Movie Blog: Iron Man 3

So the summer movie blockbuster season has officially kicked off with the unleashed in cinemas of Iron Man 3 with Robert Downey Jr. reprising his role as Tony Stark and I can definitely say it was the most awaited movie of the year for me. It is one of the most beloved series of Marvel.

I haven't been going to movies as much lately, but there's one I can promise I'm going to make time to see: Iron Man 3. Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, and Don Cheadle are all back; I like director Shane Black's work, and its superheroes! Ya'll know I love superheroes.

Well obviously it’s not just me who is hype and turning like a little child to watch Iron Man 3, yes because I was, to be honest. It’s one of the most awaited movies of the year. So now that Iron Man 3 is finally showing, what can I say about the movie?

Again -- it’s a massive, massive spoiler so, if you don’t want to know, please go away. Beware. Seriously.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

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LAST CHANCE!!

Wow, still here? Okay.

"We create our own demons."

So goes the very first line of this three-quel, opening to massive expectations and no doubt, box office following Iron Man's last triumphant movie as part of the superhero powerhouse which was The Avengers.

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as billionaire Tony Stark - who, has been off the superhero scene, distancing himself from everyone and struggling with his inner demons. And, this time around, he is suffering a little anxiety attack from PTSD following the events at the end of the alien invasion masterminded by Loki during post-Avengers' incidents. As he deals with this completely out of character crisis of confidence he’s suddenly faced with one of the greatest terrorist threats mankind has seen, The Mandarin.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.)

Facing a distinct lack of sleep, Stark has been distancing himself from the love of his life Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), who's working hard at Stark Industries and is choosing to dwell on building other Iron Man suits within his basement.

Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow)

The trailer didn't really reveal a predictable storyline as well giving this 3rd movie a fresher plot. The trailer portrayed the movie to be dark and challenging, which is unfortunately nothing like the movie. The trailer built up to The Mandarin, which completely falls on its face. But I couldn’t mention the spotlight without a nod to The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), is a fabulous addition to the group of Marvel baddies, who was set up in the trailer so awesomely as the main antagonist…He’s just an actor in the movie, a “mascot” for the terrorist group – he didn’t even know he was working for terrorists! Haha to say too much about this bearded Bin Laden-esque terrorist.

The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley)

Then there’s Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), is yet another villain of Stark’s making. The film serves up plenty of spectacle – explosions, chases and brilliantly choreographed fight scenes. Pepper Potts finally gets something more than her usual role proving to be the perfect match for Stark. And yes she finally gets the suit. Gwyneth Paltrow and Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen) certainly add more to the characters.

Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce)

Rebecca Hall (Maya Hansen)

The rapport between Stark and Harley (Ty Simpkins), the young kid he meets who will not only enable him to overcome his PTSD but also become an unlikely pre-young sidekick significantly enlivens the film.

Harley (Ty Simpkins)

Robert Downey Jr. is forever brilliant as Tony Stark and he explores more of the character. What more? Iron Man 3 turned out to be quite a smart continuation, focusing on Tony Stark's coping with his post-Avengers struggles and self-reassurance of his superhero capabilities as a natural human being. The dialogues are hilarious, very human and these characteristics make their actions heroic indeed. Use of cool, amazing and high technology for the Iron Man suits was pretty awesome.

The level of entertainment makes the movie's obvious flaws and plot holes very forgivable for me. They managed to balance the film to be an adrenaline-pumping action flick with a healthy dose of comedy. The most surprising element of Iron Man 3 though, is just how funny it is. Dry wit and banter from every character make the two hours whip by and manage to lift the mood in almost every scene. The line exchanges of jokes were really much more hilarious than the past two Iron Man movies. RDJ is on top form this time out with the script having the audience laughing loudly and continuously throughout. I can’t help but think at how very intelligent and crazy (in a good way) the script was written. Intermixed with the comedy are the action sequences. There's nothing like blowing stuff up, major explosions and lots and lots of Iron Man suits to get the edge of the seat high you get from the big screen.

Of course what’s an Iron Man movie without some man-in-a-suit-of-armor action? Tony! Tony! Tony! Tony! Admit it! The real reason why Iron Man is so cool is because of the oh-so-ubercool-and-unconventional – superhero.

Will it lead to an Iron Man 4?

That's the big question - with the Iron Man 3 ending feeling like a kind of wrap up, and Downey Jr's contract being finished with the role, you'd have to wonder if this is the end for Stark. But given this latest performance, he's irreplaceable - and Marvel would be hard pressed to bring anyone else into a role which Downey Jr. has made so emphatically his own.

