Paul Blart: Mall Cop

For me, this movie had me laughing for almost the whole movie for its sheer stupidity with a mix of being naive of a perfectly good person. That person is Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The character is an aspiring cop who has failed a good number of times from exams, most probably from his condition: he has hyperglycemia. He has to have sugar or else he faints. A good hearted person but at times too good that it places him in funny situations.

It has good action scenes, thanks to the parkour boys and we have to give credit to Paul Blart's rise from the dead type of getting up (with the help of a Segway). This movie is best watched at home with popcorn, drinks sitting on a couch with your family.

G.I. Joe - Rise of the Cobra

This post has been long overdue. Been very busy lately with office stuff (and got addicted with Mafia Wars. haha). Anyways, this is the live-action version of one of the 80's hit cartoon about the real american heroes.

As usual, they tweaked the story and characters to make it more appealing and fit it into the limited time of a movie. Duke here is still the main character but here he is seen to be an elite soldier before going in with the Joe's. He has ripcord for a best bud and both were pulled into the world of the Joe's. Scarlet still has Snake Eyes for a love interest but instead of Duke to be a part of a love triangle, they swapped it to Ripcord. Dennis Quaid played Hawk pretty well, unfortunately for cover girl her stint was short lived. Baroness on the other hand was married to a Baron, which is how she got her nickname. The Baron was not Destro. Destro for the most part of the film has the face of a normal human not until the last part. Cobra Commander was a revelation to me. It provided a good twist but they sorta gave hints along the way.

As an kid who grew in the 80's this is somewhat a breathe of fresh air for the old series. The action and CGI scenes were great (minus the fact that the suits made them jump around like crazy monkeys). Story wise was good enough to give most of the characters back story and depth to their personality. The ending provided room to make a sequel so we might as well expect one (just like Transformers). Plus the costumes made the Baroness and Scarlet real hot!!

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

*may contain spoilers

I watched it yesterday and was hoping to be blown away. Well, i was almost blown away. I was amazed at how they made the fight scenes between the autobots and the decepticons. It was great! Not only was it amazing but they actually slowed it down so we could actually follow what was happening. Megan Fox got even hotter and thanks to slow mo she went sizzling. I also liked the fact that John Tuturo was still in the movie. He added that weird comedy vibe. In the other hand, almost everything in the movie was tweaked (story and characters) but if you didn't grow up during the 80's it was a good sci-fi robot movie.

Although it had great moments, there will always be a "what the?" moments. What the hell is up with the terminator-ish villain they sent to get Sam?! For a couple of minutes there I though I was watching a Terminator movie. Next is the two autobots who talk like they are rap stars? It's bad enough that whites and asians copy the way rap stars talk but robot aliens from outerspace? That is just bad! Next up is Sam's mom. What the heck were they thinking when they made her act like that? It was just insane! There was a scene they made her eat "magic brownies" and made her all wacky. I just didn'y know what the writers were thinking when they wrote down the character. I didn't really find it that much amusing. There was also the issue regarding the matrix. In the original story, Optimus became Prime because of the Matrix not because he was the decendant of the Primes. I'm a bit so-so about what they did with it but it looked good in the movie (plus the matrix was smaller in the movie). Lastly, I could barely tell who is which became what. I mean, none of them looked like their original forms. Bumblebee became a Camaro, Iron Hide became a Pick-up Truck at least Arcee still is a motorbike albeit an earth type motorbike. Let's not forget Devastator, he became a huge pet monster! I still liked it if he just became a giant robot like before. Although he still destoyed everything in sight, a big huge a$$ robot like before is what I would prefer.

Eye candy wise, it was full of it. The tweaking of the story blended well with the prior movie. And eventhough I could hardly tell the decepticons and what the other autbots turned into it was a good enough sci-fi alien robot flick.

