This was quite a hit when it first screened, and highly hyped too. I would say yea it was pretty good, and some really artistic presentation of it too. But otherwise I didn’t it was anything special. Other than Takeshi, the rest of the cast didn’t feel like they have much development. They seemed 2D. The second gripe I have is they revealed too much at the start, so there wasn’t the oomph factor when you tried to play detective alongside. Basically, no suspense for viewer, the only thing left is to wait and observe how the in-show characters uncover the truth.

As the title suggests, pain. It isn’t going to move towards a happy ending anyday, so if you are the sort to cringe at a sombre theme, maybe avoid this, but I supposed I’m such a laggard that everyone else who wanted to probably watched it already hurhurhur… Yea I didn’t know what else to say, don’t have much wow factor with me.

(p.s. oh nos I’m starting to indulge in lots of relaxation before my exam is over)

This is the 2007 adaptation of a short story penned by Elmore Leonard. Well apparently there was an older movie adaptation back in 1957, but obviously I didn’t watch that. So no way to compare, but this version in itself is pretty decent.

Christian Bale (as Dan Evans) and Russell Crowe (as Ben Wade) gave magnetic performances in this movie. Bale plays a small time rancher who had lost one of his leg, struggling to meet ends and feed his family. His big chance for wealth comes with an unlikely encounter with Ben Wade. Wade is the boss of an outlaw gang who starts to be disillusioned with his life. While he seeks a peaceful life down south, authorities clamp down on him and successfully nabbed him with Dan’s help. Wade is scheduled to be sent to Yuma prison with the 3:10 pm train from town of Contention. Thus begin the journey of a small escort group with Wade’s gang in pursuit. Dan, in need of money, offered to be part of the escort on terms of reward on successful delivery.

Throughout the journey, we discover more about Dan’s and Wade’s character, and the subtle ways in which they are similar. Wade also unsuccessfully psychoed Dan to leave and free him. At the town of Contention, with time ticking, the outlaw gang surrounded the building Dan and Wade is in. The rest of the escort had either died, or gave up. Against all odds, Dan insisted on completing the job no one else dared to. Someone has to deliver Ben Wade to the train station, and time waits for one man…

It was all great until that point, but there are some rather ridiculous stuffs afterwards. Like how Dan can move with such alacrity with a wooden leg when earlier in the show he seemed to have a little trouble. The more shocking stuff is Wade’s reaction to the whole incident, in which he probably see a mirror of himself. What happened towards the final scene brought many audiences to a state of disbelief. Just a moment before THAT happened, you can figure out that it is coming, but it just doesn’t make too much sense. But all in all, the overall package is an impressive film that deserves to be watched.

Let’s see what do we have here. Another cop show, yes, but a much fresher perspective. The focus over here is on covert operations, as suggested by the title, specifically audio spying or whatever you call that.

This whole show is a blast, epic might I say. I really enjoyed it. To be fair it didn’t have the kind of action sequences like gunfire fights or close combat awesomeness, but the cream lies in the plot. Very often you feel a kind of heavy tension between characters, and you sense the dark brooding feeling, never knowing what to expect next.

Also, the question of how moral the cops are in handling what they need to, and what they want to, is raised through specific incidents along the show. I kind of like this. It is human, it is realistic. Shouldn’t reveal too much for people who had not watched this. Please do catch this, it is friggin’ cool.

Watched this randomly without knowing whether it is good. But I guess its pretty decent, with some learning points to pick up. The only thing is that it is really not flashy, little action and is really just story. I kind of like the personality of the main lead, (well at least eventually) I think it is truly remarkable of the sense of love for the entire society when you belong to this mega rich banking family.

For an idea of how rich they are, I think their banking business expands even out of China into Russia, Mongolia, Japan and parts of South East Asia. It is literally their empire of silver. But towards the end, when the Western Allied Forces started to carve up China, this empire starts to crumble. And the main lead which never was looked well upon by his father, had to step out and make big decisions.

Another thing about this show is the portrayal of a not too pleasant relationship in the family, particularly father and son – and the woman stuck in the middle. In my own opinion, I do disapprove of many of the father’s action. The son is more a gentleman and worthy businessman.

p.s. (I ran out of drafts again! Actually I had watched 1 more movie but had not have the mood and time to sit down and draft the entry properly)

1995 acclaimed mystery thriller. With not so pleasant imagery all around and some coarse language.

