Dragonball Evolution; Don't get your hopes high.

In all the interviews before the movie was released, James Wong, Justin Chatwin and even James Masters told us of how much this movie will remained faithful to the manga and anime, but also with an added bonus such as the modern city and the realism so that it looks like it is set in the real world. Thus, I had my hopes high.

Walking into the cinema, I sat down with my popcorn as the reel started to roll. A fast prologue explains that 2,000 years ago, the evil Lord Piccolo tried to destoy the world with the help of his montrous demon and was only imprisoned by a brotherhood of men. The film then skips to present day, as young Goku spars with his grandfather. As a gift for his 18th birthday, Grandpa Gohan gives Goku a dragonball, briefly explaining that only seven of the balls exist and when they are united a dragon is summoned which can grant one perfect wish.

Okay, it still sticks to the original story. Fair enough.

But on the some day, Piccolo emerges, freed from shackles, with his lady assistant in an airship, trying to find the Dragonball. All the while, Goku is at a school party tryng to woo his high school crush, Chi Chi and has a fight with some jocks, when his grandfather is killed by Picollo who couldn't find the Dragonball. With his last breath, Goku's grandfather tells him to find Master Roshi, who lives on a small island (in the middle of town) and find the rest of the Dragonballs to save the world.


Okay, maybe some few changes. I can live with that.

Goku then went on a "Wizard of Oz"-like adventure, where he seeks the Dragonball and meets a few friends along the way. At least the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion have more character development than Bulma, Master Roshi and Yamcha.

Everything happens too fast. Goku had his training with Roshi on the way to find the Dragonball and learns the Kamehameha "theorically", because Roshi just tells him how to do it and in the final battle, he did it!

The actor that really (or, almost) lives out the character is James Masters playing Lord Piccolo. We can feel his anger and vengeful drive towards the Earth, though we still do not know why, or how he was freed. And unfortunately, he gets so little screen time that the moviemaker could have just use CGI and spare Masters from wasting his time. Chatwin was also a great actor... if Goku was such a moody and one dimensional character.

But I guess what saved the movie is the special effect and the storyline itself (which is from the manga; the "Demon Lord Piccolo" Saga). The special effect is really awesome (no where near Transformers or Watchmen, but still); everything looks real. From the background to the slow-motion fight scene and even the Kamehameha. Although it could have been done way better.

Dragonball Evolution looks like a B-movie, or something straight to DVD or TV.

As soon as the movie ended, I was speechless.

But there was a short scene during the credits. Stay if you want, but I know a lot of Dragonball fans would already know what it is.

Dragonball Evolution: I would only recommend it to those who would like to just kill some time off the weekends.

Taylor Swift: FEARLESS

Score: 4 / 5

I am amazed with Taylor Swift's sophomore (concept) album, Fearless, about a teenage girl's romantic life starting from the first day of high school and ending with how she learns appreciating her life -- without even approaching an emo-ish tone or becoming whiney and annoying.

The lyrics are so confessional. She wrote everything about how she fell in love, had her heart broken, then how she managed to get back up and see life as it is and not a fairytale. Woah! I actually interpreted that. She impressed me with how she wrote everything! Even the song Breathe featuring the singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat. But I was also impressed by how this 18-year old managed to be so matured in handling those situations (that's probably where the title of the album came from); more matured than most teenagers her age.

She may not have a vocal range like Leona Lewis or even Duffy (wait, what?!) but her soft vocal, storytelling-like lyrics and musical arrangement will make this album hard-to-forget; making it one of the best mainstream pop album of 2008.

Fearless track list (*recommended):
1. Fearless
2. Fifteen
3. *Love Story
4. Hey Stephen
5. White Horse
6. You Belong With Me
7. Breathe
8. Tell Me Why
9. You're Not Sorry
10. *The Way I Loved You
11. Forever & Always
12. The Best Day
13. *Change

Bedtime Stories: Once upon a time, Adam Sandler was in an entertaining family movie. True story...

The thing about Bedtime Stories is that it is light, funny, easy to digest and all around great for the whole family.

Something most people won't expect from Sandler.

It's just like any other Sandler's movies except this one doesn't contain any only-for-adults jokes.

It might not be the movie I'd recommend to someone who is in for something serious or something that is seriously funny, but this movie has got it all. There's comedy, slight drama and a lot of action; from cowboys to the outer space.

