Eagle Eye (2008)

Jerry was never like his twin brother, who achieved so much at a young age. however, his death caused strange things to happen to Jerry. large sum of money added into his bank account, weapons delivered to his flat. not long after, he received a call telling him that the polices are on their way. he followed the instructions through his cellphone n met with a single mother whose son's life was threatened by the same caller. they then raced through the world, unable to deceive the caller who seemed to know everything n watching their every move.

the movie started out very mysteriously. we were as confused as Jerry himself. fortunately, all was neatly explained at the second half of the movie. the caller turned out to be a super-computer that has access to every camera in the world, thus knowing their every move. it was able to defense itself through anonymous control over any electrical equipment. though not exactly original, but the idea itself was simply awesome!

Cognizant.

when his words stung her, drawing tears into her eyes, wounded her completely under the surface, she knew it was her cue. perhaps she didn't try hard enough the last time, perhaps she didn't truly give all her effort back then. his words stirred her deep within. she felt as if she'd been slapped physically n awaken from the ideal anticipation. he rang a dozen bells for her when he said nothing is impossible for a willing heart. that exact moment onwards, she wiped away the tears while swatting all unnecessary thoughts off her shoulder, pulling her feet apart n placing a doubtless step in front of herself. it turned out, his tongue was as sharp as hers.

悪夢から目覚め。

Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? (2011) これはゾンビですか

Ayumu was a normal high school boy until he was killed by a serial killer. he was revived as a zombie by a necromancer, Hellscythe, whom from that day onwards living with him. then he met Haruna, a magical girl (魔法少女) whose magical power was absorbed by Ayumu, leaving her powerless. to defend Haruna, Ayumu had to fight against the Megalo system in her place.

by putting a Zombie in the title, i assumed i would be watching an anime like Highschool of the Dead (2011), with ugly, drooling corpses, dragging their legs chasing after the main characters. but after watching its first episode, i was simply impressed with the absurdity of this series n how perfectly these ridiculous ideas were put together! at first glance, the anime seemed like any typical Harem (ハーレム) anime, but the fact is, no one is interested in Ayumu! though being immortal has its advantage, he was most of the time being cut into half or sliced open by these girls that he fought alongside. it was not a surprise to know that this anime was rated to be one of the favorites for the season, for it managed to have a zombie themed anime looked so much more alive n completely out of our expectancy!

Tussling.

he wasn't as lenient n easy going as many see him to be. knowing him for almost half a decade, she knew better than to fall for that charming smile of his, which was in fact far more merciless under the surface. the frequent provocation, the hurtful acts he threw deliberately, expecting her to just accept without the slightest grunt. as stressful as it was to cope, she often surprised herself being able to put up with his ever-changing emotions, for she knew clearly within that she was no angel herself.

人々と対処。

Super 8 (2011)

in the 90s, a group of friends happened to be making a low budget zombie movie at the train station while witnessing a horrific train crash. their biology teacher who ran his truck into the train, barely survived n warned them to never speak of what they just saw. soon enough, the Air Force arrived, claiming the goods belonged to them. unusual disappearance of electrical appliances started to happen in town. the local police forces tried to find out the truth, only to be further threatened by the Air Force.

we went into the cinema not knowing what to expect other than carrying hopes knowing Steven Spielberg was involved in its production. the film turned out to be extraterrestrial related; however, only in a minimal context. for we felt that the film was mostly about their friendship, their exploration, their puppy love, which just happened to have an extraterrestrial being involved vaguely. one would probably be very disappointed if expecting to see more of the extraterrestrial being. the special effects were absolutely stunning! so breathtaking it sent my heart thumping so fiercely every single time!

The Wanted: All Time Low (2010)

The Wanted is a British boy band formed by 5 members (Max, Siva, Jay, Tom, Nathan), whom were gathered through a mass audition in 2009. they released 4 singles & 1 self-titled album so far. "All Time Low" (2010), "Heart Vacancy" (2010), "Lose My Mind" (2010), n "Gold Forever (2011). their debut single, "All Time Low" (2010) has a dance-pop genre. the combination usage of classical n modern musical instruments were implemented, especially on its opening where strings instruments were used, was a huge attraction for many, me included!

