Friday, February 28, 2014

The Palace Lock Sinensis (2013)
宫锁沉香

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宫锁沉香

ChenXiang was like other young girls who got sent into the Palace. they had to work until the age of 25 before they would be released. she became best friends with LiuLi, a girl who saved her from being bullied. from the very beginning, ChenXiang had been loving the 13th Prince from afar. one day, LiuLi had her eyes set on the 9th Prince. she went ahead and seduce the prince but was heartbroken when she was tossed aside. ChenXiang on the other hand, met with the 13th Prince with a handkerchief over her face. when the 13th Prince came looking for her, LiuLi lied that she was the one the prince met, grabbing at the chance to marry the 13th Prince.

the film, like all its predecessors, were absolutely stunning to look at. the storyline was equally entertaining if not rushed. their characteristics were easy to understand and half way through the film, it was clear where everyone would eventually ended up in. but despite having an obvious flow for its plot, it was just too good to be true. i found myself enjoying every moment that was given to develop the romance between ChenXiang and the 13th Prince. with her being such a passive character compared to LiuLi, was somewhat frustrating to watch. fortunately the downfall of the 13th Prince brought out the courage in her and eventually, they were reunited.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Pacific Rim (2013)

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Pacific Rim

in a world where huge aliens called Kaiju rose from the sea, the Jaegers were created. the Jaegers required simultaneous control from two pilots whose minds were locked in a bridge. but as the Kaiju became more and more intelligent, pilots were desperate as more teams were killed in battles against the Kaiju. Raleigh was a former pilot that retired after the death of his copilot, also his brother. under desperate circumstances, Raleigh was summoned to pilot their obsolete Jaeger with a new copilot named Mako. however, being new acquaintances and having no knowledge of each of their traumatic pasts, the duo almost destroy their base.

it was actually strange seeing monsters from Ultraman appearing in an English movie. it was even more surprising to find them also looking very rubbery. despite the new ideas of having two pilots for each robot, the film however wasn't as impressive as the Jaegers should have been. the repetitive battles against the Kaiju had ruined the possible climax from having the chance of overwhelming us, and a predictable ending made it worst. it was highly unbelievable that an obsolete model could win against a new model especially against the increasing intelligent Kaiju, not to mention the combination duo of Raleigh and Mako, who never once trained to be partners, could win against the other teams that trained and fought together for 5 years during Raleigh's absence.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Boku wa imouto ni koi wo suru (2013)
僕は妹に恋をする

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Boku wa imouto ni koi wo suru

Yori and Iku were twins. they used to be very close since childhood but lately, Yori had been growing colder towards Iku. Iku was confused towards the drastic change in Yori's attitude towards her. Yori was secretly in love with Iku, causing him sleepless nights as they shared the same bunk bed in a room. one day, Iku started to talk about accepting a guy's confession and being his girlfriend. Yori lost his resolve to stay quiet and confessed his feelings towards Iku. finally understood the reason behind Yori's changed in attitude, Iku accepted Yori and they began a forbidden and painful romance together.

despite the incest side of the plot, the film was very entertaining. while Yori was obviously a better actor than Iku, it was surprisingly heartbreaking watching them cried for their relationship. at some point when their mother suspected the changes with the twins, i hoped for some dramatic occurrence. however it was disappointing to find her choosing the subtle way by encouraging the twins to bring home their partner from school. it was somewhat frustrating to find Yori actually fell into a trap set by another girl who knew their secret and wanted him for herself. while it was understandably difficult to have an ending for a romance as such, we were left with our own imagination at the very end.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Now You See Me (2013)

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Now You See Me

four gifted street magicians were one day gathered and named the Four Horsemen to perform a huge stage illusion. for the finale, they robbed a bank by teleporting one of the audience to a bank vault in Paris, vacuumed all the money and showered their audiences in Las Vegas with the money. upon discovering that the money really was missing, FBI agent Dylan was assigned to investigate the theft and being partnered with agent Alma. they interrogated the Four Horsemen but with no evidence and explanations to hold them, they were released soon after.

