Review: Iron Man 3

[This review contains spoilers.]

Robert Downey Jr is Tony Stark, and Tony Stark is…well, you know who he is.

And that's pretty much the story. I cannot think of a better actor to play Tony Stark/ Iron Man. He brought awesomeness to the role, he was born to play Tony Stark! Iron Man is a superhero movie, but unlike some, the humanity and emotions are very well written. I think that's why I like it so much. It isn't just another action blockbuster. It's about people, why they do what they do, and what makes a hero. I think Marvel is doing a great job in giving its superheroes an opportunity to rise to the challenge. Captain America, Thor and Iron Man all share the common theme -- things are personal, it's heroic, it's about their humanity and rising to the challenge.

So, phase II has commenced with Iron Man 3. I don't even know where to begin, but I'll start by saying this, his armours are awesome! The multiple suits of remote-controlled armours, I think that's what it's called, was mind-blowing. The special effect and the idea behind were very cool! Tony Stark didn't just make them for fun, he made them because he has become so paranoid. He was scared to loose the one person he loved the most, Pepper Potts. He has anxiety problems and he hasn't been sleeping since his encounter with the aliens and wormhole in New York. I think this was a great angle, it gave the story a focus. Because he was paranoid, he build and hid his back-up suits. Because he was paranoid, he upgraded the technology including the way the suits were coded to him (and I think Pepper).

What I love about this movie is that we saw Tony Stark going to the field without the armour. We saw him making things, investigating a case, doing recon and interrogating the bad guys. In the 'party protocol' battle scene at the end (which was my favourite scene of the movie), we saw Tony Stark in multiple armours and we also saw Tony Stark fighting without the armours. This concept itself was awesome and I love it! It showed us he was capable in fighting with or without his armours. He used his armours whenever he saw fit. His house was destroyed and his army of Iron Man was blown up, but he could always rebuild them whenever he wanted to. You can take away his mask, his armours and his gadgets, but he is still the Iron Man! To me, this part of the story is extreme well written. Tony Stark wasn't the only on wearing a Iron Man armour in this movie, the story went a bit further into showing why Tony Stark is Iron Man.

I think it's good that people know Tony Stark is Iron Man. Like that guy in the media van, he was obviously the biggest fanboy of Iron Man -- Tony needed Gary, and Gary needed Tony! (Nice shot of the Oracle logo in that scene! Oracle people will be very happy! I mean, did you see their corporate website?) Anyway... What about the kid Harley? If anyone wants to make Teen version of Avengers or Iron Man, this kid has to be in it! Harley was awesome! I love about the chemistry between Harley and Tony. The dialogues and the interactions were pretty amazing. What I love about them is that Tony speaks to Harley as an equal. I think kids like respect from adult more than adult can realise. Potato Gun Mark II FTW!

I haven't given Pepper Potts enough credit. I didn't think her character had much impact on the movie in the first Iron Man movie. The second one was a bit better. Iron Man 3 upgraded a lot of things such as the technology and the armours, but the movie also upgraded emotions, people relationships and Pepper Potts! I am really happy to see Pepper played an integral role this time. I love the fact that she got a giant bunny (ha!), she got the Extremis upgrade, she got to wear Mark 42, and she kicked some serious butt! Sometimes it annoys me to see different 'girls' in different movies of the same series such in 007 -- they have different 'Bond girls'. I personally like to see drama and character growth, even in superhero movies. I would hate to see someone like Pepper absent from the movie because she was so important in Tony Stark's life. It was totally obvious in Iron Man 3 that she was the reasons for all the back-ups and upgrades in Iron Man 3. He didn't do it to protect himself.

Let's talk about the villains. I gotta say, I was a little uncomfortable to see the terrorist stuff, because they were so real to me. The whole Mandarin on the TV was a bit creepy than it should. Once it was revealed that Ben Kingsley's character was nothing but a stoned British actor call Trevor, I was having a laugh! Ben Kingsley's performance definitely one of the highlights of the movie. Guy Pearce's Killian was a bad ass. I wouldn't say he was a highlight, but his character brought enough to the table to make that part of the story worked. Extremis was a great but creepy idea, very Terminator like. I am quite intrigued by the science behind it. Is Killian or Mandarin my favourite villain in Iron Man? No, and I don't have one. Loki all the way! One thing though, Rebecca Hall's character just didn't work for me at all. None of her previous roles worked for me -- Vicky Cristina Barcelona and The Prestige. Sorry, love!