High School of the Dead (2010) 学園黙示録

Takashi was a normal high school boy, until an infection outbreak took place n turned those being bitten into zombies. together with his friends n the school nurse, they fought their way out of the school n continued looking for survivals in their hometown while trying to find out what exactly happened.

applying one of the most attractive storyline, zombies managed to draw many attention, as well as viewers to it. with brilliant artwork n details, the anime was a real visual treat, even with its goriness. however having the story circled solely around zombie was proven to be not enough to satisfy. the anime lacked of depths, showing only what happened during their adventure without giving much explanations nor closure. although the journey was very much enjoyable, we were slightly disappointed to be left hanging in the end.

Kaikai Kiki (カイカイキキ)

Kaikai Kiki Co. is founded by artist Takashi Murakami (村上隆). he is a Japanese artist who works with both painting n digital media. he blurs their boundaries, taking themes from mass media n pop culture, tuning them into 30-foot sculptures, "Superflat" paintings, or marketable goods such as figurines or phone accessories. Murakami's artistic style, Superflat is characterized by flat colors n graphics, derived from anime n manga, expanding from otaku's lifestyle. Kaikai Kiki was originally founded for employed assistants to manage Murakami's works. it soon evolved n attracted many like-minded artists, whom were mostly from the younger generation.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)

the evil Emperor Han was cursed by a powerful sorceress, where him n his army was transformed into stone mummies. many years later, an explorer Rick n his wife Evelyn were invited by the government to take a relic diamond named "The Eye of Shangri-La" to China. this stone was capable of resurrecting the evil Emperor n point its way to the eternal pool of life. when they reached China, they met with their son Alex, who has already discovered the tomb of the evil Emperor. they were betrayed n all the mummies were resurrected. they had to stab the Emperor's heart with a cursed dagger to prevent him from reaching Shangri-La.

like most of the Mummy sequels, the humor was good, the pace was fast, filled with actions n environment changes that kept us highly interested. the scenes were so detailed we were sometimes doubting whether it was CGI or actual scenes put to use. the plot was simple, a little too predictable, which can be an add since there were quite a number of supernatural beings introduced that were so much more interesting than a complicated storyline. it was a pity that Jet Li didn't show his face too much in action; but the Yetis however, was a very impressive idea!

Tarrying.

it has gotten harder n harder to bear, dragging herself forward one day at a time, indulging herself in every temporary sweetness she found along the way. but all these were significant than what she had in mind. despite the anxiety, she knew deep down that good things come to those who wait, n it was the journey so long, so difficult to wrestle through that matters, n not just solely the destination itself. for that, she was grateful. obviously He did a perfect job dividing the good stuff equally ahead of time. so near for her to smell it yet so far for her to reach out for it. so many good stuff waiting deliberately for her, teasingly procrastinating for them. so absolutely delicious that sometimes just the thought itself caused her giggle staring into thin air.

辛抱強く待っている。

Rosario + Vampire Capu2 (2008) ロザリオとバンパイア Capu2

it was the starting of a new semester, Tsukune returned to Youkai Academy, the only academy that accepted him for his poor grades. unlike everyone else who attended the academy, Tsukune was not a monster, which caused him desperately trying to hide his identity. together with Moka the vampire, Kurumu the Succubus, Yukari the witch, n Mizori the ice-woman, they realized among the first year hid another vampire that hold a grudge against Moka. the first year turned out to be Moka's younger sister, Kokoa. she wasn't bounded by a rosary like Moka, thus very unhappy that Moka didn't behave like her real sister that she grew up with.

the anime was an extension n followup story from its first season, Rosario + Vampire (2008). the Harem (ハーレム) moment remained as expected. unfortunately, the new character didn't actually spiced up the plot as we hoped. soon she was left out from the plot n obviously outshone by the characters brought over from its first season. comedy had gotten a little out of hand for this season, absurdity increased accompanied by lame comedies. the anime has became even more difficult to like than its first season.

Propinquity.

it often amazed her how similar they behave, n how much they represent each other, truly like father like son. yet neither of them was consciously aware of it. disliking each other, badmouthing n backstabbing were a common occurrence within the household. perhaps not all birds of the same feather flock together. seeing this so often was enough to have her jaw dropped. but despite the frequent aggression, their relationship can actually be labeled beautiful in they eye of an observer if one knew them well enough.

