King's Speech

This is one movie I've only heard good things about and I finally, finally got around to watching it when my dad noticed it was going to be on the movie channel in the afternoon. And I was impressed.
First off, it was a nice change of pace from all the chick flicks and action movies I'd been seeing the past months. As my dad calls it "it's a slow pace sort of movie" and he's not that far off target. However, this allows time for the mind to catch up and process the events happening in the film. And you can see how well written the script is. Second, the acting was astounding. It's always amusing to see British actors working together, since you see a majority of them as cast mates in other films, but they're really great actors. Characters were well developed in every aspect and the chemistry was flawless. If there was ever a great a cast put together, this is one of those movies.
I can't say much about the historical accuracy of the movie since my knowledge of the early days of WW II is limited, but it seems to be accurate on the surface level. I've also heard complaints about the portrayal of King Henry VI and Winston Churchill, but again I have very little knowledge on the background of these two historical figures. I can say that most movies based on actual, historical events always seem to prettify people or their relationships however.
To summarize my impression of this movie, as a Speech Pathology major, I was quite fascinated by this movie since I learned about stuttering. But just as a person, I appreciated this movie on a moral and personal level. I have a soft spot for historical films, if they're not about war generally so this was up my alley from the beginning. But what I really appreciated about this movie was the message. It's about learning to step up despite any flaws or inferiority you feel. You work on your flaws to become a better person when the chances of improving are bleak. And it does take hard work and time to improve and even then, it may not be enough, but the final line is -- you do not give up; you keep moving forward because that's the only way to go.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

This is the last and fourth book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance series. It's been a long time coming, though not as long as the Harry Potter series and certainly not as anticipated. After remembering that it came out Autumn of 2011 , I bought it during winter break of 2011-2012 and read it through. Overall, I certainly enjoyed it more than Breaking Dawn by Stephaine Myers,  but it didn't even compare to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling. I was left with mixed feelings upon finishing the book and am hesitant about reading it again anytime soon. I wrote this review after reading it, but forgot about posting it,

Like the previous book in the series, Brisingr, Paolini writes from Eragon, Roran and Nasuada's perspectives. However if you count the amount of chapters with Nasuada's perspective, Paolini might as well have just cut those chapters out. I found them a bit pointless and lacking. And while a change in perspective does help one keep tract of the story's development, it also drags. Paolini may have had need to add a fourth book to this series, but with all of his lengthy descriptions for nearly everything, it was much longer than needed. If you've ever read the full version of Les Miserables by Hugo Victor where there was this entire chapter describing the sewers, that's basically what Paolini did with Inheritance, except with multiple chapters. Had he cut out much of scenes with Roran and Nasuada's interactions with minor characters, Eragon's reflection on his life and relationship with Arya, and nearly every battle with every single enemy they encountered, this story would've been an easier and more enjoyable read.

Another issue I had with this book was what was supposed to be the climax. After trudging through the endless battles and jumping back and forth between perspectives, I was dying just to get to the climax. But in the end, I put my hopes up too high. I was disappointed by how they overcame Galbatorix and couldn't help but think: "Seriously? That's it? *disbelief*"  I think I was ready to shut the book and end there if I hadn't noticed there was still nearly a quarter of the book to go through. It's frustrating to leave a book unfinished...

So I continued to read on and grudgingly mentally congratulated on Paolini for giving the story a lengthy closure. (Though perhaps it leaves little for the imagination to create and build upon.) My only issue with the ending was mainly the relationship between Eragon and Arya. It was extremely cheesy and almost like those scripted romance scenes in Star Wars without the kissing.

In conclusion, if I had to give this book a rating, then it'd probably be a C. Paolini created a beautiful fantasy world, but this last book didn't do much justice. I admire his creativity, but sometimes...inspiration can lack. And it certainly did so here.

Doctor Who

I caught the fever that's starting to run rampant in America. Current American shows like Pretty Little Liars, Switched at Birth, Big Bang Theory, NCIS, and Mentalist are all brilliant shows, but the British have been making their way into American television as well. The new drama debuting on CBS called Elementary? It's the American version of Sherlock, the British show of a modern day Sherlock Holmes. And let me say this, Sherlock is a fantastic show. It's brilliant!
Now did any of those words I say ring a bell? Because they are particularly well known pet phrases of the Doctor. Doctor Who? Yes. Doctor Who. One of the only science fiction shows I will watch aside from Star Trek. I'm honestly not a big fan of that genre. I can list on my hand the number of films, shows, and books I've read from that genre. However Doctor Who has made that list and is rapidly becoming an interest of mine. I understand why my friends and acquaintances enjoy the show and why others find it strange. It can be a little bit cheesy at times and like many sci-fi shows it's weird and hard to follow if you don't start from the beginning and follow through, but (!!) it contains that vivid piece of creativity, imagination and humanity that draws you back and back again to it.
Doctor Who, takes everyday concepts and twists everything you know about them and conjures some crazy "what if" idea that goes against logic. At least what we believe to be logic. Humans are quite narrow minded species if you do think about it. Anyhow, again watch it. Watch it. I don't care where you start, but give it a shot and watch at least 3-4 episodes. If it's not your kind of thing it's alright, but just try. You'll never see things the same way again.