after the promising opening, we were frustrated to find ourselves thrown all over the place after. while it was always interesting to watch magic shows that took place on the stage, they became completely unbelievable and not at all surprising behind the screen. more than once the film had difficult time convincing us of what exactly took place. at some point, we were puzzled and felt like the story just went from being complicated to being a mess by simply intensified the actions and effects while veered from the magic plot as impressively as its opening sequence.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Blue (2001)

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Blue

Kirishima was a third grade student in high school. she always felt isolated and somewhat different in class, only meeting some friends during lunch. one day, she met with Endou, who was also in the same class as her. Endou was isolated for repeating the year. a year ago, she was sent to the hospital from the school. later Kirishima found out that Endou had an abortion that caused her to bleed in class, thus the trip to the hospital. soon they became close friends and Kirishima found out that she was strongly attracted to Endou.

for such a simple storyline, the film was very entertaining. the first half of the film showed the awkwardness of Kirishima, later Endou, who had more confidence compared to Kirishima. when Kirishima queried her of the past, Endou shared openly. but once their relationship started, it was slightly disappointing to find Endou lying about meeting her baby's father. their separation was the downside of the film, even dragging at some point, which on the other hand, also made their reunion even more heartwarming. there weren't much to elaborate for the film, but in overall, it was definitely watchable and different.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

World War Z (2013)

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World War Z

Gerry was a former government investigator. one day he went on an outing with his family of 2 daughters and his wife. but out of nowhere, the world was plagued by a mysterious infection that turned the human populations into mindless zombies after being bitten. after barely escaping the chaos, Gerry was persuaded to go on a mission around the world to investigate the cause of the disease in order to put a stop on it from spreading any further.

while it was more and more common to find zombie movies, we were impressed with World War Z (2013). even though it wasn't exactly unique, it was fast paced enough to remain entertaining until the very end. the first traffic scenes with zombies swarming out of nowhere towards the civilians was impressive as it gave us the basic idea of what the film was about. after that, any scenes similar to these swarming of zombies became sort of a repetitive. just as we find the fighting scenes in Jerusalem boring, we were pleased to find that there were more scenes taken in cave-like army base as well as some originally high tech organizations. in overall, the film was highly entertaining. with Brad Pitt, such a huge actor in a film, we really shouldn't expect anything less impressive.

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Taiyou no Uta (2006)
タイヨウのうた

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Taiyou no Uta

Kaoru was a 16-year-old girl who couldn't attend school. she lived a life opposite the norm, sleeping during the day and singing in the street every night. she suffered from XP (Xeroderma Pigmentosum), an illness and allergy to the sun. being exposed to the sun could very much kill her. for 16 years her parents kept her safe from the sun. one night, she met Koji, a high school student she had been watching from her window everyday. they quickly fell for each other and it wasn't long that Koji learn about Kaoru's illness.

with plenty of singing, the film was highly entertaining especially for those who were familiar with Yui's voice. her sickness made her somewhat fragile yet she managed to keep a neutral attitude towards those she were surrounded with. she looked forward to singing in the street every night. the night her spot was taken and getting to know Koji changed her. she was finally exposed to the sun and since then, the story went from being an uncommon romance to a very sad one. despite the tears and ending, the film was very successful. i found myself accepting the sad ending and perfect romance.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Haunter (2013)

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Haunter

Lisa was a teenage girl who was stuck on the same day of the death in 1985 together with her parents and brother. while she was aware of the looping day that they kept having, just a day away from her 16th birthday, the rest of her family remained unaware. slowly she tried to break through the routines and ended out finding more clues about the occurrence they took place around them. soon she found herself contacted by Olivia, a girl yet to ended up in the same fate as her. she had to warn Olivia in order to break the cycle and freed everyone from the cursed day.

