hi.. i've been away for Ramadhan..
till then, enjoy this very nice movie clips :)
btw, just to wish Ramadhan Kareem and happy Eid :)
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Just Notes: intermission for Ramadhan
hi.. i've been away for Ramadhan..
till then, enjoy this very nice movie clips :)
btw, just to wish Ramadhan Kareem and happy Eid :)
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Push: tolerable or in Malay-speak, LAYANNNNN!
the Poster:
the Trailer:
the Plot:
People with psychic abilities have been involved with the United States government since 1945. Two "Movers", Nick and his father (Joel Gretsch), are running from the "Division". Nick's father tells him of a vision he received from a "Watcher"; a girl will give him a flower and he must help her in order to help all the people with powers. Nick's father hides him as Agent Carver of the Division arrives. Nick's father is killed.
Ten years later, the American Division tests a power boosting drug on a "Pusher" (someone who can implant thoughts in others' minds) named Kira (Camilla Belle). Someone drops a clear ball that gets stuck in a door. Rendering the doctor unconscious, Kira steals his security clearance card and an augmentation drug-filled syringe before escaping through the same door. She later woke up in a barge with an old Chinese guy. she hardly remembers much but her mirror was written with her lipstick, in her handwriting "4100 Nick". it turns out she is in Hong Kong.
Also in Hong Kong, Nick (Chris Evans) is hiding as an expatriate. A young girl, Cassie (Dakota Fanning), arrives at Nick's apartment, explaining that she is a Watcher and that they are going to find a case containing six million dollars.
They go out for a grub at the nearby fish market, only to be discovered by the Pop Triads whose members are Bleeders bent on having that Case too.
However, the daughter of the Pop Triad leader who is a Watcher informs her brothers not to kill Nick yet as he hasn't found the Girl with the case. should they kill him, the Girl with the Case won't be able to be detected.
Cassie escapes the Bleeders attack and using her visions, she finds Nick passed out in pain at a local place.
She is joined by Teresa Stowe (Maggie Siff), a Stitch who then heals Nick due to the request made by Cassie's mother.
as Nick recovers, Cassie hands him a tulip and from thereon, Nick trusts Cassie completely.
Following Cassie's predictions, they go to a nightclub. Nick sees an old friend, Hook (Cliff Curtis), who is a "Shifter".
He tells them to go to Emily (Ming-Na Wen), a "Sniff" who can help them find the girl with the Case.
with Emily's info, Nick and Cassie find the Girl with the case, who turns out to be Kira. Kira grows ballistic upon sighting him and starts to open fire before ceasing. It was later explained that she once had a romantic relationship with Nick before she's caught and subjected to Division's tests.
In order to escape Division's detection, they recruit a "Shadow" named Pinky (Nate Mooney) to hide Kira from the Sniffs.
Cassie finds a key in her shoe to a locker in which Kira hid a case. With the aid of Cassie's visions, they piece together the events that led them to meet; Cassie's mother used her visions to set a complex plan in motion that will destroy the Division (her mother dropped the clear ball at the start of the movie, as a Watcher, she knew what would happen). They also are able to pinpoint the place where Kira has earlier hid the Case with the Syringe.
Nick then devises a plan that involves seven envelopes in which he places instructions; each person in the group is entrusted with one envelope before they split. As Kira is getting sicklier, they agree that Pinky should bring her to get the cure from Carver who earlier warns Nick that she's sick and needs cure that only him, Carver, can give.
Nick then uses the help of Wo Chiang (Paul Car), the "Wiper" to erase his memories of the plan so that the Pop Girl (Xiao Lu Li) doesn't have enough clue of their plans.
Hook retrieves the case, which has the syringe Kira stole, and brings it to Cassie. Hook shifts another case to match the case with the syringe. Cassie takes the shifted case to Nick's apartment and waits. Nick regains consciousness: he has no memory of the envelopes or his plan. He opens his envelope, which tells him to return home. He finds the case in his room but is set upon by Teresa who is hired by the Pop Triads to get the Case from Nick. the Pop brothers arrive and take the Case to their father. As they left, Nick regains his control back to restrain Teresa with the help of Cassie.
At the Pop Triads headquarters, it is found out that the Case is shifted by Hook earlier and is not the real Case. Having a vision, the Pop Girl informs her brothers that the Case is at the new building in construction somewhere.
Carver introduces himself to Kira as a friend, stating that her memories are false; she is a Division agent who volunteered to take the augmentation injection and suffered amnesia. Carver shows Kira her badge and gave her the cure.