大まかな関係。

Changeling (2008)

Christine was a single mother. one day she returned home from work n found her 9-year-old son, Walter, missing. she reported to the police n a search was initiated. 5 months later, a boy was found claiming to be her son. she insisted that he wasn't her son n soon was dismissed by the police, labeling her sick. she voiced out in public criticizing the police. she was locked up in a government facility, whom threatened to silence her forever.

the film took quite a while convincing us she might actually be insane after the imposter claimed to be her son. with the story based on true events, it was actually terrifying knowing that the abuse of power was far more out of hand than we imagined. the main attraction of the film was a mother's determination n her will to go against the government n police department just to find her son.

Bruno Mars: The Lazy Song (2011)

Peter Gene Hernandez, better known as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, as well as record producer. he is from a family of musicians n began making music at a young age. he worked with quite a number of artists, writing songs for them. after some unsuccessful attempts, he successfully signed with Atlantic Records in 2009, finally recognized as a solo artist. he released his debut album, Doo-Wops & Holigans in October 2010. after introducing the audiences with the catchy tune of "Just the Way You Are" (2010) as his second single, "The Lazy Song" (2011), his forth single, was as successful! clearly the latest tune that hung on many lips these days.

Ore no Imouto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai 俺の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない (2010)

the relationship between Kyousuke n his younger sister Kirino had always been bad, to a point that they avoided crossing each others' path. one day Kyousuke happened to find an anime DVD, he tried looking for its owner n was surprised to realize it belonged to Kirino. that night, Kirino came to his room, confessing about her secret hobby n collections. with Kyousuke promised to keep this from their parents, she started to open up to him, sharing thoughts n adventures together.

although the plot was rather simple, evolving around Kirono's exaggerated passion towards eroge (エロゲ, Japanese computer game that features erotic anime artwork). Kyousuke, though often pushed around by Kirino, still took great care of Kirino, playing the pitiful brother character. the anime didn't turn out to be a typical disappointment. it was far more in depth, taking cautious approach to make the brother-sister relationship worked, instead of solely focusing on eroge (エロゲ) like most anime would. the point of view of otaku (おたく, Japanese term referring to people with obsessive interests in anime, manga, or video games) was taken into account, portraying a lifestyle so different from commoners. it made me so excited imagined being part of them, sharing the love n passion for the very same thing!

Affable.

he is the most tolerable person she has ever met. always ready to listen, if not with a slightest nudge would quieten instantly, listening tentatively to her struggle of finding the correct words, putting things into perspectives for him. always he managed to see her point even though her approach was rarely meek. he could easily see through her fluffed up fur n knew that she meant well, only not knowing how to express herself, for she is the most consistent person he has ever met.

完璧な組み合わせ。

X-Men: First Class (2011)

First Class (2011) is a prequel to the X-Men series. the story started out by introducing Charles Xavier (Professor X) n Erik Lensherr (Magneto) during their childhood. while Erik was having his metal-controlling power exploited by the Germans, Charles, a telepath, was happily inviting Raven, a homeless shapeshifter, to live with his family. after growing up, Erik began tracking down those who were involved n taking revenge. at the same time, Charles graduated from Oxford, publishing his thesis on mutation. a CIA agent who happened to see the unbelievable confronted Charles, asking for the truth. from there, Charles met with Erik, who was tracking down an enemy they both shared. they recruited some mutants (Hank, Angel, Darwin, Havok, n Banshee) n trained together to stop Shaw, who wanted to turn all mutants against the humans.

from its casts, i honestly expect less from the film n choose to watch it because it belongs to Marvel. i was dead wrong, its casts managed to outshine each other at all times! the film took its time to thoroughly introduced each mutant, from their origins to their inner thoughts. it was so much fun knowing each n every one of them in depth! while death was inevitable, sadness easily overwhelmed us even when it was one of the least important mutant. it was so impressive how the film managed to capture both our attention n emotions!

Sookie Stackhouse #8: From Dead to Worse (2008)

the eighth novel of the Southern Vampire series, From Dead to Worse (2008) continued from All Together Dead (2007), packing both romance n action into this supernatural series. after surviving a vampire hotel explosion, Sookie was back at her hometown, a small town called Bon Temps in Louisiana. she continued to distant herself from her ex-boyfriend, vampire Bill, while getting anxious not hearing anything from her current boyfriend, Quinn the were-tiger. when a were war erupted in Shreveport due to loyalty problems, the vampires were also fighting over power by disgracing the current queen Sophie-Anne. Sookie was pulled into the havoc, determined to save all her friends. in this book, Sookie managed to find out about the origin of her telepathic by meeting her great-grandfather, who was actually a faerie.

the book was so engaging it was difficult to put down! it has gotten more n more impossible to randomly read 1 book out of the whole series, for its characters were often brought over from 1 book to another. if not read sequentially, many details will be missed n most often led to confusion. at some point, the book felt like a combination of short stories put together, involving different set of people, which of course Sookie was among them. personally, despite reading many negative comments on this installment, i felt that it was so much fun to read! Charlaine put in humor n tension where she saw fit, which completely got me spellbound again n again!