Oh, and make sure you stick around for the obligatory post credits sequence at the end....Yes, of course there is, it's Marvel. But probably not worth the time waiting. Hihihi :))

According to Latino Review, here’s the post credits sequence:

“It starts with a close shot of Tony Stark on a couch talking about his various traumas, obviously he’s talking to someone, as if he was seeing a shrink, the tone of the scene is light and supposedly funny. Then we discover that the person he’s talking to is Bruce Banner/Mark Ruffalo, who fell asleep because of Tony’s boring story. Tony remarks that Banner has been sleeping during the most part of his story and yells at him and Banner just mumbles and says “You know, I’m not that kind of doctor!” Then Tony recalls another memory and resumes his monologue, and then we see Banner starting to fall asleep again.”

As with all big releases, Iron Man 3 is available in 2D, 3D and iMax, I’ve seen it in 2D and honestly there’s nothing to warrant the extra spend, unless of course you prefer the 3D format. Whatever way you choose to see it, do see it; it’s set to be one of the blockbusters of the summer.

Overall, hands-down. It was an insanely watchable, super fun, well paced action movie. With enough action going on around, it will be a bad choice if you think you can just watch this on a DVD (unless of course you have cinema-like home theater system). Although this film has its flaws, it won’t stop you from thoroughly enjoying the ride. Amazing, just amazing! I wouldn’t decline to watch it twice at all! :)

Go and see Iron Man 3!!!!

Here’s the trailer for those who haven’t watch it in the big screen:

Check out the video featurette below to know more about the film:

A quick video guide to everything you need to know about Tony Stark, the Armored Avenger himself, in anticipation of Iron Man 3!

Movie Blog: Rurouni Kenshin [Samurai X] Live-action

I feel like my posts are all becoming movie reviews, and I am sorry for that but I’m excited at the same time. Haha :))

When I was a kid, I used to watch this anime called Rurouni Kenshin aka Samurai X every afternoon weekdays after school on this one local station where I spent in front of the television, watching a red-haired samurai expertly wield his “sakabato” (reverse-blade sword) to protect lives. Rurouni Kenshin played a big part in my childhood. This anime holds a special place in my heart because it made me embrace my inner “anime-nerd.” Now, number of years later, Warner Bros decided that anime was cool and decided to turn to Rurouni Kenshin into a live action film.

Samurai X is one of my favorite anime and at first I scoffed at the notion of adapting it into a live action movie. I was keeping my expectations as low as possible as no thanks to the disaster anime-turned-movie Dragonball Z and Street fighter. Because usually most attempts to turn anime or games to live action movies often goes down so you can understand my skepticism. But as the reviews began pouring in, this doesn't seem to be the case. Actually, it's quite the opposite and I haven’t read a poor review of the movie since its release in Asia on August 25th. The reviews hail it as a "near perfect adaptation".

The movie was a swell two hour treat and for all the Kenshin fans out there, it’s no disappointment…I was literally blown over by the execution of it. Even the trailer had given solid proof that both direction and fight scenes were going to be a rocker and it pulled an awesome easily over all. The movie was awesome!

Warning! Some minor spoilers of the movie are in this review.

The film began during the war between the eras of violent and peaceful Japan. Kenshin Himura (Takeru Satoh) is a wanderer swordsman who carries a dark secret from his past. He was formerly known as the assassin Hitokiri Battosai, a deadly samurai who fought in the war and contributed to its victory through the trail of dead people he left behind. But now Himura wanders the countryside of Japan offering protection and aid to those in need as a way to redeem himself of the murders he committed, carrying a reverse-bladed sword unable to kill. But old enemies and ghosts of the past kept haunting him. Ten years after, he ended up being in Tokyo, where Takeda Kanryuu (Teryuki Kagawa) was running a lucrative underground opium business. Kanryuu hired famed doctor Takani Megumi (Yu Aoi) to create a potent variant of opium and had been making a cash cow out of her ever since - until she escaped from his lair. So Kenshin decides to join forces with Sanosuke Sagara (Munetaka Aoki), to bring down Kanryu's gang and their drug empire. Kanryuu's gang had been responsible for civilian and police killings in the city, and they identified themselves as the "Battousai" to cover their tracks. Kaoru Kamiya (Emi Takei) and Kenshin had a chance encounter when she "mistook" him as the Battousai, and later in the day when he saved her from Kanryuu's gang member Jin'e.

The film takes merges together with some changes, throwing some of Kenshin's back story in the mix. Considering the length of the original story it's certainly a wise decision to not try to fit in too much in one single film, so the result is a film that works both as a standalone but also one that could perfectly serve as the first chapter of a saga.

