Review: Hello Hemingway (2006 Film)

Sunday, August 28, 2011 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

Hello Hemingway seemed like an entertaining historical reference to 1950s Cuba, and it was.


“A look into Cuba in the ‘50s.”

The Rundown
Behind the name: Reference to the plot
Country: Cuba, 2006
 Genre: Drama
Director: Fernando Perez
Cast: Laura de la Uz (as Larita), José Antonio Rodriguez (as Tomás), Raúl Paz, Herminia Sánchez, Caridad Hernandez
Compare to: Hemingway’s writing?
Hate it or Love it?  Appreciate it  

Synopsis in a Sentence: A Cuban high school student struggles to study abroad, and while whole her family scoffs at her lofty goals, she finds solace in Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.
           
On Writing: The Plot
The heroine, Larita lives just next door to Earnest Hemingway in San Francisco de Paula, Cuba. Only, he lives in a mansion, and she lives in a run-down house.  She discovers an opportunity to study abroad and jumps at it, but she struggles to juggle financial woes, an excellent grade, looming political change, and a love interest. As she reads Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, she finds curious parallels to her life.
(3.5/5)

On Acting: The Cast
Great actors.
Laura de la Uz is Larita, the lead character, and she plays the role as authentically and  true as she’d play herself. She comes off as completely genuine. José Antonio Rodriguez, who plays as Tomás, her love interest is almost as good, maybe so.
Other actors  Raúl Paz, Herminia Sánchez, Caridad Hernandez also bring true talent to the screen. A great cast overall.
(4/5)

On Production:
Good production. Great actually, considering the time. Great transitions, good flow.
 (3.5/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
This one, you’d have to decide for yourself. I recommend reading The Old Man and the Sea before placing your verdict.
(3/5)

The Verdict: A good production, and insightful.

Overall Score = 14/20 




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Review: The First Shop of Coffee Prince (2007 TV Series)

Sunday, July 31, 2011 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

I’d heard a lot about Coffee Prince before I finally saw it, and I understood what the fuss was all about after I saw it.  

      Coffee Prince is undoubtedly a staple for modern Korean culture. (Anyone who knows anything about K-entertainment: If you’re a fan of K-dramas and K-entertainment, you must have already seen Coffee Prince. This is not to state that this series defines Korean culture, because it doesn’t. Rather Coffee Prince has come to be known as a modern sensation, re-defining K-entertainment before series like Boys Before Flowers and IRIS even saw the light of day. 


“A pioneer to modern love stories hinting on progressive views on homosexuality in Asia.”

The Rundown
Behind the name: Also known as Coffee Prince. Based on a book.
Country: South Korea, 2007
 Genre: Romantic Comedy
Broadcast by: Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC)
Director: Lee Yoon Jung
                  Cast: Yoon Eun Hye (as Go Eun-Chan), Gong Yoo (as Choi Han-Kyul), Lee Sun-Gyun (as Choi Han-Sung), Chae Jung-Ahn (as Han Yoo-Joo), Kim Dong-Wook (as Jin Ha Rim), Kim Chang-Wan (Hong Gae Sik), Lee Eon (Hwang Min Yeop), Han Yeh In (as Go Eun Sae) Kim Jae-Wook (as No Sun-Ki).
Compare to: Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Personal Preference
Hate it or Love it?  Love it!

Synopsis in a Sentence: Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, problem is boy thinks girl is a boy, which makes him… *gasp* gay?!
           
Coffee Prince attracted about 30% of the South Korean viewing population, was aired in 11 countries including Singapore, Israel, Peru, and Zimbabwe, and is used by the Korean government to promote tourism in the country — Now you know a series has made it big when foreign fans flock into a country simply to experience the feeling the series left them with.

