He decides to study in a college in Hangzhou and his sister changes his name to Lin Da Lung so that people would not know his true identity. To others, Da Lung is just a poor student with a mushroom hair and loves wearing tacky clothes. This is the reason why he’s the target of bullies in school. Chen Bao Chu (Rainie Yang) is the only one who didn’t tease him and even protected him from those who bullied him.

Chen Bao Chu also comes from a rich family but their business failed and her parents went bankrupt. Her mother wants her to marry a rich guy who can take care of her. When the mother finds out of her relationship with Da Lung, she tries to persuade Bao Chu not to see him again.

Yes, Hi My Sweetheart has a typical story that has been done several times already. What makes this different from the rest is the chemistry of the main actors. It has been a long time since I’ve watched a Taiwanese series, so I was happy to be acquainted with Rainie again. And she didn’t disappoint me. She effortlessly portray Chen Bao Chu as a tough girl who also has a sweet side.

But as much as I wanted to really like Hi My Sweetheart, I was dissatisfied with its story. The plot felt tedious at time and had to resort to deus ex machina. I could forgive the writers if it was used once but several times is inexcusable. And I don’t like the cliché ending. How many series ended with a wedding? Can’t they think of another way to end a romantic comedy?

Aside from Rainie Yang, The only redeeming factor of Hi My Sweetheart is Dalung. No not the ugly, mushroom head character that Show o played. Instead, I’m talking about Da Lung Da Lung… Da Lung Da Lung Da Lung… Da Lung… Yes, it’s the Pink Panther theme. That’s probably the most memorable part of the series. Plus, Rainie was cute when she danced to it. Check it out below:

Precious is too predictable. Things go from bad to worse as the movie progresses. We already had seen a lot of movies about unappreciated students and their overachieving teacher. This is basically the plot of Precious when all of the drama was removed from it.

It is also full of movie clichés. Precious’ parents were depicted to be the evil ones while Precious is the innocent angel. We should forgive her misgivings because she doesn’t know the right from wrong. The teachers and social workers were seen as miracle workers and Precious’ saviors. One of them was played by Mariah Carey, who you might not notice because she was not wearing her usual face in this one.

Of the cast members of Precious, I can honestly say that Mo’Nique was the only one who managed to make her character believable. She deserved the Oscar she got for the role. The same can’t be said about the Best Writing Award it received because there’s nothing entertaining nor original about the movie.

Clareece ‘Precious’ Jones (Gabourey Sidibe): Some folks has a lot of things around them that shines for other peoples. I think that maybe some of them was in tunnels. And in that tunnel, the only light they had, was inside of them. And then long after they escape that tunnel, they still be shining for everybody else.

Precious was full of stereotypes as it tries to play on the viewers’ emotions but the only sensation I got while watching the movie was boredom. It is a complete waste of time. I beg you not to torture yourself with this movie. I’ll give it five out of five yawns.

Yeon Jin might look like the typical high school girl but she can knock you out in less than a minute. She’s a fierce heroine that girls can look up to. Han Groo deserves all the praises she got for her debut role. I hope her future roles would be as good as this one. Her character reminds me of Buffy but instead of vampires, she’s out to slay her mother’s killers.

The villains in Killer K look like your typical white collar executives who can’t do harm to anyone. But don’t let their looks deceive you. They are deadly criminals who are willing to kill people who stand in their way.

The mastermind is Chairman Kwon Do Hwan (Jun Gook Hwan). His company is involved in stem cell research. But in order to continue on the research, he had to do a lot of illegal things on the side. His right-hand man, or in this case woman, is Manager Min Ji Young (Park Hyo Joo). She’s in charge of all his dirty works.

I highly recommend this drama, although it’s not suitable minors because of some nudity and violence. The blood and gore is as real as it can get. This is also the first time I saw breast exposure in a Korean drama. If you’re looking for something different then this is the one you’re looking for.

