Day 88 - The Gangster Squad (American)

"In 1949 Los Angeles, Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) wants to control all organized crime, arguing with local mobster Jack Dragna (Jon Polito) that they should not allow the East coast Mafia to run the town. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Detective Sergeant John "Sarge" O'Mara (Josh Brolin) raids a Cohen brothel to save a woman, new to Hollywood. Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) is impressed that O'Mara had knowingly raided a Cohen operation and is aware that O'Mara has special operations background and training at Camp X during World War II. He tasks O'Mara to wage guerrilla warfare against Cohen; selecting a small team to work with no badges and no LAPD support"


Bad to the bone! Literally this movie was so bad from its core, there were only a few salvageable moments in this whole movie. I didn't like Ryan Gosling's ascent or Navidad's appearance which wasn't done well at all. I really like this time in history Sean Penn had the best appearance and it was his scenes that were the best part of this movie. Adding Emma Stone was such a bad idea, she didn't help the film whatsoever.
They should have picked a better director as well because this one did not do his job at all. This film has more flaws than 30 Minutes or Less and that is saying something.

0.05/5

day 87 - Psychometry aka The Gifted Hands (South Korean)

"
Yang Choon-Dong (Kim Kang-Woo) is a detective who rarely gets results. One day, a woman comes to the police station and reports her daughter is missing. The other detectives don't take her case seriously, but Yang Choon-Dong believes it could be a real kidnapping case. His boss lets Yang Choon-Dong work on the case alone.
Late one evening, Yang Choon-Dong wanders down an alley to take a leak. Right next to him is a young guy (Kim Beom) with a hooded sweatshirt covering his face. The young guy appears to have finished spray painting graffiti on the wall. Yang Choon-Dong begins chewing out the young guy for vandalism, when the young guy sprays Yang Choon-Dong in the eyes and disappears into the night. "


Should have been longer, so it could have told a better story. Overall not bad, though there were a few holes in the story. Like there's no real closure with the female character that seemed important but towards the end is never mentioned again. So it was hard to understand why she was added if they were not going to give her more depth since she is a key character in the film.
Also Yang Choon-Song's stupidity was almost too painful to watch, it added a little too much comedy to a movie that should be serious.  I have to say that Kim Beom did a good job so did Kim Kang-Woo but I wish they made his character have more depth. Also the little girl in the film was so cute and did a great job.

2/5

Day 86 - Annyeong UFO

"Sang-hyeon is a bus driver who lives out his daydreams by recording his own "radio shows" for the people who ride his bus. He falls in love with Kyeong-woo, a blind woman who has moved into his neighbourhood, but pretends to be someone else."

A nice film that has its moments. Lee Beom-soo is a nice actor and his co-star Lee Eun-ju kept up with him. I wish the film was longer in order to show more of the growing love Kyeong-woo develops for Sang-hyeon. There were  a lot of cute moments in the film that will make you say awww, there are a few bizarre like in most Beom-soo films. Though, I have to say it was nice to see this kind of film without anyone having a serious disease and dying from that disease.


2/5

Day 85 - Soo (SOuth Korean)

"Tae-soo tries to steal from a gang. The gang catches Tae-Soo's brother, Tae-Jin, instead. The incident causes the brothers to separate. Tae-Soo becomes a mob fixer and an assassin. Tae-Jin becomes a police detective. When a call brings the brothers together, they get ready for brotherly bonding, but Tae-Jin is killed. Tae-Soo decides to get revenge on his brother's killer."

Not good at all! I was expecting some really stellar action scenes but they sucked. The main character seemed to be inexperience in killing at times since his fighting style is all over the place. There were a lot of useless plotpoints that were not needed. Though, there are still holes in the film despite its two hour length. I was hoping for so much more!

0.9/5

Day 84 - Marrying High School Girl (South Korean)

"The story begins with the tale of a classic Korean story of romance about a princess named Pyun-gang whose husband, On-dal dies. Then we flash forward to a mother who has brought her haunted daughter (also named Pyun-gang) to a psychic, who informs her that her daughter is haunted by the ghost of the princess . He then goes on to say that the girl must marry her On-dal by her 16 birthday and produce a child within a year otherwise she will die. The family treats it skeptically until years later, Pyun-gang has several near-death experiences and is immediately spooked, convinced she is going to die. As luck would have it, soon thereafter, a new transfer student joins Pyun-gang's class. His name is On-dal, and he's intelligent, handsome and rich which really doesn't make the prospect of high school marriage such a tough deal for Pyun-gang, what with her impending death and all."




