Movie ~ Eight Below

Image courtesy of Walt Disney

Just when I thought I already knew how intelligent dogs can be, having reared dogs half my life, there comes a movie like Eight Below to marvel me all over again.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney
(Maya trying to save the Doc)

By the way, I just watched this movie last night and man, did it made me cry.

All eight dogs were supposed to be Siberian huskies but some are in fact Alaskan Malamutes. I really take my hat off to the dogs. They are the heroes of the movie. This is a must-watch for all dog lovers.

It's not easy to come across a movie that is as touching as this, especially in commercialised Hollywood. Definitely worth watching, better than Mission Impossible 3.

SPOILERS and doggie info can be found here.

P/S: I just have to say this: Dr. Andy Harrison is MEAN.

Movie ~ Mission Impossible 3

I just returned home from watching Mission Impossible 3. I know, I know, it premiered two weeks ago, and I'm like ssssooooooooo sloooowwww... but better late than never.

My head is still pounding and ears ringing, with all the explosion, smashing, shooting and what-not from the speakers at full blast. I can never understand why cinemas need to have speakers and air-conditioners turned on to the max.

I am not someone who can tolerate loud noises or swinging motions at the best of times, and in Mission Impossible 3, the cameras were swinging too much and it nearly made me throw up.

Also, the lights from the party, the guns and explosions made me feel like I was blinking every second, but I know I wasn't.

I feel Mission Impossible 3 is more of a male movie, without much storyline but has the right dose of action, gadgetry, technology and a few leng luis to keep the average guy happy for the entire two hours.

It didn't do much for me..... ahdoi, action overdose laaaaaa. As for humour, only a few scenes managed to bring a chuckle out of me.

I don't care how many million dollors were spent on the production of this movie, but I didn't enjoy myself as much as I did with Seabiscuit, Shutter or Windstruck. Foreign movies can be more enjoyable, thanks to subtitles.

Sometimes I feel that all the hoo-haa over a big budget movie does more harm to it than good, cos fans would expect more from the movie.

Tom Cruise looks tired here, but still as fit as ever. I remember him as a fresh faced up-and-coming actor in the poster I received free with my Number One magazine back in the late 1980s. I have to admit I haven't been a great fan of him, therefore didn't watch too many of his movies. I think I read more of him than watched him :)

Anyway, Mission Impossible 3 is not a movie that will stick in my head for a long time to come. Maybe only one or two months, that's it.

It is not a movie that I will wanna watch twice, unlike Fame or Grease, or Austin Powers or Kill Bill or even 13 Going On 30 (cos I like the soundtrack).

Was spending RM8 on the ticket worth it? EEerrrrr I think I can buy a VCD and watch it at home with the family just as well.

Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Korean Drama ~ My Name Is Kim Sam Soon / My Lovely Sam Soon

Finally, I've finished watching "My Lovely Sam Soon".

And I'll attempt to review it today, but first, for some introduction.....

"My Lovely Sam Soon" is also known as "My Name is Kim Sam Soon", the literal translation from its Korean title.

It was THE 2005 K-Drama of the year... not surprising at all.

If I were a true bum, I would've just sat through 16 hours straight to finish the drama, instead of taking almost two weeks.

Why wasn't I surprised this drama became THE 2005 K-drama of the Year?
Because Kim Sam Soon's supposed to be this over-weight, plain-looking, lowly-educated lady from a humble (poor) family, who is on the verge of going over the hill (30 years old), and is the third daughter (less worth) in the family.

And.... she looks like someone we know... or maybe even we could be her, or she could be us. We ALL can relate to her one way or another.

And we all dream of a young, handsome AND rich guy sweeping our feet off the ground.

My take on Kim Sun-Ah (as Kim Sam Soon)
This actress put on fifteen pounds for the role. Really gotta give it to her. Wonder if she had a hard time reducing all that weight after this.
The fat clung onto her body so naturally. hehehe

Anyway, as mentioned earlier, she looks like the Malaysian HVD actress, Cheryl Lim Chiew Yin. I regret I couldn't find a mugshot of her on the net.

Another actress from Hong Kong's ATV has the same looks too. Here is her photo. Her name is Chan Sau Man, or something like that.

Anyway, all three of them have this flat, chubby cheeked, sad face, that makes their crying so believable. And there are lots of tears in "My Lovely Sam Soon".

My take on Hyun Bin (as Hyun Jin-heon)
This guy has got a boyish charm that many girls would easily fall for. I love him with his hair moussed. Without that, he looks too much like a high school student (too young).

He was the most handsome when he cried while relating the accident to Kim Sam Soon. Other times, he was far too aloof and has a smirk on his face.

Also, I loved the back shots of him, when he was walking off in a hurry. Captain Jang commented that his back is like a work of art, and I have to agree!

The scene of him that I will remember for a long time is when he tried to strangle the piggy plush toy (near the rubbish dump). Cute boy doing cute things.... aaawww he's so sweet...

My take on Daniel Henney (as Dr. Henry Kim)
WHOOAAA what more can I say? This guy is sizzling HOT!

Aihhh he has the kinda looks that I can fall in love with in the blink of an eye. And he has got perfect teeth! You should see his smile!

Unfortunately, he has got this typical Caucasian ears (small) but nobody's perfect, anyway.... *shrug*

I think that it's a blooper to have him surnamed KIM since his mother's supposedly Korean. And in Korean custom, like the Chinese, children will take after the father's surname, not the mother's.

What I like about the drama ....
Surely the leng chais :p since the plot's rather simple without much twists and turns. Being an emo person, I also cried along with them almost every episode *sigh*.. so silly.

What I don't like about it ....
All the screaming & shouting & whacking... maybe it's a Korean custom. Just look at their Parliament sittings and we get real life drama there.

The unrefined Kim Sam Soon who eats with loud slurping noises and after every drink of beer, goes kkkhhheeeerrrrrrrrr (I wonder why)...

And in some scenes, she ate with one foot on the chair, like a trishaw puller... I know she's supposedly lowly educated, but that's over acting, me thinks :-(

Also the restaurant staff played basketball in full uniform, and worse, going in and out of the toilet in uniform with hat & apron, too. Yucks... the restaurant's supposedly high class but those scenes made it look like the local kopishop near my house.

Pay attention to the soundtrack. I don't get it why a horse's neigh is included!?!

And, I reiterate that it's difficult for me to believe the romance between Kim Sam Soon and Hyun Jin-heon. They look like a mismatched pair, sorry!

Gross moment:
People farting while they were taking a dump (two scenes) eeeewww that's ultra gross to be put on film.

Upcoming Movie Reviews

The following are movies waiting to be watched, which I may or may not review later. I will be killing myself if I were to review them all.

English language movies
Click
Curious George
Find Me Guilty
Hoodwinked
Over The Hedge
Poseidon
Thank You For Smoking
The Lake House
The Omen

Korean movies
Ditto
How To Keep My Love
Lost In Love
Oldboy

Other languages
Black Night Trilogy [Next Door (Chinese), Dark Hole (Japanese), The Lost Memory (Thai)]
Initial D
Dragon Tiger Gate

Updated on 9th Dec, 2006