The Notebook (2004)

The movie focuses on an old man reading a story to an old woman in a nursing home. The story he reads follows two young lovers named Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun, who meet one evening at a carnival. But they are separated by Allie's parents who disapprove of Noah's unwealthy family, and move Allie away. After waiting for Noah to write her for several years, Allie meets and gets engaged to a handsome young soldier named Lon. Allie, then, with her love for Noah still alive, stops by Noah's 200-year-old home that he restored for her, "to see if he's okay". It is evident that they still have feelings for each other, and Allie has to choose between her fiancé and her first love.

A very old film which I happened to stumble upon today. It moved me to tears at the end. The love that the husband had for his wife with both dying peacefully together in the end.

" The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more.
That plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds "

Watch online here
Read the synopsis here

Ip Man 2

Before Ip Man 1, I never really know much about Donnie Yen. Ip Man 1 caught me off-guard and I was simply awestruck with the show and especially with Donnie Yen.

So when Ip Man 2 came along, of course, its a must-see show for me. Its entertaining, with some humour and lots of his signature "chops"
But I was expecting better storyline since Ip Man 1 was against Japanese and now Ip Man 2 is against British. How lame can it get?

Read the synopsis here

Iron Man 2

Summary
With the world now aware of his dual life as the armored superhero Iron Man, billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) faces pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military. Unwilling to let go of his invention, Stark, along with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James "Rhodey" Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, must forge new alliances -- and confront powerful enemies.

Read the synopsis here
Main website

I found the show to be pretty entertaining with lots of action and special effects but I think if there was going to be part III, I will soon be bored. I still found part I to be much more refreshing.

The last part of the show where Ivan Vanko died is abit lame though.

Clash on the Titans

Synopsis
In “Clash of the Titans,” the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

Caught this shoow sometime back at Tiong Bahru GV theatre, I was surprised that I managed to get the tickets for the 3pm show at 1pm. I would have thought it should have been sold out by then. Nevertheless, the theatre was full.

After all the hype surrounding the show, I have great expectations of it. But it was not as impressive as I thought it to be. Storyline is blah and abit silly, Sam does not act well, the ending does not feel like an ending, abit too short and abrupt for my standard

Source : Movieweb

14 Blades

Synopsis
During the late Ming Dynasty, the Chinese imperial court is plagued by corruption as eunuchs usurp state power and the reigning emperor is incompetent. The Jinyi Wei (literally: Brocade-clad Guards) is the government's secret police, trained in clandestine combat since childhood, they are in charge of conducting missions to ensure peace and stability within the empire. They have the authority to prosecute anyone deemed as an enemy of the state and they devote their lives and lethal prowess to serving the emperor only. When the organisation was first founded, the Jinyi Wei took orders directly from the emperor, but now they are under the control of the eunuch faction. The chief eunuch Jia Jingzhong is plotting with an exiled noble, Prince Qing, to rebel against the emperor and seize power. Jia orders Qinglong, the Jinyi Wei chief, to kill the Imperial Councilor Zhao Shenyan and take Zhao's safebox, which supposedly contains a list of names of traitors.


However, Qinglong discovers later that he had been used, as the safebox contains the Imperial Seal, a symbol of the emperor's authority, and Jia wants to use it to legitimize Prince Qing's actions for convenience when the rebellion begins. Qinglong is betrayed by his fellow guards and becomes a fugitive when Jia denounces him as a traitor and issues an order for his arrest. Qinglong escapes and joins the Justice Escort Agency, where he strikes up a romantic relationship with Qiao Hua, the daughter of the agency's leader. Qinglong is determined to fulfill his loyalty to the emperor and continues to search for evidence of Prince Qing's rebellion plot and undermining Qing's plans. He is joined by the Heaven Eagles Gang, a group of bandits led by the Judge of the Sands. Standing in Qinglong's way are Jia Jingzhong's lackeys and his former Jinyi Wei fellows, as well as Prince Qing's goddaughter Tuotuo, a highly-skilled female pugilist.

Actually I kinda enjoyed this show. Even though this show did not reflect Donnie Yen's skills much, unlike Ip Man, but his torso well made my day. He's so fit and muscular, it does not even reflect his true age at all.
But the title does not not really correlate to the show well, shouldnt there be more scenes reflecting on the true meaning of the 14 blades?
Too bad, I did not get to see much of Wu Chun's bod. Haha

A show definitely worth watching.

Hachiko

Based on a real life story, this is an American adaptation of a Japanese tale about a loyal dog named Hachiko. This very special friend would accompany his master to the train station every day and return each afternoon to greet him after work. Sadly his master departs one day, passes away and never returns to the station. Hachiko faithfully returns to the same spot at the station the very next day, and every day for the next nine years to wait for his beloved master. During his daily visits, Hachiko touches the lives of many who work near and commute through the town square. He teaches the local people love, compassion and above all unyielding loyalty. Today, a bronze statue of Hachiko sits in his waiting spot outside the Shibuya station in Japan as a permanent reminder of his devotion and love.