Before saying goodbye, Nick assures a worried Cassie that she will survive and everything is going to be fine. She wanders around as Nick has told her only to find herself going into an apartment where the Tiger emblem is on the boxes. Pop Girl has earlier warns Cassie of seeing the tiger as her sign of death. True enough as Cassie turns her back, Pop Girl who is tracking her all this while has a gun trained on Cassie's head. At the last moment, the Wiper appears and erases her memory, saving Cassie.
Nick goes to retrieve the augmentation drug and confronts Carver and Kira. Carver tells Kira and Nick that their relationship never happened; it was a "push" memory. Kira reveals she has been using Nick and Nick takes the three to the building that contains the lockers and the case. Carver's man, Victor locks Nick in his car's trunk and goes to retrieve the case. They are ambushed by the Triads.
In the midst of the fight, Nick is released. He goes to find Kira and is confronted by Victor, also a Mover and a Division agent who works for Carver.
During the fight between Nick and Victor, the leader of the triad kills Victor in retaliation for killing one of his sons. He is later killed by Nick who moved the bamboo structure on him.
Carver with Kira then confronts Nick with the Case. Kira informs Nick that he was Push-ed with the memory of Coney Island. that they never have a relationship before and she is with Division all along. frustrated, Nick grabs the case and jams the syringe into his arm, apparently killing himself.
After the fight ends and Carver leaves with Kira, Nick wakes up. Cassie appears, and retrieves the true case, revealing that Nick injected himself with soy sauce, as they planned. Asked whether they will see Kira again, Cassie tells Nick that they will see "Miss Trouble soon enough".
Flying back to America with a sleeping Carver, Kira opens her purse and finds her envelope. She remembers Nick telling her to open it when "she started doubting the truth" and opens it. She finds a photograph of herself and Nick in a relationship, and a message written on the photograph that says "KILL HIM" on the upper left corner and "See U soon, Nick" on the lower right. Kira "pushes" Carver, commanding him to put his gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. The screen fades to black, followed by the sound of a gunshot.
the Types of Superhuman:
Watchers
Watchers have the ability to foresee the future to varying degrees. As knowledge of the future invariably causes that future to change, Watchers' visions of the future in their direct sphere of influence are subject to frequent shifting. Watchers visions are like a sense of deja vu. Watchers can get visions at will. Drinking alcoholic beverages can temporarily enhance a Watcher's abilities (as shown by Cassie). Cassie and Pop Girl are Watchers and Cassie's mother is also an advanced Watcher.
Movers
Movers are powerful telekinetics who are trained to identify the specific atomic frequency of a given material and alter the gravitational field around it, usually causing the nearby air to appear warped. This allows them to move both animate and inanimate objects. Advanced Movers can work at the molecular level, creating energy shields in the air around them or create power fists and kicks, a strike that delivers three times the power of a normal punch. Nick is a Mover, but not a very advanced one, unlike Victor, Carver's right-hand man.
Pushers
Pushers have the ability to implant memories, thoughts and emotions into the minds of other people in order to manipulate them. The skill level of the Pusher determines how many people the Pusher is able to control at one time, and how vivid the implanted memories are. A powerful Pusher can push a large group of people at the same time, basically creating a personal army. A Pusher is able to make a person do anything the Pusher desires, even commit suicide. A Pusher's eyes indicate how powerful they are: their pupils will dilate to certain degrees depending on how powerful the push is (for example, Henry Carver's eyes are rendered completely black, signifying that he is an extremely able and effective Pusher). Carver is a trained Pusher, and Kira as well.
Bleeders
Bleeders have the ability to emit high-pitched sonic vibrations that cause ruptures in a target's blood vessels. While using this ability, their pupils turn into vertical slits, like a snake's, because of synthetic materials implanted in them to protect their blood vessels from the effects of their own ability. They are also sometimes known as Screechers or Screamers. Pop Girl's brothers and father, the Triads, are Bleeders.
Sniffs
Sniffs are highly developed psychometrics who can track the location of people or objects over varying distances. Like bloodhounds, their ability is increased if they have tactile access to an object that has been in direct contact with the subject. Sniffs receive information in the form of images, which is why identifiable landmarks help increase their effectiveness. Emily Hu is a highly trained Sniff, and she uses her powers for money. Carver's associates who kidnapped Kira are also Sniffs.
Shifters
Shifters can temporarily alter the appearance of an object by manipulating patterns of light interacting with it. Once the illusion is established, it remains with the object for a short period of time. For example, a Shifter could touch a one dollar bill and alter it to appear as a one hundred dollar bill until the effect expires. The object shifted must have roughly the same dimensions as the object it is shifted into. The length of time that the effect will last is based on the Shifter's experience. Hook Waters, an ex-Division agent and Nick's friend, is a highly experienced Shifter.
