Miracle in Cell No. 7 (7번방의 선물)

Some time back I had the opportunity to watch Miracle in Cell No. 7 (thanks to Hangeul Korean Language School's movie night - they should have more of such nights!). There were even Korean snacks! More about that soon!

So if you are interested in learning Korean or just want to join such a movie night, do check out Hangeul Korean Language School's website and/or like their Facebook Page for the latest promotions and updates!

Anyways if you haven't heard about this heart-warming movie, here are the movie details from Wikipedia:

What it is about:

Miracle in Cell No. 7 (Hangul: 7번방의 선물; a.k.a "A Gift from Room 7") is a 2013 South Korean film starring Ryu Seung-ryong and Park Shin-hye. The film is a heartwarming comedy and family melodrama about a mentally challenged man wrongfully imprisoned for murder who builds friendships with the hardened criminals in his cell, and they help him see his daughter again by breaking her in.

The film's early working title was December 23 (Hangul: 12월 23일).

Plot:

Lee Yong-gu is a mentally challenged man with the intelligence of a 6-year-old, which is actually the age of his own daughter Ye-sung who is much smarter than her peers. The two of them lead a happy life while Yong-gu makes a living by working as a parking attendant at a local supermarket. But one day, when the police commissioner's young daughter dies in a strange accident, Yong-gu is the one who happens to find her. He is falsely accused and sentenced to death for abduction, sexual assault, and murder of a minor. 

Ye-sung is sent to a childcare institution and Yong-gu gets imprisoned and assigned to Cell No. 7, the harshest cell in a maximum security prison. At first, the other inmates in the cell keep their guard against Yong-gu, then realize that there's something not quite right with him. Not understanding his own dire situation, Yong-gu only worries about his daughter. 

One day, he saves his fellow cellmate, an influential figure in the prison, from an attack by his rival. In return for saving his life, Yong-gu is granted a wish: to see his daughter Ye-sung again. The inmates put their heads together to carry out a daring operation and miraculously succeed in sneaking Ye-sung into Cell No. 7 during a religious event. 

While the father and daughter rejoice, the others realize it was relatively easy getting her in, but impossible getting her out. After a while, Ye-sung is detected and sent back, but during the time the inmates as well as the prison guards come to realize that Yong-gu was falsely charged. And they all put their heads together to prepare him for his final trial.

 

Thoughts (and yes some spoilers... so be forewarned) 

Reading the synopsis I thought that movie would be a lighthearted comedy, but I was so wrong. It was an emotional movie that evoked all of the emotions (be prepared to have a tissue box on hand!):

• Heartwarming moments at the sweet father-daughter interactions and how they support each other


• Sadness as Yong-guand his daughter, Ye-sung, lose each other (when he gets wrongfully arrested) and their attempt at trying to find the other even when they had no way


• Happiness as Yong-gu and and Ye-sung find each other finally midpoint in the movie


• Laughter at Yong-gu's innocence and the funny mess that his cellmates get into just to help him once they get to know him with Ye-sung in the mix


• Frustration at the injustice done to Yong-gu just because he happened to be at the wrong place and at the wrong, and taken advantage of because of his lack of intellect. Mostly because of a vengeful police commissioner who just wanted a scapegoat for his young daughter's accidental death. Even when faced with the truth (and evidence) the police commissioner threatened Yong-gu with Ye-sung's life and just wanted to see someone pay for his daughter's death. He was bent on taking a life just because.


• Sadness when Ye-sung and Yong-gu's cellmates (and new allies along the way) realize that there is no way they can save him and they try to make lasting memories before his day


• Hope when Yong-gu's cellmates tried to save him and let him escape with Ye-Sung


• Disappointment when that plan was halted by a piece of rope


• Grief when Ye-sung and Yong-gu's cellmates (and new allies along the way) see his passing


• Closure (in a way but not fully) when Ye-sung gets adopted by the prison warden and becomes a lawyer to turn over her father's verdict; it was a success - Yong-gu was vindicated of his guilt and declared innocent (but he is dead so I guess it is more meaningful for the living). Although Ye-sung had her closure, I think there should have been more done: those involved in fabricating the evidence and framed poor Yong-gu (especially that police commissioner) should have also been charged. 

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Gravity (Movie Review)

Academy Award winners Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star in "Gravity," a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. The film was directed by Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuarn ("Children of Men"). Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone - tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth - and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

Review, Thoughts and (yes) some sporadic spoilers (you have been warned)

While the (many) reviews for this movie were good, I've had friends who said it was boring - the whole movie only has two actors in it (since it's in space and survival and all that) who are stranded in space while on a routine mission and have to find their way back to earth or risk being lost forever in space. I was apprehensive when Ryn suggested watching because of the rave reviews, but ended up watching it anyways (sans 3D) and it was better than I expected.

Yes, the storyline is pretty much predictable and just as its progression exactly as its synopsis says it is, but it is the human emotions being out in space alone and enduring, even fighting for survival just to find a way back home (to earth) that is what really fuels this movie. For those who enjoy a good book, or are able to put themselves in the shoes of the characters (imagining how it must feel being stranded in space and with almost no way back home) struggling and eventually overcoming the fear of being alone and the lonely silent darkness.

The movie starts off light-hearted with 3 astronauts up and about in space doing a regular mission, when they are informed of incoming debris of a destroyed satellite coming their way. Before the astronauts can regroup back to their shuttle, the debris hits them leaving Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Kowalsky (George Clooney) completely alone - tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. Their fellow astronaut has been hit by the debris and part of his face is defaced. Stone and Kowalsky bring the body of their colleague back to their shuttle, only to be met with the destroyed shuttle and the demise of their fellow colleagues on board.

To make matters worse is the deafening silence from their communications system indicating that they have lost any link to Earth, along with any chance for rescue. Stone and Kowalsky then decide to head to a nearby Russian station for oxgen and and get to an escape pod. Although they manage to reach the station, the shuttle pod has already been deployed, so their next best chance at getting back home is to head to another nearby Chinese station (or something similar), get to the escape pod and head back to earth. It is at this juncture that the debris from earlier starts to hit the station and Kowalsky gets separated from Stone, but not before telling her that she has to be the to make it back home to make his sacrifice worth it.

Fear soon turns into panic, as every gulp of air is precious; depleting what little oxyegen is left and the only way home (to earth) is to venture out into the terrifying expanse darkness of space. Stone is devastated and she struggles with her inner turmoil as she makes it to the landing pod to propel her towards the Chinese station. After much struggle, she reaches her destination and figures how to operate the pod before the traveling debris reaches her. It is a fight against time as the escape pod she is in is tangled up, but she manages to make her escape just in time.