Great writing and great acting.

Really, there's nothing to complain. It's just a very entertaining family movie, which we don't get a lot these days.

I recommend Bedtime Stories to any Disney fans and also to anyone who'd enjoy Adam Sandler's movies, minus the sexual and dirty jokes.

Allison Iraheta is AMAZING!

American Idol 2009. Believe it or not, I do watch it and I've been watching American Idol since Kelly Clarkson won. But now, I want to tell you about this amazing Little Red-Haired Girl that has made it through to this year's competiton.

Allison Iraheta, born April 27, 1992, from LA, Caliornia.

16 going on 17.

Ms. Iraheta is slightly older than I am, but still, 16 nonetheless and equipped with amazing and strong vocal pipes.


She performed the song Alone by Heart (which I never really cared until she sang it) and made it to the Top 13. And I still can't get her voice out of my head. And then, on the first week she picked the song Give in to Me by Michael Jackson and I can't get enough of her. She advanced to the next round and yes, I would like to give in to her...

Quoting Alone by Heart:
"And now it chills me to the bone,
How do i get you alone?"

I'll be supporting Ms. Iraheta throughout the competition this year, and hopefully I'll see her for weeks.

Oh yeah, I also love this guy: Adam Lambert

Man, he has this very strange and real loud and clear high vocal.

He has been my favourite since he sang Believe by Cher and actually made that song good.

For the first week, he picked the song Black and White by Michael Jackson, and was the best of the night.

Oh yeah, and his hair is like super cool.

'Watchmen' Explores Humanity

It is the year 1985. The Doomsday Clock is set at five minutes to midnight. America is at the brink of war with the Soviet Union, and the only thing standing between them is Dr. Manhattan who has the ability to control the physics around him. At the same time, a superhero-turned-vigilante, Rorschach discovered that one of his former colleagues was murdered. He investigate the case while trying to reach his other colleagues, Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II, Ozymandias and Dr. Manhattan, fearing that they might be next. As he gets deeper to the truth, he discovers an even more disturbing conspiracy -- linking with their past and will bring devastating consequences for the future of not only them but the entire country – that has something to do with one of them.

I went into the theatre without knowing anything about the graphic novel. And guess what? I actually enjoyed it. It was really entertaining and the entire two plus hours seems to just fly by.

What really impressed me was the coherency of the movie. It starts off with The Comedian murdered, a tense Rorschach, and some other distressed member of the Watchmen. However, as the story progresses, we are given the entire backstory of each characters as the flashbacks and the present storylines intersect with each other. A masterful storytelling.

The special effect is spectacular. It’s like we’re transported into another reality; a whole new world right on screen.

But this is no ‘The Dark Knight’ though. It is dark but it has a lot of flaws. For instance, some might say that it follows the graphic novel too directly that it seems campy at some point. Even the sound effect for the punches is so unrealistic (“Swoosh...Dup...Dush!”).

What redeems this movie is the plot itself. It explores humanity. It raises questions such as: What would happen if a man is given unlimited knowledge but the most important parts of him is taken away such as his emotions and his humanity? How a woman actually forgives his attacker in an attempted rape and actually had an affair with him? How the people back then hated gays that they murdered a superhero for being homosexual? What would happen if a powerful man is given the choice between killing millions or let billions of people get killed? And so on. This is the kind of questions that makes watching Watchmen very interesting.

Overall, Watchmen is a very well-made movie. I recommend it for any comic book fans, action movie fans, or just any casual movie-goers. This is a must WATCH!

She & Him: Volume One

Score: 4.5/ 5

"She" is the actor-singer-songwriter, Zooey Deschanel (most notable in Yes Man and Elf); and "Him" is M. Ward, the genius in acoustic music assembly. And together they put together an album of the lost 70's sound. It's like time travelling back in time, but you realized, no, you haven't travelled because at the back of the album is written 2008. This is an album for everyone. Well, not really. But if you're in the mood of going on a getaway weekend, driving in your car, heading to the beach, then this is the album for you.

She & Him: Volume One is all about heartbreak and falling in love, then having your heart broken and then finding love again and so on. It's like a girl is standng in front of you and asking you to love her. I'd be surprised if you didn't. There's nothing not to love about this album.

