Just came back from a viewing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls.

My reaction can be summed up as meh. Don't get me wrong it isn't a bad film, but it really isn't a great film either. Yes, it is Indiana Jones, but the film felt lazy, like they were too dependent on the fact that it was an Indiana Jones film, that it stars Harrison Ford, and that Spielberg and Lucas is at the helm. In short; not too impressed, it isn’t a bad film, but it is nothing to write home about.

( Just one thing I have to say )

Just came back from my second viewing of Iron Man. I think the movie got better. Honestly, I missed so much the first time round. It is only on the repeat viewing that I have come to truly appreciate how hot Tony Stark is. Oh, and that the film is just truly awesome in so many other ways. The movie does not lag, the pacing is perfect, the actors are amazing, and the special effects is not the main focus so much as a prop to assist in the experience of the story. Gods, I’m in love with this film.

( Where I talk about some other stuff that doesn't involve thoughts of licking Tony Stark )

In conclusion, TONY STARK IS AWESOME, and I can’t wait for the SEQUEL!

P.S. Depending how things pan out I will probably start collecting the current Iron Man comics, it is kind of awesome.

Saw Iron Man on Saturday. It was pretty damn awesome. The role of Tony Stark was made for Robert Downey Jr., and I'm very glad I stayed till the END of the credits because ( OMFG ). This is the only film where Gwyneth Paltrow did not irritate me; in fact I thought she was just lovely as Pepper Potts.

The preview for The Incredible Hulk looked amazing, and I’m going to watch the film because Edward Norton is like a god and Tony Stark will be making a cameo appearance! Also, Indiana Jones preview – it can be either awesome or really, really, really bad.

The alternative ending to I am Legend is kind of awesome. I think this ending would have made me see it a second time at the cinemas. In many ways the last 10 minutes of the film really kind of soured the whole film for me, and I think the ending pretty much had me classify the film as “Great build up, disappointing delivery”. This ending actually answers all the questions the film raise but never answers, opting for more of an action-explosive ending, which just never did it for me. You don’t raise potentially fascinating questions and speculations only to not follow up on it. I like the fact that at the end of the day, Neville in many ways is not the point, and the ending is not so much about him and humanity as about the, um, whatever they are creatures. However, one thing about this alternative ending is that it doesn’t answer the question of why the film is titled I Am Legend. Oh well, can’t have everything.

And no, I have read the book, and I honestly don’t feel the need to.

Saw Cloverfield about an hour ago; I went in expecting to get queasy at the camera angle (I did), and that it was going to be an action/disaster/monster film (it is). Except, well, except I left the cinema in a philosophical mood, having flashbacks to the footage of the Twin Towers going down, and having this need to mourn for something I can’t even describe.

However, despite my rather unexpected mood the plot of a gigantic creature attacking a major metropolitan city isn’t anything new. Cloverfield doesn’t do anything new for the genera of attacking monsters; the characters are rather boring, the monster design is very blend, and without the very explicit visual allusions to 9/11 I doubt it would be anything special.

While I’m glad I saw the film on the big screen I don’t think I would ever watch again. The experience was interesting in that I have never seen a whole film done with a hand-held camera (no, I never saw The Blair Witch Project, it seemed boring then it feels boring now). The sense of realism and the sense of now, now, now are very impressive. It captures the moments; the raw emotions, the amazing visceral images of a city being destroyed.

In conclusion; the directing of this film is tight, intense and very smart. It is an amazing display of computer special effects but doesn’t do much to make the viewer feel for its characters.

( spoilers beneath )

I finally saw the Transformers film – GLEE! PURE GLEE!

My BIG!CRUSH for Optimus Prime will NEVER die! BIGGEST CRUSH, EVER! He had the SAME voice - Peter Cullen!

BUMBLEBEE! You are still as CUTE as EVER! EEE!

STARSCREAM! EEEEE!

I really could’ve lived without the Matrix slow-mo, it was really irritating. Like all Michael Bay films it was overly sentimental and cheesy, the man should only do pure action and not touch on character emotion, he suck at it. Having said that though, it really doesn’t matter because it had TRANSFORMERS!

Also, I found myself liking all the human characters, not because of great directorial abilities so much as the actors chosen and the script. However, for pacing purposes - the whole Sector 7 story-line was redundant, same as the analyst chick and the computer guy. I agree completely with the boyfriend when he said it would have worked much better as a series, something in the lines of Heroes.

