Now, I'm Going to Meet You

One of the great thing about having cable at your house, is having choices at the tip of your finger. My favorite past time concerning TV is browsing channels while not particularly watching anything.

In one these time wasting activity, I stumble this little gem, a Japanese movie called Ima, ai ni yukimasu (Now, I'm Going to Meet You (2004), in one of the channels.

The story starts out as your usual drama movies. After fighting a long time illness, Mio (Yuko Takeuchi) finally passed away. She left Takumi (Shido Nakamura) her grieving husband and Yuji(Akashi Takei), her son, to live on their own.

The family of two really struggled at first. Takumi suffered a medical condition since high school that made him suffered fainting spells if he got too excited. He's feeling guilty that Mio wasted her life by taking care of him until her death. Yuji wondered whether he was responsible for her mother illness (Mio's health took a downturn after giving birth). The only thing that kept Yuji remotely happy is that a storybook that Mio created for him. The book shows that Mio will come back one year later during the rainy season, before returning to what she called, 'The Star Archive'.


This is where the movie is getting interesting. On the first day of the rainy season, both Yuji and Takumi found a woman with striking resemblance to Mio, right in the place where the storybook said Mio will return. However this person seems to suffer amnesia since she didn't remember anything, her name, her life before showing up there, and she definitely didn't remember Takumi and Yuji. Nevertheless, they took her home and take her to heart, believing that Mio has come back from the dead. They all lived happily until they found out the reason behind all this.

It's very rare a movie can mixed drama, supernatural, and perhaps science fiction elements, and provide a touching story about love and sacrifice. The movie itself took time in revealing all the facts, but when it did, it really hit home and fits the puzzle perfectly.

The ending itself is curiously good. It's not what I called a regular happy ending, but you felt heartwarmingly satisfied when the credits rolled. Perhaps because even with the other wordly element, this movie is essentially a story about how love prevails.

I also read that this movie has been opted for a 2009 Hollywood remake. I really hope though, that when the adaptation come out next year, it will make people to want to watch the original.

Here, there and Everywhere

Hayden Christensen was probably one of the most confusing actors in Hollywood nowadays. His performance in Star Wars movies was deemed too wooden, static. In short, he was rubbish. However, he surprised everyone with a strong performance on Shattered Glass, where he played based-on-a-true-story journalist who was accused of fabricating his stories.

Unfortunately in Jumper(2008) it was Star Wars all over again.

The movie had a potential to be a really huge hit. It has interesting premise about a boy who suddenly found teleporting (or in this movie, jumping) powers. He first used it for his personal gain (rob banks, travelling around the world), until he was hunted down by a mysterious organization. It has all the material to be a great action summer blockbuster, especially because I think, besides flying, teleportation is probably the most wanted fantasy power out there. It promised great action and special effects bonanza. However, there's also has to be a balance with the acting to really enjoy movie like this.

Hayden who played David Rice, the main character, wasn't be able to carry the movie as the main character. I can't shake the feeling that the guy on the screen was Anakin Skywalker, put in different situations with different powers. I found myself more enjoying Jamie Bell performance as Griffin, a fellow world-weary jumper. Rachel Bilson performance as David love interest is sufficient to say the least, as I don't think she was given much anyway.

The special effect though deliver in spades. The jumping scenes was well portrayed, especially on using jumping powers for everyday use, and using it for fighting purpose.

Having said that, I found myself enjoying this just enough. Perhaps because I went in without any expectation at all, or read the novel it was based on. But nevertheless, after the credits roll down, I can't help feeling of a great opportunity missed.

I Have A Cunning Plan..

When my friends said that I should check out Rowan Atkinson's old comedy show The Black Adder(1983), I admit that I was a bit skeptical. My only experience with Atkinson comedy was Mr. Bean, and while it was funny at times, his physical humour was sometimes too much and too gross for my liking. So I kinda ignore his advice. However, when WGA strike means that I run out of new TV shows episodes (namely House M.D), I reluctantly turn to this show.

The result was unexpected. I was completely hooked, from the first season to the last. I watched all four season in order in about just a week. I laughed so hard on every episode, that I hardly remember when's the last time I did so.

The series revolved on the lives of Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) and his descendants (also played by Atkinson). Each of the four season potrayed each generation of Edmund Blackadder. From the coward and dumb Prince Edmund Blackadder in the Dark Ages, to the cunning and smart Captain Edmund Blackadder in WW I era.

The comedy was nothing like Mr. Bean. Here, the jokes are much more cerebral and located in the dialogs. It pokes fun at just about everybody, notably the French, the Scots, the Germans, and even the English themselves. Most of the humour owed to Atkinson and the cast brilliant delivery. Atkinson brought sarcasm and witty to a new level, especially on second season onwards, and the other actors compliment him perfectly. Tony Robinson, who played Baldrick (and his descendants) in each season was the target for most of the jokes as Blackadder's servant/busybody.

It helped that the rest of the supporting cast was also a group of good actors. The talented Tim McInnerny played his role as Lord Percy Percy (and later Captain Darling) wonderfully. Hugh Laurie and his comedy partner Stephen Fry, fresh from their successful turn out in their comedy show, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, join the cast in the second and third season, while Miranda Richardson played as the child-like Queen Elizabeth I in the second season.

Futhermore, in it's fourth season, set in WW I era, it pokes fun and criticized the wastefulness of war in a funny and touching way. It's very rarely to see a comedy show that can managed to bring a serious message like that, and didn't feel out of place.

I don't know what else to say, but go and see this.