A good comedy that gently touches corny but in a good way. The lead actress Lim Eun-Kyeong was very interesting to watch, she is a talented actress and beautiful. Her character was so good, she made me laugh a lot. I enjoyed this film mainly because of her character.

2/5

Day 83 - The Wig (South Korean)

Sorry it's late again

"A young woman named Soo-hyeon (Chae Min-seo) is struggling against cancer and her older sister Ji-hyeon (Yoo Sun) decides that she should take her home so that she really can enjoy what little time she has left rather than to spend it in a hospital. Ji-hyeon is a mute, during a car accident which impaled her throat, she now cannot speak again and can only make rasping noises at the most, despite this, she is a very strong person and very caring for her little sister. She buys a long haired wig with bangs for her so that she can go out without having to feel ashamed of herself, what she doesn't know is that the wig is cursed. Soo-hyeon is so happy with the wig on, she begins to look and act a lot healthier and far more attractive. She leaves the house often, to take photos of herself at various locations."


An interesting horror movie once you read what it's about but the movie itself fails to live up to its potential. I was really looking forward to this film, I usually like Korean horror films but this one just didn't cut it. The emotions were there and so was the acting. Yet the script/storyline is the thing that dragged this movie down. I didn't like the older sister's boyfriend and how everything ties in with him really. This part made me think this was a remake of a Thai horror called Sick Nurses or just ripped off of it.

1/5

Day 82 - I Wish I Had A Wife (South Korean)

"
Bong-soo (Sol Kyung-Gu) has been working as manager of a small bank in an apartment complex for three years. During his three years there, 23 years if you count his school days, Bong-soo has never been late. However, he purposely decides to skip work one day. There is only one reason. Inside a subway train that has suddenly stopped on his way to work, everyone around him reaches for their cell phones to call someone. At that moment, he realized that he does not have a single person to call. He does not know that inside the educational center across the street from the bank where he works, a 27-year-old woman Won-ju (Jeon Do-Yeon) is looking over to him, nourishing a small love. Bong-soo and Won-ju run into each other every day, at the Ramen restaurant, at the bank, at the bus station.
All kinds of trivial incidents occur but Bong-soo still does not truly recognize Won-ju's presence. One day, while looking over the bank's CCTV tapes, Bong-soo discovers someone pitifully calling out his name to the small, closed-circuit camera that does not even record sound."

A film that looks complicated but is quite simple to the point it might be boring. I didn't like the fact that the main character didn't even know about the girl's love until the last twenty minutes of the film. The characters themselves this film is so simple but there's no real depth. It is like they tried to copy real life but failed by providing us with a really staged love.

1.9/5

Day 81 - Sansho The Bailiff (Japanese-1954)

"Sansho the Bailiff is a jidai-geki, or historical film, set in the Heian period of feudal Japan. A virtuous governor is banished by a feudal lord to a far-off province. His wife and children are sent to live with her brother. Several years later, the wife, Tamaki (Kinuyo Tanaka), and children, Zushiō and Anju, journey to his exiled land, but are tricked on the journey by a hypocritical priestess and sold into slavery and prostitution. The mother is sold to Sado. The children are sold by slave traders to a manorial estate in which slaves are brutalized, working under horrific conditions and are branded whenever they try to escape. The estate, protected under the Minister of the Right, is administered by the eponymous Sanshō (Eitarō Shindō), a bailiff (or steward). Sanshō's son Tarō (Akitake Kōno), the second-in-charge, is a much more humane master, and he convinces the two they must survive in the manor before they can escape to find their father."


A classic in Japanese cinema, this film is quite beautiful and interesting to watch. The mise en scene was wonderful as was the framing used. The director casted some remarkable actors that kept me interested from the beginning. I like the underline feminism the director shows in his female characters that rebels what Japanese society was during his time. A common theme in Kenji Mizoguchi films are men that succeed due to the sacrifice of a women. Which reflected the directors actual life, since he was able to become a director thanks to his older sister who was sold to a geisha house.
Anyway this film may not have the happy ending you may want or expect but it is a wonderful piece of cinema any true movie lover will fall in love with.

