kav2001c Reviews

Diary (2006)

Incredibly Well Done

[9/10 · 26 March 2007]

Its one of those oddball hits you don't expect when you first pop it into the player. Starring EEG Canto-pop stars Charlene Choi and Isabelle Leung you'd expect this film to be a stinker; and you'd be very wrong. Very well done atmospheric suspense film about a girl who has apparently been dumped by her boyfriend for no reason. She broods on this for a long time (its implied early on she has mental issues, she even goes so far as to decide he must have died), until she finds a new guy who looks a lot like him. She keeps on mixing up the two men, so one night she reads her diary and discovers...

Id strongly suggest you just watch this film first Reading too much about it beforehand will spoil it

Sex Is Zero (2002)

Korean Pie

[7/10 · 9 November 2006]

This film is commonly referred to as the Korean American Pie But it rips off a lot more movies than just that and it is interesting how they are all tied together The other thing that strikes me is how this film is hyped as a raunchy teen sex comedy when its almost the directors intent to get teens to watch it (via gross outs and ample nudity) and then does the traditional Asian cinema swerve into a much more serious (and darker) matter (where the title of this film is explained)

Ha Ji Won is great (again) and pretty much steals the show The secondary characters are good (but often don't get as much attention as they deserve... a side effect of trying to run too many characters/plot lines)

The only negative I will say about this film is it looks kinda amateurish (but I think it was intended that way)

Last Life in the Universe (2003)

What Is The Point In Living If I Don't Have Anyone To Talk To

[10/10 · 7 July 2006]

First off, this is a very artistic film (any movie you watch that the credits are inter-spaced over the first 33 *minutes* you know is going to be different and experimental) and as great as the film is, its a human interest story and therefore it does progress slowly

Kenji is a Japanese man living in Thailand Everything is his life is absolutely perfect down to the most minute details He has a job as a librarian and spends the rest of his time reading (in particular a Japanese child's fable, which is the basis for the English title of the movie) He is not happy and feels his life is utterly pointless. He is irritated by all the noise around him (everything from TV to phone to other people) and he often contemplates suicide (as to him it is a peaceful sleep where he wont be disturbed. His latest suicide attempt is foiled when his brother shows up (on the run from a Yakuza boss who's daughter he slept with) During a gun fight Kenji flees, and meets Noi

Noi works as an adult entertainer who is planning to leave Thailand for Osaka. She has a boyfriend who has cheated many times on her (including with her own sister) Noi has a fight with her sister over the affair and Nid ends up being killed, which makes Noi feel responsible for

Kenji and Noi find an odd solace in each others time of need (he feels alone and she is scared of being alone) and they go out of Bangkok to the province where Noi lives

Battle Royale II (2003)

I honestly wish they never made this sequel...

[3/10 · 18 October 2005]

This film was just as pointless as most Hollywood sequels are (which seems ironic since the overall message of this film has a very anti-USA ring to it). Whereas the first film had a *point* this one has nothing worth seeing, and the plot is ... its just pointless thats all I can say. *WHY* would the government ever (in a million years) bother sending *more* students to the island to "fight terrorists". Of course the obvious happens (I don't really consider this a spoiler but be forewarned) they join up with the terrorists. So *THEN* the government says oh lets send troops in. Why not do that at first? Here the violence is dull and pointless and most fans of the first Battle Royal I'm thinking will be tremendously unimpressed. They even tacked on a sappy ending which goes against the tone of the first one.

Zoo Diaries (2000–2004)

DVD Season Sets Now Available!

[9/10 · 30 June 2005]

This is a wonderful TV series that is both entertaining & educational. They also have started releasing it on DVD now! Seasons 1 & Seasons 2 are both out (at a very reasonable price for a 2 DVD set, 4 discs total & it even includes a free child's admission to the Toronto Zoo.

Season 1 includes: catching Tasmanian devils, silverback gorilla has surgery, baby giraffe gets his shots, Siberian tiger gives birth, & an African elephant is out of sorts. Season 2 includes: gorilla gives birth, hand raising a baby fruit bat, feeding the grizzly, crocodiles move into new exhibit, & twin moose (meese? haha) are born Shot on location at the Toronto Zoo, Life Networks's Zoo Diaries gives viewers an exclusive pass beyond the cages & exhibits to discover an extraordinary universe. Zoo Diaries goes behind the scenes at the world renowned Toronto Zoo to tell the stories of the men & women who live side by side with over 5000 animals and hundreds of species.

Update: Seasons 3, 4 & 5 are now listed as "coming soon" so keep your eyes open.

The Twins Effect (2003)

US VS Asian Releases!

[14 September 2004]

One comment I have to post for this movie: Make sure you buy the Asian (not US) version of this film! Like many big name HK films (eg Iron Monkey, Drunken Master etc) the version sold by the big retailers (WalMart, Amazon etc) is cut to ribbons! About 20 minutes have been removed from the film! (Some of which are major plot points for later)

This film is pretty much a HK version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Take some very popular HK idols & throw them into a vampire story. Jackie Chan even has a cameo (& his son ends up getting a role in Part 2... hmm...) Its a quite good film & is recommended. 4 out of 5 stars. Oh & the teddy bear fight scene is a classic :)