we watched the film without knowing its plot, therefore there were plenty of times we thought Lisa was alive, where else she was haunted by ghosts. but soon the idea started kicking in and the mists were slowly lifted, it became even more overwhelming and impressive that i found myself loving every minute of it. an old man named Edgar was responsible for the deaths for many teenage girls and their family, by trapping them and possessing the father to kill his family. those fell under his spell never realized they were dead and continued living the last day of their lives over and over again. it was so impressive and entertaining despite having completely no scares throughout the film.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

666 Park Avenue (2012)

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666 Park Avenue

Jane and Henry were the new co-managers of Drake, a residential hotel located at 666 Park Avenue. the Drake was owned by billionaire Gavin and his wife Olivia. with the power of the dark supernatural forces, Gavin was able to grant wishes of his tenants, however with a heavy price to pay. it was said that the children who were born in the Drake could never leave the Drake. soon Jane discovered the evil forces behind the Drake and found out that she was actually one of the children of the Drake as well. it could be the reason she felt lured back after all these years.

the series was very alluring since its very beginning. episodes were divided for some of its tenants, married couple Brian the author and Louis the photographer, a new assistant of Louis named Alexis, Nona a gifted teenager and her grandmother, and some others who vanished or were trapped in the building's wall. the supernatural effect it had especially the dragon mosaic was astounding, i found myself looking forward to know about the world after going down the stairs. unfortunately, little were revealed and we were very much left with plenty of cliffhangers at the very end of the series.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Open Grave (2013)

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Open Grave

John woke up in a pit of dead bodies with no memories. he fleeted the scene and broke into a house where he heard a group of people were arguing. they were all strangers to each other, suffering from memory loss. the urge to survive triggered suspicions, which eventually led to violence as they started to uncover their identities. but at the same time, they also found a treat more vicious than each other. they were forced to work together and figure out the mystery before it was too late.

the film was smart and constantly had us trying to solve the mystery ourselves. the suspense started the very instant the film started. the heavy and dark atmosphere supported it very well. it was easy to get absorbed into the film as long as the we were able to follow the mass amount of dialogues. other than gores, there were also a few good scares and action scenes to speed up the pace every now and then. despite knowing none of the actors and had no expectations whatsoever, we were pleased with the film and its uniqueness.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

The Secret Watchers #2: Whispers (2013)

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Whispers

Owen's ability had grown after the discovery and being guided by White Eagle. with the villains aiming to kill and draining powers of the watchers, Owen and his group had to find the culprit while searching for any watchers in hope of saving them from being kill. Owen was still frustrated with Lucie for avoiding him. but soon he found that she had started hearing things, an ability that grow and frightened her, making her felt like she was going insane.

i received free e-books for the series from the author in exchanged for a review. in this second installment, Owen became an even more godly figure. he was the best watcher among the group, the strongest mentally and physically, even when he wasn't the largest in size. he lost my vote the moment he was also the most humble among the group. he became difficult to relate to and lost his spot in being my favorite character in the book. while Lucie almost had that spot, i was disappointed that she couldn't be honest with her feelings and further frustrated when Owen didn't put further effort into their relationship. the book in general however, still had a fast moving plot. having less climaxes made the storyline comfortable and much easier to follow.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Hours (2013)

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Hours

the story took place in New Orleans, just before Hurricane Katrina hits. Abigail gave birth to a premature baby before she died, leaving the critical conditioned baby to the father, Nolan. the baby had to be kept in an incubator. but when the hurricane stroke, all power went out and everyone in the hospital evacuated. Nolan decided to stay since his baby couldn't be moved. he sought out power generator to keep the incubator running. unfortunately he found one that only last few minutes after every boost. he was forced to stay awake while waiting for someone to come rescue them.

seeing the film after learning about Paul Walker's death was somewhat eerie. while the film seemed like another low budget film, Nolan was highly relatable. his determination of keeping his baby alive was understandable and definitely believable. the film managed to apply minimal setup and created maximum suspense for us viewers. despite being predictable, the storyline was also tight enough to move the story along just nicely.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