On Writing: The Plot
Think love: fun, unconditional, real love. But it’s not a love story you’ve seen or read before. The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince is unique and original and works its magic while slowly opening up the minds of its viewers to a topic seldom touched in Asian entertainment — homosexuality — well, sort of. Coffee Prince does its thing by touching on the delicate topic of homosexuality without anyone in the series actually being homosexual. Like in Personal Preference, the topic is addressed, but mildly evaded.
However Coffee Prince deserves acclaim for being ahead of its time within that cultural space. The first film to directly address homosexuality in South Korea was not released until late 2009. This one was three years ahead. Overall, the writing is very good. It’s a love story true to its core, and you’ll find yourself sharing the love.
And there’ a fair bit of coffee loving too.
(4/5)

On Acting: The Cast
There’s nothing like a good cast, and this one was good no…great! The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince boasted with the talent of:

Yoon Eun Hye, our lead actress who plays Go Eun-Chan. She’s the star of this series, skillfully highlighting the essence of a true tomboy. And she looked like one too! Judge for yourself.   ↵ See pic. 








Gong Yoo, our lead male portrays Choi Han-Kyul, the carefree thirty-year old pampered by wealth. He plays the doting boyfriend very well, and though I might find that portrayal quite annoying, you just may find it effortlessly charming.

* Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo won the MBC favorite on-screen couple award for 2007. Both actors also won numerous awards for their roles in Coffee Prince.




Lee Sun-Gyun, who plays Choi Han-Sung, is a talented music producer and

Chae Jung-Ahn plays Han Yoo-Joo, the independent woman who can’t be tamed.
And then there’s our semi-Japanese import and token eye-candy, actor/model Kim Jae-Wook, who plays the recklessly lovestruck emo, No Sun-Ki.
Altogether, a great cast. Must have been fun to work with.
 (4/5)

On Production: The Creativity
It’s all about the music. There’s great, great music infused into the production of this series, with excellent original scores and songs you love, but you forgot existed like the “You & me Song” by the Wannadies and “Back for Good” by Take That, and even much more.
The production was about making you feel the love, and indeed, every episode stayed true to that element. The camera work wasn’t particularly fancy, but the writing and music production took charge of the creativity with no harm done to the overall production. Kudos to good coffee and music!
(4/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
If it were Hollywood, there’d be a climactic conflict before the lovers live happy ever after.
If this were Bollywood, the lovers would suffer separation until the very end.
If it were Nollywood, there’d be some major scandal/betrayal before love conquers all.
But this is — what should we call it — Kollywood? LoL. No, its K-drama, and Coffee Prince is an extremely doting love story where there’s not much conflict, or climax, or scandal in this series… well, there’s a bit, but not much of what we’re not already used to. Regardless, the end is good. It’s all about love after all. ;)
 (4/5)

The Verdict: A classic collection of love stories that will make you want to dance in the rain… with a cup of coffee at hand. 

 
 



Overall Score = 16/20

Cuddle up, get a cuppa coffee, and watch The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince on Hulu, in HD [http://www.hulu.com/coffee-prince]. 


  


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Review: Inch'Allah Dimanche (2001 Film)

Saturday, July 9, 2011 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek
This film is strange. 7 wins and one nomination from international film festivals and award organizations. 5 out of the 7 wins go to director, Yamina Benguigu, and one win to lead acress Fejria Deliba. Well deserved, but the film is strange… but well done, for that mater…


                                                “Human rights issues in your backyard”

The Rundown
Behind the name: Direct Translation: Sunday, God Willing
Country: France/Algeria, 2001
 Genre: Drama
Distributed by: Film Movement
Director: Yamina Benguigu
                       Cast: Fejria Deliba (as Zouina), Rabia Mokeddem (as Aïcha, mother), Amina Annabi (as Malika), Anass Behri (as Ali), Hamza Dubuih (as Rachid), Zinedine Soualem (as Ahmed), France Darry (as Mrs. Donze, neighbor), Roger Dumas (Mr. Donze, neighbor), Marie-France Pisier (as Manant), Mathilde Seigner (as Briat)
                       Compare to: Other films put out by Film Movement
Hate it or Love it?  Appreciate it.

Synopsis in a Sentence: Zouina is forced to live her homeland in Algeria to start a new life in France with her husband…and the mother-in-law from hell…

On Writing: The Plot
It’s on a topic hardly touched. When movies focus on the “mother-in-law from-hell” theme, it’s usually in a humorous way. This one is no joke. It’s simply suppression. The plot does a great job of putting the issue into context, and director, Yamina Benguigu, does a good job of relaying the reality of the situation.
The plot also takes into account 1970s history, socio-political conditions between the French and North Africa, immigration, and human rights issues. A good package. A good plot, but seemed to lack  a clear direction.
(3/5)

On Acting: The Cast


Fejria Deliba, who plays lead character, Zouina, is quite the focus of the film. And she does a good job of drawing you in and keeping you locked in on her character.