Hunger Games (film)

This was the first film I saw in theaters this year and it wasn't a disappointment. I think it helped that I haven't read the book yet so I wasn't sure what to expect aside from what I'd seen in the trailers. It's been awhile since I've felt so much suspense. I'm not a fan of horror or suspense films, I avoid them like the plague, so this movie is about as much suspense as I can endure unless you include Dark Knight. I watched Hunger Games  with my sister and came out feeling content to an extent. Was it worth the money I paid to watch it? Yes. Would I watch it again when it comes out on DVD? I could care more or less.

I had a hard time trying to stay focus for the first half of the film because it seemed to drag on for whatever reason. Yes the content was necessary and I found myself taking in the settings and costumes, but it was just a tad bland. It wasn't cringe worthy bland and horrible as Twilight appeared for me, but I really wanted the actual Hunger Games to start. Instead I sat through the first part of the movie making connections to other novels I've read and the history of films in my mind. So in an intellectual bookworm sort of way I was able to maintain my focus until the second part of the film, which I have to say was far more intense than I expected.

For a PG-13 film that was designated toward teens and older children, there was a lot more blood-shed and violence than one would anticipate. But that's what kept my attention apparently. I won't go into too much detail (since there are people like my roommate who haven't watched it yet), but there were a few scenes that had my heart pounding and one particular event that had both my sister and I on the verge of tears. And no it wasn't any of the "romantic" scenes. The romance in this film was a bit of stretch and the weakest point in the movie, at least in both my sister and mine's opinion. The chemistry between the two main characters...or their attempt was rather painful to watch. If they'd taken it out, the movie would've been perfectly fine, but apparently it plays a large part in the book/ movie and how the rest of the plot lays out so I had to bear with it. (It's so hard to find a romance done right in movies these days.) Aside from that, I was impressed by the cast and their acting. Now to read the book!

Strawberry Night

I really don't have time to watch dramas, but I managed to fit in the Japanese drama "Strawberry Night" because I wanted a break from studying. (This took over a month to finish watching.)

Originally broadcast in autumn of 2010 as a special drama, "Strawberry Night" returns to Fuji on Tuesday nights. 

The drama is not only full of suspense, but breathtakingly tells a story of each character's concerns and sorrow, the troubles and tasks they must face. It takes a closer look at Reiko's mental state, the relationship between her and those surrounding her, a detective's faith, pride and sincerity towards one's profession...All in all, it's a profound human / profession drama that will touch the hearts of many. --Fuji TV

Ouran High School Host Club

The story revolves around a high school girl named Fujioka Haruhi at the prestigious Ouran Academy, who stumbles upon a group of male students who have formed their own club as hosts. Accidentally breaking an antique vase, Haruhi ends up owing the club a vast amount of money, and she ends up posing as a host in order to repay her debt. -Dramawiki

I know the manga and anime are both popular, but I still haven't gotten around to finishing the manga and I have no intention of watching the anime. (I've given up on watching anime for the most part). However, I did watch the drama because my friend suggested I do so and I really liked it. I haven't watched a drama like this since I watched Nodame Cantabile over a year ago and compared to all the other dramas I've been watching this was a nice change. I'm surprised this got such low ratings considering they're making a movie now. On the other hand I've read other reviews on this drama and found mixed feelings. Seems either people hated it or they loved it. I wonder if that has anything to do with reading the manga and watching the anime beforehand.

Gokusen

Anyone familiar with the j-drama Gokusen would know that there have been three made plus a movie. Most of these actors have gone on to be well known in the acting world (at least from Gokusen 1 and 2). It's also known to be a sort of "starting place" for some JE idols such as Matsumoto Jun and Kamenashi Kazuya.

"The story of a young, idealistic teacher who enters Shirokin Gakuen with hopes of making a difference in the students' lives. However, Yamaguchi Kumiko is in for a rude awakening when she finds that she will be the homeroom teacher of 3-D, the hardest class to maintain in the school. The students have multi-colored hair, sloppy uniforms, and show absolutely no respect to her. The leader of the class, Sawada Shin is lazy but bright and shows some interest in Yamaguchi when he notices that she is very different from other teachers. The students try to bully her to make her quit, but their attempts don't get them very far.

What the class and the rest of the school does not know is that Yamaguchi Kumiko is actually the 4th generation heir to the Ooedo Group, a notorious yakuza clan. Even though her family would like her to take the title of Ojou when her grandfather dies, they have accepted the fact that Yamaguchi would rather be a teacher.

Eventually, the students learn to respect their quirky teacher because of her devotion to them, and even give her a nickname: Yankumi." - dramawiki


[The synopsis is for Gokusen 1, but almost the entire gist of it goes for both Gokusen 2 and 3 as well.]

If I were to summarize this drama in one sentence... it's pretty much a comedy with a tad bit of drama in a school setting with some messages about friends, family and life. That's the easiest way to summarize it. It does have some resonating factors such as what to do after high school, looking forward to the future, believing in yourself, and etc. But I think the main theme in this drama is having someone believe in you constantly and always seeing the good in you when you don't see it yourself. Honestly, I have never had a high school teacher I was extremely close with or that I could depend on to support me and knock sense into me when I needed it most. Yankumi for the most part is the idealistic teacher no one ever gets (excluding the part where she's an heir to a yakuza group). Gokusen depicts the delinquent students as being given up on by every teacher, except Yankumi. The students, themselves have given up on having a good future in society because society looks down on them with disdain, yet Yankumi somehow opens up their eyes, mind and hearts again. She has the power to see good in everyone and never gives up on anyone which allows her to reach the hearts of her students.  That's what makes this drama so captivating. What if there was a teacher like her? Would you also have her back when she needed it? How would you react in a situation where you don't know who to trust, not even yourself?