The Secret Watchers #1: Visions (2012)

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Visions

Owen was an ordinary teenager until he came in contact with an old watch that seemed to draw him towards it. the moment the shop keeper White Eagle put it on his wrists, images flashed through his mind, overwhelming him. according to White Eagle, Owen was a Watcher, having the ability to sense evil on items. with the permission from his mother, Owen began working and training with White Eagle for some self-defense moves. his unexpected gift took more work than he ever expect but the satisfaction was rewarding enough that soon he had his personal team formed by his best friends and mother, assisting him in fighting evil.

i received free e-books for the series from the author in exchanged for a review. the book was an absolutely fast read. despite having quite a long storyline, its growing plot and being filled with plenty of actions made it so difficult to put down. it was unexpected to find the story climaxed several times, enough to make me feel like i finished reading a few books instead of one. it was overwhelming to follow Owen's growth but at the same time so satisfying when he made it through the challenges alive, which he wouldn't have if not for White Eagle's training. every step he took since he discovered his ability built up the character in him. Owen was like a new type of hero compared to what we were often exposed to. his supernatural ability somewhat different as it doesn't give him superhuman strength or speed, but images that told him stories.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Upside Down (2012)

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Upside Down

Adam lived in an extraordinary world, where humans were divided into two classes, each with their gravity opposing another. the two worlds were forbidden to interact, following a strict law that divided the less privileged from the privileged. but he fell in love with Eden, a girl from the opposite world, where they shared laughter and romance until her accident. with the intention of spending the rest of their life together, Adam had to fight science as well as the law just to be with her.

with a theory so complicated, the film managed to remain a simple and heartwarming romance. our thoughts were challenged with the odd introduction of such worlds, which at the same time was so intriguing. it was disturbing how the people were divided, where the less privileged lived in a darker world, while the privileged lived in a brighter world. the contrast perhaps was what made the film's visual furthermore overwhelming.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Soul Seekers #4: Horizon (2013)

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Horizon

it had been six months since the last battle against the Richters. while Daire and Dace tried to humor themselves that they could finally live a peaceful life, they knew deep within that the reason Dace was still alive was because his evil twin brother, Cade was still alive. without Cade dead, there will be no peace for anyone in the near future. Dace made the decision to return to the Richters in hope of taking down his brother, with the help of the growing darkness inside him. Daire, the last of the Soul Seekers, tried to destroy the Richters to protect everyone she love. but it was complicated because Dace was also the love of her life.

final book into the series, Horizon (2013) was by far the best installment among the four. while it was still awkward and unnecessary lengthy, the pace was quickened, making it far more bearable. the complications continued as twins Cade and Dace each had a part of themselves in each other, causing their fate to be entwined and seemingly impossible to kill one without another dying. despite their friends' protests, Daire was determined to lead everyone into destroying the Richters nonetheless, with a plan she couldn't quite express. for the last few books, it had always remained a mystery how Daire planned to separate the twin so she could keep the better half for herself. when it was finally revealed, i found myself mostly dazed. as for the last of the Richters that Daire was so determined to destroy, i was dumbfounded that she felt fear towards the unborn child but not towards Dace or the future children that they would bear.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Wolverine (2013)

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The Wolverine

one day, Logan was summoned to Japan by a dying acquaintance named Yashida, whom he rescued during a war in Japan many years back. however, upon meeting Yashida's granddaughter Mariko and Yukio, a mutant with the ability to foresee deaths, things became complicated as he discovered that Yashida was reluctant to die of old age. he was pushed to his physical limits when Viper injected him with her venom, blocking his healing abilities.