I haven't said this enough in the past, but you know who else is a hero of the story? JARVIS! I am in love with JARVIS! I want one! I think JARVIS is definitely the invisible sidekick that kicks ass! I love the underwater scene where JARVIS saved Iron Man. I love that JARVIS was like running field ops. JARVIS is always reliable, he is so funny he doesn't know it! I believer the original JARVIS is an old butler like Alfred in Batman. But I am glad in the movies, JARVIS is more and he is totally awesome!

And then there were Happy and Rhodey. I love Happy. I love that Happy went off working on a case. I have always loved Happy as the bodyguard in Iron Man! I love that he was worried about Tony, especially after all the superhero stuff happened in New York. Rhodey was great and the idea of Iron Patriot was pretty good. I like the inside jokes about Iron Patriot and War Machine between Tony and Rhodey. There were a few brilliant bromance moments!

There wasn't a single dull moment in Iron Man 3. The dialogues, the pace, the action, the music and the jokes were amazingly integrated. There were so very good stunts such as the Airforce One rescue scene. I can't say I know Shane Black well as a writer and director, but I thought he did a fantastic job! I was worried when Jon Favreau wasn't going to direct Iron Man 3, but I am extremely happy to see the result! I can't get the music out of my head! I downloaded the soundtrack the moment it was released. The bonus scene of Tony Stark talking to Bruce Banner was brilliant! I laughed so hard! I really think Tony and Bruce had a bromance thing going on there. The end credit didn't say Iron Man will return, but instead it said Tony Stark will return. So I guess Marvel is leaving it as flexible as possible. Joss Whedon did say he didn't quite know what to do after he saw the ending of Iron Man 3. But I am hopeful, I will see Tony Stark again.

Sequels can be tricky, look at Spiderman or Fantastic Four. Iron Man still manages to surprise me. I am impressed with story and character growth, especially with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, and I just love the tech upgrades across the board! I've seen Iron Man 3 twice now, and probably will watch it again on a cheap-ass Tuesday. Iron Man 3 is simply 'spectacular' (I did change it to 'Starktacular' later).

So, what do you think of Iron Man 3? 

PS: If you can skip the 3D version, skip it. I watched both versions, they were the same to me. Except I have two pairs of glasses to wear during the 3D session, which was always annoying.

My other reviews:
The Avengers
Captain America: The First Avenger 
Thor

Too Scared to Watch Bad Things

I am a pop culture enthusiast. I love TV, movies and music. I love them. Sometimes when things come out, I'm like "this could be the best or worst thing ever." And I am too scared to watch it. 

You know how I feel about NBC's Smash. Season one was strange, it has more downs and ups. I do like the musical numbers occasionally, but the writing, the pace, the tone, as well as the acting were all over the place. I am too scared to watch season two. It's a matter of watching it in one go when the DVD is out, so I would only suffer 10+ hours (but do I really want to pay to watch it if it's crap?), or do I download it now and suffer for over ten weeks? 

I love Ewan McGregor, I'd watch anything he is in it. I watched The Island for him to show my support. Now, I know Jack and The Giant Slayer is due to come out and I am thinking I will watch it for Ewan and Stanley Tucci, no matter how bad this movie might be. This movie certainly took advantage of the genre trend -- we have Once Upon A Time and Oz The Great and The Powerful, and Snow White and the Huntsman etc. I consider myself as a semi-big fairy tale genre fan, but why am thinking twice about watching this film?

I love Wicked! This is the one thing I wish someone is making a movie based on my favourite musical of all time. I'll watch it ten times! But then Oz the Great and the Powerful came through. I mean, it won't be another few years until we are ready to watch another movie based on the Wizard of Oz. Damn you Oz the Great and the Powerful. The trailer looks great and I have heard some good comments about it. This week, I will watch it twice with different friends. If it's worth blogging about, I will write a review about it.

