Magique

Our world does need a little touch of magique and sprinkle of star dust to let us see it in a different light. Simple joys of life at times overlooked and forgotten.

Magique is a good afternoon delight in view of the sudden storm which blew over Singapore today. It shares the story of a single mother, Betty and her 10 years old son Tommy.

Betty single-handedly managed the isolated bee farm, barely making ends meet, while Tommy is an inquisitive little boy who has never met his father. He imagines that his father is an astronaut and gazes longingly at the stars and galaxy. Betty is a lonely and melancholy woman who wishes for love and meeting her Mr Right to help fill up her empty heart and perhaps her life as well.

One day a travelling circus passes by the town and they magically transform the lives of mother and son. Tommy convinces his mother to allow the circus to park at their farm so that they can stay and perform for the town. The charming and mysterious antics of each of the troupe member slowly uplift both the mother and son.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. The movie is very childlike and filled with imagination and dreams. Each character shine brightly as though we are looking through the eyes of Tommy and his world. Nothing beats the innocence of a child. A tale as simple as magique is a great family entertainment for children than adults.

Udon

Udon, the movie, left me craving for a nice hot bowl of udon soup with egg. It wouldn't it be wonderful to have a nice steamy soup to warm the tummy in the cold cinema? I believe it would be perfecto!

Kosuke left his hometown for the big apple, aspiring to be a great comedian. He dislike his town and resents his father for spending all his time making udon. Broke and badly in debt, Kosuke has no choice for to head home for a retreat. Things did not seem to change for the years that Kosuke has been away.

To clear his debt, Kosuke joins a local community publication and created a craze of udon pilgrimage which changes his life forever. Towards the end of the movie, Kosuke finally understands why his father has such dedication and diligence toward making udon for the community. He is finally able to make peace and closure with this father.

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds. Behind the face of each craftman lies a story much deeper and passionate about his committment towards producing the best product. Kosuke's father is the same. He is an old friend, who seems to be always there, bringing the joy of a simple bowl of udon soup to the town where he lives and dies.

Le Grand Chef

I miss having my lazy weekend lazing around the house, watching old movies which I have missed out due to my busy work schedule. I watch Le Grand Chef this afternoon.

Finally got a copy of Le Grand Chef. This is a Korean movie made from the popular comic series. The story tells of two excellent chefs and their battle towards claiming their rightful ownership of the legendary cooking knife which belonged to a renown royal chef who chopped off his hand and refuse to cook for the Japanese ruler who had invaded Korea.

The story is very well-weaved together. It gives sufficient information about Sung-chan's past and the history of his grandfather. Isn't it intriguing to see history repeating itself through different generation? While his grandfather went through his share of hard time in the royal palace as a chef, he passed on his legacy to Sung-chan who can finally honor his family as the true chef.

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds. Man always allow fame to get to his head. The fight to be in power will probably never cease for generation to come. Nevertheless, we still love to see the good triumph over the evil, just like the simple plot of Le Grand Chef.

Detroit Metal City

Detroit Metal City or DMC for short is a 'live action' movie adapted from a popular manga series, Detroit Metal City. I have to say the movie does have a strong cult-like charm to it. You can resist wanted to see more and more of what could possible be happening. Addictive!

The key personality is Soichi Negishi, a soft and gentle man who dreams of becoming a true musician one day. He left this hometown (quite a country bumpkin he is!) to study in a university in Tokyo. Eventually he becomes a very very successful musician, except in the wrong genre of music Negishi is hoping for.

Deep inside this heart, he wanted to be a soulful and wholesome singer who is able to help people dream through his music through this motto "No Music, No Dream". During the day or on this free time, he will sing on the streets to gather followers. But it is always a failure each time.

His alter-ego character is the popular leader of the death metal band, Johannes Krauser II, the lead single and guitarist. Krauser is a very talented guitarist who can even play the guitar with his teeth and he amasses a huge followers and fame across Japan. Yet he is ashame of himself and his music.

It isn't easy to manage the dichomatic personality in real life and on stage and Negishi finds it challenging to hide his Krauser identity from this family and girlfriend. Ken'ichi Matsuyama who previously took the rolad of L in Death Note, does an excelllent portrayal of Negishi and Krauser. It is very amusing and entertain to watch the switch and internal struggle he faces under both identities.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. The movie has depth and plot which is not suprising as it comes from the manga series. There are a lot of interesting moments where Negishi gets caught in awkward situation as well as a good array of surprising characters around him, particularly his sadistic band manager who seems to enjoy torturing him.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Zack and Miri do not just titillate your senses, they are simply shamelessly stimulating. For those curmudgeons, masticate your pride and hold your fire.

Zack Brown and Mariam "Miri" Linky are lifelong friends and roommates. The two nimcompoops from Monroeville have known each other since first grade. On a particularly snowy night whereby their electrical and water supply has been cut off, they start to come out with ideas on how to make some quick cash to deal with the mounting bills and possibly homeless situation.

The idea of producing a viral porn movie hardens after some punks upload an interstitial video of Miri in her granny undies, which snags an amazing online hit rate. Enlisting the help from friends, the product team slowly firms up to an interesting mix of boneheads and goofballs with mind-blowing skills.

The two close pals have made a promise to each other that the sex is purely a business proposition and it shouldn't ruin their friendship. As the filming climax, Zack and Miri find themselves reaching a point of no return and discover something deeper than friendship.

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds. A movie which has tickled my funny bone. Sex and comedy is definitely a lethal stimulus. Watch it with an open mind. Sex is always sex but love and friendship are both much greater, not to mention more long lasting. For those with brains in the gutter, there is really nothing filthy about the movie. It is just a charming and witty comedy.

Marley and Me

Took a short break on this rainy Sunday afternoon to watch a heartwarming movie about a dog. That's right, I watched Marley and Me.

Marley, a Labrador Retriever, is an attention-deficit dog who doesn't give a damn to his owners' orders or expectations. The happy dog is a bundle of joy (for the couple) on one hand and a total terrifying destroyer on the other. I have to admit, he is really a handful!

I'm pleasantly surprise by Marley and Me. No, it has nothing to do with the dog. In fact, there are other movies with much cuter story about dog.

I was caught by surprised that movie shows the down-to-earth and beauty of a committed and loving relationship. The couple stands by each other through the hard times; the challenge of being a parent to 3 growing children. It shows how they support and continue to love each other in such an old traditional light. The typical family value we love to see. I do wonder how many couples are as fortunate as the Grogan's family in the movie.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. Despite being a touching movie, there are a couple of unrealistic elements to the movie. For instant, I'm not used to seeing couple who is charming and non-aging throughout Marley's life. While the book shares Marley's 13 years with the family, the movie stated 4 years. I can only suspect that the storyline was either edited too much or that different set of scriptwriters are involved in the development of the movie from the start to end. Too much subtle discrepancies for me.