This story follows two police detective, one retiring soon, and one aspiring veteran wannabe, as a series of bizarre murders catch their attention. Very soon, it is revealed to be a diabolical attempt at championing the act of God by a serial killer, who chooses carefully his targets to represent a sin, the seven cardinal sins. And die they will to the very sin that consumes their life.

I guess the story is presented in a riveting fashion, albeit sometimes too slow and moody. And it is always fun to guess how the next victim will die once you realize the fascinating and creative ways some of the earlier victims were murdered, but for others it doesn’t exactly have a parallel, so I wondered if it could have been done even better. (No I am not sadistic, sorry)

But as with such stories, sometimes it gets a bit too predictable. I mean, look at the title, you know you will witness 7 of it by the end of everything. So it is just the long wait for the finale. This is a bit unpredictable. Well, when I watched this I figured someone close to the main characters would be involved somehow, as with most such thrillers coming up with a twist. But I was wrong in how they came into the picture, and the end of it all, caught me by surprise totally. And then it ends, all 7 deaths.

It is supposed to contain quite some philosophical thoughts about the way of life. But I suppose humans are humans… with their own innate flaws and vulnerabilities. Does anyone have the divine right to exact divine justice upon another person? I will leave that to faith and law, and enjoy movies when they come along

7 years old movie, hahaha. But anyway this movie is set way into the future, after a hypothetical World War III, after which the world seeks to prevent another war, for the planet will not survive another more devastating war. World leaders congregate and decided that emotion was the primary cause of such conflicts, and hence drugs were developed to suppress emotions, and all emotional stimulating content was banned.

What is it to live in a world devoid of emotions? You talk to your peers on totally professional grounds. You talk to your family as if it is just a random group of strangers. Hell, how do you even start a family? This is exactly what is portrayed in Equilibrium, where a highly authoritative council controls, or rather removes all emotions from society, at least the portion where they oversee. To achieve the goal, a special task force of Grammaton Clerics skilled in the elusive martial art of Gun Kata was established. To witness the impressive feats of Gun Kata, watch the movie (though I must say this looks very impossible in reality). The Grammaton Clerics remain the weapon to eliminate “sense offenders”, people who has succumbed to emotions.

All throughout the time, there exists “The Underground”, a resistance movement that fights against the council, without much success. The turning of the tide occurs when one of the most deadly First Class Grammaton Cleric missed a round of emotion-suppressing drug, and couldn’t retrieve a replacement at a distribution centre. Emotions start flooding him day by day, and he starts to believe in the power of emotion. Thus begins the quest of a Grammaton Cleric to destroy the council that gave rise to his prominence, and to seek emotion liberation for the world.

Personally I think this is a pretty good watch. Although it feels dark and brooding at times, there are some cool visual displays to see, including wondering how the hell one Grammaton Cleric can survive under massive fire while returning precise lethal shots. And this film tells you to never never abandon your emotions.

Rated R for violence, nudity and language

This acclaimed show 3 years back tells the inter-connected stories of 4 families (1 less related to the rest) across various countries. The setting includes the United States, Japan, Morocco and Mexico. Well, it does appear that it lacks a central plot so this may well turn people off. I must admit that when I finally finished watching this, I was like “is that all?”

On the positives, it has some great cinematography and a distinct look at the different cultures. Noteworthy is also the fact that the story is often shown out of sequence and you don’t really realise until you reach the point where it connects. I thought it is kind of cool and had the unexpected factor.

Plot wise, the Japan portion is very much distant from the rest. It seemed more like its own personal story with just a super tiny link to the rest, which might as well not be important. Overall, the families are victims of fate that build onto itself due to fate of others. BUT it is stupidity in 1 case that sparked it all off… no doubt… A chain reaction soon follows that landed some in unpleasant plights.

Finally, I find it quite disturbing that the Japan part have 2 cliffhangers lying around without being explained. So basically they started revealing some stuffs and then left us with no clue what the truths really were. I’m not about to use my imagination here…

Well anyway it seems to me that this doesn’t appear to be much of a commercial type of show. It might not appeal to the masses. The theme here is complex relations between people close to you, and interconnectivity with seemingly random people.