4/5

Day 80 - The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (Hong Kong Film)

"
Ye Rutang (Siqin Gaowa), a single-living woman in her late fifties, struggles to maintain a dignified life amid the dangers of Shanghai. Living alone in an apartment, she endures gossipy neighbor Mrs Shui (Lisa Lu) and her pampered cat. She is pragmatic, frugal and self-reliant, but her old-fashionedness and trusting nature make it difficult for her to fit into Shanghai society.
After encountering self-proclaimed aesthete Pan Zhichang (Chow Yun-Fat), she falls for Pan and uses her life savings to invest on cemetery spaces on Pan's suggestion. He turns out to be a fraudster.
After being the victim of several con artists, Ye suffers a bad fall and is hospitalized. She decides to leave Shanghai to live with her working-class husband and cook daughter (Zhao Wei) in Anshan."

A nice film that appears slow throughout and often boring. I wish we could have seen more of the girl that the boy fell in love with but she didn't appear a lot in the film. The aunt borderline on being a uptight woman to one dumb woman that will fall for any man. Now Chow Yun Fat was interesting to see as a conman, this film he didn't have to use any kind of violence. That alone is worth the watch, he is one of my favorite actors.

Anyway this film doesn't have a lot of good material to comment on. Watch it if you like slow movies


2/5

Day 79 - Aku No Kyouten/Lesson of the Evil (Japan)

"An English teacher named Seiji Hasumi (Hideaki Itō) is loved by his students and respected by his peers. He graduates from Harvard College with a MBA, and works at Morgenstern, a European investment bank, for two years. Hasumi returns to Japan to pursue high school teaching. However, his outward charm masks his true nature. In reality, Hasumi is a sociopath who is unable to feel empathy for other human beings. Specifically, he has a severe antisocial personality disorder. Having killed both of his parents at the age of fourteen, Hasumi turns into a fiendishly clever killer. During his time in the States, Hasumi meets a partner in crime who thinks he shares the same "hobby" as Hasumi – killing people for fun. Together, they kill many people. Hasumi eventually kills his partner. Back in Japan, Hasumi chooses to deal with problems like bullying and overbearing "monster parents" by systematically murdering. After a massacre at the school, Hasumi is caught by the police as two students escape. However, Hasumi plans to use his mental condition as his legal defence.
"




Such a great premise! They failed though, this film could have been so much better that its almost sickening. There are only a few brief moments that I deem watchable and not boring. At the very end when the teacher is being hauled away by the police. Everything was so boring it took so long to the story rolling. Though I have to say that I do like Hideaki Ito's acting in this film but I felt like the director didn't use the character to it's full potential.

1/5

Day 78 - The Host (South Korea)

Sorry that I was late with this one

 

 

"First, the movie starts with the scene of American military pathologists dumping over 200 bottles of formaldehyde into the sewer system, leading into the Han River. Over the next few years, a strange amphibious monster emerges from Han River and attacks people at random. The monster snatches up the protagonist’s daughter and returns to its hideout under Wonhyo Bridge. Her family tries to rescue her from the monster to the indifference of people, going through all kinds of hardships. According to the director, his inspiration came from a local article about a deformed fish with an S-shaped spine caught in Han River.^[2] The Host had set a new Korean box office record by reaching 10 million tickets in just 21 days. In addition, it was ranked one of the top films of 2007 on Metacritic with a score of 85. In November 2008, it was announced that Universal Studios would be remaking The Host."