Overall, it was an emotionally griping movie and Sandra Bullock did a wonderful job portraying Stone's inner turmoil, anguish and fear and how she overcomes that comes to cherish life more than ever before. That said, I can also understand why some of my friends found it boring: with Stone being the only character left, the movie was practically all about one person trying to find her way back home and alot of talking to one's self. There are no fancy action scenes (though the visuals of space and choreography were beautiful), and the number of characters is minimum. Ryn, having read the rave reviews, was a little underwhelmed. So perhaps it could be said that we should really take reviews at face values and go watch a movie with a little an expectation, so that at least we can be wowed or be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.

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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Forecast

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 picks up where Sony Pictures Animation's hit comedy left off. Inventor Flint Lockwood's genius is finally being recognized as he's invited by his idol Chester V to join The Live Corp Company, where the best and brightest inventors in the world create technologies for the betterment of mankind. Chester's right-hand-gal - and one of his greatest inventions - is Barb (a highly evolved orangutan with a human brain, who is also devious, manipulative and likes to wear lipstick).

It's always been Flint's dream to be recognized as a great inventor, but everything changes when he discovers that his most infamous machine (which turns water into food) is still operating and is now creating food-animal hybrids - "foodimals!" With the fate of humanity in his hands, Chester sends Flint and his friends on a dangerously delicious mission, battling hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees, apple pie-thons, double bacon cheespiders and other food creatures to save the world again!

 

Thoughts

With a photo of my foodimal, I joined a contest held by Sony Pictures and Churp Churp.... and managed to get preview tickets to watch the movie! 

Animations such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is one which should be enjoyed without much thinking into the (mechanics of) plot: with talking primates, quirky scientists creating out of this world inventions (e.g. spray-on shoes) and foodimals (animals in the form of food), any logically person would think it ridiculous. So, as long as you are not realistic and logical, it is a fun good movie. It is fiction after all and fiction is all about imagination (and makes some sort of sense – in a quirky way of course).

In the opening of the movie (a sequel to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), we are reminded that the protangonist – Flint Lockwood (an aspiring scientist) - had created a machine called the “FLDSMDFR” (Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamin Food Replication). The machine could create food (delicious food at that) with just water. Unfortunately, the machine went rouge and started altering the weather with food (snowing ice-cream, raining burgers and a spaghetti tornado are some examples).

 
So in a bid to stop the machine from wracking havoc, Flink attempted to disable the machine (and in gets lost in the process)… which resulted in an island overridden with food and even more food. And this is where the movie begins, as the inhabitants of the island figure out going about cleaning up there island.

However, before they even start, they are interrupted by Flint’s idol and role model, Chester V (a creative and successful scientist who promotes science and for some weird reason is obessed with fruit bars; his company’s lifeblood is in its fruitbars more than anything else). Chester and team manage to persuade the islands inhabitants to leave the island (Swallow Falls) while they carry out the cleanup operation on their behalf. Much to Flint’s delight, he is even offered a position at Chester’s company (but unbeknownst to him, Chester has a much more sinister plan).

Within a matter of months Flint and company (friends and family) have settled into the nearby town where they have been located to. Flint works at Chester’s company in a highly competitive (and propagandized) environment with a caffeine station at almost every corner and monitors displaying the image of Chester to “motivate” and “inspire” his think tanks (by overdosing them on caffeine and overworking them). You kind of get a feeling that Chester is not as big-hearted and kind as he portrays himself to be; a clever (charismatic) slave master in the truest sense. Perhaps only adults or a more mature audience comprehend this spoof of its real world counterpart, but for children it’s still good old cartoon fun.

Somewhere along in the story Chester V’s failure to locate the “FLDSMDFR” prompts him to persuade Flint to locate it for him disguised as a way to redeem himself for a blunder he had committed at work. He manages to convince Flint to take up the mission, letting him believe that the half animals half food creatures (Cheesespiders ) have taken over Swallow Falls and are going to destroy the world (in essence). 

Flint and company arrive the their island which is overridden with amazing creatures in the form of food: pickles who love eating sardines, strawberries that talk,  leeks that scream, adorable mushmellows etc...

Initially, Chester wanted Flint to carry out his mission alone, but it was foiled when Flint’s girlfriend, father and friends tag along. So he disrupts the group and tries to break the bonds Flint has, causing Flint a moment of identity crisis - wanting to gain the approval and acknowledgement of his idol (Chester) and losing the trust of his friends. Thankfully Flint comes to his senses and saves the day.

Overall, it was an entertaining movie and I simply adored the foodimals! The plot could have been more developed, but it was sufficient to bring about the flow of the storyline, bringing you right into the action and not getting lost (even if you have not watch the prequel). In fact, the foodimals were more interesting than the actual characters.

With living breathing (even talking) foodimals, the adorableness is a saccharinely delight (for those who adore adorable little things!). And I must say, strawberries have never been cuter! Berry stole the show away (for me).

My absolute favorite character of them all. A strawberry with a mean punch too!

Of course, as with all stories (targeted mostly for children) there is a morale behind this, and that having good friends and cherishing those bonds are important as they are precious. The opinions of good friends (and family) who understand and know you should carry more weight than what your idol (e.g. person you admire but hardly know or have a bond with) tells you. Just because you look up to a person doesn't mean they would think of your well-being. After all, there's a fine line between helping and being made used of. Just because they portray a certain image to show that they are nice,  doesn't really mean that they are nice.

Rating: 4/5

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Disney’s PLANES (Review)

From above the world of Cars comes Disney's Planes, an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Dane Cook), a plane with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty's not exactly built for racing, and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to a seasoned naval aviator, who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty's courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar.

Review

This spin-off from the movie CARS features, yup you guessed it, planes. Those who have watched its predecessor (CARS) might even find it unoriginal (but what is really original these days?).

With a simple, predictable storyline and ending, this movie is solely for the kids (probably bellow 10) and those really really young at heart. PLANES is a wholesome movie for the kids, harmless and occasional funny with pretty scenery to boot. There is also a lesson that can be learnt from the story (for the kids): that it is not impossible to dream big as long as you put your heart into in; essentially perseverance, discipline, and confidence (not necessary in that order).

PLANES is about how a small town dust cropper plane (the kind that releases fertilizers from the air on crops) name Dusty dreams of entering an epic round the world race and become a famous international air racer (eventually). Dusty is bored of his seemingly mundane life and wants more excitement and the epic race is his ticket out of his small town life. He practices (from a dummy guide book no less) conscientiously with the help of his car friend. He even gets a mentor (who turns out to be less than what he claimed to be) to train him to get better. But his flying apparently does improve.

Like all underdog movies, you have the insecure (reminds me of someone I know ha) antagonist plane (with some dumb and dumber sidekicks) who thinks he is above the other planes as he is consecutive winner for 2 years running and is intent on winning it again. But he eventually feels threatened and attempts to sabotage Dusty. Throw in some frenemies who become allies, a little comedy and jokes here and there with a tinge of romance… and you basically have PLANES.

In conclusion, I won’t say that PLANES was particularly spectacular story-wise, but it might have been a sight in 3D (given the animation and landscapes). Still (kids aside) it might be a treat for those who enjoy that cartoons and animations (just not on the big screen unless it is in 3D).

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DramaQueen Movie Review: Disney Planes

Review

Personally, i did enjoyed watching Disney Moive Plane to a certain extend. I like the moral of the story which is do not be afraid to think of big dreams as nothing is impossible. It does not matter how people criticise you and think that you will never make it in life, so long as you have the passion and the "NEVER GIVE UP!" attitude.

The storyline is predictable and toe along moral education and dreams which is the main focus for most of the animation for children. Likewise, Planes is nothing spectacular and no 'wow!" factor in the execution of the plot as the story goes. In fact, there is nothing much exciting until towards the end. The sabotage of the Dust rivals and those tricks to outwit him was quite intensified. Nonetheless, the ending is pretty much predictable.

I would recommend this moive to children, especially below the age of 10 years old. To the credit of the moive, children will feel insipired to move towards their dreams. A story which talk about friendship, dreams, mentorship and a touch of romance makes the moive Plane.



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The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

Set in contemporary New York City, a seemingly ordinary teenager, Clary Fray (Lily Collins), discovers she is the descendant of a line of Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked in an ancient battle to protect our world from demons. After the disappearance of her mother (Lena Headey), Clary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters, who introduce her to a dangerous alternate New York called Downworld, filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves and other deadly creatures. Based on the worldwide best-selling book series.

Review and Thoughts

 The premise of the movie is simple, 3 races interlocked in a war since time immemorial:

• mundanes humans that know absolutely nothing about the 'hidden' world around them
• shadowhunters who are an odd mix of angel and human, supposedly to protect the world and mundanes from...
• demons, vampires werewolves and other deadly creatures

The protagonists (and target audience) are teenagers, so it does have some reference and similarities to the already popular Twilight and Harry Potter series (with the magic-stuff, backdrops, fantasy and antagonists). Some may say that it lacks originality and is cliché with its teen angst (while saving the world), nothing new. But I think with more movies coming, people tend to forget that movies are just that - nothing but recycled plots and storylines with different actors playing characters that have long been played before. What else is new?

The cinematography for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is acceptable enough and the action scenes packed with enough action. Of course, if you are not into teenage fantasy, angst and romance (with action to boot), you might want to give this movie a miss. Otherwise I think that it makes a pretty entertaining movie, it may not be that fresh but at least it has its appeal.

The actors that have taken up the characters do a pretty good job. I was surprised that Godfrey Gao was actually cast as Magnus Bane, but he did a decent job (and he looks much better than in the dramas he's acted previously; must be the Hollywood effect).

Jamie Campbell does a decent job being Jace, a "bad" boy (shadowhunter) with angst and a mouth to match the attitude (which does serve up some dry humor throughout the movie). 

The other characters did a pretty good job portraying their characters as well. Though Kevin Zegers as Alec seemed to have been overshadowed by the other actors, it was like his presence was not 'felt' and could have been done without. Of course, from a storyline perspective his character does have a role.

Fans of the book will find the movie a delight, while those who want an enjoyable movie of youth, hope and action (with a slight willingness to see past some of the similarities) will enjoy it just the same. The ending definitely makes way for a sequel which is in the works and one that I would definitely want to watch! ^^

Rating: 3/5

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Cold Eyes Singapore Movie Gala Premiere and Red Carpet

This summer the movie Cold Eyes is one of the hottest movie in Korea, topping the domestic box office charts in its first week of release on 3 July 2013 and earning more than US$36 million. In conjunction with the Singapore promotional tour, an exclusive preview screening was held for the fans at Marina Bay Sands MasterCard Theatres with a red carpet event to boot too!

Thanks to DramaQueen who had invited me, I had to opportunity to not only have a look (at me first red carpet event!) but also watch the movie before it hits the theatres in Singapore on 5 September 2013.

It was an eventful evening as we made our way to the Marina Bay Sands MasterCard Theatres to collect the tickets before heading over to have a peek at the red carpet event. The crowd for the red carpet was growing as the minutes ticked by. By the time it was time for the Korean casts' arrival, "orderly" fan chaos ensued. Earlier in the day there were promotional rounds and interviews, where... Read more>>

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DramaQueen: Cold Eyes Movie Review

I have the privilege to attend the Cold Eyes Movie Premiere on 30 August at Marina Bay Sand with Iceprinxess. Thanks to Purple Plan Organization that I won a pair of tickets. We even get to catch the stars walk down the red carpet and see them on stage at the theatre.

We went to Marina Bay Sand to collect our tickets at 7.30 and waited at the waiting area after that. It was a long waiting time for us as we were barricaded by the security guards. There were many fans standing around the area, even aunties and uncles were there to support the Korean artistes. The MC of the day is Li Yi from FM 93.3. While waiting for the celebrities to come, she tried to engage the audience by having small talks with the fans and even gave out posters for the Q&A games.

However, she failed to hype up the atmosphere and engage the crowds who were anxiously waiting for their favorite stars. It was only around 8.20pm, the local celebrities and invited guests started to grace the event. It was followed by the long awaited Korean celebrities and the director who walked down the red carpet around 8.30pm. Fans were screaming as the celebrities smiled and wave at the crowds. We managed to take pictures and video of the celebrities as they walked down the Red Carpet.

We were seated down at the theatre at 9pm after a fast security check at the entrance. We were able to locate our seats easily and get ready for the Movie Premiere. It was only until 9.30pm, the Korean celebrities came on stage for some interviews. After a 10 minutes interview, the movie started and we hear screams of excitement around us.

Plot

The beginning of the movie introduced us to Han Hyo Joo who stood in at a corner of the train observing an old man who behaved suspiciously. Wow! What a great way to advertise for the Acuvue colour contact lens, when the camera zoomed into her eyes which showed her brown contact lenses. Back to the story, it seems like Han Hyo Joo is on a secret mission as she trails the man from the train station to the streets. Amidst all the trailing, a crime was happening at a bank nearby.

On the other hand, James (Jung Woo Sung) was seen holding a binocular, while he stood at the rooftop of a building observing a crime which took placed in a bank. He was calculating his move and coordinates the operation as he listens to the conversations of his accomplices. It turned out that he is the mastermind of the criminals and he could not tolerate any mistakes and will get rid of anyone who jeopardizes his plan. He even used a sharp pointed pen as weapon and ruthlessly kills his victim by stabbing the neck and the stomach. James is the leader of an international crime ring who is extremely meticulous in his every move.

Han Yoon Ju (Han Hyo Joo) was recruited as a new detective in a Korean Police Forces Special Crime Department that specializes in surveillance activities on high profile criminals. Due to her sharp observation skills and photographic memories, she passed the test with flying colours. However, she has the habit of tapping her fingers as she tried to recall the events in the stored memories of her brain. Her nickname in the special squad is piglet although she wanted to be called reindeer. We were introduced to the ace detective of the special squad team and he is none other than Daramjwi (Lee Jun Ho) whose nickname is squirrel. He earned the title of Ace in the team because he is able to complete the missions given to him.

The chief detective Hwang Won-jin (Sol Kyung-gu) leads his team as they attempted to crack the case and arrest the ‘shadow’ James. However, it was a tough job to arrest the ring leader and they needed proper planning to achieve their goal. With the authorities on James tail and the betrayal of his own organization, how is he going to survive? Is he going to be caught by the police or killed by the crime ring master?

Review

‘Cold eyes’ was a box office hit in Korea cinema even before the Asia tour. After watching this movie I can understand why many people were attracted to this film. I personally like the way director Cho Ui Seok handle the camera and the way some scenes were shot. He is able to capture the dynamic feel and the angle of the scenes with style. The effect was better in the wide screen, especially how he shot the streets and passing vehicles from the top which gave us a beautiful view of Seoul. The scene shows how James looks at the crime scene from his angle at the rooftop.

The storyline was interesting and a typical game of cats chasing a big rat. Throw in some actions and sound effects and we have a decent story to tell. Basically, there are nothing complicated about the storyline and no romance in the air in case you are expecting that. Most of the time the story focus on trailing the suspect and finding out who is the leader of the crime ring through various ways, such as CCTV etc.

Talking about the cast, I was impressed with the charismatic actor, Jung Woo Sung. His screen presence was great whenever he appeared in the movie and he did a decent job in playing a cold-hearted leader of an international crime ring. This was the first time he ever acted as a villain and I got to give credit for his good performance.

The other actor that impresses me is Sol Kyung-gu who acted as chief detective Hwang Won-Jin. As a veteran actor with many years of experiences, he had mastered the skills needed to portray a character in a story. I liked the way he leads his team with wisdom and his interaction with Han Hyo Joo which was both hilarious and sincere.

Han Hyo Joo was great as a rookie detective and I know that she cut her hair short to match her character in this movie. She wore the same expression throughout the show, except for some dramatic moments such as the murder of Squirrel and her desperation to find the mastermind (James). There were some moments when she shines as an actress, although she can do better. Generally she did pretty well for her role.

Lee Jun Ho from the top idol group 2PM made his first debut as an actor in this film. It was a good attempt for him to be exposing to acting and it take some experience to build up his acting skills. I would say that he look cute and handsome with his smiles. Most of the time, he just gave his signature smiles during missions and he demonstrated his potential in acting when he was stabbed by James.

Overall, I would recommend this movie for fans that enjoys action movie and some thrilling moments. Just be prepared for some bloody scene and you would have no problem seating through this movie.



Ratings: 8/10

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Cold Eyes (감시자들)

Detective Hwang (Sol Kyung-Gu) leads a specialized surveillance team in the police department. Yoon-Joo (Han Hyo-Joo) takes a test to join the team. She's tested on her observation skills and memorization. She passes her test and becomes the newest member of the surveillance team.

While, Yoon-Joo takes her test, James (Jung Woo-Sung) and his crime group robs a bank. He stands on the rooftop of a nearby building and directs his team's movements. He doesn't tolerate any mistakes. As soon as Yoon-Joo joins the surveillance team, they are tasked to take down James' criminal group. The surveillance team immediately runs into trouble when they can't identify any of the robbers due to their masks and their efficiency in robbing the bank. Detective Hwang finds one man caught on CCTV near the bank.

James gets a new order from a mysterious broker (Kim Byung-Ok) and once again completes a heist. While, the surveillance team goes after James, the mysterious broker also looks to take out James.

 

Review and Thoughts 

This summer the movie Cold Eyes is one of the hottest movie in Korea, topping the domestic box office charts in its first week of release on 3 July 2013 and earning more than US$36 million.

The storyline is simple (just as the synopsis above says) yet intriguing (due to the way the characters are portrayed and the cinematography) as a specialized surveillance team in the police department try to catch their mysterious bank robbing organization, which turns out to be something more than they expected.

Just as the movie begins, you are drawn into the plot as the all the characters start their day and their encounters actually intertwined. Although the characters all begin their day in the (same) subway station, there is enough suspense and wonderment in how all of it comes together. Yoon-Joo (Han Hyo-Joo) is someone who has impeccable memory about the details, which is what gets her accepted into the specialized surveillance team, since she passes Detective Hwang's (played by Sol Kyung-Gu) test.

Unbeknownst to them, the robbery that occurs soon after is one that would change their lives (particularly Yoon-Joo's). Once accepted into the specialized surveillance team,  Yoon-Joo meets Detective Daramjwi "Squirrel" (played by 2PM's Lee Junho - which I guess most fangirls would watch this movie for their favorite idol who plays a supporting role), who is the ace of the team and contributes to some of the humor and tears.

Although there were alot of movements with the action scenes, the camera angles and editing were good and steady, flowing well with the action movements; not confusing at all and simply a delight to watch. There's even a cameo by Simon Yam (which was a nice surprise), who starred in 2012′s hit film The Thieves a.k.a 도둑들.  Though the story centers mostly on Yoon-Joo and how Detective Hwang operate as a team with the other characters (in the zoo - curious to know what it means? Than you have to watch to movie, its simply hilarious!), Jung Woo Sung as the bad guy totally stole the show. His portrayal of a cold, heartless mean machine might seem one dimensional, but as the movie progress you can see his character starting to crack yet putting on a force front.

Overall, it may be simple in plot and some events might be predictable, but the execution and action made it an exciting enjoyable movie. Despite the grittiness and blood spilling, there are comical moments as well as heart-rending ones, making it an enjoyable emotional roller coaster of a movie!

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Elysium Review

In this movie, society on earth has been reduced to poverty and ruin; only the very rich get to escape to an artificial sanctuary set up in space called ‘Elysium’ with mansions, lakes and lawns. We are introduced to the main character Max (played by Matt Damon), as a young boy in an orphanage. He grows up to be quite a criminal – stealing cars and other petty crimes… till he is caught and put on parole. He tries to turn his life around (while still on parole), getting a job and staying as low as he can.

Security has been taken over by robots, acting as no nonsense police and parole officers: this takes away the humanity of things and becomes automated with no ‘feeling’. Everything that is considered out of behavior is considered an offence, which is how Max gets his arm broken by a police robot when he does not answer in a ‘proper’ way, sending him to his parole officer The parole officers have been programmed with acute sensitivity, responding to Max smartass answers with “Are you being sarcastic and/or abusive?”. Although funny, I can imagine it to be extremely frustrating.

His broken arm sends him to the hospital, where he meets his childhood crush. This spurs his motivation to live a proper life, only to have it disrupted when he is back at work. Max’s working conditions (at a factory which produces parts for the robots) is appalling and there is no sympathy. Due to a freak accident, he gets blasted with radiation and has only 5 days to live. This incident spurs Max’s motivation to want to get to Elysium to cure himself of the radiation.

On Elysium, each house has pod like machines which can cure all disease and even alter appearance (instant painless plastic surgery anyone?). Getting to Elysium is expensive and with no guarantee that you can survive: anyone from earth (basically the poor majority) trying land on Elysium is met with cruel brute force. Secretary Delacourt (played by Jodie Foster) is the draconian ice queen in charge of security who spares no effort in keeping ‘illegals’ out.

She even hires a ruthless mercenary to do her bidding of eliminating the ‘illegals’ (e.g. sending missiles to totally destroy the ships trying to make their way to Elysium). Her draconian ways are not popular with the rest of the government, who find her methods too cruel and extreme. So they fire the ruthless mercenary and try to discredit her. This motivates Secretary Delacourt to stage a coup with the boss of Max’s factory (who is desperate for funds). Secretary Delacourt tells him to create a program that will overwrite the current system and elect her as the new president instead.

 

Meanwhile, back on earth Max resolves to get that ticket to Elysium, which essentially means going through a horrendous surgery to affix a metal exo-skeletal structure to aid him in the plan to steal data (from the brain) of a rich person and use that information for his benefit. He approaches Spider (who is the one that attempts to smuggle people to Elysium provided they have the money). Spider proposes a plan to Max, to steal data (e.g. bank account details etc…) from one of the rich who visit earth. Max targets his boss as he wants revenge.

Max survives the surgery and gets a team together to prepare the heist, which ends up with dead team mates and ex-boss; having to run away from the mercenary (re-hired by Secretary Delacourt) and his mean team with the stolen data in his head. It turns out that the data he had stolen is corrupted and to retrieve the data would result in his death. What ensues is Max’s struggle to get to Elysium, save his childhood crush and her daughter and his ultimate sacrifice.

The storyline is simple and the ending quite expected, but the action and the detail is entertaining and immaculate enough: a blown off face getting reconstructed back within seconds and the showing of the face getting blown off in a somewhat slow motion are some of the examples. Jodie Foster’s Secretary Delacourt character although draconian and extreme in her ways, seems to be a little too innocent, trusting the ruthless mercenary a tad too much (or rather naively believing that he is always under her control).

Overall, a reasonably good movie (especially if you like Matt Damon and Jodie Foster) with a simply storyline and lots of action scenes.

Rating: 3.5/5

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That Girl in Pinafore - 我的朋友，我的同学，我爱过的一切 Review

Should you follow your heart or your head? That Girl in Pinafore is a coming-of-age tale set in 1993, Singapore, about dreams, friendships, and first loves. The story follows four teenagers' efforts to bring business back to a struggling folk music pub, and the blossoming love between Jiaming and May, both fans of Singaporean folk music.

1992 - Singapore is on the verge of electing its first President, and chewing gum has been banned. Hope and rejuvenation is in the air, everyone believes in the Singapore Dream. Young musicians strive to give birth to a local music industry, creating local music at a rapid pace. Music cafes spring up everywhere alongside the hot new trend, karaoke. Jiaming is a free spirited teenager who has never taken school seriously. His parents own a music pub called 'Meng Chuan', and Jiaming feels schooling is useless as he wants to help out at the business.

True enough, Jiaming flunks his 'O' level exams and drops out of school. Jiaming's buddies Caogen, Haoban and Xiaopang pass their exams and move on to Junior College. But they are caught renting porn magazines by the principal and are suspended for a month. During this month, the boys take part in a local music competition, have a taste of first love, and work hard to bring business back to the struggling 'Meng Chuan'. 

This coming-of-age tale sees Jiaming and gang learn the harsh realities of pursuing dreams in the real world. In growing up, the boys learn that choosing between your heart and societal expectations is akin to losing your innocence to the adult world. The eventual closure of the pub 'Meng Chuan' paralells the real world demise of the 'Xinyao' movement around the mid-90s. It signifies the lost of youthful innocence to the necessities of growing up.

 

My Thoughts 

That Girl in Pinafore - 我的朋友，我的同学，我爱过的一切 would be my first local movie (in the cinema) after quite some time. Singapore in the 1900s (seems quite long ago) and all the things that happened during that period together with Singapore folk songs (I seriously never knew there was a 'xinyao' movement) makes the premise of this movie, along with the 'growing pains' of 4 boys and their friends. The movie as its description depicts it is really a simple one that although is entertaining (at some points) and conveys how dreams and realities of life often collide (and are beyond expectation), seems to fall sort in more ways then one.

It would have been nice if there was some commentary to explain the particular time (e.g. banning of chewing gum, pagers etc...) in Singapore (especially for those who are too young to remember, not born during that time, or people other than Singaporeans). The movie starts off on the presumption that all its audience knows what is going on (or at least during that time - the 'xinyao' movement). By doing so, it limits its potential reach (well, I was a little lost as I really had no idea what was the 'xinyao' movement or that it was really that popular during that time).

Time era aside, it was either the choice of actors (20s to 30s wearing school uniforms and acting adolescent was a little weird for me) or the plot: need it really have been secondary school students going on to junior college? why couldn't there have been an exploration of the education system at that time (e.g. ploytechnic and ites as well)? The premise of this movie is about how the coming-of-age tale sees Jiaming and gang learn the harsh realities of pursuing dreams in the real world (what dreams?).

Through this movie, I never knew that one could cycle (with pillion) at night from the heartlands to East Coast, Serangoon, Chinatown (and I can't remember where else and not exactly in that order) all the way to Changi Airport without breaking a sweat! Seriously... has anyone tried cycling over such a distance in one night? lol I am just curious (real life is not as fabulous as reel life always depicts after all). 

That aside, the music was pretty nice and like mentioned before, there were moments of the funny and entertainment. It's kind of like a mini musical (with the singing and music) with a homey local 'Singaporean' flavor, suitable to watch at home on the tv on a rainy day over a cup of hot coffee/tea/chocolate.

While it is not an exciting movie, it is an ok movie that worth taking a look if you want to reminiscence about those times and can relate to these times, or simply want to have a better understanding of life and youth during those times (Singlish, pagers, tea dances and all). Kudos to the production team for the 90s props (pagers, old land-line phones, pay phone, even cassette tapes and discmans!). Those born during 1990s might not even know of their existence or actually have seen/used  them).

If you have watched it, what do you think of it? Do share! ^^

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R.E.D 2 (Preview Screening)

Just before R.E.D 2 hit the cinemas on August 1 in Singapore cinemas, I had the opportunity to watch the preview screening at Shaw Lido and I have to say that it is a movie not to be missed! R.E.D 2 was easy to follow and the characters simple to understand even having not watched its prequel R.E.D. I saw the trailer for R.E.D 2 and found it interesting (enough to watch it and I do not regret watching it!).

R.E.D actually means “Retired, Extremely Dangerous”. So it should be no surprise that the characters are not your ordinary retired government personnel (aka spies) but retired top agents who once dealt with the most covert/top secret/black bag operations. Just like the first installment, the premise of R.E.D 2 revolves around the same retired agents trying to adapt to day-to-day life, with a few new... Read more>>

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Despicable Me 2

In Summer 2013, get ready for more minion madness in Despicable Me 2. Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy animated adventure featuring the return of Gru (Steve Carell), the girls, the unpredictably hilarious minions...and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.

In this sequel, Gru even snags himself a girlfriend and manages to save the world all at the same time.

Thoughts and Spoilers ahead (you have been warned!)

In this sequel, Gru is living the normal (as can be) life trying to be a dad to his three girls Margo, Edith and Agnes. And his mission (that he is somewhat coerced into) is to save the world from an unknown villain who has literally stolen a secret laboratory using a giant magnet! We never get to see the villain's face, so even the Anti-Villain League (AVL) has no idea who it could be - which is why they attempt to recruit Gru for his expertise (being an ex-villain and all). We learn that the secret laboratory was experimenting with a mutagen called PX-41, which turns normal beings (animals or otherwise into indestructible mindless monsters.

The way in which Gru was 'convinced' to help was not very effective (but definitely worth a good laugh... or two). It is also in this way that we are introduced to Lucy a rookie at Anti-Villain League (AVL). She is quirky, chatty and simply the opposite of a grant play-safe Gru. Gru, wanting to make a 'clean' living has decided to start a jams and jelly company, selling the new creations so he rejects the offer. 

However, unfortunately for Gru, his jelly prototype doesn't taste all that good. To add to the blow to his 'failure', his good friend and the genius behind his gadgets (and the jelly prototype), Dr. Nefario, has informs Gru that he is leaving for greener pastures (he misses the good old villain days and wants to use his skills and talent doing vallainy things again). Needless to say, Gru is taken aback and slightly disappointed. But he takes it in his stride and lets Dr. Nefario go in what would be a pretty funny scene involving fart guns and a 'slow' departure. 

After  Dr. Nefario's departure Gru temporarily loses his bearings in life, wanting to step up to be a dad that the girls can be proud of (what could be greater than saving the work?) Gru decides to take up the offer from the Anti-Villain League (AVL) to uncover who the villain is. Soon Gru finds himself paired with Lucy on a stakeout at the Paradise Shopping Mall, undercover as bakers with a bakery as their headquarters.

Once settled in, they start to survey the suspects. Gru suspects Eduardo to be the legendary super-villain, "El Macho" (who is supposedly dead, but the body was never found). Hence, Gru and Lucy break into Eduardo's restaurant at night hoping to find some clues. Although they found nothing incriminating, they do find Eduardo's secret sauce (which they pinch a little to munch and almost got caught by Eduardo) and they encountered the world's first guard... chicken - a feisty little thing which almost behaves like a dog (just in a chicken way). Their investigations lead them to another suspect, Floyd Eagle-san (owner of a wig shop), who is deemed to be the culprit by the Anti-Villain League (AVL) despite Gru's insistence that it is Eduardo.

The Anti-Villain League (AVL) think that Gru is being bais as Margo has develop a crush on  Eduardo's son, Antonio (who's pretty much the resident playboy who breaks Margo heart a little - something that Gru was trying to avoid and totally against). So they arrest Floyd Eagle-san instead when traces of the PX-41 are found in his shop, gauntly dismiss Gru for his services and send Lucy to Australia for another assignment. Meanwhile, while all this is happening the minions (yes, finally on to them) are getting kidnapped one by one in a sequence of 'mysterious' events: abducted alien style, vacuumed into an ice-cream truck and literally snatched...

When Gru learns that Lucy is to be sent to Australia, he is heartbroken (he just come to the conclusion that he loves her and was about to muster up the courage to ask her out. Dejected, Gru and his three girls take up Eduardo's invitation to a party he is holding while Lucy boards her plan.

It turns out that Gru was right all along, Eduardo is the super-villain "El-Macho" who faked his death. Gru is surprised to learn that Dr. Nefario is working for "El-Macho"and has even used the minions to test the PX-41, turning them into mindless monsters of purple fuzz to do the bidding of El-Macho to conquer the world!

El-Macho explains that he admired Gru's past works and even invites Gru to join in his quest to conquer the world, which Gru tries to act all cool (while making his escape) and avoids committing an answer. He leaves as quickly as his can with his three girls and make their way home, much to El-Macho's ire. He does get his revenge on Gru when Lucy, after having realized that she has affections for Gru and seeing everyone as him, (jumps off the plane and) makes her way to find him at Eduardo's party. Her identity is exposed and she becomes a victim, strapped to a TNT-loaded shark rocket heading straight for a volcano.

Fortunately,  Dr. Nefario cannot tolerate anyone messing with his 'family' and gives Gru due warning of Lucy's plight and El-Macho's plan to send the monsterised version of the minions in rockets throughout the world in his quest to conquer the world (basically submit to him or face destruction). In order to rescue Lucy, Gru pretends to be captured by the monster minions (actually normal yellow minions painted purple). The sequence is hilarious! His 'act' soon gets seen through and just as they are about to be descended upon by the purple monster minions, Dr. Nefario and Gru's three girls arrive to save the day with the antidote (the Dr. Nefario formulated) in the form of the horrible tasting jelly as the medium (finally put to good use! ha). Upon contact with the antidote jelly, the purple fuzzy mess of the minion monsters revert back to their good old yellow selves.

In no time, all the minions are reverted back to their original state. Frustrated, El Macho consumes the PX-41 himself, and becomes a gigantic purple mess of  fuzz (but not mindless and clearly aware of what he is doing/wants to do). But his impressive transformation is thwarted by the infamous fart gun. While El Machois is down for the count, Lucy is still stuck to the rocket (with a shark no less) and heading to a volcano to meet her demise (thanks to the guard chicken). Gru gallaintly gets on the rocket when it launches and tries to free Lucy from her entrapment. They barely make it, but they survive (and even confess to each other their feelings).

After 147 dates later, Gru and Lucy get married, with the the minions presenting a rendition of "Y.M.C.A" and "I Swear" (sung in minion-speak as "Underwear") while the whole family dances (and the movie audience laughs). Finally Gru gets the girl and his daughters get that mother figure.

Overall, a movie of simple fun, funny and entertainment! Suitable for kids and kids at heart. Just remember not to go in with super high expectations, it is a simple storyline (but a fun one) and pretty predictable (but what isn't these days?).

 

Related Posts:

• Despicable Me 2 (DramaQueen review)

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Arthur Newman Movie Review

Thanks to omy.sg and Shaw, I was able to attend the preview screening of Arthur Newman, which is rated M18 and categorized as Comedy/Drama.

So what is Arthur New all about? I guess the official synopsis pretty much seems it up:

Wallace Avery is tired of his life. Divorced, disconnected from his son, dissatisfied with his love life, he decides the time has come for a radical solution. He literally walks away from his life, buys himself a new identity as Arthur Newman, and sets out toward his own private Oz – Terre Haute , Indiana – where he believes he has a chance to work as golf pro. Wallace’s idea of a second chance is to become a second person.

His road trip is derailed by the entrance of Michaela Fitzgerald, whom Arthur discovers passed out poolside at a motel. It takes her all of a couple hours to bust Arthur’s identity scam. It takes Arthur a lot longer to bust hers.

Colin Firth and Emily Blunt co-star in this gently comic love story set in a perfect storm of identity crisis. ARTHUR NEWMAN, from a screenplay written by Becky Johnston, looks at how two people, desperate to remake themselves, fall in love and find a way to accept responsibility for who they really are.

Thoughts

Unlike the big productions, Arthur Newman is more of an offbeat romance indie-type movie. Although it is slow paced, it is well paced and does have its funny (albeit mature – it’s rated M18 for a reason! lol) lighthearted moments (e.g. breaking and entering homes, role playing, trying to find one’s identity etc…). It is not extremely exciting, but it is not boring either; a good watch if you want a change of pace and don’t expect too much.

Given the nature and the direction of the movie, I feel that it would be a good read if converted into a novel. However as a movie on its own, it seems to be lacking in the character/story development department and struggles when it attempts to be more profound; everything is just too open-ended with no (hint) of a (any) conclusion nor display character growth (only realization, but even than it was more like starting back at square one).

The premise of the movie sounds intriguing and the actors are convincing as they portray their characters struggle with their inner demons and coming to terms with themselves. I am sure that most of us can relate to (well, daydreaming mostly): wishing to become a totally different person with a new identity with a ‘new’ more exciting life, discarding away the ‘old’ boring one. Nevertheless life, most often than not, is best lived without pretense and delusion. If you really want to become somebody else, you’d better make sure you tie up any loose ends (as much as possible) but either way, be prepared (or not) to face the consequences either way once you embark on such a journey.

Arthur Newman

Official Release Date in Singapore : 11 July 2013
Director: Dante Ariola
Cast: Colin Firth (Academy Award® Winner), Emily Blunt (Golden Globe® Winner)
Rating: M18
Runtime: 100 min

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Me Excites: Monsters University

Mike and Sulley are back! This time you’ll meet even more friends of all shapes, colours and sizes from the monster world as we go back in time to their college days. In fact, we go back all the way to where it all began. If you ever wondered how Mike and Sulley first met, don’t miss Disney•Pixar’s "MONSTERS UNIVERSITY"!

Way way way before there was Monsters Inc., or rather before Mike and Sulley were the successful scarers that they were, they started out at university. Now I have to say that I was enthralled with Monsters Inc. when it debuted – the revolving ‘magical’ doors that led to any bedroom in the world, the interestingly familiar yet odd world of the monsters that mirrors ours, and how normal the monsters really are (in a sense) with scaring children for their screams as fuel and a day job. Not to mention, the various blobs and colors of monsters, those with fur, multiple appendages and/or eyes created an interesting world of monsters that were easy on the eyes (somehow). All of which made for good think-free fun time, great for little ones, but even better for those ‘little’ at heart. :p

So it comes as no surprise that I was simply ecstatic when I saw the trailer for Monsters University, a prequel (of sorts) to Monsters Inc. where Mike and Sulley were not the successful ‘top’ scarers that they were, but two young monsters on different paths who happened to collide into each other and embark on their journey together.

This movie is set 10 years before Monsters Inc. so it is a great place to delve into the fun imaginary monster world and discover more about their education system: from the diversity of university life to the quirky names of their academic programs (e.g. elite scare program, now imagine if we really had a course like that in the real world hehe) and myriad of sports, clubs and societies (which should be rather similar but yet strange to us).