Overall, GLEE! I am stupidly glad that they did not destroy my childhood memories, and there were scenes that I was near to tears because staring back at me from the screen was Optimus Prime and the other Autobots.

GLEE!

Hot Fuzz - awesome film, go and watch it. Created by the same people (Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright) who brought us Shaun of the Dead. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are hilarious as usual, and Pegg’s talent to go from Mr. Nice Guy to Mr. Drill Sergeant forever amazes me. You can tell that Wright & Pegg learned from Shaun of the Dead - the directing is sharper, the script funnier, and the horror that much more real and stomach turning. I am amazed at the level of energy the film manages to maintain - never letting go with the humour nor intensity of events. The film pokes fun at every American cop film/show made in the past three decade. I mean, do you remember Point Break? (I do, because when I was 11/12 I went through a Patrick Swayze phase, and saw everything he was ever in – yes, it included those television American War serials, shut up! If you are a girl you did too!). In a good way, it is the type of poking fun that can be only achieved by someone who truly loves the genera. Beyond the dense visual of the film, the other thing that you should pay special attention to is the sound track. There is a scene near the beginning where our protagonist is traveling – the different and distinctive sound is pretty damn amazing.

An extract from At The Movies.

London police constable Nicholas Angel, played by SIMON PEGG, doesn’t have much of a life but he’s a highly efficient policeman – so efficient, in fact, that he makes all the other cops look bad. So his superiors, BILL NIGHY, MARTIN FREEMAN, STEVE COOGAN, promote him to Sergeant but send him off to the little West Country village of Sandford where they figure he won’t do much harm. The Sandford Police Force, led by Inspector Butterman, (JIM BROADBENT), are a pretty laid back lot and turn a blind eye to such things as drink driving and underage drinking. But then the local lawyer and his mistress, who are acting in an amateur play, are beheaded – just the start of a series of murders the intrepid Sgt. Angel and his enthusiastic off-sider Danny, (NICK FROST), have to investigate.

Also, both PETER JACKSON and CATE BLANCHET makes uncredited guest appearance in the film. Both of whom I did not spot – I had to google because it was driving me crazy that I could not place one of the female actors who did not get credited.

And because I want to - BY THE POWER OF GREY SKULL!

Feel slightly off, went to bed at 4AM this morning after finally finishing and sending off work related files. Didn’t wake up till 3PM, and then went off to see Casino Royale with dad. Both dad and I have decided since then, that the film is probably one of the best Bond films, and that Craig is a really good Bond (dad really disliked Brosnan's Bond.)

Daniel Craig = Bestest Bond Ever. I’ve never actually thought of Craig as attractive, intriguing yes, attractive no (actually, I’ve never thought of Bond as sexually appealing either), but man, his Bond is hot. There were moments in the film where all I could think of was “Wow. He’s really hot and smart.” Craig just really fill out whatever he’s wearing in the best of ways, and the sense of cunning in him is just- just always there. It is like knowing you are entertainment for a predator.

( The deep thoughts about Craig’s Bond )

Judi Dench as M, as usual, is superb. She is exceptional this time around, so much sharper, edgier and just all around on top of her game. She owns the screen whenever she’s on it.

More thoughts later.

ETA: ( Vesper, you are the Empress of all Bond Women )

The 10th Detective Conan movie, The Private Eyes' Requiem, is the BESTEST Conan movie, EVER! My love for it is on the same level as my love for the seventh movie - Crossroad in the Ancient Capital.

( spoilers. )

Now I sleep.

Advent Children on DVD is the shiniest of the shiny. The details, the colours, the hues! Kadaj’s bike is GREEN?!

I tried watching it in English; I apologise. No matter how much VAs has improved since the days of Hakkenden I still want to stab my own ears to escape the dubbing. So, um, dubbing make me hurt. And if you don't know what I'm talking about all the better.

ETA: Cloud still has the SCAR on his BROW from the end of the FF7 game! SQUEE!
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Saw Kingdom of Heaven yesterday, I am very surprised at just how historically accurate they are (timeline wise and how the siege of Jerusalem ended), and notice me ignore the blatant changes to the main character. Something else that surprised me; Orlando Bloom didn’t look like a girl, I think that stunned me more than anything else.

University and work and other stuff make me one stressed out individual.
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Saw Serenity yesterday, and like my reaction to the Batman Beyond film I think it was overly hyped. However, it was a fun film and I suspect I would have liked it more if I had seen Firefly.