Recently, I was being a good friend and watch Anna Karenina with my friend. I have never been so bored in my life watching a movie, the last I was cursing the script and everything about a movie was Van Helsing. I appreciate the artistry of Anna Karenina, but the pace wasn't carried out in the entire film. The cast performance was good, but too good it was depressing (which was kinda the point) and I wasn't in the mood for depressing movie. And there was a rat in the cinema during the last 15 minutes of the movie. I was freaking out. I lost my concentration completely, but kinda hoped that the rat appeared earlier so I could go home early! And I had no idea how the movie ended except Anna Karenina killed herself. By then I was ready to walk out.

And then there is Hansel and Gretel, I don't care what anyone said, I'd watch it for Jeremy Renner, who I think it's hot! But I've been putting it off for weeks, now the movie is no longer playing in my local cinema! Crap!

But, good things do happen. And they will happen very soon!!! Iron Man III and Star Trek Into The Darkness!! Hello!!!!! I've been watching far too many Star Trek related interviews of Chris Pine, Zach Quinto, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy on YouTube than I should!I don't know what happened there, but I fast tracked the end of my data usage the other night. I think I am a little obsessed with J.J Abrams than I care to admit. I think the rewatch of Star Trek is imminent.

Defending 'The Hobbit'

In recent days, websites such as SFGate and CNN have named their 'best and worst' films of 2012. Some of their choices are unanimous. How does one approach the judging process? Are they merely opinions? If so, whose opinions? Are we supposed to look at the 'snooze' factors or box office success? Are we reviewing the film maker's artistic and/ or technical approach, script, performances etc..? The Hobbit makes it to some of the 'worst film of the year' lists. My response is: REALLY? Is it just me or you too think it does not deserve it? This Means War, I get it. But The Hobbit? COME ON!

I don't think anyone in the film industry has an intention to make a bad movie so that they can make it to the 'worst film of the year' list. Even Scary Movie and Fantastic Four have its moment. Watching a movie can be a very personal experience. I cried throughout the last movie of Harry Potter, and my friend didn't. She joked that may be she is heartless or may be she is now more mature and a different viewer than she watched the first Harry Potter movie. Some of us, who have already established an emotional connection with story and characters because we grew up with the books, may find the movie adaptations awesome (or not). Other audience watch it because they are forced to, keeping someone's company, or it's a hot day so they may as well enjoy the aircon, or they watch it because someone else told them it's good, or perhaps they got a freebie. Of course, your opinion on a movie is entirely yours. When you've been watching movies all your life, as an audience, you'll know a good movie when you see one. Does a movie move on emotionally? Does it make you think? Does it make you laugh, cry or angry? All these contribute to the way you think about the movie. I went to a baby shower just after I saw This Means War, a mother told everyone it was the best film she's seen in her life. I mean, whatever makes you happy, dearie. Oh and.. I watched This Means War because it was a freebie.

In my opinion, The Hobbit is NOT a bad film and it certainly doesn't deserve to be on the 'worst film of the year' list. I get the movie, I have a connection with the story and I appreciate it. Why do I have to defend The Hobbit? I just have to! I am this tiny insignificant blogger who defends The Hobbit, just like Bilbo defends and fights for his friends.

The Hobbit is certainly a lot darker than the book, which was intended to be a children's book. I enjoy reading Lord of the Rings books much better because it was darker and more intriguing. Some people criticize that The Hobbit took the wrong approach by going for the much darker feel and look, and therefore the 'feel' of the original book was missing. Some scene in the movie certainly reminds you of Lord of the Rings -- the Shire and the Misty Mountain battle. I don't think the mountain trolls were ever funny in Lord of the Rings, do you? Martin Freeman's young Bilbo and the many personalities of the dwarfs make the movie successful. I don't think the quirky nature of the book was completely missing. And it was done as a children's film, it may look like Willow instead.

