Among the Impostors (Shadow Children #2)

Reviewed by kuro-hime



SUMMARY :

Luke Garner is an illegal child. All his life has been spent in hiding. Now, for the first time, Luke is living among others. He has assumed a deceased boy's identity and is attending Hendricks School for Boys, a windowless building with cruel classmates and oblivious teachers. Luke knows he has to blend in, hut he lives in constant fear that his behavior will betray him.

Then one day, Luke discovers a door to the outside. He knows that beyong the walls of Hendricks lie the secrets he is desperate to uncover. What he doesn't know is whom he can trust - and where the answers to his questions may lead him.

REVIEW :

I like Luke at the same time, this book feels odd.

It was mostly Luke's insecure thoughts on how he has to be careful and blend in or else he would get caught by the population police.

Well, I get that he is a kid that has been hiding for years in his home therefore, he's a little scared but sometimes, I feel that he is pathetic.

Everything was a little confusing and weird in the beginning of the book. So many insecurities.

Then in the middle of the book, the paced quicken. The action started which was something good.

By the end of the book, I like it because the little Luke Garner that is scared of his own shadow has grown up to become strong.

Eventhough, it is slightly obvious that Luke is the CHOSEN one but his character growth makes it so interesting. It makes you root for him. He's just an ordinary kid but also something more.

Overall, this one series I will keep reading. I want to see how far it goes and how it all turns out.

I rate it 6 out of 10.

Kaiji The Ultimate Gambler

Reviewed by kuro-hime



SUMMARY :

An exciting psychological thriller starring Tatsuya Fujiwara as Kaiji, man forced to enter a deadly gambling competition aboard a cruise ship, to erase a large financial debt. Based on Nobuyuki Fukumoto's hit manga series which has sold over 11 million copies, Kaiji is a 26 year-old job-hopping bum who suddenly finds himself riddled in debt after a shadowy loan company informs him that he is responsible for a loan taken by his friend (who has since gone missing) and whom he casually co-signed as a loan guarantor for!

REVIEW :

This is definitely a very interesting movie indeed. Like any movie, it has it's flaws and golden moments.

FLAW ONE : The plot doesn't really make sense. There are unanswered question like why would the taio group want to build something underground and who is this taio group? How can they just force people to work underground like that?

FLAW TWO : The flow of the movie is slightly jagged and not really done well.
The movie began and ended as if it was comedy instead of a pyschological thriller. The scenes were a little awkward at first but got better in the middle.

However, the wonderful cast carried the movie so well that you completely DO NOT care about the flaws.

Everyone did a good job and they played their role well. Tatsuya Fujiwara really impressed me because I thought he would fail badly but he DID NOT. Instead, he was great. He's on his way to be a great actor.

Anyhow, I like the underlining themes of this movie. It's about the rich and the poor. Losers and winners. I like all that. I like how eventhough Kaiji is a useless loser but atleast he keep his promise. He's just a loser trying to start anew.

The camera work and the directing were good. Unfortunately the CGI wasn't so good and you can tell that it's a little fake. However, in this movie, it all doesn't matter. What matter is the human spirit to change and the perception of wealth.

A really good movie with great actors eventhough sometimes, they seem to be overacting but the movie needs it.

I heard that there's a sequel coming up soon and I look forward to it.

I rate this movie 4.2 out of 5

Fall Anime 2010 List

So here it is, the fall anime 2010 list. (press on it to zoom in)



Yes, it's the time of the year of any anime fan to mark down the latest series that they want to enjoy.

So go ahead, write it all down. I know that I've marked a few good series myself.

ENJOY~~!!

The Last Airbender

Reviewed by JuliaAerides


This is, in a single word a disappointment. To be specific, he has made a dull, poorly acted, and thoroughly unappealing fantasy, featuring characters locked in a struggle of no interest. Its a waste of money and I sorely regreted watching it.

Plot wise? There is no plot~!! The viewers are zoomed though the movie as Shyamalan employs voice over narration to advance the story, and each time he does, he creates confusion. What's more, his film doesn't derail. It's off track from its first scene showing two teenagers walking spouting lame dialogues.

Anyway, as The Last Airbender begins, the Fire people are taking over the world and making everybody miserable. And then...(still reading?)a boy emerges~~who has the potential to bend all four elements. And that is the catalyst for 103 minutes of fire flinging and earnest conversation: "And it is in the heart that all battles are won."

Has Shyamalan actually watched an episode of the series BEFORE beginning his work or just read the Wikipedia page. The fact that he couldn't be bothered to get the correct pronunciation of the characters’ names should tell you enough. And if you enjoyed the show’s humor, imagination, and depth, you can go ahead and forget about it.

These mystical powers lack all wonder and mysticism as the characters do what feels like eight minutes of Tai-Chi in order to do one simple and unimpressive move (eg. lifting one bubble of water). Everything you loved about Avatar: The Last Airbender is ,murdered and kicked into a shallow grave in this heartless adaptation.

Verdict: F (Is there any lower grading?)

Socerer's Apperentice

By JuliaAerides



If you've watched Disney's 1940 masterpiece Fantasia then you should find this rather familiar. Basically its about a reluctant hero Dave who got pulled into the story by Balthazar who is looking for the next Merlin. Then he meets the girl, completes his crash course in the science of magic & thus rose to save the day

The scene where 10-year-old Dave stumbled into the shop, tryed out the ring & destroying things in the proses reminds me of Harry Potter. In many ways this is a companion movie to the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time & also The Last Airbender.
There's a lack of urgency in the threat that Horvath poses since Balthazar keeps letting Dave go on dates.

Though the Sorcerer's Apprentice has its fun moments, but they are lost amidst the filler scenes. In whole, its a enjoyable lighthearted movie. Personally, I enjoyed the humor that was incorporated throughout.

Rate: 6.5