The extra disk on the DVD was really fun though. Joss Whedon is quite funny in person, and obviously very well read and intelligent. It gladdens my heart that when he made the D20 (well, 20-sider)comment (it was in relation to the question of; how do you decide to kill characters from your show?) The audience laughed. Ah, gamers, how you prevail despite society's pathological need to stump you down.
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It is really kind of ironic that the day I say I haven't been watching anime is the day that I watch the Full Metal Alchemist movie. My impression of the film can be summed up in one word; satisfying. Mind you, I am one of those who absolutely loved the anime ending. I squeed when I was meant to, sniffled when they wanted me to, and overall had one of the better movie-watching experiences in awhile now.

( where I talk about the movie )

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

After three attempts, not because it is a terrible documentary but because it is real, I finally managed to watch the whole of Fahrenheit 9/11.

I'm feeling emotionally gutted at the moment, and as always, after a Michael Moore feature, I feel both hate and love for my fellow humans. Hate because people let ignorance kill, and love because there are those who are willing to fight the ignorance.

I really can't say anything else because I'm too emotionally distressed, so, sleep.

Saw Goblet of Fire the other day, personally think it is the best HP film so far, was not bored once during the whole thing, and believe me I was bored during the previous films.

...

I love my guy-friends, I really do, they tell me things about the male body that I'd otherwise never find out anywhere else. Apparently, it is quite easy for a man to sit on his own penis (balls). In all honesty, I could not stop laughing for several moments after that bombshell. Love the guy-friends.

ETA: Included balls, because I realised that they were never too clear about the subject.

i_smile, write me some Orochimaru & Kabuto fic.

Please.

nekomancy, did you phone me yesterday evening or did I dream it?

When I get my 3 weeks of break I'm going to get reacquainted with fandom and maybe some series that I can sink my teeth into. The only thing I have the urge to watch at the moment is Honey and Clover, and I haven't being following any manga since Bleach 195.

But back to the Orochimaru thing; worldserpent, was it you who described Orochimaru as an aging-JRocker? 'Cos you know, I still think that's the best description for him, ever.

Saw Batman Begins, my reaction: meh. Not bad, but nothing to scream about, so, um, yeah, meh.

*goes back to assignments and stuff*

... Or where I ATTEMPT to make sense of a film that doesn't have any in order to AVOID WORK.

About two weeks back white_aster saw AC and she made a comment that struck a chord with me, (mainly because I was thinking the same thing but thought I was being crazy but if she sees it too it must mean it is TRUE!)

( Spoilers for AC; there might be people out there who hasn't seen the film yet and would murder me if I happen to spoil it for them. )

So, just finished re-watching AC, this time around I got the English subs working, and installed a few patches that made the graphics much smoother. I can watch this movie over and over again.

Tife is so awesome. And I NEED sound track.

Everyone, at least once, need to watch the movie without the subs to distract you from the pure visual experience. So much love.

And next week I get to see Advent Children on the big screen! See, it is days like these that I'm reminded as to why I am still with my anime club ^_^

So, um, self control *shifty-eyed* I was good. Got home around 10:00pm yesterday, went straight to sleep, woke up at 1:00am to do more work on my assignment, went to sleep around 3:40am, woke up at 5 something-ish this morning, and, well, I just had too.

So, at 5:09am this morning I started watching Advent Children, with subtitles.

Japanese subtitles.

And you know what, the language barrier made no difference whatsoever.

My none-spoiler review: The ring tone. MWAHA! The RING TONE!

RIBBONS!

MATERIA!

And WTF is the deal with the wolf?

My spoiler-filled review.

( OMFG! THANK YOU SQAUREENIX! The FANSERVICE was MUCH APPRECIATED! )

Overall: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Man, I feel for you guys who has never played the game. The in jokes, the details and the sense of SATISFACTION, you will never understand. Sad, sad, sad. OK, off to do assignment.

ETA: The MUSIC! The MUSIC! OMFG! The MUSIC! LOVES! I recognise over HALF of it!

Have this craving for beer and wedges. Cold beer and hot wedges. Mmmm.

Watched Seven Swords; it is nice and gritty, and I'm in love with some of the fight-scenes, unfortunately it suffers from the cutting down of plot. I wish I had the four-hour version rather than the two and something hour version. On the upside I now ♥ corridors (or enclosed narrow spaces).

Currently avoiding Bleach 191, 192 and possibly the whole Hollow-arc until it is complete. Cliffhangers make me gnaw knuckles and pull my hair. Should really get started on Honey and Clover which is sitting in my HD.

*Goes back to reading 'How To Create A Board', and the typing up of a 3000 words report*