I am not campaigning The Hobbit to be listed as one of the best films of the year, and if you ask me to be super critical about The Hobbit, I do have a few points to make. I thought the point of view could be focused on Bilbo a bit more, I thought at times the point of view of storytelling was a bit here and there. Some scenes were longer than it should, but that's price they have to pay when the book is split into three movies. The Hobbit is closer to Lord of the Rings movies than the book, but I have no problems with it. No major characters have died yet and some dwarfs are too good looking!! I opted for the non-3D version of the movie, because I don't think 3D movies are worth it in general, unless it was filmed with 3D cameras from start to finish. If watching the movie in 3D is the only choice, I guess I have to suck it up and deal with it. But I did have a choice!

I went to watch The Hobbit without any expectation, I didn't even plan to find any Easter eggs. But I really love the movie. I thought Martin Freeman's performance as Bilbo was fantastic and his Bilbo was more fun. He certainly put his own stamp on the character, which was portrayed by Ian Holmes in the previous Lord of the Rings (who also made a guest appearance in The Hobbit). The Hobbit is about Bilbo's adventure 60 years prior to Lord of the Rings. One of the most anticipated scenes was the appearance of Gollum, and his interaction with Bilbo. It was a great scene. I also love seeing all return of a few characters -- Ian Holme's Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman -- and the Eagles still gave me the goose bumps. Is it just me or do you love seeing the Dragon too? 

The Hobbit tells a great story with great dialogues and performance, the message and the nature of the characters and their struggles stay true to the book. I did shed a tear when the hobbit finally picked up the courage to help his friends to fight the bad guys, so that his friends can rebuild their home. To me, that's a classic hobbit thing. The message is embedded in this movie and the three before it. I wish people would just stop picking things to hate and compare, because The Hobbit just does not deserve to be seen as one of the worst movies of 2012. The Hobbit was a great movie -- the script is not lazy, the production is not lazy, the performance is not lazy -- this movie was epic in every sense of the word!

The Hobbit reminds me of the good things rather than the bad. There were a few cheers from audience at the end of the movie and I walked out of the cinema feeling satisfied. And if the media tells me The Avengers is one of the worst films of 2012, I will start throwing punches! It made it to some 'most overrated movies of the year' though. Whatever! As long as nobody names Twilight as the best film of the year, my faith in humanity remains intact.

Supernatural at Paley; Early Lockdown

Last Sunday, the cast and crew of Supernatural made their epic appearance at the Paley Fest in LA. They said a lot of things, Eric and Sera and the cast teased us and threw us a bone. I got to a point where I had to stop reading and I have decided to go into lockdown sooner than usual.

I am super excited about what's ahead of us, including the western episode and a Castiel centric episode. OMFG!!! The more I think about what they said, the more I desire to find and read spoilers. It's so addictive, seriously!!!! So I guess we'll just look at photos, shall we? ^_^

Photo credit: Getty Images, Winchester Bros & TV Guide's Natalie Abrams. For more photos, videos and reports, visit SuperWiki.

The writers are my heroes!

The boys went straight back to Vancouver after Paley. See Jared changed, Misha changed his shirt, but Jensen didn't. AWESOME!

Review: Batman Under the Red Hood

Batman: Under the Red Hood is not to be watched on Sunday morning with your kids. It's a dark drama with blood, violence, it has plenty of pain and angst. I don't normally watch animation unless I am captivated by the story or if it's super cute. And to be honest, I watch Red Hood because of Jensen Ackles, who voiced Jason Todd/ Red Hood. He did a great job. Anyone who needs an actor to play a character to channel angst and pain, Jensen Ackles is your man! I think this would have been a perfect big screen role for Jensen Ackles, obviously someone older would require to play Bruce Wayne/ Batman.

I don't know who did the Jason Todd drawing, but whoever you are, you are awesome!

Batman: Under the Red Hood is so much darker than I expected. The intensity was there from the start of the movie. When I first heard about Red Hood I had not idea who he was, except I've been told Jason Todd was the 2nd Robin and Jensen was the voice talent for this character. But after I watched it for the first time, I felt that homework was required in order to respect the character and story more.

I don't understand comic book continuity, each character seems to have so many different versions and stories, not to mention about the crossovers. Here is Jason Todd in a nut shell. After Dick Grayson aka the 1st Robin became Nightwing, Jason Todd was introduced as the new Robin. Batman was a lot mature and older when Jason Todd was introduced. Jason Todd was athletic and resembled Batman in many ways, except Jason was willing to use lethal force and weapons.

The initial concept of Jason Todd was similar to Dick Grayson. Jason was the son of circus acrobats, Joseph and Trina Todd, killed by Killer Croc. Jason was later adopted by Bruce Wayne. Jason Todd was later rewritten as a young street orphan who first encountered Batman while attempting to steal the tires off the Batmobile. This was seen in the flashbacks of Batman: Under the Red Hood. Jason was beaten to death by the Joker with a crowbar. Jason was then resurrected from the Lazarus Pit by Ra's al Ghul's daughter Talia. But in the animated film, Jason was resurrected from the Lazarus Pit by Ra's al Ghul himself. The Lazarus Pit caused a negative impact on Jason's mental instability.


Jason Todd had a number of adventures in the comic book version. He later became a murderous version of Nightwing. Jason also appeared in a number of Green Arrow's comic series as the Red Hood. Jason was seen as the Red Robin with a new suit. Jason then appeared in Battle for the Cowl, where he wore an alternate version of the Batsuit and revealed he had always wanted to replace Batman. And there was a Red Hood and Scarlett after the events in Battle for the Cowl. I think Jason Todd pretty much went cuckoo in most versions of his story.

So with all the above background information on Jason Todd, my second viewing of Batman: Under the Red Hood was more enjoyable and here is why. My knowledge of all things Batman comes from the movies. I've watched all the Batman movies in our generation, i.e those directed by Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher and Christopher Nolan. I have seen them all at least 3 times or more, even the bad ones! We have seen many iconic DC characters on the big screen with Batman, we have seen the Joker and Two-Face twice, we are familiar with the Penguin, Mr Freeze, The Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Robin. To me, it was refreshing to see a new character I know so little about, I didn't even know Jason Todd existed until now! The back story was little overwhelming at first, because I wasn't aware of the relationship between Bruce Wayne/ Batman and Jason Todd/ Red Hood.

I thought the action and the fight scenes in Batman: Under the Red Hood were awesome. My favorite action scenes were the rooftop chase scene and the Red Hood versus the Jedi scene (I mean The Fearsome Hand of Four). The end scene with Red Hood held the Joker hostage, demanding Batman to choose between him and the Joker was pretty intense. Jensen Ackles was so awesome, I almost feel that he was too good with his voice, he brought so much intensity to the scene, the animation visual couldn't level with his voice. It felt like I want to see the face of the actor, I want to see his expression. Because that scene was so good and intense, it would have been perfect if we could see the actors performance in a live action setting.

I have mentioned it on a number of occasions that I would LOVE to see Jason Todd/ Red Hood on the big screen. But it won't happen any time soon, not until the Christian Bale version of Batman has grown older (Bale is still portraying a younger version of Bruce Wayne/ Batman). We won't see Jason Todd before Dick Grayson, who is the first Robin. Jason Todd/ Red Hood appeared in a very later stage of the Batman timeline. (That makes Batman so old!) I think Jason Todd/ Red Hood is as dark as Bruce Wayne/ Batman, this character has huge potential. Jason Todd fits into the whole really dark theme of Batman very well. Again, I can see Jensen Ackles on the big screen as Red Hood.

On the DC calender, Jason Todd will star in Red Hood: The Lost Days written by Judd Winick, a six issue miniseries to coincide with the release of the animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood. The story will concentrate on Jason's Todd's lost years of globe-trotting and training after his death and resurrection before his return to Gotham. Look out for it!

On something completely random, just before I started composing for this blog post I read an article on 'concepts, not big-name actors, now real stars of films'. Thank you!! Finally someone gets it! That's what movies should be about. Fans are smarter these days, and we are critical and hard to please. Take Inception for example. Yes we have Leonard DiCaprio starring in the movie, but the concept of the film was so brilliant and engaging, I was watching a movie, not a celebrity and I have so much respect for Christopher Nolan as a director. He doesn't treat his audience like idiots, he is not some studio puppets who would grab any scripts and cast big names to star in the movie, thinking audience would watch anything with big name celebrities. I pay to watch a movie for good content, originality and creativity. I respect someone who can act, does his/ her homework, does justice to the character, I don't care if you are big name celebrities, previous award winners or no name talents.

A Nice Day at The Beach; Journey into Across the Universe

While we are waiting for the painful hellatus to be over (Yes, that's right folks, Supernatural is returning to your screen - whether it be on your TV screen if you're US/ Canada viewers.. or your computer screen if you're just crazies like me from other part of the universe.) Where was I? Oh yeah... while we are waiting for Supernatural to come back, I went the beach. I've been wanting to go to the beach and just read a book or something. I did that today.

It was pleasant. Being on a weekday, it wasn't busy at all. I just looked at the Simpsons blue sky for like 15 minutes, read a few chapters of The Gunslinger by Stephen King, looked at the sky again, and then read some more. It was the best day in weeks.

What I wanted to share with you is my playlist. It was awesome to share the afternoon with the mother nature while listening to some of my favorite songs. I hope you like them too.

New Slang - The Shins
Just like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain
Kokomo - The Beach Boys
Cash Money - The Beautiful Girls
Dreams - The Cranberries
Traffic in the Sky - Jack Johnson
Long Way Round - Sterophonics
La Bamba - Los Lobos
California Dreamin' - The Mamas & The Papas
Time Capsule - Matthew Sweet

So anyway, on my way home, I realised that I was meant to download Hey Jude, but I kept forgetting. When I was in front of my computer, I realised that we can't download any original Beatles songs on iTune. But I came across a cover by Joe Anderson. I was like WHO? So I listened to it anyway. I know the originals are always the best (well sometimes) but Joe's version rocks!! 5 seconds into the song and I loved it already.


And then I realise it was a song from a movie soundtrack. The movie was Across The Universe, which was named after a Beatle song. So I started digging more information on the movie. And it turned out Across the Universe is one of those movies I'd love to watch. Like Garden State. The soundtrack contained many Beatles songs, sung by actors in the movie. NICE! I downloaded Across the Universe by Jim Sturgess and Strawberry Field Forever by Jim Sturgess & Joe Anderson. They are awesome!

Next step - I am going to hunt down the movie DVD!!! Wish me luck! It sounds like a really awesome movie to watch! I'll come back with a review.

I watched Alice in Wonderland 3D on the weekend. It was cute and awesome! Now that I've watched three 3D movies (MBV3D, Avatar and Alice), I am going to write something on this blog. No deadline, but it will be done.

Until next time! Have a nice week!

PS: Expect some spoiler clips on Bobby and Zombies to appear this week. Don't forget, Supernatural returns next week Thursday 25 March on the CW.

District 9 - Christopher Johnson

District 9 is more of a sci-fi drama than an action-packed sci-fi flick. No giant battle of spaceships or mad scientists who orchestrated an experiment that went horribly wrong. There are just plenty of crazy people - men in suits with agendas and military men who are just crazy.

Presented by Peter Jackson and directed by Neil Blomkamp, the story of District 9 took place in the modern day of Johannesburg, South Africa. A giant alien spacecraft parked over the sky of Johannesburg 28 years ago for whatever reason. I don't think the film explains it or may be I was disrupted by the guy who sat next to me, he came to the cinema late with his Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yeah, if you are reading this blog.. EAT YOUR LUNCH BEFORE THE MOVIE DUDE!

Sorry, where was I?

The aliens didn't strike or do anything, the spacecraft was just hovering in the sky. So the humans went inside the spacecraft and met the aliens. The aliens were not healthy and they seemed lost. The humans took the aliens to an area call District 9. The Multinational United (MNU) was established to manage the aliens settlement and assigned rules to regulate them. Humanitarian on the outside, but behind back door all they care is the research of the alien physiology and their weapons.

The MNU gave each alien a name, but humans generally refer the aliens as 'prawn'. Over time, District 9 got over populated and it turned into a slum. The MNU decided to relocate the aliens to another area, which was further away from the human population.

There were 2 main characters in the story. Christopher Johnson was our main alien, who has been secretly fixing his spaceship so that he and his fellow aliens could go home. The other main character was Wilkus Van De Merwe (played by Sharito Copley). Wilkus was appointed as the officer in charge of the alien eviction operation. He looked like a guy who worked in your accounting department. Wilkus was exposed to an alien fluid produced by Christopher, which was meant to be used as fuel to make his spacecraft work. Within hours, Wilkus started to transform into an alien, starting with his hand. By the end of the movie, he completely transformed into an alien and Christopher left earth in that giant spacecraft. There were dramas on how Wilkus and Christopher distrusting and trusting each other to reach their common goal.

When makes a sci-fi flick more realistic is when it actually explores humanity and our emotions, rather than having funny costumes and space battles. The movie explored the ugly side of humanity. Once again, we see the world is led by losers and men in suits who think they are doing things for the rest of us. They will do anything to reach their goals. To them, families and people don't matter. They just want weapons and powers. The rest of us are just monkeys in the middle, trying to survive.

District 9 reminds me of The Fly and Cloverfield. The idea of the story is not depicted in conventional cinema very often. The idea is original, it's raw, it's well executed and the special effect is just right. After seeing a few good sci-fi flicks lately, like StarTrek, District 9 is certainly different and refreshing. It's really well-done.

Up-coming movies: Shutter Island; 2012; Harry Potter & some movie reviews (sort of)

When a trailer looks good, it doesn't mean it will be good. I recently saw a few movies and saw some up-coming movie trailers. Here is one. The 2012 trailer looks awesome. I hope it will be good.



Today, I saw the trailer for Martin Scorsese's new film Shutter Island. Looks so Supernatural! I can see Dean and Sam investigating a case here. I love Marty and I love Leo, so I may watch it.



And of course, nothing beats Harry Potter!



I saw Termination Salvation, Angels & Demons and StarTrek recently. I've got to say, the best one of the three is StarTrek.

I must admit, I have never watched any StarTrek stuff. I know very little about it. I know he is Captain Kurt, but to me he is Danny Crane from Boston Legal! And I follow him on Twitter. But this new movie was a real surprise to me. I really enjoyed it. At first, I watched it because of JJ Abram and Zach Quinto. (Yeah Yeah.. all you fanboys out there, send me your hate mails.) But like I said, I really enjoyed it.

Terminator Salvation.. well.. the movie is fine. Not as action packed as I expected. But it's still good. I seriously cannot think of a better actor to play John Connor than Christian Bale. I was kind of disappointed with the casting of Nick Stahl. Good actor but he is not John Connor. In terms of the story, it was fine. I don't love it, but it's fine. After watching Salvation, I had a Termination DVD marathon. I forgot how great T1 & T2 were. The third one is actually not bad, but I had issues with the casting of John Connor. (Whatever! Send your hate mails!)

Angels & Demons.... Because I haven't reading the book, I actually liked it. My sister has issues about some of the details in the Angels & Demons movie and she wasn't happy with the changes. I will make an effort to finish the book. Overall, I prefer The Da Vinci Code movie than this one and I like the book better, I read it 3 times.

Beam me up Scotty

Live long and prosper

I watched Star Trek yesterday, it was pretty awesome from a non fan perspective. I have not seen any of the previous movies or TV series. To me, William Shatner is Denny Crane (Boston Legal). I know all you Star Trek fans are probably screaming at me now! I guess if I've been a Star Trek fan, I would enjoy it more, (like I did with Star Wars) but it was still very very enjoyable. I wouldn't mind watching it again on a tight ass Tuesday.

Like I said, it was pretty awesome! In particular, Zachary Quinto's performance of Spock was the highlight for me. Although there is something very Sylar about it!

For Stargate Atlantis fan, Paul McGillion (aka Dr Carson Backett) was the guy who directed the cadets to their ships, he was the one who told Kirk that he had no assignment. DANG! I totally missed that!

Angels & Demons next week. BRING IT! (Because I can't be bothered to finish reading the book.. movie first)

He is Just Not That Into You.. and may be I am just not that into the movie

He is Just Not That Into You has a pretty attractive cast. I mean you've got Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long (my Mac guy!), Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johannson, Jennifer Connelly, and Ben Affleck.

It's a chic flick about modern dating and the message was spot on: giving/ receiving the right/ wrong signals, falling in and out of love (if it existed in the first place), making the wrong move, making the wrong decision; the further you look, the close the thing you are looking for is right in front of you. It's not easy and it's hard work. We see ourselves in these characters and we've experienced ups and downs just like these characters.

