Tung plays the lead Ko Ching-Teng, who is a prankster and does not like to study. Michelle Chen Yan Xi is Shen Chia-yi, an honor student who is very popular amongst the boys in her class. Due to an incident in class, Shen Chia-Yi is forced to monitor Ko Chen-Tung on the teacher's behalf and to tutor him on his studies. Initially, they cannot see eye to eye, but as time and events go by, their feelings for each other begins to grow. Upon graduation from high school, Ko wanted to follow Shen to the univeristy of her choice, but Shen fell sick on the examination day and did not do well for the exams. Hence they went to different universities. Even with the distance, they still kept in contact with each other. One day, Ko decides to organise a fighting competition within his campus to display his manliness in front of Shen, but Shen instead thinks that he is childish. Due to this, they had an argument and broke off. The next time Ko made contact with Shen was the Taiwan 9/21 earthquake, but by then the circumstances has changed. Nonetheless, the feelings have not.

As I try not to disclose too much of the details of the story, there will be spoilers within this post. So I hope I won't disclose too much and ruin your own experience in watching this movie.

If I thought Cape No. 7 is good, then I do have to put this movie slightly above Cape No. 7. Mind you, Cape No. 7 is the movie that transformed the Taiwan movie industry, proving to the chinese industry minimum that they can produce quality movies. The reason because I rate "You are the Apple of my Eye" highly is because it really connects on a personal level. Anyone who watched the show will know how the story is going to go and what the ending will be like. However, because the feeling is so personal, you will just feel it is as if the movie is answering the feelings you've hidden so long somewhere at the bottom of your heart. Personally, it did connect with me and some memories came back. If it didn't, I wouldn't have blogged this entry this early as well.

rating? 5/5 definitely.

p/s: do go to giddens' website http://www.giddens.tw for his views on the movie

Now this is something that is out of the norm. 2 movie reviews in a day! Well, I've seen my movie folder increasing in size and yet I'm not clearing it. Hence, I thought it's time to remove some so that more could be added later. I've decided to Haeundae due to the fact that Ha Ji Won is in it and apparently it's the first disaster movie S.Korea ever produced. Hence, i gave it a try and came out with mixed reviews.

Haeundae is about an impending tsunami that is about to hit the beach town of Haeundae. Kim Hee (Park Joong-Hoon) is a seismologist who is monitoring abnormal earthquake movements occurring off the coast of Haeundae. Due to his passion, he neglected his wife Yu-Jin(Uhm Jung-Hwa) and his daughter Ji Min(Kim You-Jung) does not recognise him. Yeon-Hee (Ha Ji Won) is an orphaned child due to the indian tsunami where she lost her father. Man Sik (Sol Kyung-Gu) was on the same boat as her father and feels responsible for his death due to his on board decision back then. Meanwhile, Man Sik's brother Hyeong-Sik (Lee Min-Ki) got involved with a female tourist Hee Mi (Kang Hye-Won) when she fell overboard a yacht. All the characters intertwined with each other when a mega tsunami hits Haeundae and changed their lives forever.

Now, I believe most of us should have watched at least a disaster film, be it a sinking ship ala Poseidon or an impending world diasater ala 2012. Now, I shouldn't compare these blockbusters to a first time offering like Haeundae but it's a bit hard to ignore when Haeundae puzzles me a bit. Let me describe the pros first.

For a first time offering, I'd say the computer graphics in Haeundae is pretty decent, also taking into consideration that this movie is a 2 year ago production. Acting by all the artists is pretty consistent and for once I was somewhat relieved that Ha Ji Won does not take up that much screen time. After all, the main lead is the tsunami and nothing else.

Which leads me to the puzzling point. Even though Haeundae is a disaster movie, I thought the director took too much time to develop the plot regarding the tsunami. Instead, he spent more time trying to sort out the emotional plots between Yeon Hee and Man Sik. When you spent air time on human developments, especially for a disaster movie, you technically removing time from the main plot. This point in particular leaves me somewhat frustrated as I'd expect more action with regards to the natural disaster. Instead, it really shows what a tsunami is all about: coming in a rush, and pulling everything away with the same speed as well. This itself left me rather disappointed.

