HOCUS POCUS

If there is a questionnaire asking “if 1 is cynic and 10 is romantic, what is your number?” My answer is 5 coz I think that I am more on cynical type of person. But, doesn’t mean that I have no romantic side at all, coz my answer is 5 not 1  I do like to watch romantic kind of movie or drama, and it is not rare that after watching that kind of movie, I am full of love or the tear drop down. However,  cynical side of me still has it part, like arguing that some part of the movie is illogical and will never happen in the real life, etc.

When we are discussing about romantic movie in the place that I live now, the first type of movie that will come out is definitely Japanese or Korean drama or movies. Most of my friends are the J-drama and K-drama freak. I am definitely not a dorama freak, not even a fan of this type of genre, but I did watch some dorama or the K&J movie. In my opinion, the strongest part of dorama is in the story. The story is very strong so that it can make you flying with love or even drowning in tear. On top of that, as Asian, we can identify ourselves more on Asian movies coz we, more or less, have the same way of doing something, especially in term of building love relationship. In simple, we easily identify “shy-shy” love rather than straight-forward love in western movie.

Last night I watch a very interesting Japanese movie. It released in 2004, so I suppose that many of you have watched it before. The title is “Ima, ai ni yukimasu” or the English title is “Be with You”. I think most of you will say that it is a good movie, but not the greatest, not even in the list of the best Japanese movie you ever watch. I can understand why you think so, coz in term of the story, this movie doesn’t have the strongest story, compare with another Japanese movie. But for me, this movie is on the list of the best movie I ever watch, not only in romantic genre or Japanese movie genre, but it is one of the best movies from all movies I ever watch.

Why is it so? Let me share with you why I think this movie is one of the best. First is from the story. The story is maybe not very strong but it is very well written. It felt like a very good storyteller told you a story which is ok, but because of the way he read the story, the story sound very good. Kudos for the script writer, for making a very good story line. The end of the movie was surprising, even though quite long. It filled all holes plots and made the story complete.

Another great thing from this movie is the casting. I think they did a very good job in finding the actor and actress which not only act very well, but also well-matched with the character. There are 3 main characters in this movie, Mio the mother, Takumi the father, and Yuji the son. Play as Mio is Yuko Takeuchi, not a very pretty actress compare with another Japanese actress, but indeed radiant and surely talented. As the father Takumi, is Shido Nakamura which also not the perfect actor in Japanese-actor-stereotype, but definitely did a good job. And the most outstanding one is as the son Yuji, is Akashi Takei, with his original and believable acting. They really match with the character is not only because they play it very well, but also because the chemistry between them which is so real. It really makes you believe that they are a real family. ( I just know that they got married after the movie)

Finally, the third great thing from this movie is the setting. I don’t know from which part of Japan this movie took place, but it surely can capture the beauty of Japan nature, with its forest, lake and hill. I can compare it with another great movie I ever watch “Malena” (I think I will review it another time), an Italian movie with Sicilian island as the setting. The best scene for me is the morning scene when Takumi goes to the office by the bicycle. Other than that, every rain scene is just perfect.

With great script and story line, great casting, and great cinematography I think it is not wrong for me to put it on the list of the best movies I ever watch. But still, it is not the best movie I ever watch, not even the best in Romance genre. So far, the best movie of romance genre I ever watch is Before Sunset and Before Sunrise, even though I have some subjective reason to put it on the top, but that’s the movie about, we are getting pleasure by identify our self with the movie. The main factor to put the film as the best in our list is the movie where we can do self identification the most. I’ll review that movie later, but for now, Ima, ai ni yukimasu, Right now, I’m going to meet you…

It is not a secret that I am a big fan of American Idol. Since watching movie, or TV shows in this case, is one of a self identification process, explanation on why I like this talent-hunt reality show easily can be found, as be a singing super star is, and will always be my dream….  If I can exchange everything that I have in life for one thing, that thing will be a “super-great-voice”…. God give me different destiny thou…

Well, for this season 6 of American Idol, despite so many great singers from the girls group, I think the guys will do better, simply because they are different and unique. Well, we always got a great singer every season, like Mandisa  or even Lakisha this season for example, but actually, something new that come every season which make greater impact, like Bo Bice and Chris Daughtry, last two seasons dynamite with their rock genre. On top of that, I can’t find a beautiful sweet heart lady like Katharine McPhee  or Carrie Underwood  from the girls group this season, so my vote straight away go to the guys…