Of course, that is not the say forgetting about the leads of this movie. Mike has lifelong dreams of being a great scarer, but his big ambitions are thwarted during his first semester when he encounters Sulley (who’s the equivalent of a jock – all brawn but hardly any brains) who thinks he’s all that.

Hopeful and enthusiastic Mike collides into...

a Sulley who thinks he's all that

Their encounter soon brings out their inner competitive sprit, which soon gets out of control as they try to outdo each other and eventually gets them kicked out of the University’s elite scare program.

and so the "bonding" begins

However, it is because of this incident (and many others) that brought these two monsters together to become the great friends and ‘monstatic’ scarers they are in Monsters Inc.! Naturally, I am curious to find out how their friendship blossomed, despite their different personalities and perspective on life. Don’t you?

Do you have the talent to scare? Well, actually if you want to win exclusive movie premiums and in-season passes to Monsters University , take the Monsters Aptitude Test [M.A.T] now to see if you're qualified! Wait are you waiting for?!

Catch Pixar’s MONSTERS UNIVERSITY in Singapore cinemas this 20 June 2013! For more updates, like the Official Walt Disney Studios Singapore Facebook Page, follow @disneystudiosSG and subscribe to the Official Disney Studios Singapore YouTube Channel!

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Oz The Great and Powerful (Movie) Review

Oz The Great and Powerful Movie Synopsis

Being something of a sequel to The Wizard of Oz, the premise of the movie was in sepia toned with the introduction of the main male protagonist, Oz, whose full name is very long but is simply Oscar something. Oz is a struggling magician tying to make his mark in a travelling circus, always dreaming to have that big break which always seems to be eluding him. His character is nothing much to speak of, he is a basically a selfish and self-centered con-man swindling people of their money and an incurable playboy (which get pretty irritating) who cheats women and comes across almost close to a sleazeball.

Simply put, there is no redeeming points to his character. Even if you scratch past the surface to find out that he has become the way he has because he does want to end up like his father being a nobody: his pursuit of something greater combined with his low self-esteem and doubt causes him to avoid any possibility of relationships, be it friendship or romance. Personally, I do not like his character, he may be good in nature and his fear causes him to become selfish and self-centered, but that is not an excuse. He chose the way he wanted to handle situations so he has to live with them.

And it is how Oz ends up in the land of OZ, as he is escaping from the very strong and angry man in the circus intent of ripping him to pieces for wooing his girl. So Oz ends up in a hot air balloon, gets sucked into a typhoon and transported into the magical world of OZ where he meets Theodora, a naïve witch who has always been yearning for love. Theodora acts as Oz’s guide into the world of OZ and leads him to the emerald city where her sister is awaiting.

Not aware that her sister is the wicked witch, Theodora tells Oz that the land of OZ is in peril and needs a savior (which would be him) to save them from the wicked witch who killed her father, the king. She truly believes that Oz is the one who can save them from the wicked witch, but she is unaware that her sister is the wicked witch. 

 

Theodora's wicked sister. I guess the point black nails were a dead giveaway....

Due to Oz’s con-man ways, he wins over her heart unaware of the consequences he set himself up for. He charms her with his old ‘cheesy’ trick of using a music box, and dances with her, even kissing her. Being naïve and not used to the attention that Oz showers her with, Theodora truly believes that he loves her and that she will be his queen, ruling together with Oz over the land.

Theodora is a pitiful character and I wish there was more back-story about her character. She seems to be the sort of character that is yearning for love, yet unable to receive any due to the perception of the people around her that she is wicked. She seems to be quite powerful and has to keep her emotions in check: when she was angry fireballs formed from her hands and had a very destructive power, and when she was sad her tears literally were like acid and burned her face. Her views are very simplistic and she believes whatever people (especially her sister and Oz) tell her. If she had the proper guidance, perhaps she could have been spared having been turned into a wicked witch by her evil sister, which caused her to not only turn wicked but very ugly as well. But by the time her sister had successfully tricked her it was too late. How could she turn back when her hurt was already turned wicked? With no more “goodness” or emotions left whatsoever, she became an accessory to her sister’s plan and ended up being the wicked witch who was melted by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. 

 

Theodora went from this....

to this.....

Glinda, the good witch, who was framed as being the wicked one, is not my favorite character either. She is boring. Although she is the character who would represent the theme of faith and hope throughout the movie, she was bland despite having a sense of humor. She did tell Oz that though she know that he is nothing more than a con-man, she is all that she has to work with and she tries to get him interested and helping them with their cause to defeat the wicked witch. Why do I say she is boring? Well, Glinda’s cheery disposition and sense of humor is all good, but it would have been nice if her character was sassy because being “nice” only is just so one dimensional and boring (almost like being a damsel in distress). Even in the fight between her and the wicked witch, she was so “weak” looking and demure. Well, she did win in the end, but it wasn’t really that satisfying a fight to watch. All she (could) conjure up was fog (or was it mist) and bubbles.

 

The characters that stood out and made adorable moments would be China girl (a porcelain little girl whose town was destroyed by the wicked witch’s flying baboons and is the sole survivor) and Oz’s flying monkey assistant Finley.

 

 

So the story goes, Oz finds himself in the land of OZ and he is enticed with the promise of kingship and gold if he would kill the “wicked witch”, Glinda who turns out to be the good one. Naïve Theodora gets conned by Oz and gets her heart broken which results in her turning wicked and an accessory to her wicked witch sister’s plans. Along the way to kill Glinda, Oz meets China girl and she tags along with him and Finley on their quest, which soon takes a turn when they realize the truth of who is the actually wicked witch. Oz realizes that he has bitten off more than he can chew and wants out, but his heart (of compassion somewhere in there) causes him to help Glinda and her cause. He decides to make the most spectacular show of his life and manages to scare away Theodora and Glinda defeats Theodora’s sister. Both wicked witches are chased away from the emerald city and peace is restored with Oz becoming the legend and “phantom” in The Wizard of the Oz.

The effects were good and the colors of the movie were vibrant, very suitable for children. It was not scary at all and some parts were a little boring (for me). But overall it was somewhat enjoyable, it would have been better if more character growth was shown and the motivations of the wicked sisters were explored (was it jealously towards Glinda or some event that triggered the wickedness or was it nurtured, what were the three witches relationship?).

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