Although Haeundae is a good production, future offerings should take focus on what they want, action or human emotions. And even the human emotions left me shortchanged as the ending was pretty rushed again. A good effort, but more could be done.

For a start, my knowledge on Thai movies is still pretty shallow as I don't fancy thai horror. Instead, I prefer their lighthearted comedic offerings. The Bedside Detective was introduced by a friend who happened to catch it during his holidays.

Jock (Sunny Suwanmethanon) is an amateur inventor who loves to dismantle and fix stuff together to create a new invention. However, his inventions are not always practical. After a failed business venture due to one his inventions, he found his calling as an private detective. He specialises in capturing married spouses who swayed in their marriage. On a particular case, he was supposed to catch a husband in action with his mistress. However, it was love at sight when Jock met Nampan (Pattarasaya Kreuasuwansri), the alleged mistress. As his sidekick Jack reminded him about the codes of conduct of a PI, will Jock be able to continue his job and not fall in love with Nampan?

I wouldn't say this movie is the best I've watched, but it isn't the worst that I've watched for thai movies either. At the very least, it has managed to entertain me somewhat with its lightheartedness. However, I do have to say that the plot is as thin as it could be. And you can roughly guess the ending without much thinking. However, this movie is not meant to be dense; it is meant to entertain you with some slapstick humor and somewhat bizarre scenes.

I am not familiar with both the male and female leads. In the movie, Sunny Suwanmethanon gives me the feeling that he's the oktaku (japanese word for geek) that he's supposed to be. Pattarasaya Kreuasuwansri, or Peak for short, due to this movie being her maiden project, does look a bit stiff in her acting, or maybe the lack of it. However, it not that bad a debut that I've seen. Decent, but not impressive. I do give the stylist some credit as she/he has really managed to get some clothes that fit Peak's vixen character though. In this movie, the show stealer is neither of the actors or actresses but it's the dog, James Bond, who stole the show. She is irresistibly cute and is the show stopper every time there's a scene with her it.

In summary, I do feel this show will suit you if you're pretty bored and needed some entertainment. But even if you missed it, I don't think you've missed much too.

Hmm.

How should I describe this drama? How do I describe a drama that is so addictive for me that I spent 4 days after work just to finish all 16 episodes. How do I describe a drama OST that I love so much that I've practically put it on loop.

Lee Yeon Jae (Kim Sun Ah) is an average salary worker in a tourism agency who is always bullied by her boss even though she has worked there for over a decade. One day, she got into a minor accident and through a hospital checkup, she was given the news that she has only a few months to live. Hence, she decides to forgo her petty job and live life to the fullest, doing things that she has restricted herself before. It was during her vacation that she coincidentally met her department head Kang Ji Wook (Lee Dong Wok).

What really got me hooked on the drama isn't the melodramas that Koreans are famous for: the extreme crying and draggy plot. Instead, Scent of a Woman went the other direction. By informing the viewer in the first episode, you should be expecting the main character to die some point in the drama. Hence, instead on focusing on death, the drama focus on life, and how to live to the fullest and making sure that by the time your time is up, you wouldn't have regretted that you haven't tried to live. Also, the drama remained to be witty, while crying scenes are inevitable due to the fact that the main character is dying. However, it is not doom and gloom throughout; rather, they tried to lighten the mood to great effect.

I also like the drama that the "bad" characters aren't exactly bad, just that they didn't know how to be nice. (Don't they all portray chaebols to be? =/). Kim Sun Ah as Lee Yeon Jae is a natural for the character and based on the crying scenes, where you could really see her tears and sadness, I'd have given her a AAA moody's rating. Lee Dong Wok on the other hand is an unfamiliar face to me and it's no wonder as he has just finish serving national service. Scent of a Woman is his comeback drama and I do think he made a right choice. His acting is decent but one thing that attracted me was his smile. Somehow, when he smiles, he just gives me a warm feeling.

