Day 150 - The Taste of Tea (Japanese)

"The film is concerned with the lives of the Haruno family, who live in rural Tochigi Prefecture, the countryside north of Tokyo. Nobuo is a hypnotherapist. He teaches his son, Hajime, Go. Hajime becomes an excellent Go player, but he has a rough time with girls and puberty. Yoshiko refuses to be an average housewife, and works on animated film projects at home. She uses assistance from Grandfather Akira, an eccentric old man who is a former animator and occasional model. Eight year old Sachiko periodically sees a silent, giant-sized double of herself which mimics or benignly watches her. She contemplates ways to rid herself of it. Uncle Ayano is a sound engineer and record producer who comes to stay for a visit. He engages in inward reflection, seeks closure regarding an old relationship, and recounts a childhood experience- a tale which influences Sachiko and ties into later events."

A very interesting film that had very good character development. There are a few trippy scenes and the beginning is hard to get through, but the film is worth the hassle. I enjoyed seeing the life each character lived and how some of it was changed especially for Hajime. Who goes from a shy boy to a boy who plays go with his crush and gets her to say "we should play together everyday". I also like the mom's animation ambitions, it was quite enjoyable to see a cameo by the great animator Hideaki Anno. It caught me off guard to see him but this movie seemed like it would be his kind of movie. I wish Hajime's and the uncle's could have been longer so we could see more but I'm glad for what the director did with the film. I would suggest this film to anyone who likes Japanese films and would like to learn something about the current culture of Japan.

3.4/5

Day 149 - Amelie aka Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (French)

"Amélie Poulain was raised by eccentric parents who — erroneously believing that she had a heart defect — prevented her from meeting other children. She was home schooled by her mother. She developed an active imagination and fantasy life to cope with her loneliness. After her mother is killed due to a freak accident, her father's withdrawal from society worsens. Amélie eventually decides to leave home and becomes a waitress at Café des 2 Moulins in Montmartre, which is staffed and frequented by a collection of eccentrics. Spurning romantic relationships after a few disappointing efforts, she finds contentment in simple pleasures and letting her imagination roam free."

A very good film, I enjoyed every second of the film. The actress who played Amelie was very interesting to watch, she is a wonderful and beautiful actress. She is completely funny and makes the character of Amelie so compelling to watch. I admit at first I that this was going to a very crazy corny comedy but I was proved almost entirely wrong. The film is as crazy as the characters that appear in it but maybe that's why it appeals to me. The characters were realistic in nature, which make some of them relatable. The director really knew what he was doing with this film I applaud him. I had an incredibly easy time relating to Amelie as a person which made the film even better. I suggest this film to anyone that loves a good French movie and anyone that likes romantic comedies.


3.5/5

Day 148 - The Pot (SOuth Korean)

"After selling their inheritances, Young-Guk (Lim Hyung-Guk) and Young-Ae (Yang Eun-Yong) move into an apartment in the city. As they start their new life, strange things happen around the house. Their daughter Mi-Ae (Ryoo Hyun-Bin) begins to exhibit weird behaviors and their neighbors seem shady. "

Avoid this movie! It was plainly creepy from all aspects of the movie. It is very boring and the script is dull. The father is a total tool, he is a true example of a poor husband and father. The story just spirals out of control towards the end of the film to the point it leave you wondering WTF. I will never suggest this film to anyone.

0.3/5

Day 147 - Odd Thomas (American)

'Odd Thomas (Yelchin) lives in a small town in California called Pico Mundo. His morning of August 14 begins with him coming out of his apartment, and meeting the ghost of a teenage girl named Penny Kallisto, who silently leads him to a street, where Harlo Landerson rolls his SS Chevelle convertible beside Odd and says hello. Odd immediately pulls the keys out of the ignition and accuses Harlo of raping and murdering Penny, noting two pieces of white felt from the victim that Harlo apparently has in his pocket. Harlo flees and Odd gives chase, with the chase culminating inside a child's room in a stranger's house. Harlo and Odd have a fistfight and Odd knocks Harlo unconscious. Odd waits on the scene and meets with his friend, police chief Wyatt Porter (Dafoe), who knows somewhat of Odd's psychic gifts and promises to spin the story to keep public attention away from Odd, as Odd does not want that attention. In his narration, he says, "I see dead people, but then, by God, I do something about it"."