The action sequences were believable except for the final battle between Yeon Jin and her mentor Min Ji Young. It was sniper versus sniper and yet when they were already in front of each other, both of them miss what for them were point blank shots. And as the cliché goes, the bad guy’s aim goes bad and gets hit by the good guy.

But overall, Killer K is a refreshing surprise. It is well-written and each episode is interesting. Too bad it’s too short with only three episodes. It’s better to treat it like watching a movie trilogy instead of a TV series. This is a must-see Korean drama series.

13 features an ensemble cast of character actors. Mickey Rourke plays one of the contestants and his handler is played by rapper 50 Cent. Also in the movie is True Blood’s Alexander Skarsgard, who plays Vince’s handler Jack. Jason Statham is Jasper, another handler who took his brother out of a mental institution to be one of the competitors.

I only had one eye candy in 13. Emmanuelle Chriqui is Aileen, the wife of the man who Vince replaced in the contest. It’s a pity that she had limited screen time. Once the contest started, she was not seen again.

13 is my favorite number but I can’t say the same thing about this movie. It has a good premise, the cast is good but its ending is a letdown. After all the suspense leading to the climax, the audience is treated like dirt when Statham kills 13 for the money. All the potential that the movie had was flushed down the toilet and we were left with a floating turd of an ending.

During the first two-thirds of Buddha Mountain, we see the trio trying to support themselves through odd jobs and meet their strict landlady. The viewers would be the witness to the progression of the trio’s relationship with the older person. It’s funny to see how they thoughtlessly impose on their landlady and how she exacts her revenge on them. The hilarious moments were balanced out by the heartbreaking scenes regarding her son’s death.

The last third is a bit of a letdown. It introduced a lot of dramatic themes that’s too cliché. Plus, the romantic subplot feels too forced that it could have been better if it stayed in the background. And don’t get me started with the ending. Just when everything seems to be going right, old lady decides to jump off a cliff. It is a little let down and not the ending I was expecting.

Aside from Fan Bingbing, I didn’t get any other reasons for watching Buddha Mountain. It could have been a better movie if they opt for a different ending. It has a simple story but the director opted for a more artsy ending that left a bad taste in my mouth.

Ree lives in a depressing and dangerous area. While she is wary about the people around her, she still needs their support as she tries to take care of her two young siblings and her mentally ill mother. Her father Jessup missed his court date and she has to find him or else they would lose their home, which was placed as collateral for her father’s bail.

Ree (Jennifer Lawrence): I’d be lost without the weight of you two on my back. I ain’t goin’ anywhere.

The scenario in Winter’s Bone seems real that I actually believe that there’s such a place in the Ozarks. Jennifer Lawrence made everything believable and you would definitely be drawn to her character. You’ll feel her every pain and sufferings she had to go through in the movie.

Winter’s Bone is a bleak introspect into Ree’s life. But it you wouldn’t feel bad as the final credits are rolling. On the contrary, it is not a hard watch. It has a good story coupled with excellent performances from the Jennifer Lawrence and the rest of the cast. It teaches us that everything’s possible if we live as if our life depended on it.

Space Battleship Yamato the movie is based on the first series as well as some elements of the second one. It takes place in the year 2199 when the Earth is sieged by invaders from the Planet Gamiras. Then Earth’s leaders receive a transmission from Planet Iskander that contains plans for wave cannon and warp engine. Japan uses the alien technology to outfit its legendary Battleship Yamato. Then it sets its course towards Iskandar in the hopes to discover the solutions for all of the Earth’s problems.

Yuki Mori (Meisa Kuroki): Saving Earth won’t matter; nothing will matter if you’re not there with me!
Susumu Kodai (Takuya Kimura): But I will be! If I save the Earth, I’ll be there in every tree, flower, and blade of grass!

The live-action film stars Takuya Kimura as Susumu Kodai and Meisa Kuroki as Yuki. The two had played their parts well and did what little time there was to portray a romantic feel between their characters. While their relationship might not be an important subplot, I wanted Meisa to have more time on screen.