Top Gear Australia - Season 2

The boys down under are back -- minus Charlie Cox (he left the show saying he felt he could not offer enough time for the show). To step up to the plate, he was replaced by trumpeteer James Morrison. He was last seasons fastest celebrity in a bog standard car. For me he's a welcome addition since this is a show presented by average blokes (except for Steve, since he's a race driver) for average blokes.

Right now I've just caught up with this season's sixth episode and i'm still awaiting for the next one. I like this show because I get to learn about new cars and a little more about Australia and the Aussies.

For episodes of the show, just head over to www.finalgear.com.

The X-Family - Finale

After more than a year, doremii fansubs finished subbing The X-family. It was a long 55 episode season and they managed to finish it. Eventhough it was very hard for them to sub it but because of the loyal supporters they pushed through. I could only understand a few chinese words and as you watch an episode you could see a lot of things happening on the screen. There were explanation to jokes, mental notes of characters, or additional info. Plus, a lot of them were talking about chinese history and chinese sayings that none of us non-talking chinese people could really follow.

To doremii fansubs, I give you two thumbs up for your dedication to finish and the high quality of your works! More power!! Looking forward to KO 3anguo...

Movie Review - Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li

It's not the best movie to date but I watched it anyway. Yes, you guessed it. Kristin Kreuk was there. I was hooked with this chick since smallville and snow white. Enough with the chit chat. The movie started with Chun-Li as a kid and was taught how to be a great concert pianist and at the same time martial arts by his father. Until one night, Bison, with the help of Balrog, kidnapped Chun-Li's father for unknown reasons and fast forward Chun-Li is now a well known pianist her mother is now sickly and a strange letter arrives for her. She then travels to Bangkok to find Gen. On the flip side Charlie Nash is hot on the trail of Bison and ends up also in Bangkok since triad leaders are found dead, killed by Vega. Chun-Li's trained by Gen, paths crossed, trouble ensues, final battle with Chun-Li and Bison and of course Chun-Li wins.

Like I said before, movie was not that great. It was like a B-movie much like the previous live-action Street Fighter flicks (e.g. the one with JCVD) but this one is a notch higher and has a more serious tone unlike the campy old ones. This movie also deviated from the original storyline of the Character. Bison killed Chun-Li's father prior to joining the tournament and she joined the tournament to kill/get revenge on Bison not prior.

Anyways, i'd still place it as a B-rated movie because it has that vibe. If it wasn't for Kristin Kreuk i'd probably rate this lower. Props to Michael Clark Duncan he fit the role of Balrog (minus the gold tooth and weird haircut ala Mike Tyson). hahaha!!

*pic borrowed from wiki

Chuck Season 2 Finale

Season 2 of Chuck recently ended and at first I had no idea how they would end it so that it would have a season 3. The 2nd to the last episode removed the Intersect from Chuck's brain so another season was looking bleak. After watching the season finale they made Chuck take in a better version of the Intersect and made him face a new organization, The Ring.

Okay, so the new Intersect is more of the Matrix type. C'mon, downloading kung-fu moves? That is so Matrix. But you got to admit it was a bold move for them to decide on that because it'll be all weird and Chuck could now kick ass and be the Super Spy he wants to be to impress Sarah but with it he said goodbye again to the normal life he was so yearning to have.

I haven't checked on the dates that they would be showing season 3 but I hope they don't delay it as much because Chuck has already a cult following. I myself has become addicted to the show. For me, all it took was one tv commercial to get me all curious about the show. After two seasons, i'm still hooked!

Watchmen (2009)

Ok. It's one of the comic books that the 80's kid (including me) grew up with that turned to a movie. The watchmen is a story about masked heroes that were forced to retire because they were outlawed. But because one of them was brutally murdered, they were forced to don their masks and find out who was behind it and at the same time prevent World War III from breaking out.