Since, I wasn't able to watch the movie in the big screen and just downloaded it from torrent; I had a few problems with the subtitles though. Of course, there’s the fact that it’s hard to focus on the awesome fight scenes when you have to read subtitles. Aside from that, it seems apparent that whoever wrote the subtitles didn't watch the original anime with the original subs. Kenshin’s “reverse-blade” or “reverse-edged” sword was referred to as a “back-blade”, which was infuriating. In the movie though, everything was translated to English, so Kaoru kept talking about ‘fencing’ and not kendo, which kind of made it sound lame. Aside from that though, everything else is authentic.

What made the RK movie so epic was the right choice of almost everything - from casting, to soundtrack, to the careful selection of plot. One thing that surprised me about Kenshin in this movie is that they were able to insert a flashback scene, on the origins of one of his scars. The execution of that scene is fantastic it is the only straight adaptation coming from the manga and anime that they retain for the movie. Though they added some minor elements in that scene to add up the drama and it worked as it gave Kenshin the feeling of guilt after he killed someone.

The casting was also done relatively well, although not perfect. And those go you familiar with the manga will have no problems identifying your favorite character. Takeru Satoh does an excellent job as Kenshin, portraying the two sides of the so-called swordsman both as the gentle wanderer and the cold blooded killer, and he's surprisingly strong in the fight scenes. After all, Kenshin is not Kenshin without his nonsensical "oro". I even had the urge to hug him, while watching the movie, because he was able to show the character’s tenderness and airhead-like facade that adds to Kenshin’s charm.

Unfortunately the casting for the leading lady, Kaoru Kamiya, was rather disappointing. Takei Emi tries really hard, I will give her that, but her interpretation of Kaoru falls flat. Granted, my memory is still really fuzzy, but I remember Kaoru as a much tougher and livelier character. She was definitely way more spunky! But this Kaoru is just sorta……there. Takei Emi does alright in the first half of the movie acting-wise, but she does not leave her mark as the leading lady. I didn’t like, though, that she wasn’t given space to shine in the movie. That was unfortunate. The Kaoru of the anime was feisty as hell and wouldn’t back out of a fight, no matter what Kenshin said. It was different in the movie, but it did help the plot along in a way.

On the other hand, I felt like Megumi Takani, the doctor-extraordinaire and former opium maker played by Yu Aoi, really steals the limelight from Kaoru…probably because Yu Aoi has such a stronger stage presence than Takei Emi does. Honestly I didn’t even remember Megumi’s character (that’s how bad my memory is……) so I went back to the anime for a quick reference. I think this Megumi is too young in comparison to the original Megumi, who looks older & more mature.

If you have watched the anime series, Sanosuke Sagara (Munetaka Aoki) was a fair, tall and handsome but troublesome guy, who became Kenshin’s best friend. He was boisterous and brawny like the one I expected the character to be. Moreover, he was so damn funny that entertained the audience well. Also, I think the fault in his appearance lies with his movie hair. Not only did he have the iconic costume down pat, he also has that brazen cockiness that we have come to love regarding Sanosuke. Also, he has his Zanbato.

On Yahiko Myoujin’s counterpart, it was also the appearance that got me. Yahiko’s character was a brave but naughty brat, who Kaoru takes into her wing. Tanaka Taketo looked like a well-behaved kid, until he opens his mouth and bickers with Kaoru. His ability to show sibling-like squabbles was of course the ultimate redeeming factor.

Here's one observation though - Hajime Saito played by Eguchi Yosuke was remarkably good-looking. Too handsome. I am used to the Saito who was often described as insect-like, and that's what made his character as appealing as a villain and a good guy at the same time. But hey - no big deal! Good-looking Saito was still convincing and crusty, and that's what mattered. Saito doesn’t get much airtime in the movie except for three scenes, but he did make himself very memorable.

Moving past the main cast were the villains, who were Udo Jin-e (Kikkawa Kouji) and Takeda Kanryu (Kagawa Teruyuki) for the movie. Jin-e Udo is this psychotic former hitokiri who’s become a cold-blooded killer in the more peaceful era. In the movie, he takes on several roles, just to make him the main antagonist. I really love the man who played Jin-e. He plays the role so well. When he’s in the limelight, you can just see the psychopathic killing machine in his eyes, the lust for blood. It was awesome–his performance really made my skin crawl. And oh my gawd that fight scene between him and Kenshin–wow….just, wow. But while Jin-e was an exciting villain, Kanryuu Takeda totally took my attention. We can saw how he really obsessed with power and money. His face really annoying and make people want to hate him and kill him so much.