Another thing that I hoped I saw more from Space Battleship Yamato was battle scenes of the Yamato in space. I guess the director wanted to emphasize more on the human elements than the ship. Nonetheless, it had more good points to make up for the disappointments. You wouldn’t be aware of time passing by as movie progressed.

Space Battleship Yamato is a pretty good sci-fi movie that could bring nostalgia to old fans. This is also a good bridge for new fans in preparation of the upcoming series that’s set to be released in April 2012.

During the wait, he was told by his handler to meet Mathilde (Thekla Reuten), who asked him to make a special weapon for her. And during his time in the village, he befriends the local parish priest Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli) and courts the local whore Clara (Violante Placido).

Don’t expect The American to be an action thriller because that’s what I thought of after watching the trailers for this movie. In reality, it is a slow-paced, quiet, introspective movie. It is a riveting character study. We don’t know anything about Jack’s past but we learn about his integrity or the lack of it as a human being.

Director Anton Corbijin frequently showed Clooney doing everyday tasks as he waits for his assignment. But instead of getting bored with it, it elicited the opposite. A huge part of why it got my attention is due to Violante Placido’s character, Clara. She was effective and captivating as a prostitute who falls in love with Jack. But this is not Pretty Woman.

At first, having sex with Clara was just a past time for Jack but as the movie progressed, it showed two individuals who were sincerely caring for each other. The sex scenes in the movie were appropriate because they showed how the character’s relationship progressed from being lustful to pure love.

Performances from the actors were superb. I’m not a Clooney fan but as a tormented hit man, his acting is perfect. Violante Placido is not my ideal girl but as Clara, she got my whole attention. Thekla Reuten played her part well as Jack’s rival assassin.

Pavel (John Leysen): And above all… don’t make any friends, Jack. You used to know that.

Jack made her gun to backfire when shot but he still died in the end. The American teaches us that to be an assassin, you must not lose your edge or else you’ll be eliminated. It’s sad that it ended for him just as he was starting to have a normal life.

The American is like a short story. It focused on a moment and let the viewer savor its details. It is about professionalism, loneliness, betrayal, love and revenge. Not everyone would enjoy the film but I do hope you give it a try.

Come Rain, Come Shine is a slow-placed movie that took place in the couple’s home over a couple of hours of a glumly, rainy day. You can feel the tension in the air but both of them were not confrontational about their impending separation.

A movie about two people who barely spoke with each other for 105 minutes is not what I can describe as entertaining. The silence was only broken by the intrusion of their neighbors who were looking for their cat. This whole sequence bored me to death. Actually the whole movie was boring for me.

After the cat episode, Come Rain, Come Shine became a cooking show. Hyun Bin said he wanted to prepare food for Soo Jung for the last time. And while he was cutting the onions, his eyes were welling up with tears. While some could say that it was his way to hide his true feeling about the divorce, I say they are happy tears because the movie has come to an end.

I wasted my time watching Come Rain, Come Shine. I wouldn’t recommend you doing the same thing unless you’re a Hyun Bin fan. I do get what the director Lee Yoon Ki wanted to convey but the movie was too long and too slow-paced for my liking.

While most people would probably watch Ramona and Beezus for Selena Gomez, the star of the show is definitely Joey King. Everything revolved around Ramona and Joey King managed to deliver a near perfect performance. Plus, she’s so adorable. I want to have a daughter just like her.

The rest of the cast have done a good job as well. John Corbett and Bridget Moynahan played Mr. and Mrs. Quimby. Then there’s Josh Duhamel as Hobart, who is Aunt Bea’s love. Aunt Bea is played by Ginnifer Goodwin. Sandra Oh starred as Ramona’s teacher. The one person I disliked from the movie is Seth Rogen, who played the music teacher.

Beezus (Selena Gomez): Who could ever love someone named Beezus?
Ramona (Joey King): Jesus?

Well, I love Ramona and Beezus. It is the best modern movie for kids that I’ve seen recently. It’s just a bonus that Selena Gomez is in this one. It goes to show that you don’t need to have sex and violence to make a movie enjoyable. This should be one of the films to watch during your next family movie night.