Movie Review: The Tale of Despereaux

There is both something very right yet something very wrong with the Tale of Despereaux. It’s just that I cannot rightly pinpoint it.

Here is an epic tale about… about… about… well, that’s just it – I can’t pinpoint what its about either. And that’s the biggest flaw of the film.

The Tale of Despereaux is a beautiful film, full of well acted roles (by superior actors) written beautifully with a literary-worthy script, and music that can take your breath away… but it tried to achieve so many things at the same time, that it ended up convoluting the script and the pace. The film, rare from its kind, is written like a beautiful prose (narrated by the equally beautiful voice of Sigourney Weaver) – it doesn’t travel with a straight line, but moves almost like a stream of consciousness, following nothing but the words before them and where the tale takes them… no matter where it is.

Animation Review: Wolverine and the X-Men

Wolverine and the X-Men, if it follows through with its great first season, has the potential of being the premiere X-Men animated series around. Time will tell.

Let me put it simply.  If you like western animation, you should try this.  If you like X-Men, you should to watch this.  If you like Wolverine, you MUST watch this.

Any fan of the X-Men would instantly see the quality given to this series by Marvel.  And it is by far, one of the best (if not the best) written and the best animated Marvel flick out there.  This animated series gives everyone, fans or otherwise, a healthy dose of action, drama, and superheroics.  I was honestly surprised at this series, since I did not expect much from an animated series titled “Wolverine and the X-men.”  (They could honestly have done better than that… it sound so UGH!)  But the series was surprisingly mature, well-written, well-paced, and quite faithful (yet remaining original) to the source material.

Writers On-Watch: Rich Baker (Novelist)

A well-written work by Rich baker, albeit with some bland uninteresting characters...

Someone once told me, “Sometimes I like to drink British Milk Tea, and sometimes I just wanna drink some Coke.”  And that simple comment really explains just about everyone’s need to read both popular fiction and high-lit value fiction.  I read high profile writers like Neil Gaiman, Ursula Le Guin, Orson Scott Card – and some geniuses like Rudyard Kipling and Isabel Allende.  But occasionally, I just want to just relax, and I then take up that most reviled of book series by literature enthusiasts… the realm of shared universes.

And among these, Forgotten Realms is particularly infamous.

TV Review: Legend of the Seeker

I have been directed to this new Fantasy series by a friend, both as a warning and as a recommendation.  I also heard that it was written by novelist Terry Goodkind (Sword of Truth series) – and I see his books quite often each time I stumble upon the bookstore.  Eternally curious at what makes fiction tick, I gave it a go.

Come on, who doesn't feel a tingle of their inner fantasy geekness in seeing this poster?

Legend of the Seeker has visuals I’ve previously thought impossible in TV however, sporting graphics that can immediately make you relate it to the fantasy masterpiece Lord of the Rings.  Kahlan Amnell, a ‘confessor’ (a band of holy women dedicated to pursue truth wherever they saw it) is charmingly played by the beautiful Bridget Regan, who was, according to fans of the novel,portrays her as true to the book as possible.  And in the pilot, she was the only one worth watching.  Honestly!  Richard Cypher, who begins the series as a ordinary woodsman… but with abs of steel ( I kid you not!  The starting sequence made me feel icky, like I was watching a fangirl’s dream) soon becomes revealed to be the ‘chosen one’  – the one called The  Seeker destined to defeat the evil sorcerer-tyrant Darken Rahl.

TV Review: Better off Ted

“Veridian dynamics.  Everyday, something we make makes your life better.  Power, we make that. Technology, we make that. Cows… well, we don’t make cows, although we have made a sheep.”

Finally! A comedy without a laugh track.  From the very first line of the show, I knew I was going to like this comedy.  A sharp, witty, Douglas Adamsish comedy that makes you think, think, then laugh your boots off.  And in that regard, Better off Ted more than delivers.

An office comedy unlike other office comedy.  This show is about Ted Crunch, an executive for the scientific corporation Veridian Dynamics who cares very little about morals and ethics and cares more on money and profit, and perhaps the only sane man within the organization.  This is about a lighthearted comedy about science going wrong, and a corporation hiding the truth about it… but delivered with dry, rib cracking wit.

Each episode we see Ted encounter and approach the corporations numerous but hilarious (and socially wrong) problems… from exploding pumpkins, cryogenically frozen employees, cameras that ignores black people, or even accidentally deleting someone’s existence.    Its moderately realistic, and doesn’t cross the line through impossible science like Eureka did.  And that’s what makes this comedy all the more funny.  It’s not the science that’ll make you laugh, it’s the office dynamic, and it’s the brilliantly idiotic people involved.

This Year’s Fictitious BEST and WORST List : On Movies

Took me a while to compile the best and worst picks on movies… and for one reason.  There was just so many to choose from.  Its released so many great titles in the span of a single year, and I could barely believe all those stuff all came from 2008.  Simply Am-a-zing.  I suppose I’ll start the ball rolling with my favorite genre of all…

ACTION

Top Pick:  Taken

Move aside Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne. Liam Neeson just kicked "badass" to a new level.

“I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.”

This Year’s Fictitious BEST and WORST List : On Animation

Unfortunately, people do not look upon animation as a valid source of film masterpieces.  Oh how mistaken they are!  Some of the best works I’ve seen have been released in an animated feature.  When it’s released by Disney, they’d think it was for children and family – when released in anime, they think its too violent and bloody… and in both cases serious respect for an animated feature is absent, and titles such as DBZ and Naruto sure ain’t helping.  But who cares, right?  Well it seems everyone.  Seems they are slowly overcoming their age old indifference to animation.  Matrix and Batman has released their own serious animated features, the most recent: Gotham Knight, has received quite a few praises along the way.  The Japanese release, Sword of the Stranger, has been flooded by praises since day one, and is even being considered for an Academy Award!  Well, all I can say is… Finally!  Here’s my top picks for this year’s animation releases.

This Year’s Fictitious BEST and WORST List : On TV Series

Happy New Year everyone.  The year has ended, and there has been so many incredible (and not-so-incredible) shows that’s been released this year.  There are record-breakers and heart-breakers, series that make you cry out of awe and series that make you cry out of its awfulness.  Most New Year people like to list many things, from new year resolutions to new year gift ideas or the listing the last few seconds left from 2008 as it gives birth to 2009…  So I said, WTH, might as well.

With no further ado… Lets start with a quick listing of the best among the 2008 TV Series…

Anime Review: Minami-ke

Its those stupid random scenes like this that makes Minami-ke bloody epic.

“This is just a plain depiction of the days of the lives of the three Minami sisters.  Please don’t expect too much.”

The Minami-ke series always starts with that same statement, spoken in different intonations per episode – and sometimes even in English.  And somehow, that statement tells more about this anime series than I possibly could.  And it is this plain, fresh attitude which makes this worthwhile to watch.

When I first began to watch this series, I did not expect much.  The character designs was quite bland and unoriginal – and the main cast comprises of three sisters that seem to be borrowed from the stock library. So, what makes it so great?

Let me explain.

Fanfilm Review: The Twilight Before Christmas

This little spoof made by the people from The Juice Box had me lolling for air.  Everything about their spoofy rendition onthe Twilight movie is SPOT ON.  From the acting, the dialogue, and even the ‘diamondy’ cinematography!  Fantastically done.

“Can you please button your jacket?”  EPIC ROFL.

Here, let me post it … just to keep your Christmas a little bit more interesting.