Wipers
Wipers are skilled at either temporarily or permanently erasing memories, an invaluable asset in espionage. Experience will dictate the accuracy of their wipes, though there is always the danger that they will eliminate a desired memory. Wo Chiang, a fisherman who lives on a dock, is a Wiper who uses his powers on those who request it for money. He also erases part of Nick's and Kira's memory, and saves Cassie from Pop Girl by sneaking behind her and wiping her entire memory.
Shadows
Shadows are trained to block the vision of other clairvoyants, such as Sniffs, making any subject within their target radius appear "dark". Experience will enhance the size of the area they can shadow and the intensity of their shielding effect. Shadows need to be awake to manifest their ability, so it is common for a detail of two Shadows to operate in shifts while protecting a person or object for extended periods. Most Shadows are effective only against Sniffs, but some extremely powerful Shadows are able to block even Watchers. Pinky, a friend of Nick's, is a Shadow, and he is effective only against Sniffs. Like other characters, he also uses his powers for money. An old woman hired by Kira to hide the syringe has the ability to shadow an entire building, even from Watchers.
Stitches
Stitches are psychic surgeons trained to quickly reconstruct cells to their previous or healthy state. Using only their hands, they can heal and even un-heal whatever they have done. For more detailed work, Stitches use a silver-based cream on their hands which acts as a conductor for their ability.
the Review:
the movie is so-so to me. the villains had many times a chance to finish Nick off yet they let him get away. the script put Nick and Kira together yet the chemistry between them too is hardly there.
Cassie as a 13-year old is believable. though i wonder why didn't she appear before the Sniffs get to Nick. the movie scripts is not that good to me, you know. loopholes in the script are everywhere.
but i do appreciate the way the film was made. different usage of camera and scenery, the special effects was really good. there were attempts to include some good songs but i felt that was put in half-heartedly. they filmed this in Hong Kong but other than the bustling market scenes, the harbour and the eateries, not much of Hong Kong can be seen here. there were some spots of Cantonese-medium conversation but my subtitles didn't cover that, more's the pity. i only can understand a bit. hu hu, rugi!
a lot was taken for granted. like the way Nick seems to know what messages to leave to his friends. maybe he gets the help from Cassie. and the way they seem to connect this to Cassie's mom's careful planning, i don't know. and how on earth they will be able to cause damage to the Division by having that Syringe i don't know.
oh heck! maybe there'll be a sequel. who knows?
the Trailer:
the Plot:
People with psychic abilities have been involved with the United States government since 1945. Two "Movers", Nick and his father (Joel Gretsch), are running from the "Division". Nick's father tells him of a vision he received from a "Watcher"; a girl will give him a flower and he must help her in order to help all the people with powers. Nick's father hides him as Agent Carver of the Division arrives. Nick's father is killed.
Ten years later, the American Division tests a power boosting drug on a "Pusher" (someone who can implant thoughts in others' minds) named Kira (Camilla Belle). Someone drops a clear ball that gets stuck in a door. Rendering the doctor unconscious, Kira steals his security clearance card and an augmentation drug-filled syringe before escaping through the same door. She later woke up in a barge with an old Chinese guy. she hardly remembers much but her mirror was written with her lipstick, in her handwriting "4100 Nick". it turns out she is in Hong Kong.
Also in Hong Kong, Nick (Chris Evans) is hiding as an expatriate. A young girl, Cassie (Dakota Fanning), arrives at Nick's apartment, explaining that she is a Watcher and that they are going to find a case containing six million dollars.
They go out for a grub at the nearby fish market, only to be discovered by the Pop Triads whose members are Bleeders bent on having that Case too.
However, the daughter of the Pop Triad leader who is a Watcher informs her brothers not to kill Nick yet as he hasn't found the Girl with the case. should they kill him, the Girl with the Case won't be able to be detected.
Cassie escapes the Bleeders attack and using her visions, she finds Nick passed out in pain at a local place.
She is joined by Teresa Stowe (Maggie Siff), a Stitch who then heals Nick due to the request made by Cassie's mother.
as Nick recovers, Cassie hands him a tulip and from thereon, Nick trusts Cassie completely.
Following Cassie's predictions, they go to a nightclub. Nick sees an old friend, Hook (Cliff Curtis), who is a "Shifter".
He tells them to go to Emily (Ming-Na Wen), a "Sniff" who can help them find the girl with the Case.
with Emily's info, Nick and Cassie find the Girl with the case, who turns out to be Kira. Kira grows ballistic upon sighting him and starts to open fire before ceasing. It was later explained that she once had a romantic relationship with Nick before she's caught and subjected to Division's tests.