Rabia Mokeddem, also known as mother-in-law from hell, also relays an excellent performance of the hellish mother you are sure to disdain. By the end of the film, you’ll even disdain her for playing her character—that’s how good she was. All other characters were good enough, but these two  simply stole the show.
 (4/5)

On Production: The Creativity
Production is stark, almost borderline documentary, but not so. Some great shots, everything seemed real. Good overall.
(3.5/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
What to say about the ending? My gosh. I really don’t know what to say… It’s abrupt, slightly surprising, and resolving? Is that enough? Well these are the first words that come to my mind when I think about the ending. It’s a nice twist, but abrupt. It didn’t leave enough room for the plot, but it resolved most issues. You see it and decide…
(3.5/5)

The Verdict: A well-done film. One to remember and mull over.

Overall Score = 14/20






Watch Inch’Allah Dimanche

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Review: Meteor Garden 1 & 2 (2001/2002 TV Series)

Thursday, June 30, 2011 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

After seeing the 2009 Korean version, then the 2005 Japanese version, I had to travel back to 2001to see the Taiwanese version. Save for laugh out loud outdated clothing, the Taiwanese version didn’t quite disappoint…


                                               “A Taiwanese twist on an Asian ‘urban legend’.”

The Rundown
Behind the name: Pun on Japanese saying, “dumplings before flowers”
Country: Taiwan, 2001& 2002
 Genre: Romantic Comedy, Drama
Broadcast by: Chinese Television System
Directors: Cai Yuexun, Chai Zhi Ping
                       Cast: Barbie Hsu as Shan Cai, Jerry Yan as Dao Ming Si, Vic Zhou as Hua Ze Lei, Vanness Wu as Mei Zuo, Ken Chu as Xi Men, Michelle Saram as Ye Sha. 
            Compare to: Boys Before Flowers, Meteor Garden, Hana Yori Dango
Hate it or Love it?  Love it.

Synopsis in a Sentence: Shancai is a stubborn college girl with a mind of her own; she’s trying to mind her business as she attends Ying De College, but her life gets mixed up with the elite… and there’s no turning back once you’re mixed up with them.
           
It’s now an urban legend, and it started with Meteor Garden, then Hana Yori Dango then Boys Over Flowers, and now the world can’t get enough of this Asian series…

On Writing: The Plot
Uniquely Taiwanese, with of all the renditions of Hana Yori Dango, this one had the most twists, the most freedom, and was the most untrue to the original story (See Hana Yori Dango). But the story is good. The twists are interesting enough, but the plot falls at some parts (some extremely unbelievable, unexplained parts). Apart from that, it’s got enough twists to keep you off course, and enough interest to keep you going.
(4/5)

On Acting: The Cast
Not bad. Not quite bad, save for some mismatched casting (might have been better if the cast was re-shuffled a little bit). For example, the difference between Ximen and Meizuo’s character is blurred, whereas in the Japanese and Korean versions, they are more clearly defined.
Another major complaint — in many situations, the actors did not quite OWN their characters — their mannerisms, clothing, and possible reactions, seemed mismatched.
But overall, relatively good actors:




Barbie Hsu as Shan Cai (董杉菜) She plays the Makino (Japanese) and Jan Di (Korean) in this series. Although she’s a bit feminine, she does play tough quite well. And overall, is quite interesting








Jerry Yan as Dao Ming Si (道明寺) He plays Doumyouji (Japanese) and Jun Pyo (Korean) in this series, and plays the stubborn, hot-headed leader of F4 quite well. No gorgeous arrogance in this case, but at least he doesn’t come off as a bit of a hooligan. His character here comes up as a tougher, i-don’t-care-that-I’m-rich character, but with a lot less flair. 







Vic Zhou as Hua Ze Lei (花澤類) Plays Rui in the Japanese version and Ji Hoo in the Korean version. And he plays it quite well. The peaceful, sleep-loving character seemed to come quite naturally.