First off let me say that I respect what this film means but I just couldn't like it. I didn't like the acting especially from the main set of characters. They were somewhat annoying and dull characters. I hate the ending which is so anticlimactic that I almost fell asleep. I really can't believe this is South Korea's highest grossing film ever.
1/5

Day 77 - Love you 10000 years (Taiwanese/Japanese)

"A Japanese girl (Kato Youki) is on a three month visit in Taiwan after breaking up with her boyfriend to study Chinese at a language center. One day she has a brief affair with Wu and later he requests her to sign a contract to be his girlfriend for 90 days and she agrees. One of the condition of the contract is they must get separated after 90 days. However, after getting know each other quite well, both find that the relationship seems to be true love and both are unwilling to break the contract agreement as the dateline approaches. What is the outcome of their love story in the end? "

Cute but that's about it. I felt like I was watching a semi-sentimental Japanese romantic comedy that borderlines on the plain annoying. I like how they explore the interracial relationship between a Taiwanese man and a Japanese woman. Besides that it wasn't all that good though it was entertaining in a simple way. I did like the last kiss the couple had at the end of the movie.

if you like cute movies then this one is for you

1.2/5

Day 76 - Hello Murderer (South Korea)

"Rookie detective Jeong-Min (Kim Dong-Wook) finds difficulties with his new job. His boss doesn't like him, he has to secretly prepare for a public service exam, and the local residents are up in arms over a serial killer that the police can't catch. A protest is then organized in front of the police station by the local residents. To Jeong-Min's horror, his own mother leads the protest as she works as the general affairs manager for the women's association. The residents are particularly peeved that the serial killer is causing the value of their homes to drop. Jeong-Min then decides that he will catch the serial killer once and for all.
Meanwhile, Young-Suk (Yu Oh-Seong) is an unemployed man who recently went missing, but suddenly appears again in the neighborhood. At crime scenes Yeong-Seok always appears before the police. Yeong-Seok is a bit of an amateur Sherlock Holmes. Jeong-Min quickly takes a dislike of Young-Suk and a rivalry soon develops between the two men to catch the serial killer first. "


Not that bad though not that good. Yu Oh-Seong is way better of an actor and somewhat better to watch. I feel like the film wasn't used to it's full potential. There wasn't a whole lot of events in the film which almost gave an empty feel. Not all of the relationships were given a lot of depth and some weren't really explored at all. It is almost an depressing film rather than a comedy at times.


1/5

Day 75 - Black House (South Korean)

The story centers on an insurance investigator that suspects a family murdered their son to receive his insurance policy

 

Not bad of a horror film, Hwang Jung-min did a good job as a busybody insurance investigator. Though I have to say that this film makes it seem like all psychopaths are evil, that's not true and there are proven cases to support this statement but let's not get into that. It could have used a more in depth script but the casting was well done. Yoo Sun is excellent in this film, she was on par or even better than Hwang Jung-min. If you chose to watch this movie, then do so with an open mind.

 

Day 74 - Romantic Heaven (South Korea)

""Romantic Heaven" tells the stories of various people who cross paths in a hospital. A lawyer (Kim Su-Ro) who mourns the loss of his wife, a tax driver (Kim Dong-Wook) taking care of his grandparent with Alzheimer’s and a woman (Kim Ji-Won) looking for a bone marrow donor for her mother ... "

A nice sentimental film that goes some place different than the normal drama film. Kim Su-ro is excellent as a heartbroken lawyer who recently lost his wife. I wished that each chapter was longer though, it could have helped add more depth to everyone's stories. Kim Ji-Won also was pretty good in this film; she was funny at the right parts and sentimental when she needed to be. Shim Eun-Kyeong was interesting to see as well, she performed well; I can't wait to see her in more things.

2.5/5

Day 73 - Fast and Furious 6 (American)

Not as corny as I thought, it was actually good. Like the other features in this series, number 6 contains a lot of action and star appearances. But this one takes it to a whole other level. There's the cars, women, action, and gunshots. In this series anyone can die, in real or fictional life. So that fact alone makes this film one of the better in any series. Though it should be clear that this film is the prequel to Tokyo Drift. (Somewhat Spoiler) Han dies in Tokyo which is quite sad, he was one of my favorite characters in the series. It was nice to see why he goes to Tokyo and the romance between him and Gisele while it lasted. The return of Letty wasn't all that bad of a plot point, it fits with the story and is quite justified.
I wonder what will happen to the series, Jeremy Lin won't direct the next one and Paul Walker, a key player in the series is now dead in real life. So what will happen to the series?