In order to escape Division's detection, they recruit a "Shadow" named Pinky (Nate Mooney) to hide Kira from the Sniffs.
Cassie finds a key in her shoe to a locker in which Kira hid a case. With the aid of Cassie's visions, they piece together the events that led them to meet; Cassie's mother used her visions to set a complex plan in motion that will destroy the Division (her mother dropped the clear ball at the start of the movie, as a Watcher, she knew what would happen). They also are able to pinpoint the place where Kira has earlier hid the Case with the Syringe.
Nick then devises a plan that involves seven envelopes in which he places instructions; each person in the group is entrusted with one envelope before they split. As Kira is getting sicklier, they agree that Pinky should bring her to get the cure from Carver who earlier warns Nick that she's sick and needs cure that only him, Carver, can give.
Nick then uses the help of Wo Chiang (Paul Car), the "Wiper" to erase his memories of the plan so that the Pop Girl (Xiao Lu Li) doesn't have enough clue of their plans.
Hook retrieves the case, which has the syringe Kira stole, and brings it to Cassie. Hook shifts another case to match the case with the syringe. Cassie takes the shifted case to Nick's apartment and waits. Nick regains consciousness: he has no memory of the envelopes or his plan. He opens his envelope, which tells him to return home. He finds the case in his room but is set upon by Teresa who is hired by the Pop Triads to get the Case from Nick. the Pop brothers arrive and take the Case to their father. As they left, Nick regains his control back to restrain Teresa with the help of Cassie.
At the Pop Triads headquarters, it is found out that the Case is shifted by Hook earlier and is not the real Case. Having a vision, the Pop Girl informs her brothers that the Case is at the new building in construction somewhere.
Carver introduces himself to Kira as a friend, stating that her memories are false; she is a Division agent who volunteered to take the augmentation injection and suffered amnesia. Carver shows Kira her badge and gave her the cure.
Before saying goodbye, Nick assures a worried Cassie that she will survive and everything is going to be fine. She wanders around as Nick has told her only to find herself going into an apartment where the Tiger emblem is on the boxes. Pop Girl has earlier warns Cassie of seeing the tiger as her sign of death. True enough as Cassie turns her back, Pop Girl who is tracking her all this while has a gun trained on Cassie's head. At the last moment, the Wiper appears and erases her memory, saving Cassie.
Nick goes to retrieve the augmentation drug and confronts Carver and Kira. Carver tells Kira and Nick that their relationship never happened; it was a "push" memory. Kira reveals she has been using Nick and Nick takes the three to the building that contains the lockers and the case. Carver's man, Victor locks Nick in his car's trunk and goes to retrieve the case. They are ambushed by the Triads.
In the midst of the fight, Nick is released. He goes to find Kira and is confronted by Victor, also a Mover and a Division agent who works for Carver.
During the fight between Nick and Victor, the leader of the triad kills Victor in retaliation for killing one of his sons. He is later killed by Nick who moved the bamboo structure on him.
Carver with Kira then confronts Nick with the Case. Kira informs Nick that he was Push-ed with the memory of Coney Island. that they never have a relationship before and she is with Division all along. frustrated, Nick grabs the case and jams the syringe into his arm, apparently killing himself.
After the fight ends and Carver leaves with Kira, Nick wakes up. Cassie appears, and retrieves the true case, revealing that Nick injected himself with soy sauce, as they planned. Asked whether they will see Kira again, Cassie tells Nick that they will see "Miss Trouble soon enough".
Flying back to America with a sleeping Carver, Kira opens her purse and finds her envelope. She remembers Nick telling her to open it when "she started doubting the truth" and opens it. She finds a photograph of herself and Nick in a relationship, and a message written on the photograph that says "KILL HIM" on the upper left corner and "See U soon, Nick" on the lower right. Kira "pushes" Carver, commanding him to put his gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. The screen fades to black, followed by the sound of a gunshot.
the Types of Superhuman:
Watchers
Watchers have the ability to foresee the future to varying degrees. As knowledge of the future invariably causes that future to change, Watchers' visions of the future in their direct sphere of influence are subject to frequent shifting. Watchers visions are like a sense of deja vu. Watchers can get visions at will. Drinking alcoholic beverages can temporarily enhance a Watcher's abilities (as shown by Cassie). Cassie and Pop Girl are Watchers and Cassie's mother is also an advanced Watcher.