Gantz (2004) ガンツ

Kei was a common high school student, selfish n unwilling to care about others. however, during an incident where a drunkard fell onto the subway tracks n his childhood friend, Katou jumped forward to help, Kei was forced to lend a helping hand. the both of them died from the incident, but were suddenly teleported to an apartment, where they met with some others who also just died. their lives were then in the hands of a mysterious sphere in the apartment, called Gantz. they were forced to participate in a game against the aliens, filled with danger n horror.

for an anime created in 2004, it has visual high above the commonly seen. it went as far as swooping the camera high up into the air, creating mild unease n tension as of a roller coaster. the plot was unique, with violence n gore generously divided throughout the anime. flying heads or torn off limbs were common, proving all too many times how frail human life were. the only down side of the anime, was being painfully slow n took absurdly long for explanation. however, Gantz (2004) anime managed to held our attention until the very end, especially after we watched its first Live-Action Movie (2011), which was a lot more simpler n direct, skipping the details that was available in the anime.

Unpondered.

again n again, negative statements poured out of his lips. grumbles, blames, frustrations, none he was able to tolerate nor kept in. she watched on, not saying a single word. listening, analyzing, understanding, which none of these thoughts she felt necessary to share. learned from her past experiences, he would not appreciate being explained the circumstances, nor sincerely accepting the suggestions. for years she had listened quietly to these random discontents he threw, n not once did he gave any of these unsatisfactory a thought. soon he will be going around thrashing about, which will eventually lead him back to the very same spot, as thought saying one thing n doing another canceled it out.

問題を分析しなかった。

G-Force (2009)

a team of trained secret agent guinea pigs were assigned to stop a billionaire, who planned to take over the world through chips implemented through household appliances. the storyline wasn't too impressive, but the furry animals did manage to make the movie rather interesting.

Cordiality.

despite her buildup anxiety, seeing each other after such a long separation, reunion turned out to be so much more fun than she had expected. although it was partially sour due to certain circumstances, but the fog uprose soon enough n things took turn for the better in a blink of an eye. the harmony atmosphere continued to thicken for the following days. accepted as part of the pack, she was treated indifferently than the rest. familiarity warmed her, effort rewarded unexpectedly, which she found relieved for always trying the hardest.

甘くて楽しい再会。

Freezing (2011) フリージング

its scene was set in a futuristic world, where alien invaded the earth. Pandora were girls genetically modified, specially trained to fend off these aliens. their male partners are called Limiters, who has a special ability to limit the opponent's mobility, called Freezing. the story followed the adventure of a newly enrolled boy named Kazuya n his acquaintance with an unusual powerful girl named Satellizer. Satellizer was the most powerful Pandora in her school, yet the only one refused to accept a male partner to be her Limiter. despite her rejection, Kazuya insisted on being her Limiter, which she eventually gave in to.

slightly similar to Sekirei (2008), the anime has lots of action involving girls. but instead of only getting their clothes torn up in battle, these girls had to get their limbs chopped off, throat slitted, n beaten the crap out of. the story circled around these girls repeatedly fighting against each other, instead of solely aliens. it didn't make sense why the girls had to always provoke each other n seemed to never get along. from the look of it, there will be a second season to heat things up.

Denunciated.

she tried to close the distance with the rare chance presented before her, putting in effort while enjoying the process. but she was unexpectedly bashed straight in the face with his thoughtless accusations in return. it suddenly became clear to her that effort meant absolutely nothing to those not sharing the same intention. yet it wasn't like her to not try with every opportunity she came across. perhaps it was only unnecessary to hope for a better respond.

ランダム告発。

Hachiko: A Dog's Story (2009)

based on a true story, it was about the bond between a college professor n his dog. he found an abandoned dog on the train station one night n decided to take it home after no one claimed it. the story was supposed to take place in japan since this particular dog statue can actually be found at one train station. as for the plot, it was simple. even when the owner died, the dog continued waiting for him at the station, n expectantly died there. the pure beauty of this film was its devotion n willpower. n of course enjoyed watching the fluffy pet running around.