having so many Japanese characters all piled together was highly confusing as they weren't significantly different from one another. Yashida being an innocent and seemingly pure boy when he was first rescued by Logan, became such an unexpected bad guy in a hardcore robot suit with a sword that could cut through Logan's steel, which was a first. other than the obvious sexual relationship Logan eventually shared with Mariko, most of the characters remained flat. but on the other hand, as frequent as he dreamed of his dead lover, Jean Grey, i would have thought he needed longer time before he could sleep with Mariko. it was however not surprising to find him leaving her after. this was enough to have us felt doubtful towards his originally fragile emotions and kind of ruin the Wolverine character for us.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Elemental #1: Awakenings (2014)

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Awakenings

Jacey's parents had been moving her and her brother Hudson all their lives. she never thought about questioning their decisions, until now when she found her parents dead, killed in an accident that the police claimed was no accident. Aunt Grace, her mother's twin sister took the siblings in, brought them back to her house and their birthplace. they were the Nemelite, people that held magical powers, always hunted by those who longed for powers. her parents hid them on Earth, concealing her true lineage from her with the hope keeping them safe.

i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. brought up in a different way than other Nemelite, Jacey knew nothing about her birthright until her parents' death. to make things worst, she possessed a rare ability even among the Nemelite, which will caused her to become the savior or downfall of her people. the intensity of the plot remained high throughout the book, making it impossibly difficult to put down once i got a slight taste of it. for the first half of the book, the mysteriousness and suspense was quite frustrating to deal with yet at the very same time, curiosity was eating me from within. i was more than surprised to find myself not skipping pages just to know what happen next. soon, getting a glimpse of Jacey's ability was so rewarding that i only wanted more doses of it!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Prisoners (2013)

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Prisoners

Keller and Franklin were great friends, they often brought their family together for a gathering or two. one day, Keller's 6-year-old daughter Anna, and Franklin's daughter Joy, went missing together. the only lead they had was seeing a RV parked on their street earlier on. Detective Loki was assigned the case and arrested the driver, Alex for interrogation. but with no evidence to show that Alex was the kidnapper, he was soon released. panic set in and Keller became desperate and decided to take things into his own hands.

despite the straightforward plot, the little twists and tension was surprisingly satisfying. when Keller started abducting Alex for his own interrogation, things got even more complicated as we started questioning the ability of Loki as well. but of course, by following and rooting for Keller on his wild goose chase ended us in the very pit he landed himself in. while the two men were led by different reasons and motivations, they were relatable and it was easy to switch our emotions to fit into their shoes. even Alex was a splendid character with his 10-year-old brain stuck in an adult body. these little twists were the delicious parts that kept the storyline strong until the very end.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Uninvited #1: Uninvited (2014)

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Uninvited

the HTS (Homicidal Tendency Syndrome) test was performed on everyone in the country. Davy was a teenage girl with a bright future until her HTS test came back positive. like all carriers, she had the kill gene, a genetic proof that she was destine to become a murderer. her parents were scared of her, her friend and boyfriend ditched her, and she was enrolled into a high school that puts carrier students in a caged classroom. just a few months before graduation, some carriers planned a massacre at a mall, causing all carriers to be sent off to camps, away from civilization.

the book was absolutely impressive and too good to be true! while it was first confusing with the whole idea of HTS, the fast pace plot kept the edge on and being so entertaining that the book was impossible to put down. Davy was such a beautiful character, especially after the gene test put her in some very dangerous situations. and Sean, a complete opposite of Davy, yet the perfect match for her. the relationship got even more tastier after they were sent to a program, training carriers to serve the country instead. it was brilliant that the story was split into parts, before Davy was tested positive, after she was tested positive and put back into school, and finally putting her in the isolated program. with the second installment unannounced, i can only imagine distracting myself until it happens.