The fighting scenes are downright exciting to watch without being too unrealistic. The director has really done a good job here as he has given fans of the anime something similar to the action they are used to while keeping in mind that this is a real life action film and therefore there are certain things that just can't be done in real life. Takeru Satoh plays Himura Kenshin right down from his physical appearances and sword play abilities to his mannerism that can switch from downright, clueless and sweet to just cold and emotionless. I am impressed by whatever training Satoh endured just so he could move and fight like how I imagine a samurai would move.

Technical wise, the music scoring of the movie is really great that added depth on a lot of scenes. The music varies from haunting violin pieces to orchestral pieces to hard rock, and each song perfectly captures the mood of the scene that it is set to. There were a couple of moments where I was watching and thinking “Wow. This soundtrack is fantastic!” The music is so good in places that you end up focusing on the sound and not what’s going on screen. Hihi But most of all I love the main OST of this Movie "Beginning" by One Ok Rock. Even though, those English lyrics are the ones I understand. Omooo, can someone translate the Japanese lyrics for me. Hehe :)) Anyway, I just like the beat and rhythm of the song. :)

All in all, I really enjoyed this film. I'm always a little wary of this kind of adaptations, because more often than not they can go wrong. I'm really looking forward to the future of this live-action adaptation, which certainly proves that translating from paper to screen can result in a wonderful experience.

If you're a Rurouni Kenshin fan, then I recommend watching this movie because it is exciting to see one of your childhood anime brought to life and have justice done to it. Hunting down the subtitled movie online will be a challenge but it will be worth it! Having said all of these, I just have to declare that Rurouni Kenshin would have the Fans of the anime will not be disappointed. It was well worth all the hype, and it definitely exceeded my expectations.

Here I give you some sneak peek inside the movie:

Catch the official Rurouni Kenshin movie TRAILER here with English subtitle. Enjoy!

*DISCLAIMER: All images used in this post are not mine. Credits go to their respective owners.

Movie Blog: Pitch Perfect: Making music with their mouths

I am a huge fan of musical movies because of the talented singer-actors and actresses and the amazing song mash-up. So when Pitch Perfect became a trending topic among my Twitter friends and hearing loads of good things about the film, I've been looking forward to the movie and I talked about how excited I was to see it!  But do know that if you’re not really into the whole singing in-between speaking lines, don’t worry, this isn't anything like that.

The film is sort of like a mash of High School Musical and Glee. It is also based on the book 'Pitch Perfect' by Mickey Rapkin. I wonder what it's like to read a book about singing...Anyway, it was the perfect ensemble movie.  Each character was perfectly quirky, but no one stole the spot light from anyone else.  Though I have to admit that Rebel Wilson is becoming one of my new favorites!  Seriously, her comedic timing is awesome!

The concept of the flick is extremely simple. After a woeful performance at last year's ICCA (International Championships of College A Capella) which ended abruptly when Aubrey (Anna Camp) projectile vomited mid-song straight in to the audience, the Barden Bellas are on the lookout for new recruits. However, this Acapella competition is quite different. No musical instruments are involved and every sound will have to be from your own mouth. So you can beat box your way into the tune or whatever so that's quite unique about this show =) you can actually see real talents in this show!

Beca is approached by The Barden Bellas

THE BARDEN BELLAS

New to Barden U is Beca (Anna Kendrick). Beca a slightly dark, sort of edgy-ish girl who finds herself as a freshman at Barden University, even though she'd rather be out of school trying to work on her music. She has a deal with her Lit-lecturer dad. If she gets more involved at university, he will help her move to LA so she can follow her dreams to be a music producer. After an encounter in the showers with Bella member Chloe (Brittany Snow) Beca joins the group along with a bunch of other newbie’s including Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson), and super quiet Asian girl Lilly (Hana Mae Lee).

The Bella's are under Aubrey's rule and she makes the group sing the same boring arse songs over and over again. ‘I Saw The Sign’ and ‘Something About Feeling Percussion’. There's no way the group will get anywhere in the competition if they don't evolve. The group's main competition are boy-group Treblemakers led by singer and Jack Black try-to-be Bumper (Adam DeVine). Also new to the group is Jesse (Skylar Astin) who wants to score films and loves watching The Breakfast Club.

THE TREBLEMAKERS

Anna Kendrick (Beca) is, as always, a fantastically confident and assured screen presence, proving here that she can anchor an ensemble with ease. She is undoubtedly the film’s strongest element. She gets a lot of good notes to play, finding organic character-based laughs interacting with peers who want to get her out of her shell.