Avril Lavigne: Smile (2011)

after releasing a brief making of her second single Smile, the official video was finally out! watching the MV for the first time, listening closely to its lyrics, it actually brought tears to my eyes. how true it is that many often see 1 side of things, focusing especially on its bad side, often assuming that the grass is greener on the other side. but in fact, what we really needed is already here right beside us. do you hold him/her tightly in your sleep? do you embrace each other enough? do you look into each others' eyes everyday n realize how lucky you are to be together this very moment?

"and suddenly you're all i need, the reason why i smile ..."

11 Eyes (2009) イレブンアイズ

Kakeru was a high school boy. he had been living a dark life ever since his sister attacked him n committed suicide 7 years ago. losing the last family member he had, Kakeru managed to live on with the support of his childhood friend, Yuka. one day, they were transported into an alternate world called the Red Night. to return to the normal world, they had to survive the Red Night, fighting against Black Knights n dark spirits. on the next day, a new transfer student named Shiori joined their class. she only showed interest in Kakeru despite being welcomed by the class. after school, Kakeru n Yuka avoided the path they took while being brought into the Red Night yesterday. however, they realized they were stalked by Kukuri, a student that looked oddly similar to Kakeru's dead sister.

the anime started out completely packed with action, little explanations were provided until Misuzu came into picture. she was brought in n out of the Red Night for numerous time, knowing who the Black Knights were n finding out what they truly want by trapping Kakeru, Yuka n some others inside the Red Night. with so many members involved, it often complicate the battles, but making Kakeru's possession of the Eye of Aeon a convenient solution every time. besides that, every other explanations made sense n tied things up perfectly. the anime was somewhat different than the usual battle-themed anime, with some surprising twist n ways to reveal the mystery it purposely withheld from its viewers at the beginning of the show.

Rationalization.

her head tilted to the side unconsciously as she can't help but wonder, what went through his mind when he greeted her, with a smile that looked so genuine on its surface. was it just for cover up? or was there other plans in his mind? it often surprised her, unsure which expression will he put on each day. inconsistency wasn't her thing, nor indecisive. thus she was unable to imagine being in his shoes, figuring out the reason behind his mask, nor its purpose.

彼は何を考えていたの?

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Gongmen City was ruled by the peacock clan, whom also invested the fireworks. introducing a new villain, Shen was the heir to the peacock clan. he wanted to use the fireworks as weapon to rule over china. when a fortune teller told Shen he would one day be defeated by a "black n white warrior", Shen assumed she was referring to the pandas. thus he set out to kill all pandas. years later, Po together with the Furious 5 was sent to stop Shen from taking over china.

with its first sequel, Kung Fu Panda (2008), being such a success, we were surprised to find Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) to be an even larger success! it was so heartwarming n hilarious, it completely surpassed the typical martial art theme, surpassing even its first sequel. as for Shen the villain, he was so beautiful we found it difficult to truly hate him! even though he was supposed to be the one inventing a weapon so powerful it destroyed kungfu, but he was actually very skillful in martial arts. the final battle between Shen n Po was absolute captivating. it was impressive that although the animation was directed by a different director than its previous sequel, they managed to continue its focus on martial arts n expanding its attraction from there.

Sookie Stackhouse #7: All Together Dead (2007)

Sookie was forced to attend an important vampire summit at Michigan, assisting the Vampire Queen of Louisiana, Sophie-Anne. Sophie-Anne was weakened during the hurricane Katrina n will be on trial for the murder of her husband. Sookie knew her innocence, yet was hardly prepared for more murders to come her way. the Fellowship of the Sun, an anti-vampire church, continued their protests, making things difficult for not only the vampires. Sookie was reunited with her new telepathic friend, Barry the bellboy. as expected, strange things began to occur when the vampires were together. they turned out mysteriously dead, things got worst when these murders were connected to the queen's trial. for better or worst, it was up to Sookie n Barry to figure out what was going on.

there were always some tasty twists here n there throughout the novel. unfortunately, Sookie still didn't quite know who she loved yet. there were Quinn the were-panther, Eric n Bill the vampire, n Sam the shape-shifter. there were no closure on her relationship with Bill, it was quite a let down that he went from one of the strong main characters into some secondary character. but like Charlaine always managed to do, she made the pages intense yet hilarious, it was difficult not enjoy the ride all together!