If the last two season, Rock Rules, this season a funk electric music with a bit mix up from pop, rock, hip-hop or even disco will be a bomb this season, and there are two guys will make their way to the top with this genre, and they really show what I try to hit by their performance this week. Let’s take a look…

The original…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQonPfZpRLY

Simon said that his performance was copying the original, do you think so? I don’t. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGT_9zn6i_A

The original…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yb655sAoAac

Comparable performance…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rh_tSq2DKDY

Incomparable different league performance…. http://www.youtube.com/v/0NwzHD3n-BE

When I look back to the past, even though I know that I should not look back to the past coz it will change nothing, it makes me re-consider some others career path that I possibly had taken, but I was not.

I am just watching “A Few Good Men”, a film produced in 1992 with Tom Cruise and Demi Moore as a leading role. I felt that I have watched this movie few years back in TV, but re-watch it is worth all the time that I spent. From the actor and the actress itself, this film is indeed attracting. Demi Moore was damn hot and Tom Cruise was not as hateful as he is now. Other than that, the story was quite interesting even though the script was not really well written, in my opinion. Jack Nicholson did a great job to present a fanatical, proud and shallow minded marine colonel which is honestly, I am familiar with… you get may point, rite?

The thing that attracted me to watch this movie was the career that I identified as one of my career path that I possibly had taken, to be a lawyer. I think that I have anything needed to be a lawyer. Talking and arguing is the things that I love the most. I do like to analyze a case, make a hypothesis, then try to prove it. Trying to read people mind and behavior, and see hidden things inside their mind are something that I do almost everyday. Last, but the ultimate quality that I have is my ability to investigate people, to know what they intend to do, and sometimes know their secret then gossiping it…  the last point is indeed a gossip.

I also think that I have the natural passion to be a lawyer, or at least involve in a crime world, not as a criminal of course, ever since I was a kid. My favorite TV series in my early year of primary school is Detective O’Hara, with Pat Morita as Lt. O’Hara. There was lots of crime scene on that series and also inside court scene when he tried to provide evidence of a crime. Furthermore, Agatha Christie novel is my favorite reading. My sister and I even put our money together to buy the novel. Most of the people will choose Hercule Poirot as their favorite character, but my favorite character is Miss Marple. I do admire this granny ability to read people mind to solve the cases

In my Junior High, the next TV series related to lawyer life that I liked was Ally McBeal. It is quite embarrassing to admit it, but she was my dream girl… but I could not continue to watch this series right after Junior High, coz my high school did not give me a chance to watch it. I think that was the point where I did not even consider lawyer as my career choice anymore, coz my mind was shifted to something else. Science was my priority in High School, although I also got some social module like economics and sociology, and I did like it, but I just did not get a chance to learn those module more intense. The worst thing was that I was in a semi military kind of life. military, absolutely, the last profession that I ever consider as my career, or even I do not consider it…

And now, I am here, in my road to be an Electronic Engineer. I don’t know whether it is the best choice or not, but it is the path that I have to be through, and hopefully it is the best for me. Even though that I am sometimes in suffer, but maybe, let say if I was in law school rite now, I would be more in suffer. It is funny when I look back to the past and see that everything that I have now is far from what I thought it would be, but again, it’s life… just make the best of this test and don’t ask why, green day said…

How I Met Your Mother is one of a few series that I can’t hardly wait to watch every week, of course I download it illegally… upss…  It has already in its 18th episode now and the title for this episode is "Nothing Good Happens after 2 am". 

It is a romantic comedy sitcom about Ted (Josh Radnor), who tells his son and daughter about how he met their mother, and the story flashbacks to the year 2006, when he was single and quite desperate… (Just like me that’s why I like this series).

I like this TV series because the story nails me. It is about friendship and love. I am also wondering what I will tell to my children someday, about how I met their mother… hahahaha.. I am twenty something right now, not too early to think about it rite?

At first, I thought it quite similar to FRIENDS, but it has its own strength and uniqueness. A much recommended TV series to watch with 3 stars….

resource : http://www.tv.com/how-i-met-your-mother/show/33700/summary.html&full_summary=1