Overall, although I'm no melodrama fan, but I was really love this drama for a few reasons: good storyline, good pace, nice ending, excellent acting and lastly, a great soundtrack. I've introduced JYJ Junsu's You're so Beautiful in my last post. This time round, I wanna introduce JK Kim Dong Wook's Bucket List, another song featured in the drama. It's a slow number, and Kim's voice just takes your feelings to another level.



Really give this drama a go. There's a reason why I would forgo sleep just to finish watching it.

I'm so in love with this song simply because the lyrics is just beautiful... And I love the drama that this song came from. Yups, I assure you that the review of Scent of a Woman is coming up.

In the meantime, take some time to listen to this beautiful track by JYJ Junsu as well as looking at the lyrics.

Lyrics:

지금 난 너의 눈을 보며 운다 네 맘을 보며 운다 애써
jigeum nan neoui nun-eul bomyeo unda ne mam-eul bomyeo unda aesseo

해맑게도 쓴웃음 짓는 그 표정에
haemalg-gedo sseun-us-eum jisneun geu pyojeong-e

너를 담아두고 싶다 바보같이 예쁜 꿈들과 어설픈 모습을
neoleul dam-adugo sipda babogat-i yeppeun kkumdeulgwa eoseolpeun moseub-eul

하루하루 네 모습이 추억을 만들어
haluhalu ne moseub-i chueog-eul mandeul-eo

나 기억해 네 여린 손 흩어진 머리까지도
na gieoghae ne yeolin son heut-eojin meolikkajido

(Forever you) You are so beautiful 내 가슴에 밀려와 스며와 다가와 번진 네 상처도
(Forever you) You are so beautiful nae gaseum-e millyeowa seumyeowa dagawa beonjin ne sangcheodo

(Forever you) You are so wonderful시린 네 사랑도 네 눈물도 내 아픔 상처를 지우죠
(Forever you) You are so wonderful silin ne salangdo ne nunmuldo nae apeum sangcheoleul jiujyo

널 사랑한다 널 사랑한다
neol salanghanda neol salanghanda

이제는 너를 안아주고 싶다 그 차가운 세상 끝에 홀로 서성이던 널
ijeneun neoleul an-ajugo sipda geu chagaun sesang kkeut-e hollo seoseong-ideon neol

하루하루 내 사랑이 네 맘을 위로해 상처난 네 가슴에 내 기억들을 담는다
haluhalu nae salang-i ne mam-eul wilohae sangcheonan ne gaseum-e nae gieogdeul-eul damneunda

(Forever you) You are so beautiful 내 가슴에 밀려와 스며와 다가와 번진 네 상처도
(Forever you) You are so beautiful nae gaseum-e millyeowa seumyeowa dagawa beonjin ne sangcheodo

(Forever you) You are so wonderful시린 네 사랑도 네 눈물도 내 아픔 상처를 지우죠
(Forever you) You are so wonderful silin ne salangdo ne nunmuldo nae apeum sangcheoleul jiujyo

널 사랑한다 널 사랑한다
neol salanghanda neol salanghanda

한 순간조차 잊지 말아요 얼마나 얼마나 사랑했는지 기억해요 for you
han sunganjocha ij-ji mal-ayo eolmana eolmana salanghaessneunji gieoghaeyo for you

(Forever you) You are so beautiful 내 가슴에 밀려와 스며와 다가와 번진 네 상처도
(Forever you) You are so beautiful nae gaseum-e millyeowa seumyeowa dagawa beonjin ne sangcheodo

(Forever you) You are so wonderful시린 네 사랑도 네 눈물도 내 아픔 상처를 지우죠
(Forever you) You are so wonderful silin ne salangdo ne nunmuldo nae apeum sangcheoleul jiujyo

널 사랑한다 널 사랑한다
neol salanghanda neol salanghanda

네 기억으로 살고 싶다
ne gieog-eulo salgo sipda

credits: pinkrazy@wordpress

After 3 consecutive weekends of watching, I've at last finished watching City Hunter! Yeah, I got to agree I'm a bit slow on my updates on ANYTHING, but after some time, I've come to realise that even watching dramas/movies/etc require a certain set of mood and hence the slow reviews that are produced. Nonetheless, I've finished the drama and hence my take on the drama.