Zooey's deep vocal pipe, add in with M. Ward smart musical arrangement, and what you'll get is an acoustic heaven. Let's all hope for a She & Him: Volume Two, now shall we?

P/S: Oh yeah, these guys are indie, so it's pretty hard to find the album, unless you can get it online then it wouldn't be a problem. But in my case, I read about it on the net and just happened to come across it when I went to Australia last year. But, whatever the case is, you MUST BUY IT!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -- A Timeless Classic about Love, Mortality and Time.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON is unlike any other films I’ve ever seen and most probably ever will. It is an absolute masterpiece and will most definitely be one of the greatest films of all time. An instant classic. It is layered with top notch acting, well-executed directing and a magical soundtrack. It explores the subject of life, love and death, the death of the ones we love, on losing and finding and how it all connects. This movie is nothing but brilliance. An epic that have left me breathless.

It is a tale of Benjamin, a man who was born old and aged in reversed, and was told from the diary read by his daughter. It is not his condition that makes him special. It is the choices that he made throughout his story. He gets to witnessed life from all angles. While he is growing younger, the people around him grow old and eventually die. He learned that in order to know how much a person meant to us, we are made to lose them. Life is not measured in minutes, but in moments. That is why he left his home, go to sea, fight in a war, find love, have a child, and in the end, start all over again.

The most curious part of the movie – for me – is its incredible attention to detail. The art of this movie is unlike anything I have seen before. It puts you directly into the period of time of what is shown on screen. Never was a movie so vastly detailed and lavishly put together as this. From the war scenes at seas, to the city during the winter, events in the cities, 1920s, 30s, 40s and so on; they will leave you speechless. Instead of just showing earlier times, we’re shown historical (though with a dash of fiction) events and figures, like the WWII, President Roosevelt, some reference to Shakespeare, etc. Some of these scenes are in washed-out colours, like a footage taken straight from that time period. And especially the six “struck-by-lightning” scenes, which have no sounds, just white-and-black footage that last for about 2 seconds each. It really gives the authenticity of those moments.

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, on the other hand, had proved themselves that they can’t only play variety of characters in variety of movies, but also characters living their lives while spanning decades and decades...all while in a movie. They are both so empathetic that audience can feel what they are depicting; how they grow, matured and developed. I get to see it in less than three hours. It has got nothing to do with the directing skill or the screenplay – they’re just highly skilled actors.

David Fincher used the three hours that was given to him very wisely. Not one scene seemed out-of-place or inappropriate. He directed the film so well that the graceful storytelling reflects his direction.

It will be a curious thing how this movie gets awful reviews.

It is a definite example of the most wonderful depiction of love, life and death. It will leave you astonished. Because what makes our life meaningful are not the choices we have made and not the things we have found, but instead, the opportunities that we strike even the ones we missed, and the ones we love and how they are gone. Life IS curious. And the Curious Case of Benjamin Button had thought me how to appreciate it.

P/S: One of the last scenes in the movie is the most beautiful and touching picture I have ever seen; An old woman, cradling a baby, and knowing that both of them are dying...

Burn After Reading -- The Genius of the Coen Bros at a lesser effort.

Burn After Reading, simply said, is a story of what happens when paranoia is combined with depression, stress, and/or loneliness.

It tells of what happens when something as simple as finding a memoir of a CIA agent can be deadly when handled extremely by the CIA.

It tells a story of two very idiotic gym employees who found the memoir and want to use it to their own personal advantages (Linda, who wants her cosmetic surgery paid and Chad, who just want some rewards for finding the CIA's sh*t -- Chad: "Osbourne Cox? I thought you might be worried... about the security... of your sh*t.")

Now, this movie is made out of random, meaningless plot and intersected with some more random, meaningless sub-plots.

But, somehow, the meaningless-ness of this movie is what made it genius, I'd say! It explores how normal people would react when this kind of things happened to them (I won't tell you what, you have to see it for yourself). And it is filled with dark humour.

But what stands out the most is the acting. It is a cast of big names acting stupid. Which is...good, actually...in a way. It's very confusing, to say the least. You just have to watch it.

And the star of this movie is not Clooney, but surprisingly, Pitt. He just shines throughout each scene he's in. And, not to mention, his character is very funny.

(Brad Pitt, the hyper and active, and not to mention childish, gym instructor)

Burn After Reading -- another genius movie by the Coen Bros. -- but at a lesser effort -- recommended!