Burlesque

Reviewed by JuliaAiredes,

Genre - Musical, Drama, Romance

Ali Rose is an aspiring singer/dancer from Iowa. After being rejected by numerous auditions she realises that to succeed in Los Angeles she'll have to take things up a notch. After stumbling upon a club - Burlesque, Ali is mesmerised by their performance and thus becomes determined to join as a dancer.

Taking up a job as a waitress at the Burlesque, she soon picks up the dance moves. Her lucky break came when Tess the owner of Burlesque requires someone to replace one of her dancer. Reluctantly, Tess took her seeing a part of a former self in Ali.

Thus begins Ali's journey to become one of the most successful performer in Burlesque. Along the way, she will use her wits to save Burlesque from its debts, save her heart from romance and also jealousy.

To be honest, I didn't expect much and I was truly stunned by its choreography, talent and amazing skills. It somewhat reminds me of Chicago but don't misunderstand. Burlesque is its own show.

Starred by Cher and Christina Aguilera, this was one of the reasons I underestimated Burlesque as to me Aguilera is more of a singer than a actress. She has since proved me wrong. The tension between the characters was realistic and wonderful. Throughout the movie, I was kept on my toes as I waited to see what Ali Rose would do.

The soundtrack used in Burlesque was catchy and so were the dance moves. I wished that there would be more. And of course a happy ending to a girl's story is always good. This is truly something worth watching.

The Kitchen Musical (Episode 1)

Reviewed by JuliaAerides

Status - Ongoing
Genre - Drama, Musical

The Kitchen Musical revolves around Maddi Avilon whom upon graduation from a reputable culinary school in Paris obtained a job as a sous chef at a famous restaurant owned by her father - a position that took her friend Daniel Ray many years to reach. This proves to be a source of discontent among her co-workers as she struggles to showcase her creativity under the tyranical head chef, Alex Marcus

In Episode 1, Maddi believes that The Avilon's menu is due for an overhaul. However she has to content with Alex's absolute command that allowed no deviation from his recipes and orders. This greatly disheartens Maddi. Nonetheless, The Avilon is visited by Hue Masters, an infamous food critic whose comments might make or break their reputation. How will Alex and his team work together to create a display of perfection that will satisfy Masters.

I was totally blown away by episode 1. If you think that this is a cheap imitation of Glee, you're wrong. The Kitchen Musical is its own. A mixture of food and music~ wonderful. We are treated a stunning display of drama interlaced with popular soundtracks such as Unwell by Matchbox and For your Entertainment by Adam Lambert among others.



The cast was a great mix of talented people and their chemistry was undeniable. This is truly a series worth watching and I will expect a great deal from now on. The Kitchen Musical premiers on Malaysia starting 4th of October at Ntv7, 8.30pm every Tuesday.

Prince and Sword

Reviewed by JuliaAerides

Genre - One shot, Historical, Romance

Chen is a swords-women assigned to protect the life of Anli who is on the run from his brother - the tyrannical King Hwan. On a treacherous journey to request aid from his uncle, King Shana of Aragon, Chen discovers that sometimes the truth is not what it appears to be.

As a one shot, there isn't much to elaborate upon. The premise of the plot is very promising and intriguing. However, there is much to be improved. Quite a lot of the plot of what I imagined to be a great storyline was not expanded, leaving the readers with question marks ~ "What thats it?!!"

The romance implied  between Anli and Chen was practically non-existent as the plot ended abruptly as things was getting started. The art was reasonable and I was able to distinguish between the different characters. This manga has potential if only the plot was further extended.

1 Litre of Tears

Reviewed byJuliaAerides

Total Episode 11 + Special
Genre - Friendship, Tragedy, Romance

"As I think about the past, my tears will come out

Reality is too cruel~ I don't even have the right to dream"

1 Litre of Tears is a thought-provoking true story based on the diary of 15-year-old Kito Aya who was struck with an incurable disease - Spinocerebellar Degenaration. Its a cruel illness that affects her mobility, speech, even her ability to eat before succumbing to death at the age of 25.

In 1 Litre of Tears, Ikuechi Aya  has high hopes of a great student life. She has just entered reputable school, is well liked and has also made it into the basketball team despite being a first year.  However, strange symptoms surfaced - she would always drop items, occasionally unable to judge distance of objects.

Her life changed one day when she tripped and hurt her face being unable to instinctively protect herself. Her whole world came crashing down and thus begin her cruel fate that will eventually trap her in her own body.

This is one of the best drama of all time as it didn't turn into a sappy tragedy drama but rather it focuses on the fragility of life and the ugly side of reality~ "Why did the disease choose me? I won't have it if its just for the word 'fate'."  as we are shown  its effect on her life and also those of everyone around her.

There as a lingering theme of indirect love between Aya and Asou as she pondered on whether would she have experienced success in love had not had this disease ~"Would I be able to get married?" 

This drama also emphasized on the bond and support between friends, family as she tried to live as normally as she could. In one of my favourite moments you can really feel her inner turmoil, determination and her immense courage when she came to terms with her disease~ "To be able to smile and tell everyone this, I have at least cried a litre of tears"



In a nutshell the main and supporting cast was wonderful. They managed to portray the essence of the story that pulled the heartstrings. The chemistry between the characters was excellent and last but not least is the beautiful and touching OST and the end of each episode together with the real Aya's words, pictures and poems. This together with the plot makes the series you'll never regret watching.

"Just being alive is such a wonderful thing"~ Kito Aya

Waterboys

Reviewed by JuliaAerides

Total EPisode 11
Genre - Sport, Comedy, