Tips for Picking a Good Movie

Okay, so maybe it’s not that bad, but essentially you have to choose something that’s going to make everyone happy. So lucky you have this wonderful guide with you.
Your Mood, Your Movie
If you’ve been given the “responsibility” of selecting a movie, then there is a bright side – you’ve got control. Your mood can ultimately dictate what genre of film.
• Happy – Go for a comedy, adventure, action or musical
• Thoughtful – If you’re in the mood to be challenged try a thriller, action, crime & gangster, drama, science fiction, or epic historical feature
• Indifferent – Sometimes you just don’t know what you’re feeling, so the best bet is to go for something that has a bit of everything like a comedy, detective & mystery, fantasy, biopics, animations, or chick flick.
• Sad or Distracted – When you’re feeling blue or have your mind on other things, it’s best to keep things light with a positive movie that offers a few laughs or a feel-good theme.
Movie Choice Etiquette
‘Movie Choice What?’ I hear you say. Well, maybe we just made something up and maybe it’s the way of the future. If people can make a blog about car shotgun rules, who’s to say there’s no room for movie choice etiquette?
Your mood will decide the genre of the movie you watch, so being wary of the rest of the people who have to watch the film is always good “movie choice etiquette”.
Choosing For Kids
Everyone loves being the cool parent, the one that lets the little ones slightly get away with things, so if there are kids in the group, choose films that are appropriate for their age, especially if they belong to someone else. That will just come back and bite you ten-fold when they go home and tell their folks that they’ve seen ‘Aliens Director’s Cut’.
Check the Reviews and Starring Actors
If you’re really concerned about the quality of the film, jump online to check the opinions of others who have seen the movie. While critic reviews are sometimes helpful, it is usually the “real people” ratings that offer a fair appraisal of the film. In some cases, a good movie will often generate a good “buzz” anyway – so if you feel like you’ve heard about the movie and can’t quite remember where it’s from, it’s probably been in the media for all the right reasons...sometimes, though, it could be for all the wrong reasons (remember ‘Waterworld’? Neither do I, but it’s a name etched into the Stone of Bad – another thing I maybe just made up like ‘Movie Choice Etiquette’).
Finally, look at the stars – it's a good way of measuring whether it is going to be a quality film, as the big-league actors are very selective as to which projects they sign onto, except Robert DeNiro, he’s really sold himself out these days. Maybe Samuel L. Jackson, too, but it’s a no-brainer he sold out...why else would you be in a movie with Hayden Christiansen, or Christian Haydensen, I can never remember.
If all else fails and you’re just not confident with selecting a good film, turn to the Disney section. After all, everyone will have seen these classics and undoubtedly enjoy reliving their childhood, if only for a few hours.

My Top Five Favorite Movies Starring Tommy Lee Jones

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One actor who has been in so many great films, it is hard to keep track, is Tommy Lee Jones. Jones started acting in the early 1970s, and has not slowed down since. He has been in all sorts of films, from action and adventure, to Westerns, and even comedy. He is a truly amazing actor and the accolades he has collected over the years help show that.
But which Tommy Lee Jones movies are the best? Here are some of my favorites.
The first movie that I will mention on this list is The Fugitive. If you have not yet seen The Fugitive, you are depriving yourself of one of the best movies of the 1990s. Tommy Lee Jones won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for this film. This movie also stars Harrison Ford as a wrongfully accused doctor who is being charged with the murder of his wife. He must track down the killer while avoiding getting arrested in the process.
Another great film starring Tommy Lee Jones was No Country For Old Men. This movie won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and with good reason. Jones plays the part of an aging cop in a small desert town to perfection. Joel and Ethan Coen directed this movie and it is one of my favorite films that these brothers have put out.
I would be remiss to make a list of Tommy Lee Jones' best movies without including Under Siege. I have not heard anyone talk about this movie in years, but when it came out, this was easily one of my favorite action movies. This is probably Steven Segal's best movie and he plays the part of a cook to perfection.
While they are not my personal favorite films, I do think you have to give credit to the Men In Black movies. These movies have grossed so much money that it cannot be ignored. A third installment is on the way as well.
One other great movie from Tommy Lee Jones that I will include on this list is Natural Born Killers. This is probably my favorite film directed by Oliver Stone and in addition to Jones, stars Woody Harrelson and Julliette Lewis.
Hopefully there are one or more films from Tommy Lee Jones' catalog that you have not yet seen. If you need a good place to get started, I highly recommend the above mentioned films.

Death Note - Foreign Film Review

Cover of Death Note (Live Action)

Synopsis: Based on the Japanese manga (comic book series) of the same title by Tsugumi Oba and Takeshi Obata, the plot involves a university student named Light Yagami (Tatsuya Fujiwara). Light hopes to become a police detective one day, and studies diligently to achieve his goal.

He hates crime and corruption, and while walking home one night, finds a supernatural notebook owned by Ryuk, the God of Death (voiced by Shido Nakamura). Light learns that the name of any human written in the notebook will die, and soon goes to work trying to rid the world of killers and thieves.

He takes on an alias known as Kira, and soon becomes a controversial underground celebrity. Light wields his power mercilessly, and discovers that the act of writing in the notebook also gives him the God-like ability to control an individual's actions and alter the course of a person's destiny.

With the companionship of Ryuk, Light uses his brilliant intellect to exact his personal form of justice while staying one step ahead of the law.

But the law is trying to track him down, and Light finds himself hunted by a mysterious detective known only as "L" (Kenichi Matsuyama). "L" is every bit as brilliant as Light, and the game of cat-and-mouse escalates as both are tested to the limits of their intellect.

The Good: Death Note is an ingeniously developed story with a very cool plot. The supernatural element is very complex, but is clearly explained and contained within the context of the story. Any possible plot holes are expertly plugged, which is impressive because this movie could have easily fallen apart.

The story twists are very well thought-out, and this is ultimately an unpredictable movie that will keep you engaged until the very end. Light is a fascinating protagonist, and his God-complex reveals a number of jaw-dropping philosophical/ethical points of discussion.

Although I've never read the original comic book series or watched the anime version, Death Note appears to be a highly successful adaptation. Much of the story/character nuances common in comic-book series are preserved, making it an experience that is as enjoyable as it is complicated.

The Bad: Some of the digital effects involving Ryuk are kind of hokey. And because of the ending, the full impact of this movie will only be completely enjoyed upon the first viewing.

Who would like this movie: I'd recommend Death Note mainly for the 18-35 demographic. It's a very smart movie, and not necessarily just for fans of foreign films.

You'll enjoy it if you're a fan of comic books (especially Japanese manga), thrillers, and imaginative storylines. It's a comic-book adaptation that visually opts for elegance and subtlety over colorful garishness.

(3 and 1/2 stars out of 4)

Director: Shusuke Kaneko

Starring: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Shido Nakamura, Takeshi Kaga, Yu Kashii, Asaka Seto, Kenichi Matsuyama

Year: 2006

Review written by: Joe Yang

A Twilight Movie Review

Twilight movie is one of the latest movies which have its theme based on the book that was written by Stephanie Meyer who is also featured in the same movie. It was actually released in the Philippines way back in November of 2009 and it stars such movie stars as Robert Pattison as Edward and Kristen steward who is featured as Bella. Since its production it has been doing quite well as its casting is cool enough that one can easily derive the theme and meaning of the movie.
Different from the Edward(main vampire character) presented in the book who appears to be confident, perfect and cool at all the times, Edward in the movie is quite anxious and appears uncomfortable at all times. But as the movie continues, he seems to be moved closer to Bella simply because of her behavior through the film. Based on the fact that Edward is handsome, this gives him the advantage of moving even closer to meeting the woman he has always been dreaming of.
Despite the point that Edward is a vampire, this did not actually stop Bella from falling in love with him, something that most people will be intrigued with when watching the movie. In a normal situation, you will realize that once an individual come to learn about the evil deeds practiced by the person you love, their relationship will come to an abrupt end, but the producer of this film/ tackles this differently. Bella still dreams of Edward every night despite having learned about his impureness and so many other evil deeds.
The producer of the twilight movie also uses the music throughout the movie very well. The provision of lullaby songs for Bella is absolutely amazing as it adds to the uniqueness in the film production from other common movie making. The producer of this great movie uses two very important aspect of styles; suspense and romance which eventually bring out the quality production which makes one great movie that you will never want to miss. Therefore in case you really want to enhance all that you have been reading in the twilight book, then you should actually watch this great movie produced by a renowned producer from the Philippine movie style. Watching the Twilight movie will always make you want to watch more from this great producer as it pushes you to the edge of your seat. New Moon(Twilight 2) has also released and promises to continue where this original film leaves off.

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Four Anime Classics Currently Being Adapted As Live Action Movies

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Four projects are currently underway to remake classic anime into live action movies. For each movie included here, you'll find a brief plot summary, followed by the latest news on their development.

AKIRA - originally released July 16, 1988 - Written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo based on his own hit manga.

The story is set thirty-one years after the destruction of Tokyo and World War III, in 2019, in Neo-Tokyo, a huge city built on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. A secret military project turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychopath with psionic powers and only two kids and a group of other psionics can stop him.

NY Magazine recently announced Warner Brothers is in negotiations with the Hughes Brothers to direct. On June 17, 2010, producer Andrew Lazar said that a new writer had been hired and that the movie is being fast tracked. He also said the first movie would be based on volumes 1-3 with a second movie covering volumes 4-6.

GHOST IN THE SHELL - released in 1995 - Directed by Mamoru Oshii. Adapted from the original manga by Masamune Shirow.

It's 2029 and the world has become interconnected by a network that permeates every aspect of life. Tokyo's Section 9 network security force must catch a hacker known as the Puppet Master who can hack human minds and leaves behind fake memories. Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg officer leading the investigation and begins to question her own existence. The Puppet Master may have answers to all her questions...and strangely enough, he's been looking for her.

In early March 2010, Screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis said she would be submitting a draft of the script in the coming weeks. She says to "cross your fingers" because getting a movie made with a female lead is a bit hard in Hollywood at the moment. She was also once attached to write a script for James Cameron's adaptation of Battle Angel Alita. This information comes from an article by Son Goshin at LiveActionAnime.org.

NINJA SCROLL - June 5, 1993 - Western release December 6, 1995 - Written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. The film is an homage to the Ninpocho series of ninja novels by Futaro Yamada.

Jubei Kibagami, a wandering sword-for-hire and ninja is led into a plot by the Shogun of the Dark to overthrow the Shogun and conquer Japan. Pursued by demons, Jubei joins forces with a deadly female ninja to fight many super strong inhuman opponents on their way to the truth behind this conspiracy.

In late February 2010, The Hollywood Reporter announced that writer Alex Tse (Watchmen) has written a script for the Warner Brothers live action adaptation. Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way production company has held the live action adaptation rights since 2008.

BATTLE ANGEL - manga written by Yukito Kishiro, called "Battle Angel Alita" - Anime adaptation of the first few books, called "Battle Angel" was released as "original video animation", consisting of 2 episodes, Rusty Angel and Tears Sign. Released in Japan as "Gunnm".

In the 26th century, a floating city, called Tiphares, dumps its trash onto the world below. In this bleak landscape, called the Scrapyard, Doc Ido, a cyborg physician, finds the head and torso of a young cyborg girl. Only Alita's brain is human and she has lost her memory. Doc Ido rebuilds her and later they discover that she has been programmed with an ancient cyborg fighting style. Alita soon finds out that Doc Ido works as a bounty hunter for the Factory, (the support organization for the floating city). Together, they take on many deadly foes as they try to unlock Alita's true power and potential.

On February 19, 2010 Avatar producer Jon Landau hinted on MTV Splash that the film, now being called Alita, may be filmed after Avatar 2, which is currently in development. James Cameron will direct the live-action adaption of the first three volumes of the manga series. More movies would cover the rest of the series if the first was successful. In later news it was reported that the film would focus on Alita's early development as she learns she's a deadly machine. Both Landau and Cameron are drawn to scenes involving Motorball, the gladitor-style racing battle for cyborgs in which Alita participates.

If you're a big fan of anime, or just movies in general, don't miss these four new live action films.

Predators Movie Review

Cover of Predator [Blu-ray]

The year was 1987 and Arnold Schwarzenegger was at the height of his popularity. This was when Predator was unleashed around the world. This film introduced us to one of the most frightening creatures ever put on film. There was great balance of horror, comedy, action and suspense and made this one of Schwarzenegger's best films and gave us a creature that was hoped to be seen in other equally as great movies. Unfortunately this was not the case. We first got Predator 2, then Aliens vs. Predator and lastly Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. All of these films paled in comparison to the original and really made the Predator something much less than it was intended to be. Now, 23 years after the first film, we finally get a film that reminds us why we liked the Predator in the first place.

When the film starts, you almost get a sense of deja vu. The location is a jungle much like the one we see in the original film, but with different actors roaming around and wondering where they are. One person then meets another and both seem lost and unsure of how they ended up where they are. Then another person runs into the steadily growing group. They all begin talking and all realize that they have been brought to the jungle by someone or something, but they don't know who or why. They are all heavily armed and all seem to be elite and trained fighters. They all come to a cliff with a view of more of the jungle and realize they've been brought further than they ever could have realized. We see a vista with multiple moons or planets in the sky. They've been taken from Earth.

This is the big change of this film from the original. The Predators have been collecting species to bring them to a planet to hunt them down. Why would they go and hunt on a different planet, where it could be more difficult because of all the people that are there when they can just pick the ones that they want to hunt and bring them to their own hunting ground. The humans they have picked all have experience, either hunting, fighting or stalking others. They are the Predators of Earth. Who better to challenge than the hunters of Earth?

I personally would have liked to see not only humans, but other species from around the galaxy to join together or at least fight the Predators jointly. We saw glimpses of other races that had been captured, but didn't make it after being dropped from an aircraft. If only some of these had survived so that we could get a better sense of other races that the Predators like to make sport of. Maybe the filmmakers were saving that for a second film should this one do well. Either way, I really like the direction they took with this film and it makes me remember why I loved the first film to begin with.

Sure, this film isn't perfect, but it does what it set out to do which was remind the audience about these fierce creatures and why they were once popular. They also made this film very similar in tone to the original and brought back the action and suspense that was missing from other Predator films. I do hope to see another movie after this one, but hope they take a few more risks, show a lot more creatures and give the Predators a challenge that will make the audience stand up and cheer.