Midnight Sun / Taiyô no uta / A song to the sun (Japan, 2006)

This film was a true surprise to me. I never heard of it before and did not expect too much of it, but I was totally wrong. Midnight Sun is a very good movie in the romance/drama genre.
It is about a girl who has a rare illness (XD) and is allergic to sunlight. In the morning she always looks through the window and sees the same guy at the bus stop again and again. A romance evolves, a first love.

Even though sometimes very sad and moving, in fact this is a film that will make you feel good. It makes you smile to be able to watch these kind of films. The acting is really pure (especially by Yui, who looks just stunning and her voice is amazing), the music and songs really wonderful and emotional as well. This is a story that will probably find a way to your heart. Maybe it starts a bit slowly and some people might think it is boring because not too much happens, when you love romantic films you just can’t miss this one.

Recommended to all romantics in this world.

Wolfhound from he tribe of grey dogs / Volkodav iz roda Serykh Psov (Russia, 2007)

Wolfhound is a big Russian fantasy production. A man who was doomed to die is taking revenge on the ones responsible for the annihilation of his tribe.
This is a film full of magic and swordfights. The plot is maybe a bit shallow, but the scenery is very atmospheric. This atmosphere makes the film really enjoyable, where the fighting scenes and story is not really innovating and more or less of an average quality. Oksana Akinshina also has the mysterious beauty you wanna see in a princess, which makes the casting for her perfect. It is also very interesting that it is a Russian fantasy, because it is about their legends and gods. The story has some elements of Slavic archaeology and the main character looks like a Scythian as well. It is refreshing to see a fantasy film with a different kind of culture.
In some ways it is rather enjoyable and in some ways it is a bit silly. It feels a bit like the Russians are still trying to find their way in the production of these epic fantasy films.

Though it has its flaws, it is a great enjoyable adventure movie which does not bore for a moment. That is really amazing with a runtime of 140 minutes.

The Warlords / Tau Ming Chong (China, 2007)

The Warlords is an excellent action flick. The story, where three man become blood brothers, is about honour, revenge, betrayal and love. With an outstanding cast (Jet Li, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Andy Lau) and a immense budget it is not unimaginable that it would be a very spectacular movie. Spectacular it is, with huge fighting scenes! But maybe these scenes aren’t the best of this movie, it’s beauty lies it its amazing cinematography, in the scenes between Pang and Lian (excellent played by Jinglei Xu). These scenes are really outstanding. The wonderful music adds up to it as well!

Sometimes this film became a bit too dramatic, and it seems that Jet Li doesn’t always feel comfortable in such scenes so that could have done in a different way. But in all, a huge spectacular war movie with also shows the horrors of war. It is also interesting to see how difficult it is to keep loyal to your given word. To make judgements which will leave 4000 soldiers to their death. How can one be right In such a situation? Human emotions of times in war can lead to the fall of everything.

Strong Chinese film about the effects of war on humanity.

Tazza: the high rollers (The war of the flower) / Tajja (South Korea, 2006)

This is a film, based on a comic by Yeong-min Ha, about the underground gambling industry in Korea. A pretty good crime thriller which focuses on a guy who has lost his sisters’ money in gambling. To win the money back he has to learn some deceiving tricks. He gets better and better in it, but that also means he is living in a dangerous world. Mighty and dangerous opponents are in his way. Maybe it starts a bit slowly but keeps getting interesting for not less than 140 minutes. It is also a story about love, but that isn’t the most interesting part of this film. At least it should be said, there is much violence in this movie, so you better be prepared for it (though it is no gore)!
This is pure entertainment, when you are going to watch this movie to see good entertainment and a thriller about gambling it won't disappoint you.

Th Scarlet Letter / Juhong geulshi (South Korea, 2004) and the tragic story of Eun-ju Lee

This time I will not talk too much about the movie itself but more about the story behind it. A tragic story that makes you watch this film in a complete different way.

To begin with, ‘The scarlet letter’ deals about romance, betrayel, a different kind of love and regret. 75% Of this movie is decent, just about average, but the last 15/20 minutes are weird (in the trunk of a car) and very intense. It will leave you with an uncomfortable feeling. But again, knowing the story behind this film makes it really uncomfortable.

The star of this movie, in my eyes, is Eun-ju Lee. She acts with all her ability and she impressed very much! It is all before I heard she killed herself.
Because of this movie contained semi-nude scenes (don’t forget that most Korean people still have problems with this) the story goes that she almost starved herself to look good in those scenes. Maybe because of this she started to have problems within her own family. Some days after the release of ‘the Scarlet Letter’ 25 year old Eun-ju Lee was found by her brother, she hanged herself in her own closet. Why, me and many other, asked ourselves. She was a very talented actress. But everyone struggles with its own problems. Maybe she couldn’t bear to cause problems in her family, maybe it is something completely else.
Marks on her body indicated that she tried to slit her wrists as well, writing a farewell note in her own blood ‘Mother, I’m sorry, I love you’. A different farewell note showed: "I wanted to do too much. Even though I live, I'm not really alive. I don't want anyone to be disappointed. It's nice having money... I wanted to make money."

When I heard all this, I knew I would never forget this film and also that I never want to see it again. People even considered she took her own life because of the intensity of this movie. She is a great actress so I think that would not be the matter but no film deserves it to end in such horror in real life. Her own family said she would have suffered insomnia and depression because of the semi-nude scenes in this film.

The film was decent with a intense ending, the story behind it made it an awful, horrifying and heartbreaking experience. Eun-ju Lee, forever you will be remembered by those who knew the quality of your acting. Whatever caused your suicide, who are we to blame you? Such a cruel fate must mean she was also very strong, that it was enough.

To never see her smile again must be most hard for her child who has to live without its mom. Eun-ju Lee: Smile down to us sometimes.

A Millionaire's first love / Baekmanjangja-ui cheot-sarang (South Korea, 2006)

A millionaire’s first love is one of those typical Korean romantic drama’s.
Despite of the not too intelligent title, in my eyes this is a pretty good film.
The story deals about a spoiled young man who will inherit the millions of his dad, but there is one problem. To get his inheritance he needs to graduate in a small village and to experience something that is more worth than any money in the world.

In this small village he meets a girl and slowly and they starts to like each other. It wouldn’t be a Korean drama if not anything sad would happen, and yes, this girl seems to be very ill. So far nothing new under the horizon but what it wants to accomplish, it accomplishes it! A really moving tale of finding love when you don’t expect it and of the cruel fate which is always so very very close to each one of us.

The part of this film where the two fall in love is shamefully less convincing. This part is way too short, maybe the director wanted to be aware of the runtime but really this part should have been longer. Than it wouldn't have lost anything of its fairytale-like charm. The acting of both Yeon-hee Lee and Bin Hyeon is really good, the act pure and their emotions can be felt sometimes. The clothing is fine as well, especially Yeoh-hee Lee looks pretty natural and good in the clothing!

When you are interested in these kind of Korean drama’s it is a must-see!!

Diving Bell and the Butterfly / Le Scaphandre et le papillon (France, 2007)

The diving Bell and the Butterfly , directed by Julian Schnabel, is a story about a man (former director of Elle) who suffered a stroke and got the ‘locked-in’syndrome. He has lost all ability to move his body or even swallow. The only thing he can do is blinking with his left eye.
This is a film about his view, how he has to learn how to communicate with only using his eye. Of course, the story is not an easy one but because of the humor in it, it is never too heavy.
Wonderful cinematography, sometimes even dreaming like scenery which really will get to your heart. Along with poetical texts a wonderful atmosphere is being created.

The acting of Mathieu Amalric is really great! You can feel the pain of not being able to do anything anymore, the suffering of the problem that no one understands what you mean. The music of a great quality, with a very interesting choice of songs.



A very strong film about life after your former life.

Fearless / Huo Yuan Jia (China, 2006)

Fearless, directed by Ronny Yu, is a film about martial arts, about Wushu. Jet Li’s stars in this movie and told it would be his last film in the martial arts area.

Indeed this is a film about fighting, in the most truest sense of it’s word. I think the first 40 minutes more or less consist entirely of fighting scenes. The choreography of these scenes is absolutely wonderful!
What follows is a more philosophic part when Jet Li realizes he only fights for fame and winning, while winning is maybe not always most important. Deeply saddened when his mother and daughter are being murdered he ends up in a small village where he learns to be in peace with himself.
In this village he meets a blind girl who helps him. And this girl (‘Moon’ played by Sun Li), wow, her clothing is simple but at the same time of the most stunning beauty. Later, Jet Li returns to Shanghai to fight for the pride of his country....which won’t be tolerated cause the story sets in the beginning of 1900. This is a period when foreign countries tried to rule China and Chinese people themselves were in a huge identity crisis.

An very beautifully directed film with great choreography, beautiful fighting scenes and an underlying moralistic story. And yes, Jet Li is just a better actor when he plays in Chinese films than in American rubbish.

Caregiver (Philippines, 2008)

Caregiver is a Philippine movie by director, Chito S. Roño, and I have to say I am not really familiar with films from the country. I did not have any idea what to expect, except for the fact that I know it would be a drama.

And a drama it really is, sometimes even too much. Everything seems to be too much in this film some moments. Then again, it is not a bad film. Though it has its shortcomings…some acting of minor characters isn’t really great and some scenes seem totally be misplaced (When Sarah looks for the kite in the wood, you almost think you are in a B-horror movie) in the end it is an interesting production. Sharon Cuneta (Philippine mega star) acts really good! The cinematography is decent as well, better than I expected.
The story is about a Philippine woman who travels to London to liver with her husband and start a job as a caregiver. She faces lots of problems with her husband, but also in her work. She is being seen as ‘less’ or even as a ‘maid’.

To summarize: it is a story about finding your own place, the fighting against people who think you don’t belong there and live you life where you could be proud of. Sometimes too much, sometimes misplaced but in all a rather decent production with will leave its emotional impact.

Innocent Steps / Daenso-ui sunjeong (South-Korea, 2005)

To be honest, I had some doubts about this movie. I was afraid that it would be a bad Korean adaptation of Dirty Dancing. Well yeah, it is about dancing and some scenes reminded me of that movie but I have to say I had to revise my thoughts after I had seen this one. Innocent steps is in fact a pretty good film, way better than to be expected! A romantic comedy with enough drama involved to keep being interesting.

The story, of course, is not too complicated but where it starts very funny and not really refreshing the second part of the movie shows the competent acting in a rather dramatic storyline, it even gets a bit unconvential. Though such movies always have their happy end, it is a different happy end than I suspected. I was really amazed by the acting in fact, you can feel the emotion between the main characters (Geun-yeong Mun, A tale of two sisters, and Keon-hyeong Park) and only in a very few scenes the acting seems a bit forced. Great to have seen such honest acting!

I have to say that the director, Young-hoon Park, did a great job with this film! The scenes were intense, beautiful and sometimes heart wrenching. The dancing scenes were pretty believable and honest. The music in it is great as well, I never expected to hear The Cardigans’ ‘Rise and Shine’ in a Korean movie!

A simple story about love, but nonetheless a very good one!

Welcome to the quiet room / Quiet room ni yôkoso (Japan, 2007)

Welcome to the quiet room is a about a girl (Asuka) who wakes up in a psychiatric ward and does not have any clue why she is in there. She is being told she tried to do OD (Overdose). During the film you will get more clues why she has been taken into this mental hospital. Here she meets some patients she becomes acquaintances with.
A really interesting story with great acting of Yuki Uchida evolves. The first part of the movie is more about funny stuff. But don’t think you are watching a comedy, because in fact it is also really a strong drama about a girl who is isolated and is trying to find the truth about herself. It is a story about loneliness and how it can drive you crazy. A story of losing all confidence in your own ability.

There will be moments that are funny, moving and sometimes heartbreaking, especially when another patient tells to Asuka: “I am just like you, I am normal, the system is wrong.” A really intense story which is presented like a puzzle.

The equation of love and death / Li mi de cai xiang (China, 2008)

The equation of love and death is an interesting story with many beautiful and impressive scenes. The entire film is like a puzzle and in the final scene the gaps of the mystery are being filled. Zhou Xun (Suzhou river) gives us a really great performance, she carries this entire movie almost on her own.
The story about a woman who looks for her boyfriend who disappeared four years ago. She became an almost insane taxi driver and meets other trivial people in her cab. In the end, all stories come together.
Sometimes the music is outstanding in this movie, it is a shame I watched it with a weird kind of colour filter (or does the director means it this way?) so they weren’t too bright.

Interesting film, but only for those people who love to watch mysterious films without too many action to see.

The girl who leapth through time / Toki o kakeru shôjo (Japan, 2006)

A film that starts maybe a little bit childish and simple about a girl who discovers she can leap through time. She discovers the ways to use this newly obtained ability. For getting higher grades in school, helping friends with their love life and so on. But the second part of this movie is completely different and it becomes a very interesting anime. The main character suddenly realizes leaping through time has its limits and not all is positive….

Well in a way it reminded me of the series Haibane Renmei, which also starts very childish and becomes one of the deepest and most clever anime ever. The girl who leapt through time has maybe not this big emotional impact as HR but it surely gives a good image of consequences when changing the flow of time and the sadness of making not the right decisions. The animation stylesometimes seems to be a bit old fashioned but sometimes it is absolutely awesome as well which is a perfect combination for this film. The music, often classical piano music, is great. The casting of the character’s voices is done good as well.

Interesting, clever and a very emotional film!

Kung Fu Panda (USA, 2008)

Kung Fu Panda is a brilliant animation film by Pixar! The opening scene is really well done, they use a kind of different style which is typical for Asian cartoon (or games like 'Okami'). The story is not only hilarious but the backgrounds are really beautiful and they also paid attention to Chinese culture and legends. I could even be describes a s a wuxia movie. Yeah, the story is very simple, very predictable but that does no ttake anything away of the amusement of this movie.
Jack Black is magnificent as ‘Po’ the panda, with his very unique humour. The music in the movie is excellent as well, some mix of Chinese folk and modern music.

Visually, it is just stunning. So beautiful scenes of the mountains, water and bridges. And there are some slow motion scenes as well, where you can see some great expression on the face of ‘Po’! If you don’t have to laugh (or ay least smile) at that time, I have to say you are a pretty cold/too realistic person.
The fighting scenes are awesomely done as well, which don’t last too long and enough diversity to keep them interesting. Some of the voices are done by Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Ian McShane and Dustin Hoffman.

Most of all, it is a film just to enjoy…. and Dreamworks understood this well. Maybe there best yet!! Hilarious, entertaining, exciting, beautiful and even some great Chinese wisdom!

The Dark Half (USA, 1993)

The 1993 film ‘the dark half’ is one of so many adaptations from Stephen King’s novels. At the same time, it is one of those rather bad adaptations (like many more in the 90's). The story is okay, maybe not a truly horrifying horror, but the acting no good. It is typical, those B-actors overact all the time and don’t get any atmosphere into this film.
The story is about a writer who quits with a series of books, but the main character (a violent alcoholic guy) in this book doesn’t want him to stop and seems to make his entrance in the real world. He wants the writer to write again…..

Just read the book!