They did a great job (for me) in recreating the 80's vibe. The tv shows were there, clothes, how people interacted, how people looked, and everything else in between. Their interpreation of the story and how they squeezed most of the info within 2 and a half hours is impressive since this was a graphic novel and this was a very long story. The fight scenes were pretty good without the help of too much CGI and looks like some were wire work while some looked liked they were done by very good stunt doubles.

I'd watch the film a few more times just because I enjoyed it and mostly it was a well put movie. Not to mention that it was a super hero flick.

Movie Review: Dragonball Evolution

Well.... We could say that it's based on the graphic novel by Akira Toriyama but almost none are identical or faithful to the novel. I guess they made a different version to prevent it from being compared to the original story. Basic elements were there, Piccolo is the enemy, (Dragonball series), Goku likes Chi-chi (the actress they got to play her looks pretty good also helps), Bulma is an inventor, Yamcha is there but a different character (and he has a nose!!), Master Roshi is not a balding old man and only trains Goku on a few techniques. Anyhow these are the base characters in the Dragonball world apart from the Red Ribbon Army.

The movie itself isn't bad. Just think of it as a sci-fi and never compare it to the original novel because it will just dissapoint you.

Movie Review: Transporter 3

Of course i'd watch it! I like the Transporter series, pretty straight forward and usually involves a nice car and his character could always beat up a ton of guys. He still has his trusty Audi A8 with a huge w12 engine. His french police chief reprises his role and they are back in Europe. This time around he was forced to do the job because they had his life on the line. But as always he's a tough nut to crack and fought his way back causing mayhem and not your typical chase scenes.

I still prefer the original (maybe because it had Shu Qi...) but it's always to see Frank Martin in a mess.

Review: Monsters vs Aliens

I like the simplicity of the film. It's really a child friendly movie with lots of comedy and less things to understand about the movie. It's a sit back and enjoy type of movie. Another thing that I liked about it is it did not go dragging itself to make the movie long but it allowed to be in a pace wherein you could get a grasp of the whole movie with little to no dull moments.

I also liked the character of the President of the US. It was hilarious, playing new wave to try and make contact with the aliens and some of his ideas will make you say "ooookkkaaayyy....??". The sense of humor of the film was very child friendly too and kids in grade school will easily get.

Fast and the Furious 4

Or it could also be called FnF 2 and 1/2 since the movie takes place in between FnF 2 and Tokyo Drift. The movie was overall an action movie and patches of hot cars, chicks, and racing thrown into the mix. And never forget the cheesy lines that they make Vin Diesel say in films. Most of the events here are identical to the things done in the original. If you've watched the first one you'll find them.

A thing that a bit disappointed me is the story line that includes Han. I thought that it would be a lot longer since he is such a cool, calm and collected character. Sad thing is I think he did less than 10 mins screen time.

Overall i'd still buy this movie on DVD since more short stories that will tie up loose ends will probably be there.

Taiwanese Drama: Hot Shot

Description:

"In a school where academic reigns supreme and sports are relegated to a dusty corner of the campus, Li Ying vows to revive the basketball team by volunteering to be the head coach. Her first member is Yuan Da Ying, a country boy who is passionate for basketball but has no skill. Their recruitment goes into high gear when Dong Fang Xiang, a legendary basketball player, transfers to their school.

Around the same time, Yuan Da Ying falls for Zhan Jie Er, a scholarship student who reminds him of his childhood friend. Things are complicated by the fact her family works for Dong Fang Xiang, who she also grew up with. Their encounter may just rewrite the school's basketball history." *

It looks like a cross between Slam Dunk (anime) and Kung-Fu Dunk (live action movie) but with a twist of Taiwanese Drama. As of this writing, i've only seen one episode. It looks promising. What I like about it is the slapstick scenes on their thoughts that they would have done if not restricted. As with most dramas anywhere in the world this also has the love triangle thrown into it.

*taken from the net

Cast:
Coco Jiang,George Hu, Jerry Yan, Michelle Zhang, Show Lo, Wu Chun, Zhou Cai Shi