Movers
Movers are powerful telekinetics who are trained to identify the specific atomic frequency of a given material and alter the gravitational field around it, usually causing the nearby air to appear warped. This allows them to move both animate and inanimate objects. Advanced Movers can work at the molecular level, creating energy shields in the air around them or create power fists and kicks, a strike that delivers three times the power of a normal punch. Nick is a Mover, but not a very advanced one, unlike Victor, Carver's right-hand man.
Pushers
Pushers have the ability to implant memories, thoughts and emotions into the minds of other people in order to manipulate them. The skill level of the Pusher determines how many people the Pusher is able to control at one time, and how vivid the implanted memories are. A powerful Pusher can push a large group of people at the same time, basically creating a personal army. A Pusher is able to make a person do anything the Pusher desires, even commit suicide. A Pusher's eyes indicate how powerful they are: their pupils will dilate to certain degrees depending on how powerful the push is (for example, Henry Carver's eyes are rendered completely black, signifying that he is an extremely able and effective Pusher). Carver is a trained Pusher, and Kira as well.
Bleeders
Bleeders have the ability to emit high-pitched sonic vibrations that cause ruptures in a target's blood vessels. While using this ability, their pupils turn into vertical slits, like a snake's, because of synthetic materials implanted in them to protect their blood vessels from the effects of their own ability. They are also sometimes known as Screechers or Screamers. Pop Girl's brothers and father, the Triads, are Bleeders.
Sniffs
Sniffs are highly developed psychometrics who can track the location of people or objects over varying distances. Like bloodhounds, their ability is increased if they have tactile access to an object that has been in direct contact with the subject. Sniffs receive information in the form of images, which is why identifiable landmarks help increase their effectiveness. Emily Hu is a highly trained Sniff, and she uses her powers for money. Carver's associates who kidnapped Kira are also Sniffs.
Shifters
Shifters can temporarily alter the appearance of an object by manipulating patterns of light interacting with it. Once the illusion is established, it remains with the object for a short period of time. For example, a Shifter could touch a one dollar bill and alter it to appear as a one hundred dollar bill until the effect expires. The object shifted must have roughly the same dimensions as the object it is shifted into. The length of time that the effect will last is based on the Shifter's experience. Hook Waters, an ex-Division agent and Nick's friend, is a highly experienced Shifter.
Wipers
Wipers are skilled at either temporarily or permanently erasing memories, an invaluable asset in espionage. Experience will dictate the accuracy of their wipes, though there is always the danger that they will eliminate a desired memory. Wo Chiang, a fisherman who lives on a dock, is a Wiper who uses his powers on those who request it for money. He also erases part of Nick's and Kira's memory, and saves Cassie from Pop Girl by sneaking behind her and wiping her entire memory.
Shadows
Shadows are trained to block the vision of other clairvoyants, such as Sniffs, making any subject within their target radius appear "dark". Experience will enhance the size of the area they can shadow and the intensity of their shielding effect. Shadows need to be awake to manifest their ability, so it is common for a detail of two Shadows to operate in shifts while protecting a person or object for extended periods. Most Shadows are effective only against Sniffs, but some extremely powerful Shadows are able to block even Watchers. Pinky, a friend of Nick's, is a Shadow, and he is effective only against Sniffs. Like other characters, he also uses his powers for money. An old woman hired by Kira to hide the syringe has the ability to shadow an entire building, even from Watchers.
Stitches
Stitches are psychic surgeons trained to quickly reconstruct cells to their previous or healthy state. Using only their hands, they can heal and even un-heal whatever they have done. For more detailed work, Stitches use a silver-based cream on their hands which acts as a conductor for their ability.
the Review:
the movie is so-so to me. the villains had many times a chance to finish Nick off yet they let him get away. the script put Nick and Kira together yet the chemistry between them too is hardly there.
Cassie as a 13-year old is believable. though i wonder why didn't she appear before the Sniffs get to Nick. the movie scripts is not that good to me, you know. loopholes in the script are everywhere.
but i do appreciate the way the film was made. different usage of camera and scenery, the special effects was really good. there were attempts to include some good songs but i felt that was put in half-heartedly. they filmed this in Hong Kong but other than the bustling market scenes, the harbour and the eateries, not much of Hong Kong can be seen here. there were some spots of Cantonese-medium conversation but my subtitles didn't cover that, more's the pity. i only can understand a bit. hu hu, rugi!
a lot was taken for granted. like the way Nick seems to know what messages to leave to his friends. maybe he gets the help from Cassie. and the way they seem to connect this to Cassie's mom's careful planning, i don't know. and how on earth they will be able to cause damage to the Division by having that Syringe i don't know.
oh heck! maybe there'll be a sequel. who knows?
