Anna-san no Omame

Breathing life into what could probably be the most annoying and dense character ever to be landed by a hafu celebrity, variety show-favorite Becky plays a rich, spoiled, delusional girl who wreaks havoc on the lives of men to head-splitting-throw-a-brick-at-your-television-screen-wanna-grab-her-by-the-neck perfection in a drama that can only be described as bonkers. Absolutely bonkers. Mentally taxing for being ridiculously shallow, not to...

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James Morrison : The Awakening Tour in Manila

Took some time off to catch the James Morrison concert last night. Although admittedly not as familiar with his discography as my concert buddies, I did manage to listen to his latest album long enough to get the impression that it was a form of affirmation, if not a total celebration of sorts. Certain tracks sounded like a tribute, a veritable list of people and things that made this particular artist who he is today. The Awakening is arguably...

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San Lazaro

  Odd and yet surprisingly insightful, with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek commentary about life, love and Youtube as a learning tool, Wincy Aquino Ong's San Lazaro peddles itself as another Asian horror movie that makes you assume that its focal point is a supernatural entity when in fact, it's all about inner demons---the kind that reside within, the kind that's powerful enough to disregard one's conscience, the type that can...

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Snow Patrol: Fallen Empires Tour in Manila

Light up, light up.... I'll be right beside you dear. After having half the city submerged in flood water barely two days ago and experiencing torrential rains for almost a week, the sun finally came out today like a beacon calling to all Snow Patrol fans to come out and rejoice, for the concert would push through as scheduled. Rain or shine, I already made up my mind to go. I initially planned to attend the block screening of The Bourne Legacy...

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Surely Someday

It is often said that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." If that be true, then Guy Ritchie should be floored by the level of appreciation that Shun Oguri has shown for his use of slow motion effects and time lapse photography. Yes, the actor best known for playing Hanazawa Rui (Hana Yori Dango) and Suzuran faction leader, Takaya Genji (Crows Zero) has gone to the extent of crafting an outrageous, coming-of-age film that pays homage...

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Blogging: Year Two

Was checking on long forgotten draft posts that lie buried under a list of published material on my dashboard and realized that this blog has unbelievably managed to hobble to its second year in the blogosphere. So hurrah, rundown-zoo just turned 2!?! Curiously enough, that's about the same amount of time it took me to finish watching the k-movie Psychic Haunters which---let me tell you right now---if you don't like seeing a scraggly-haired,...

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GARO: Red Requiem

Heralding the return of Keita Amemiya's popular and beloved golden knight to television is another Garo film---where fans of the series can find our brooding hero roaming the city streets in search of a horror who evades capture by slinking into mirrors and preying on patrons of a techno club made up mostly of cosplayers and goth chicks. Garo: Red Requiem has a protagonist who looks like he just stepped out of an anime feature fighting...

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Ranma 1/2 Live Action Special

If you were a geeky, awkward teen in the 90s or a wee kid who used to put off doing homework in the late afternoons to watch some t.v., then you're probably one of those people who got seriously hooked on an anime series like Sailormoon, Slamdunk or Ranma 1/2 (if not one of those equally addictive yet heart-wrenching Nippon Animation productions based on a literary classic). Only a few may have managed to finish any of the three series mentioned...

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Himitsu Chouhouin Erika

Sultry [wannabe J-pop singer and] actress of Battle Royale and Kill Bill fame, Kuriyama Chiaki, plays a housewife with a unique part-time job as a spy in a midnight drama that has the cheekiness of Charlie's Angels, the many guises of Sydney Bristow in Alias, and a black outfit reminiscent of the one that Jessica Alba wore during her Dark Angel stint. With basic action sequences complemented by the right menacing look and ready-for-action...

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Crossing Hennessy

Easily one of my favorites from 2010, Crossing Hennessy is one of those movies that make for pleasant and easy viewing, having one of the cutest and probably most misleading trailers produced to entice people to see it. Be forewarned, it's not as romantic or funny as it was made out to be, but fans of Ivy Ho would no doubt still appreciate and recognize the said writer's style and fondness for metaphors in this latest offering. Another...

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