"City Hunter" takes place in modern Seoul 2011 where Lee Yoon Sung (Lee Min Ho) is an MIT-educated graduate who is being recruited into the Blue House. Lee Yoon Sung however, is City Hunter, who is raised by Lee Jin Pyo (Kim Sang Joong), an ex-military intelligence agent who was betrayed by his country and plot to seek revenge. Hence, Yoon Sung sought to seek revenge for his father and put those involved and bring them to justice.

Hmm where do I start? I do think the production is one of the best so far for this year. Lee Min Ho is at his best for City Hunter, and his role is not the easiest for sure with all the action moves. Park Min Young is irresistibly cute as Kim Na Na, a special agent in the Blue House in charge of the protecting the president and his family. I got to specially mention Lee Gwang Go in the drama as he's the one who always provided me with laughter in Running Man.

Overall, City Hunter has one of the best usage of its supporting cast due to the fact that they must focus the story on the 5 different characters where City Hunter is planning to take revenge on. This gives all the supporting cast ample screen time as well as helping to develop each character as the drama goes on. For this I must laud the scriptwriters for ensuring that each character is well thought of as well as closing potential loopholes in the drama.

Comparing to the action dramas I've watched so far, in terms of preference I'll rate City Hunter to be above Athena: Goddess of War, but for it to beat Iris, it'll be a tall order.

Of course, the drama OST will play a part in carrying the emotions of the drama. Although Jonghyun's "So Goodbye" and Kim Bo Kyung's "Suddenly" are good tracks, the one that really caught my eye is Yim Jae Beum's "Sarang". Just listening to his voice, you'll be able to hear the emotions he's trying to portray.



Do give City Hunter a watch. I would recommend it!

It has been a long time since I last shared a song with all. The first time I noticed Huh Gak was when he was featured in the OST of "The Greatest Love" and his song earned pretty good reviews as well as online sales, managing to stay in bugs.co.kr daily top 10 chart for quite a few days. Recently, he released his first mini album and his first hit single is "Hello". Even though the title is "Hello", it's actually a sad song about a guy who longed for the girl who left him. The first time I've heard this song I was just blown away...

I'll just end here to let you enjoy the song.

Lyrics:

우리 헤어지면 안되잖아
uri heojimyon andwejana
우리 이별하긴 이르잖아
uri ibyor-hagin ireujana
이렇게 날 떠나가면 안돼요
iroke nal ttonagamyon andweyo
내가 하지 못한 말들이
nega haji mot-han maldeuri
아직 너무 많은데
ajik nomu maneunde
이대로 날 떠나가지 마세요
idero nal ttonagaji maseyo


그대이기 때문에 난
geude igi ttemune nan
정말 그대였기 때문에 난
jongmal geudeyotgi ttemune nan
이대로는 이대로는 난 안돼요
ideroneun ideroneun nan andweyo
내가 살아가는 이유는
nega saraganeun iyuneun
오직 그대뿐이죠
ojik geude ppunijyo
제발 나를 떠나가지 말아요
jebal-lareul ttonagaji marayo


그대는 내 사랑 그리운
geudeneun ne sarang geuriun
내 사랑 날 사랑했던 사람
ne sarang nal saranghetdon saram
이제는 만질 수 없지만
ijeneun manjil su opjiman
내가 그리운 만큼 그대도 그리운가요
nega geuriun mankeum geudedo geuriun-gayo
내가 미칠 듯이 사랑했던 그 사람 hello
nega michil deusi saranghetdon geu saram hello
The person that I loved crazily, hello