P.S. I love muscle cars

2.8/5

Day 72- In My End is my Beginning (South Korean)

"Lee Jung-Ha (Uhm Jung-Hwa) learns that her husband Min Jae-In (Hwang Jung-Min) has just died in a car accident while on a road trip. She then discovers that her husband was having an affair with her old high school friend Kang Na-Roo (Kim Hyo-Jin). After the car accident Na-Roo comes to Jung-Ha and asks to live with her under the promise of her unconditional devotion."


Another racy film that I enjoyed, it was quite entertaining to see how Lee Jung-Ha tortured Kang Na-Roo and how Na-Roo took the punishment given to her. Uhm Jung-Hwa is a wonderful actress and she proves it in this dramatic film that dares to challenge the social norm. Even though he doesn't have a whole lot of scenes, Hwang Jung-Min proves to be a great actor as well. He is entertaining in the way he portrays his character and really plays different characters each movie. That seems to be a rare trait in modern films.
KIm Hyo-JIn such an interesting actress, it was fun to see her character develop into something more than a masochistic slave. It her sense and her actions that make her character stand out even more.

2.9/5

Day 71 - A Clockwork Orange (British/American-1971)

"Alex (Malcolm McDowell), the main character, is a charismatic, sociopathic delinquent whose interests include classical music (especially Beethoven), rape, and what is termed "ultra-violence". He leads a small gang of thugs (Pete, Georgie, and Dim), whom he calls his droogs (from the Russian друг, "friend", "buddy"). The film chronicles the horrific crime spree of his gang, his capture, and attempted rehabilitation via controversial psychological conditioning. Alex narrates most of the film in Nadsat, a fractured adolescent slang composed of Slavic (especially Russian), English, and Cockney rhyming slang."


Truly a wonderful film that I fell in love with! It was nothing like I imagined it was going to be. It was a thrill to see how the story developed and the genius of the characters unfold. Kubrick really did a great job with this film, from the characters to the story. It was so fun to watch though I suggest you watch it if you like violent movies. Though this film features rape and a lot of graphic violence that some people couldn't imagine. There's a lot of nudity from male to female, so be warned about that. Also the music is so wonderfully done you will laugh at the way it has been down. The best character is Alex, he was such a wonder to watch. He is a character that is timeless, I can still see him about to rape a woman while singing "singing in the rain".
If you like Rob Zombie, then you most likely will like this film.


3.5/5

Day 70 - My Wife is a Gangster (South Korea)

Eun-jin was separated from her older sister Yu-jin when they were kids at an orphanage. While growing up, Eun-jin became a gangster and adopted the nickname "Mantis." Upon discovering that Yu-jin had cancer, Eun-jin demanded that the doctors perform an operation; however, they refused. The dying Yu-jin wished that her sister would marry soon, so Eun-jin went on a blind date under the advice of her underling Romeo, who invited a stylist to design the appropriate makeup for Eun-jin. However, the date was a disaster and Romeo was sent to find someone else more suitable."


A very entertaining film that made me laugh more than I thought I would. This film displays comedy, action, sentiment, love, friendship, and tragic events all in one go. The sex scenes were very funny with the main protagonist practically raping her husband anywhere in order to get pregnant so she can fulfill her dying sister's wishes. It isn't tell the end that it is revealed that the lead character might actually have feelings for her husband.
This film is quite enjoyable I recommend you watch this before the others.

2.8/5

Day 69 - Our School's E.T. (South Korea)

"Chun Sung-Geun (Kim Su-Ro) is a quirky high school physical education teacher. But the school's new policy to boost English education puts his position at stake, and he decides that teaching English is his only hope. Thus begins the simpleton's rigorous training to exercise his brain "muscles" to master English. "
Hilarious! I'm a fan of Kim Su-Ro, he is one of the film actors that can actually make me laugh. He is always interesting to see, this film is no exception. His depiction of a gym teacher that has to learn English in order to keep his job at the school was very interesting. He added some sentimental feelings in the film as well as his known comedy. He really makes the film was it was, KIm Su-ro Is one of my favorite South Korean Actors. He can inspire me like no other and can make me laugh a whole lot. I suggest you all see this film.
Now his co-stars weren't bad, they also helped the film but some of them were somewhat dull and could have been made more important which could help the audience feel more sympathetic to the characters. This is Lee Min-Ho's second film, if you like him.