Nobody got chopped off by Tom Hanniger.. wait.. wrong movie..! Now that would be an interesting cross over, Gigi would have killed every single guy she dated and Janine would have killed not only her husband but the entire construction team. (I must admit, Janine was a bit scary, she looked like someone who could literally kill everyone in the supermarket one day without any sign of warning and she would clean up the blood and dispose the bodies after the murder... signing off "I told you to stop smoking!".)

With a big cast like this with so many story lines, I usually have a favorite character or story. But I just can't name one. I guess Gigi and Alex's story is probably the most memorable. This movie kind of reminds me Love Actually (which is one of my favorite movies.. I watch it every Xmas). It also has a big cast with multiple stories just like He is Just Not That Into You, but it didn't give me the same satisfaction I got from Love Actually. And I really want to see more Drew Barrymore.

He is Just Not That Into You gets 3 out of 5 stars from the Impala's Trunk.

In no particular order, here is my top 9 chic flicks of all time:

Sleepless in Seatle
Sweet Home Alabama
When Harry Met Sally
Love Actually
Needing You (From Hong Kong and it's highly recommanded.)
Eternal Sunshine on a Spotless Mind
Music and Lyrics
The Holiday
The Devil Wears Prada

MBV3D US & UK Box office; Watchmen; Sydney best yum cha

I was just browsing the web for stuff.. and I came across the IMDB website, it mentioned that the My Bloody Valentine 3D's cumulative earnings is $44,827,233 on the US box office (starting 30 Jan 09) and £4,945,535 on the UK box office. Not bad for a slasher flick...

Jared is busy doing a few interviews on Friday the 13th... also appearing on the Bonnie Hunt Show.

I have finally watched the Watchmen's TV ad and also I saw a print ad of the movie at the back of a bus that was in front of me this morning. I am now convinced that this will be good (I have not read the graphic novel), it's on my to watch list. I will also watch He is Just Not That Into You.. Not knowing how well I can handle all the gory stuff from MBV3D, may be I should watch He is Just Not That Into You straight after!

As I was updating this blog, my sister was telling me that she wanted to go yum cha this weekend.. (before we watch MBV3D, it's opening in Australia this week). Not sure if I should eat before watching this movie.. but.. if you are looking for a good yum cha place in Sydney, try Sky Phoenix on Pitt St Mall. Mango pancakes.. yum!

I had one of those days at work today so I will now go watch My Musical (Scrubs).

AHBL Supernatural Australian Convention; Spoilers

I am excited! Because I have tickets to attend the All Hell Breaks Loose Supernatural Australian Convention. I repeat, I am excited! The Convention will be held on 18 & 19 April in Sydney. Stay tuned, I'll be reporting it. There is a talk show in Australia called ROVE, I've heard that Aussie fans want J2 on this show. I HOPE that they will!! Hello?!??!!! They'll be silly not to invite them as guests, Supernatural is on Channel Ten and so is ROVE. Also, I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan will appear on ROVE this month to promote WATCHMEN.

On another TV show I love, I finally caught up with the all new 24! Dude! Seriously! Tony! What's wrong with you?! I haven't been watching spoilers on 24, so I don't know what will happen after the first 2 hours. Seriously, I am excited to see Chloe back.. can't wait to see more.

My Bloody Valentine 3D is coming soon in Australian next week 12 Feb. I can't wait to watch it. I am not a horror flick fan but I will watch it for Jensen. I am not sure if I can handle the gory stuff. Another movie I might watch this month is He Is Just Not That Into You. Occasionally I like chick flick and I think I will like this one.

Last but not least, SUPERNATURAL SPOILERS: According to Ausiello from EW.com - the last 3 episodes of Season 4 is going to focus on Dean vs Sam. Could it be like Born under the bad sign? Humm...

I forgot to mention that, if you are a Supernatural fan, you must listen to CROSSROADS podcast. This is the BEST podcast on Supernatural, it's a podcast by the fans for the fans. Seriously! Search Crossroads Podcast on iTune. Tim and Ty are so professional, great discussion in each and every episode. Go check it out!