Saturday, June 15, 2013
10 Years: a story that warms the heart...
... of those who look back at their memory of past...
the Trailer:
the Plot:
Jake (Channing Tatum) along with his girlfriend Jess (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) arrives at his high school friend's house owned by married couple, Cully (Chris Pratt) and Sam (Ari Graynor).
There, some of Jake's friends start to arrive including: best buddies Marty (Justin Long) and AJ (Max Minghella), musician Reeves (Oscar Isaac) and Scott (Scott Porter) together with his Japanese wife, Suki (Eiko Nijo).
The boyfriends then start driving to their high school reunion venue. Other friends from their high school arrive including: Garrity (Brian Geraghty) along with his wife Olivia (Aubrey Plaza) and Garrity's best friend Andre (Anthony Mackie).
Meanwhile, a reclusive woman Elise (Kate Mara) arrives at the reunion alone. She tries to greet the party planner, Julie (Kelly Noonan) but is cut off when Anna (Lynn Collins) arrives to the delight of the others.
Though, the now highly successful rock star Reeves notices her and appears to be the only person who remembers every detail of Elise during high school amongst the clique. it seems all night that amidst other people's clamoring for pictures with him, Reeves tries to get Elise into a conversation.
long before, Elise used to have a boyfriend who moved to Austin. and because of that Reeves never gets the chance to date her. and meeting again, this time she has a boyfriend in Chicago.
All night, Cully, the former school bully is trying to make amends with all his victims, to no avail as he, after excessive alcoholic binge, reverts to his old self, much to the consternation of his long suffering wife.
luckily Jess is a sport who keeps her company in her own misery of watching Jake unfolds when Mary (Rosario Dawson), his high school sweetheart arrives with her husband, Paul (Ron Livingston).
Marty just breezes in from New York City, but his Wall Street lifestyle may not be all that he claims. AJ reprises his not-so-friendly competition with Marty for the attention of Anna. They fawn over her and looking at the old pictures, AJ even commends that Anna always has the glow about her.
As the night goes on, the gang proceeds to Pretzels for some karaoke and more booze. Anna declines though, much to the disappointment of AJ and Marty as Anna is always known to be the party girl. She graciously exits and the two best friends decide to follow her home and do some toilet-paper-bombing just for the fun of it.
Anna freaks out as she catches the two in action. to their surprise, Anna is actually a single mom with 2 kids.
her vivacious appearance at the reunion is her dismal attempt at reliving the glow and now that the guys find out how screw-up she is, the facade is ruined. in aghast, Marty confesses that his life in NY is not that dandy either. and AJ confides that his doctor wife is leaving him. they settled down for a late night supper with Anna's kids. looking at her dealing with her kids, Marty whispers to the teary Anna that she looks more glowing than ever.
And Garrity (Brian Geraghty) has changed in a manner that surprises his best friend, Andre who thought that he has lost his nigga attitude and married a white woman for real. Olivia is stumped likewise to realise that Garrity has a different persona growing up and that perhaps she doesn't know him much at all.
Jess notices the tactful way Jake is reacting around Mary and decides that she'd rather go back to the motel to give Jake the space he obviously needs to settle the matter with Mary. Jake offers to go back with her but Jess insists that he stay.
it is later revealed that because of Mary's father being hospitalised on Prom Night, both Prom King and Prom Queen were not in attendance to receive their dues. and as the others left for college, Jake has tried to stay and keep Mary company during her father's illness but later he just got to leave for college and be a man.
Paul is upset when he finds out about how close Jake was once to Mary and she confesses that thinking of Jake always reminds her of her deceased father. and she is not comfortable about mentioning Jake because of that. Paul then leaves for home and Mary is left alone.
during a karaoke session, Cully made a fool out of himself. and then he invites Reeves to sing his hit: "Never Had". Elise who never hears it before is stumped to know that the song is of her. and feeling much out of depth, she feels that she has to go, only that Reeves manages to coax her to be with him now. at the parking lot 10 years ago, Elise had left him alone. and this time, Reeves finally fulfills his desire of being with Elise, at the car park, steaming the windows together.
as the night went on and the last couple is leaving, Jake and Mary resolves what was left unsaid before. and Jake is relieved to find out that Mary is happy with Paul, and she's expecting. knowing Jake, Mary softly encourages him to propose to Jess, something that Jake has postponed to do for the last 8 months.
back at the motel, Jess is actually waiting up for Jake to come back. and much to Jake's profound happiness, that the woman he's marrying really understands that he just got to see Mary settled down happy before he can continue with his life. they then leave for some breakfast at the nearby cafe. luckily Scott, Suki, Julie and other friends are there too. looking at Jess, Jake wills his courage and gathers the ring he kept in the car, finally deciding to propose.