P.S. His English is some of the best I've heard in a South Korean movie.

2.9/5

Day 68 - Killer Toon (South Korea)

"After a series of murders are committed that mimic a famous webtoon, detective Lee Ki-cheol (Um Ki-joon) places the cartoonist Kang Ji-yoon (Lee Si-young) on the list of suspects"

This is the first Korean horror movie to ever sale more than one million tickets.

This film was truly interesting, I enjoyed the artwork very much. The lead actress Lee Si-young is very entertaining to watch, it is the first time I've seen her play a serious role in a film outside of a romantic comedy. She made this film, combined with the truly entertaining horror art that might make some people screamish. This film is dark with moments of sentiment but truly it brings out the worst in people. It exposes people's darkest secrets, the one that they will kill over.
Truly wonderful!

2.5/5

Day 67 - The Foul King (South Korea)

"Im Dae-ho (Song Kang-ho) has been a huge fan of professional wrestling since his childhood. In South Korea, a wrestler called Kim Il was a big star in the 1970s, but Dae-ho preferred a cheating fighter called Ultra Tiger Mask. Years later, when his job at a bank isn't going well, Dae-ho decides to try professional wrestling himself."

A very nice film that borderlines on weird, I really didn't like the ending of the film. It was alright but if you like wrestling movies then this is for you.
The one thing that I did really like was the fight between Im Dae-ho and Yoo Be-ho towards the end of the film. It was like watching a lower level WWE brawl fight. Besides that there were not a lot of good moments. Honestly the fights were the only part besides the awkward/misunderstood romance between Jang Jin-young and Song Kang-ho's characters that never really goes anywhere.

This was Jang Jin-young's second movie ever, she was very good in this film. It is quite sad that she died so young.


2/5

Day 66 - Carrie (Remake- American)

"Alone in her home, Margaret White (Julianne Moore), a religious, yet disturbed woman, gives birth to a baby girl, intending to kill the infant but changes her mind. Years later, her daughter Carrie, a shy, unassertive girl, nears her graduation from Ewen High School in Maine."

Very nice, I think that this film suits this time with all the intense bullying going around. I think it was a good choice to remake this film. Chloe Grace Moretz was a great choice for Carrie, I like her acting. The special effects were a lot better than the original thankfully, I wish there was more to the story. I rooted for Carrie to kill everyone from the beginning, though I don't like the trend of the tormented person that ends up fighting back is casted off as the bad guy. I truly enjoyed watching all the bullies being killed, quite morbid huh?

2.9/5

Day 65 - From Up On Poppy Hill (Japan)

"Set in 1963 Yokohama, Japan, the film tells the story of Umi Matsuzaki, a high school girl living in a boarding house, Coquelicot Manor. When Umi meets Shun Kazama, a member of the school's newspaper club, they decide to clean up the school's clubhouse, Quartier Latin. However, Tokumaru, the chairman of the local high school and a businessman, intends to demolish the building for redevelopment and Umi and Shun, along with Shirō Mizunuma, must persuade him to reconsider."

A film from Ghibli's new line of directors, Goro Miyazaki has gotten better as a director. This film is a lot better than Tales of Earthsea though the animation still lacks a bit but really is an improvement. It has to be incredible hard to be the son of one of the best animators and be in the same field. People will judge this film even harder based on his family background. But I won't I choose to not look at that when I watch Goro's films.
This film's characters were so interesting and each had there own level of depth. Though I wish some of the minor characters were explored more but I understand why they were not. There is real emotion displayed in this film that might catch you over guarded. The story is nicely done, the backgrounds are truly beautiful at times.
Goro truly has to grow more as a director, he's still young so he might have more chances. I really want to see him challenge his fathers' legacy and create one for himself.


2.9/5

Day 64 - 2001:Space Odyssey (British/American -1968)

"The story deals with a series of encounters between humans and mysterious black monoliths that are apparently affecting human evolution, and a voyage to Jupiter tracing a signal emitted by one such monolith found on the Moon. The film is frequently described as an epic, both for its length and scope, and for its affinity with classical epics.^[2][3]"



This movie was so hard to get through, I fell a sleep a few times. It has a lot of boring moments that don't really do anything. There are some good moments but the rest is kind of bad. A lot of people have parodied this movie and those movies were better. I suggest you watch this If you want to see a "drug" movie or how all the special effects were made with a photography technique. They say it takes more than one time to understand this film. I will never give it the chance, I have no interest whatsoever.