Anna Kendrick (Beca): Rebel with a voice

The rag-tag bunch of girls that form the main a cappella group are nicely defined and share a pleasant, quirky chemistry, and the film takes special care to only mock them lovingly. Brittany Snow (Chloe) and Anna Camp (Aubrey) are particular highlights as group leaders Chloe and Aubrey, obsessive and controlling to such keenly observed degrees, the group's leader who foiled their plans to win the national championship the year before by vomiting on stage. She also uses dorky expressions like a ca-mazing or a ca-cuse me.

Anna Camp (Aubrey): Blows under pressure

 Brittany Snow (Chloe): It's all from her mouth

Giving each Asian character a wacky personality quirk that, again, defines them entirely. Beca’s Asian roommate is exaggeratedly standoffish and spiteful, and has friends who are equally indiscernible, while the choir’s Asian singer, Hana Mae Lee (Lilly), the girl who speaks so quietly no one can hear her. Ester Dean (Cynthia Rose), interpretation of a “gay” character, the butch, short hair sportin’, black bully stereotype.

Hana Mae Lee (Lilly): The quiet one

Ester Dean (Cynthia Rose): The Butch bass

But most viewers will walk away singing the praises of Rebel Wilson’s Fat Amy, the overweight, scene-stealing singer with attitude. She makes a lot of lines funnier just by virtue of her expert delivery and dry sense of humor.  It is a character type we are too familiar with these days –but Wilson is very good in the role, and easily earns the film’s biggest laughs.

 (Rebel Wilson) Fat Amy: The Pitch slapper

Skylar Astin (Jesse), the friendly, charming guy who loves music and movies. He and Beca become friends because they work at the college radio station. Despite Beca's reserve and distant character, Jesse was able to break her barriers with his charm.  I loved watching him sing and swooned when he tried to give Beca a Hollywood movie education, starting with "The Breakfast Club."

Skylar Astin (Jesse): On scores stage

Adam DeVine (Bumper), the Treblemaker's, in Aubrey's words, "egotistical, big-headed, garbage dirtball", leader.

Adam DeVine (Bumper): The Treblemaker

I loved the banter between ICCA Emcees played by Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins. Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins are absolutely hilarious as professional singing competition commenters (a concept that is exactly as crazy as it sounds).

John Michael Higgins (John) and Elizabeth Banks (Gail): The Commenters

Pretty much, you can predict every beat of Pitch Perfect before it happens. Also, what elevate things are the great cast and little doses of random humor. Oh, and the music is awesome as well! Acapella singing is always impressive and "Pitch Perfect" proves that in aces!  Plus, Beca's DJ-ing skills aren't bad either and her mixes are wonderful to listen to! But...for those who watch Glee for the songs and who love spirited Acapella renditions of everything from Rihanna to Cyndi Lauper…you'll probably love this. Some of the songs grated on me, but I'll admit that I was at times won over by all the 80's classics that play a big part in the movie.

The movie does a nice job of mixing and editing the musical numbers and making them fun to watch. And if you're a guy (though let's face it, many dudes will be staying far away from this), you've got many minutes of Brittany Snow, Anna Camp, and Anna Kendrick dancing semi-provocatively to look forward to. So there's that. If you're a girl (let me clarify - the kind of girl who eats up all things Glee and loves Bring It On) well, you'll probably love this movie.

Oh well. Pitch Perfect has enough pleasures to overcome its failings, even if the margin is fairly slim at times. I do enjoy most of these characters, I like that the setting and tone offer something a little different, and I believe audiences will get a kick out of it.

Overall, this was such a fun film. Everyone can sing (which is always a plus). Pitch Perfect certainly delivers some of that, along with decent characterization, fun performances, and several outstanding musical numbers. It is the sort of film I can easily see audiences latching onto. It has a good amount of heart and attitude. Pitch Perfect gets that last part right – the ending is excellent, fun and fulfilling on several levels but it will left you hanging…But I guess, and I'm hoping, there's a Pitch Perfect 2!! Nevertheless, all I have are thumbs up for the movie. :D Amazing song renditions, awesome cast...the whole movie is very ENTERTAINING!

Check out the girls' version for rehearsal number, by Bruno Mars - Just the Way You Are. Also, here's the video of Mike Tompkins "STARSHIPS" performed by the Pitch Perfect casts.And, one of the movie highlight,"THE RIFF OFF".It was perfect. But then again, what isn't? Gave me goose bumps.

Here's the trailer if you haven't watch it already!! ENJOY! :)