the Review:
there are a lot of familiar faces in this movie. chemistry is there and i love the laidback way the story unfolds. it was quite hard to follow their conversation word to word because i have not the subtitle. nonetheless i manage to enjoy the story. it is bittersweet, touching the inner chord of us lamenting our past.
it touches me so when CT looks to his wife. JD was more adept at concealing her true feelings that the chemistry they had seems lukewarm or so. but i like her attitude. she's not like other jealousy gf so insecure of the guy she loves.
the bittersweet attachment between Mary and Jake is also apparent. seems that first love really last long, especially if the guy was decent enough a fellow.
i really like Scott's character. he's cool and charming. and when he confides about staying in Japan for good, it was real nice. his reasoning is really fine and reflects his mature sense of self.
as for Anna, it is a pity that she stumbled in life. but it took real heart and guts to show up vivaciously confident. i for one would not have that in me. last 2 days in fact, i showed up in an event that some old friends showed up too and i stayed for measly 10 mins before bailing out.
Cully is really a douche. and Sam is really a patient wife though she does cracked up at the end. the slight she received from Peter as she tried to apologise on behalf of her husband is more than she deserves for finding something nice and sweet about Cully. if left to me, i would dump his ass quicker than he can dunk the tequila shot himself.
some reviewers say the story of Reeves-Elise deserves more than window-steaming ending. but to me, it is a start. and it is sweet that someone remembers you so fondly after all the years and makes a song about you that ends up a big hit that launches his career. aww.. so shweeetttt! enjoy the soundtrack. i kept hitting replay everytime it ends :)
the Soundtrack:
PS:
i'm sorry i reneged on my promise for Safe Haven and the Bourne Legacy. i'll try soon, ok.
the Trailer:
the Plot:
Jake (Channing Tatum) along with his girlfriend Jess (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) arrives at his high school friend's house owned by married couple, Cully (Chris Pratt) and Sam (Ari Graynor).
There, some of Jake's friends start to arrive including: best buddies Marty (Justin Long) and AJ (Max Minghella), musician Reeves (Oscar Isaac) and Scott (Scott Porter) together with his Japanese wife, Suki (Eiko Nijo).
The boyfriends then start driving to their high school reunion venue. Other friends from their high school arrive including: Garrity (Brian Geraghty) along with his wife Olivia (Aubrey Plaza) and Garrity's best friend Andre (Anthony Mackie).
Meanwhile, a reclusive woman Elise (Kate Mara) arrives at the reunion alone. She tries to greet the party planner, Julie (Kelly Noonan) but is cut off when Anna (Lynn Collins) arrives to the delight of the others.
Though, the now highly successful rock star Reeves notices her and appears to be the only person who remembers every detail of Elise during high school amongst the clique. it seems all night that amidst other people's clamoring for pictures with him, Reeves tries to get Elise into a conversation.
long before, Elise used to have a boyfriend who moved to Austin. and because of that Reeves never gets the chance to date her. and meeting again, this time she has a boyfriend in Chicago.
All night, Cully, the former school bully is trying to make amends with all his victims, to no avail as he, after excessive alcoholic binge, reverts to his old self, much to the consternation of his long suffering wife.
luckily Jess is a sport who keeps her company in her own misery of watching Jake unfolds when Mary (Rosario Dawson), his high school sweetheart arrives with her husband, Paul (Ron Livingston).
Marty just breezes in from New York City, but his Wall Street lifestyle may not be all that he claims. AJ reprises his not-so-friendly competition with Marty for the attention of Anna. They fawn over her and looking at the old pictures, AJ even commends that Anna always has the glow about her.
As the night goes on, the gang proceeds to Pretzels for some karaoke and more booze. Anna declines though, much to the disappointment of AJ and Marty as Anna is always known to be the party girl. She graciously exits and the two best friends decide to follow her home and do some toilet-paper-bombing just for the fun of it.
Anna freaks out as she catches the two in action. to their surprise, Anna is actually a single mom with 2 kids.
her vivacious appearance at the reunion is her dismal attempt at reliving the glow and now that the guys find out how screw-up she is, the facade is ruined. in aghast, Marty confesses that his life in NY is not that dandy either. and AJ confides that his doctor wife is leaving him. they settled down for a late night supper with Anna's kids. looking at her dealing with her kids, Marty whispers to the teary Anna that she looks more glowing than ever.
And Garrity (Brian Geraghty) has changed in a manner that surprises his best friend, Andre who thought that he has lost his nigga attitude and married a white woman for real. Olivia is stumped likewise to realise that Garrity has a different persona growing up and that perhaps she doesn't know him much at all.