1.5/5

Day 63 - Camp 14:Total Control Zone (German)

"Shin Dong-Huyk was born on November 19, 1983 as a political prisoner in a North Korean re-education camp. He was a child of two prisoners who had been married by order of the wardens. He spent his entire childhood and youth in Camp 14, in fact a death camp. He was forced to labor since he was six years old and suffered from hunger, beatings and torture, always at the mercy of the wardens. He knew nothing about the world outside the barbed-wire fences. At the age of 23, with the help of an older prisoner, he managed to escape. For months he traveled through North Korea and China and finally to South Korea, where he encountered a world completely strange to him"

A emotional roller caster of a documentary, the interviewee really seemed quite sad about re-telling his story at times. This documentary is for the ones who want an inside look of North Korea through a real life story of someone escaping a physical labor camp in the notorious country. The story is depicted in animation at times when he is telling his story at times, but the documentary was interesting to say the least. This film will open your mind and challenge what you believe. So I suggest you watch it with an open mind.



2.9/5

 

Day 62- Snitch (American)

"John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson), owner of a construction company, receives a call from his ex-wife Sylvie Collins (Melina Kanakaredes). His estranged son Jason (Rafi Gavron) is being charged for distribution of narcotics; while Jason is not actually a dealer, his friend set him up in a sting operation to reduce his own sentence after being caught. Jason's charges carry a minimum of 10 years in prison. John feels responsible because he was not there for his son, and he becomes desperate as he realizes that Jason may be killed before he finishes his prison sentence."

Dwayne Johnson is the best part of this film, he shows off better acting than anyone else is this film. The script is underdeveloped leaving a ton of boring dialogue.  The direction was poor, the character development wasn't there. It all seems way too staged and lacks the depth it should have.



1/5

Day 61 - American Mary (canadian)

"Mary Mason is a medical student preparing to become a surgeon. She struggles to pay her bills, and applies for work at a strip club. Before the job interview ends, she is taken to an underground room by the club's owner and presented with a man who has been tortured. She is asked to save the tortured man's life for $5000. She does so, but returns home in panic and disgust."

What a truly interesting horror film, even though its an indie it doesn't borderline any corniness. The whole concept is wonderful, I can't wait to see more work by the directors. The acting was good in a few parts but most of time it was bad. The whole film brought a new element to the horror world or maybe they just made something already in the horror film world and made it even better.


2/5

Day 60 - The Hidden Blade (Japanese)

"The plot revolves around several samurai during a time of change in the ruling and class structures of Japan. The film was written by Yamada with Yoshitaka Asama and, like its predecessor The Twilight Samurai, based on a short story by Shūhei Fujisawa"


A good movie but slow at times. It felt like the plot was underwritten despite its length. There have been more story and a better direction style. Also the acting at times seems un-natural and you can't always feel for the characters.
It has potential but needed to be more dramatic as all the sad scenes weren't sad at all.
Overall I would only suggest this film if you like samurai movies


2/5

Day 59 - Star Trek Into Darkness (American)

"In 2259, the starship USS Enterprise studies a primitive culture on the planet Nibiru. Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Spock save the planet's inhabitants from an extinction-inducing volcanic eruption, but Kirk violates the Prime Directive, exposing the Enterprise to the native inhabitants. Returning to Earth, Kirk loses command of the Enterprise and Admiral Pike is reinstated as its commanding officer. The two attend a meeting to discuss a Section 31 installation bombing in London, perpetrated by Starfleet officer John Harrison. Harrison attacks the meeting in a jumpship, killing Pike. Kirk disables the jumpship, but Harrison uses a portable transporter to escape to Kronos, the Klingon homeworld."


An interesting film, I liked it better than the first one. There was more action, better character development and a better plot as well. Not to mention the acting was somewhat better as well.  I can't wait to see more, I actually like the characters now and I'm not even a Star Trek fan.

2.9/5

Get ready for a bumpy ride