Sunday, February 09, 2014

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)

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The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Clary was a seemingly ordinary teenager until she discovered she was the descendant of Shadow Hunters. they were half angel warriors who continued to protect the world from demons. one day, she found her home ransacked and her mother missing. she joined forces with a group of Shadow Hunters, who introduced her to an alternate world called the Downworld, filled with demons, vampires, and werewolves.

despite the promising storyline, the characters felt exaggerated yet flat emotionally. Clary was a beautiful character that had such exaggerated facial expressions, while Jace in contrast had a blank facial expression. from there onward, it was difficult to get into the storyline or love its characters. while many compared the film to the Twilight series (2008-2012) for its beautiful characters, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013) had made Twilight (2008-2012) felt Award worthy especially for its stunning ability to engage us emotionally.

Saturday, February 08, 2014

Understudy (2013)

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Understudy

Kat's boyfriend, Adam died on his birthday. urging him to pick up the phone before the crash, Kat felt partially responsible for it. the phone call was from Adam's identical twin brother, Eric, whom Kat just learned existed. after the traumatic accident, Kat returned to the crash site to find Adam appearing in the woods nearby. at the same time, Eric enrolled in Kat's school, throwing Kat of her balance. despite being the dark sheep of the family, Eric had a secret behind his negativity. being the complete opposite of Adam, everyone hated him including Kat, until she realized the person behind that mask.

i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. the book was an absolute fast read. the mysteries kept the story flowing at a fast pace. the twins, the unspoken past, all the reasons that was soon patched together to make a clear picture of what Adam and Eric was like, and how Kat fit in between them. when Eric also found himself falling for Kat like his perfect brother did, it became even more engaging as i was curious how he could win her over. Kat on the other hand, was an average girl that mourned for her dead boyfriend in her own way. until the very end, i still couldn't figure out if Adam really appeared in the woods everyday or it was all mental. the spookiness added quite plenty of points to the seemingly typical romance.

Friday, February 07, 2014

Lee Daniels' The Butler (2013)

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Lee Daniels' The Butler

Cecil grew up as a domestic servant for a white family who casually destroyed his. after leaving the house, she became a hotel valet with great efficiency and discreteness that he was spotted and invited to become a butler in the White House. there, he served numerous Presidents over the decades and witness the history where the black was slowly treated better year by year. his wife Gloria struggled with her addictions and his son Louis, fought for a fair treatment for the black.

starting the film, we had expect at least some actions from Cecil since he was the main focus. we were disappointed to find him standing on the side line until the very end, only responded when he was already too old for anything. him aside, the film was entertaining enough to fly by. it was again, another disappointment to find none of the presidents got at least a little attached to him. he faded perfectly into the shadow, which was unfortunately, his role in the film.

Thursday, February 06, 2014

The Morac (2013)

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The Morac

Julian, Kelten, Aleah, and Qita were four friends just out of high school. they went on a weekend getaway to a cabin in the woods that belonged to Julian's parents. when the power went out, they thought nothing of it since the house was prepared with generator, they continued enjoying themselves. the next day returning home, they realized not seeing any cars, people, or light along the way. reaching each of their house, they found their family members missing, as if everyone just evaporated.

i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. imagining us being one of the friends was disturbing enough to keep me reading. despite being scared with the unknown, the friends pushed forward in search of answers. with lots of speculations to work with, the book took some patience to complete. it was often a struggle to continue reading instead of skipping pages. i was never a huge fan with science fiction, many terms were alien to me. the mystery and curiosity was what driven me to continue reading. the ending however, made the story seemed like there will be another installment since it was left hanging.

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Expecting (2013)

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Expecting

Lizzie had been struggling for years to conceive with her husband Peter. when she had given up hope of ever having a baby on her own, her best friend Andie was pregnant after a one-night stand. Andie offered to keep the baby and give it to Lizzie. they agreed and Andie started living with them. as she continued with her pregnancy, Andie found herself getting more and more attached to the unborn baby and it became a challenge to their friendship.

despite not having a perfect ending, the realism of the plot and its twists were impressive. through little things, the marriage between Lizzie and Peter started showing cracks, revealing more and more of their dissatisfaction towards each other. since Andie was the playful one among the two girls, we found her having fun during her pregnancy, doing crazy stuff yet worried about it later, which was acceptable because it was completely her character. in opposite, Lizzie was the serious one, anticipating every day for the baby's arrival but had an outburst that resulted to divorce eventually. but through the outburst, she finally stop hiding her true feelings and we saw growth in her character, which was rewarding.