사랑했기 때문에 난
saranghetgi ttemune nan
정말 사랑했기 때문에 난
jongmal saranghetgi ttemune nan
죽을 만큼 죽을 만큼 힘드네요
jugeul mankeum jugeul mankeum himdeuneyo
죽지 못해 살아가고 있는
jukji mot-he saragago inneun
내가 보이나요
nega boinayo
제발 내게 다시 돌아와줘요
jebal nege dasi dorawajwoyo


그대는 내사랑 그리운 내사랑
geudeneun ne sarang geuriun ne sarang
날 사랑했던 사람
nal saranghetdon saram
이제는 만질 수 없지만
ijeneun manjil su opjiman
내가 그리운 만큼 그대도 그리운가요
nega geuriun mankeum geudedo geuriun-gayo
내가 미칠 듯이 사랑했던 그 사람
nega michil deusi saranghetdon geu saram

겨우 이대로 끝날 거라면
gyou idero kkeutnal goramyon
정말 마지막이라면
jongmal majimagiramyon
지금 돌아가
jigeum doraga
그때로 서로 몰랐던 그때로
geuttero soro mollatdon geuttero
너무 늦어버리면 너무 늦어버리면
nomu neujoborimyon nomu neujoborimyon
내가 살아가는 게 너무 힘이 들어
nega saraganeun ge nomu himi deuro
날 버릴까 봐
nal borilkka bwa

겨우 이대로 끝날 거라면
gyou idero kkeutnal goramyon
정말 마지막이라면
jongmal majimagiramyon
지금 돌아가
jigeum doraga
그때로 서로 몰랐던 그때로
geuttero soro mollatdon geuttero
너무 늦어버리면 너무 늦어버리면
nomu neujoborimyon nomu neujoborimyon
내가 살아가는 게 너무 힘이 들어
nega saraganeun ge nomu himi deuro
날 버릴까 봐
nal borilkka bwa

Credit
Hangul :: Melon Music
Romanization :: Chichan-Onew
English Lyrics :: pop!gasa

Just realised I haven't been updating much on this blog. Well, the recent months has been a bit trying in terms of the stuff I'm watching due to various reasons. Yea, I could see the amount of material I have that I want to watch but for some reason don't feel like starting. Nonetheless, I've decided to watch Suck Seed since I've caught the trailers in local theaters and the movie started showing last week.

"SuckSeed" tells the story of Ped (Jirayu La-ongmanee) who first meets Ern (Natcha Nualjam) at primary school. Ern and her parents move to Bangkok and Ped soon forgets all about her, preferring to hang out with his friend Koong (Patchara Jirathiwat). They meet up again in middle school by which time Ern has become a talented guitarist. To get Ern's attention as well as attract other girls, Koong, Ped and X (Thawat Pornrattanaprasert) decide to form a band. The only problem is, they don't have a great deal of talent. (Credits: The Nation)

Suck Seed may not have the same genre as Bangkok Traffic Love Story or Hello Stranger, where the love stories in the movies are more for adults rather than teenagers. Instead, having a high school setting, it vears towards "Season Change" (see my previous post). However, one drastic difference between Suck Seed and Season Change is that Suck Seed has a very dependable OST to back on. Being a movie about forming a band, songs are essential in the movie and for this Suck Seed doesn't disappoint. In fact, in the official trailer, they have cleared shown who are the artists featuring in the movie, which will entice more people to watch the movie. Also, these musicians make their cameo in certain to further describe the characters' emotional thoughts.

If I were to review based on the storyline alone, the Suck Seed would have been just another teeny-popper movie that has passed and gone. However, due to the heavy usage of music in the movie, it has clearly distinguished from the rest of the contenders to stand out alone. Also, I thought it's a good way to introduce Thai music to foreign audience who doesn't know much about them. I've shared a playlist that featured the songs from the movie below:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF8AAA78C1D0B070B

For those in Singapore, it's still not too late to catch Suck Seed in the cinemas! Do catch it if you can!