A very nice film, I enjoyed it a lot and I will try to read the book now. Anton Yelchin is at his best in this film and is quite enjoyable to see. It was cool to see William Dafoe, it was unexpected. I hope there will be a sequel to this film eventually. I haven't read the book yet, so I can't or won't suggest this to anyone who has read the book. But I will suggest this to people who haven't read the book yet.


2.5/5

Day 146 - Catch Me aka Steal My Heart(Korean)

"Ho-Tae (Joo Won) is a hot shot criminal profiler. He's currently working on a serial murder case. With his help, detectives are staked out to catch the murderer, but the suspect becomes involved in a hit-and-run accident. Ho-Tae assures everyone he will catch the driver of the hit-and-run accident. Ho-Tae works on the case and figures out the driver of the car is Yoon Jin-Sook (Kim A-Joong). Ho-Tae enters her unlocked apartment and comes face to face with the driver. He's stunned to see that the woman is Lee Sook-Ja .. his first love from his college days. Soon, Ho-Tae also learns that the woman is a cunning cat burglar. "

Such a funny romantic comedy, it was much better than I thought it would be. I happen to adore Kim A-Joong ever since I saw 200 Pound Beauty and the drama That Fool. She is a wonderful actress, it was very funny to see her play as a thief in a romantic comedy. The script was well done and happened to well delivered as well. Joo Won did a good job too, he was funny to watch and he was even better when he was interacting with Kim A-joong's character. This is the best romantic comedy film I have seen in quite a while. In was most enjoyable and a breath of fresh air from all of the tragedies I've been watching lately. I suggest this film to rom-com lovers and fans of great movies.


3/5



Day 145 - The Monuments Men (American/German)

"In 1943 during World War II, the Allies are making good progress driving back the Axis powers in Italy. However, Frank Stokes (George Clooney) persuades the US President that victory will have little meaning if the art treasures of Western civilization are lost in the fighting, either as collateral damage in combat or looted. To minimize that threat, Stokes is directed to assemble an Army unit nicknamed the "Monuments Men" comprising seven museum directors, curators, and art historians to both guide Allied units and search for stolen art to return it to the rightful owners."

Its cr*p, please don't watch this film. It is boring as watching paint dry! There is nothing salvageable from this film even with the cast of Bill Murray, Matt Damon, John Goodman, and George Clooney. George even directed the film and you can definitely tell that he directed it. The script was bad, the acting worse, a lot of time wasted for nothing, and truly could have been a good movie.
This is another film I wouldn't suggest to anybody

0/5

Day 144 - Silenced aka The Crucible (South Korean)

"Kang In-ho (Gong Yoo) is the newly appointed art teacher at Benevolence Academy, a school for hearing-impaired children in the fictional city of Mujin, North Jeolla Province. He has a dark past - his wife was a high school student who committed suicide and his daughter is under the care of his mother. He is excited to teach his new students, yet the children are aloof and distant, trying to avoid running into him as much as possible. In-ho does not give up, however, trying to show the kids that he cares. When the children finally open up, In-ho faces the shocking and ugly truth about the school and what the students have been enduring in secret: the children are being physically and sexually abused by their teachers"

A Thought-provoking film that is heart retching almost all of the time. This film is about many thing but mainly justice. From what I got out of this movie was that "Maybe we shouldn't try to fight to change the world but maybe fight to make sure the world doesn't change us". This words left an impression on me, I thought very deeply about the message in this film. This is what kind of film it is, you want to hate it because of what it is depicting but you want to like it because it so well done. If you chose to watch this film beware we do see the molestation scenes that can leave you feeling utter disgust. I suggest this to people who love thought-provoking films and are not afraid to actual feel something while watching a film that depicts a true story.
There is no justice in this world anymore....


3.5/5