Jess notices the tactful way Jake is reacting around Mary and decides that she'd rather go back to the motel to give Jake the space he obviously needs to settle the matter with Mary. Jake offers to go back with her but Jess insists that he stay.
it is later revealed that because of Mary's father being hospitalised on Prom Night, both Prom King and Prom Queen were not in attendance to receive their dues. and as the others left for college, Jake has tried to stay and keep Mary company during her father's illness but later he just got to leave for college and be a man.
Paul is upset when he finds out about how close Jake was once to Mary and she confesses that thinking of Jake always reminds her of her deceased father. and she is not comfortable about mentioning Jake because of that. Paul then leaves for home and Mary is left alone.
during a karaoke session, Cully made a fool out of himself. and then he invites Reeves to sing his hit: "Never Had". Elise who never hears it before is stumped to know that the song is of her. and feeling much out of depth, she feels that she has to go, only that Reeves manages to coax her to be with him now. at the parking lot 10 years ago, Elise had left him alone. and this time, Reeves finally fulfills his desire of being with Elise, at the car park, steaming the windows together.
as the night went on and the last couple is leaving, Jake and Mary resolves what was left unsaid before. and Jake is relieved to find out that Mary is happy with Paul, and she's expecting. knowing Jake, Mary softly encourages him to propose to Jess, something that Jake has postponed to do for the last 8 months.
back at the motel, Jess is actually waiting up for Jake to come back. and much to Jake's profound happiness, that the woman he's marrying really understands that he just got to see Mary settled down happy before he can continue with his life. they then leave for some breakfast at the nearby cafe. luckily Scott, Suki, Julie and other friends are there too. looking at Jess, Jake wills his courage and gathers the ring he kept in the car, finally deciding to propose.
the Review:
there are a lot of familiar faces in this movie. chemistry is there and i love the laidback way the story unfolds. it was quite hard to follow their conversation word to word because i have not the subtitle. nonetheless i manage to enjoy the story. it is bittersweet, touching the inner chord of us lamenting our past.
it touches me so when CT looks to his wife. JD was more adept at concealing her true feelings that the chemistry they had seems lukewarm or so. but i like her attitude. she's not like other jealousy gf so insecure of the guy she loves.
the bittersweet attachment between Mary and Jake is also apparent. seems that first love really last long, especially if the guy was decent enough a fellow.
i really like Scott's character. he's cool and charming. and when he confides about staying in Japan for good, it was real nice. his reasoning is really fine and reflects his mature sense of self.
as for Anna, it is a pity that she stumbled in life. but it took real heart and guts to show up vivaciously confident. i for one would not have that in me. last 2 days in fact, i showed up in an event that some old friends showed up too and i stayed for measly 10 mins before bailing out.
Cully is really a douche. and Sam is really a patient wife though she does cracked up at the end. the slight she received from Peter as she tried to apologise on behalf of her husband is more than she deserves for finding something nice and sweet about Cully. if left to me, i would dump his ass quicker than he can dunk the tequila shot himself.
some reviewers say the story of Reeves-Elise deserves more than window-steaming ending. but to me, it is a start. and it is sweet that someone remembers you so fondly after all the years and makes a song about you that ends up a big hit that launches his career. aww.. so shweeetttt! enjoy the soundtrack. i kept hitting replay everytime it ends :)
the Soundtrack:
PS:
i'm sorry i reneged on my promise for Safe Haven and the Bourne Legacy. i'll try soon, ok.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Just Notes: 50,000th viewership and it's thanks to Jeremy Renner :)
wow.. i never knew that you guys like him so much. yar, the viewership has been slowing, trickling, just shy of the 50k mark that it sort of puzzled me a bit. but then, after i posted Hansel and Gretel review, the statics seem to jump start.
you love Jeremy Renner, don't you all? hahaha, i like him too. even though he's probably not coming back as Hawkeye in the Avengers sequel. what a shame but i think he's a good actor and he's moving to greener pastures if he doesn't get to reprise the role.
so.. as a small token of thanks, i'll do a review of the Bourne Legacy next, ok.
see, like i said, he's a dead ringer somewhat to Mr Craig :)
you love Jeremy Renner, don't you all? hahaha, i like him too. even though he's probably not coming back as Hawkeye in the Avengers sequel. what a shame but i think he's a good actor and he's moving to greener pastures if he doesn't get to reprise the role.
so.. as a small token of thanks, i'll do a review of the Bourne Legacy next, ok.
see, like i said, he's a dead ringer somewhat to Mr Craig :)
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