Vanness Wu as Mei Zuo (美作) He plays Akira (Japanese) and Yi Jeong (Korean). Perhaps he’s supposed to play the “playboy” but he came off as a lot less ‘playful.’ His character is not very different from Ximen’s, so that’s a pitfall. Aside from his character, it seems this guy thinks he’s quite the catch of the season…






Ken Chu as Xi Men (西門) Soujiro (Japanese) and Woo Bin (Korean). Not particularly bad. Quite good, but doesn’t have much of a different character of his own when compared to Meizuo’s character: needs a hint of character differentiation.








Michelle Saram as Ye Sha. She’s is a nice addition in Meteor Garden 2. She plays her character really well — arguably the best out of all of them in the second series.

(3.5/5)






On Production: The Creativity
Quite good, but the affluence of the characters was grossly understated: the characters simply seemed rich, whereas compared to the other versions, it was clear the characters were immensely rich. You don’t quite get the hang of  total financial worth of F4 in this series, and that’s a major pitfall.
Other than that, production wasn’t too bad
I have to add one thing about fashion here… my gosh. How honestly HORRIFIC! Seriously ugly pieces of clothing, particularly the males… (Take note, Meizuo’s character). I know that it’s supposed to be 2001, but aren’t these characters rich? How did the producer’s completely miss that? It’s like mistaking cheap cotton is for pure silk: not cool!

(3/5)                                             


On Resolution: The Conclusion
Quite a good ending. Over all, the series was completely resolved. It’s a fun watch, with great twists and interesting developments. Uniquely Taiwanese?
(4/5)

The Verdict: Good Good Good, especially for the first version of the series!

Overall Score = 15 /20



Watch Meteor Garden [http://www.mysoju.com/meteor-garden]



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Days and Clouds (2007 Film)

Monday, June 13, 2011 | Posted by The Entertainment Geek

The best things in life are free… if only we can learn to live without.


“’Days and Clouds’ maintains the realistic dynamics between money, marriage and love with sophisticated candour.”

The Rundown
Behind the name: Also Known As “Giorni e' Nuvole”
Country: Italy & Switzerland, 2007
 Genre: Drama
Distributed by: Amka Films Producations & The Film Movement
Director: Silvio Soldini
Cast: Margherita Buy (as Elsa), Antonio Albanese (as Michele), Giuseppe Battiston (as Vito), Alba Rohrwacher (as Alice), Carla Signoris (as Nadia) and Fabio Troiano (as Riki)
Compare to: Time Out
Hate it or Love it?  Like it, for what its worth…  

Synopsis in a Sentence: An otherwise wealthy couple is forced to face real life after the man of the house loses his job, and they find that it’s a bit harder to be in love when money’s out of the equation.

On Writing: The Plot
It’s a story very few movies take on nowadays, and the plot deserves the careful countenance the film addresses. It’s interesting to see the dynamics of family relationships when under strain: The plot carries the nuances of the matter and highlights them through the characters. It’ not a film that preaches, neither is it one that simply narrates. It instead invites you into the time and space of the characters, harnessing both objectives in proper fashion.
 (3.5/5)

On Acting: The Cast
It’s a good sign when you’re watching a film and forget about the acting—it means the characters are so believable they con you into forgetting that they are acting. I do not recall remembering any “actors” throughout this film. On another note, perhaps it’s not a good thing, as good actors are remembered for their great skill. However, their performances were independently good, yet collectively complementing.
(3.5/5)

On Production:
Nice, warm hues, the camera complemented the story, taking angles and perspectives that went in line with the plot. Well done.
 (3.5/5)                                             

On Resolution: The Conclusion
It doesn’t end in the manner we quite would expect, which is what I would label a good film, a really good film. It’s a faux pas for a film to be predictable, and too many films continuously commit this crime in modern cinema, but this one doesn’t.
(4/5)

The Verdict: A realistic perspective on marriage, not overly pessimistic, yet not idealistically over-optimistic. Days and Clouds maintains the dynamics between money, marriage and love with sophisticated candor.

Overall Score = 14.5/20 




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