A very touching, lovely and emotional story that moved me to tears even before the owner (Richard Gere) passed away in the story.
The most touching scene is when the wife came back to their old house during the tenth anniversay of the husband's death and saw the old and weak dog still waiting for his master at the station.

Read the true touching story here

Sherlock Holmes

In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, "Sherlock Holmes" sends Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Jude Law) on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

After finally catching serial killer and occult "sorcerer" Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner's new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic - and the deadly embrace of temptress Irene Adler.

Source : Yahoo Movies , Imdb, Sherlock Holmes

It was slightly draggy in the initial part of the movie, with lots of dialogues. However, when the fighting starts and the mysteries started to unravel, I found it to be too fast-paced for me to fully comprehend the whole story and how the mysteries get resolved.
Robert Downey Jr seems to fit into the story very well, portrayed as a witty detective. The way he solved his mysteries and  the way he analyzed someone or some place just by looking at him or the place is pretty cool. Its just what a detective should be.

I always love reading about mysteries and murder so this story actually fits me but its too bad that there is no english subtitles. I am still waiting for the day when all movies will include english subtitles so that I will understand the show better and the deaf still can enjoy their movie.

Avatar

Description
"Avatar" is an emotional journey of redemption and revolution. The story tells of a wounded ex-marine, who thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity, and eventually crosses over to lead an indigenous race in a battle for survival. Thus, combining the elements of massive spectacle and intimate character that made James Cameron's "Titanic" the highest grossing film of all time.

Summary
"Avatar" centres on Jack Sully (Sam Worthington), a U.S. marine who is paralysed from the waist down. He is recruited to travel to a planet called Pandora, where it is inhabited by an indigenous population known as the Na'vi, which takes on a human-like form but with a tail, blue complexion and a height that is 10 feet tall. Jack soon participates in an Avatar programme, whereby he will inhabit the body of a genetically-engineered Na'vi hybrid known as an Avatar. While his existence in the world of Na'vis has its own agenda, chaos erupts when the humans begin to attack their peaceful habitat in order to pillage their natural resources.

Australian actor Sam Worthington successfully delivers his part perfectly as a down-right humanitarian who is brave and loyal. Initially supposed to help Colonel Miles (Stephen Lang) destroy the Na'vi's homeland, we soon witness him embrace the Na'vi race despite not actually being one. Furthermore his strong feelings for the beautiful Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) made him willingly sacrifice anything for her, even betraying his own kind. As for Zoe Saldana, she holds her stand as a patient and wise teacher towards Jack as she slowly guides him to become one of them. She too has her fair amount of action sequences with her enemies. Stephen Lang's performance does not fall below the bar of excellence as a colonel who tries to destroy the Na'vi race. Without fail, he makes sure audiences form an immense hatred towards his actions.

Official Website
Synopsis

I was pretty keen to watch this since its a James Cameron movie ( think Titanic ). I have 2 group of friends who either hated this movie or loved this movie to bits. Well, I belong to the latter group. Its actually quite an awesome movie, an out of this world movie. A story that one wouldn't expect it to be.

Planet 51

Synopsis :
The inhabitants of Planet 51 live in fear of 'alien' invasion. Their paranoia is realised when an astronaut arrives from Earth and befriends a young resident. He has to avoid capture in order to recover his spaceship and try to return home.

I wouldn't have chose to watch this movie if not for my group of friends. The tagging along part is more of a hanging out with my friends then to actually watch the movie.
I am not a cartoon fan and I will not attend one, unless its really a good blockbuster show.

This is a really boring movie and I believe that its strictly for children or for those young-at-heart adults. Even though it provided some good-natured laughs along the way, but it still doesn't help to garner my votes for this movie. I yawned most of the time though I will never sleep in a theatre. Thats a rule I stick by strictly.

At the end, the moral of the story is "Fear of the Unknown"
Come to think of it, its can be interpreted as a meaningful movie but I think I can find better storylines out there.

Source : Planet 51

Never Forever (2007)

Never Forever  , a 2007 joint production between South Korea and the USA is quite a touching movie which I watched recently. In fact, I never heard of this movie before till a colleague of mine passed me a copy of  it.

Synopsis :
Sophie, a young Caucasian woman, and Andrew, a successful Korean-American professional, have been suffering from infertility. The medical probability of Sophie bearing Andrew's child is near zero. At the infertility clinic Sophie encounters Jihah, a poor, recent immigrant from Korea. Sophie notices that he bears a striking resemblance to her husband. Sophie initiates a sexual relationship with Jihah for the hope of getting pregnant to keep her family.