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Bloodlines #4: The Fiery Heart (2013)

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The Fiery Heart

having been getting to know the Moroi and Dhampirs, Sydney found herself learning to trust them as well as becoming their friend. it was even more complicated when Adrian and her shared a different bond, which eventually led to the utmost important decision Sydney had to make. when they finally ended up together, her sister Zoe, a new Alchemist assigned to aid her, became suspicious. as much as Sydney tried to warm up to her, the mass amount of secrets she had to keep from Zoe made it impossible.

seeing Adrian and Sydney together was surprisingly heartwarming. the unlikely duo were so impossibly perfect for each other. the part that involved Marcus was somewhat annoying as he took no big part in Sydney's breaking the compulsion tattoo. Zoe was obviously the bad guy in this installment. but like Sydney when she was first assigned to Palm Springs, she was weary of being around so many Moroi and Dhampirs due to her Alchemist teachings. as satisfying as the forth book was, finishing it left me feeling empty with its huge cliff hanger at the very end. now i just can't wait to lay my hands on the next book.

Monday, February 03, 2014

Devil's Pass (2013)

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Devil's Pass

The Dyatlov Pass incident referred to the mysterious deaths of nine hikers in the Ural mountains in 1959. the incident happened on a spot named Kholat Syakhl, meaning Dead Mountain due to the lack of activities there. the spot after the incident had also been named the Dyatlov Pass. Dyatlov being the leader's name. for the film, a group of American students retraced the steps of the hikers to investigate the mystery themselves.

despite already had expectation that the film had no concrete ending to it since the very beginning, the facts that were revealed throughout the film made the seemingly cheapskate film interesting. we were surprised to find ourselves glued to the screen until its very end. for the film, the mysterious deaths were explained to be confidential military missions as well as teleportation. the twists of having the remaining two survivors returned back in time being completely distorted and savage was very impressive. another twist worth paying attention was the camera recordings, which at some point, overwhelmed us.

Sunday, February 02, 2014

Kill la Kill (2013)
キルラキル

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Kill la Kill

Satsuki was a high school student council that ruled by force. one day, a new transfer student called Ryuuko wandered in the school compound wielding a giant Basami scissors sword in search of the mysterious person who caused her father's death. she was confronted by the student council's Four Divine Kings. fortunately, aided by a talking sailor uniform, Ryuuko manifested abilities so powerful, giving her the ability to take down who came into her way.

for every battle Ryuuko faced, her abilities increased and the bar was raised as we expect new abilities in the coming battle. this alone was enough to get us to watch one episode after another. there were always something new to look forward to. the banters the characters had revealed much about their personalities and backgrounds, giving us the character development that we looked forward to. the uniqueness that the series held was its artwork, completely rough to its edges. however, after giving it a chance with one to two episode, it was already difficult to put down, all due to its uniqueness and our curiosity.

Saturday, February 01, 2014

The Devil in Me (2012)

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The Devil in Me

Alex was a returning college student who moved in with her friends after the holiday. one night, they went to a pub to have some fun. on their way home, they visited a psychic who on the spot, had a reading made on Alex. that very night, she was possessed by the demon. the next day, Alex had no memory of what happened last night but started having scratches appeared on her body. the psychic eventually revealed that the demon had wanted a child of its own and decided to choose Alex, a virgin, to work out its plan.

despite being a horror film, it wasn't exactly horrifying. the three housemates were probably just for show. their characteristics were nothing near memorable if not for the already limited casts. the invisible demon was by far the most convincing probably because it appeared in our imaginations. fortunately, despite the predictability, the film was fast paced.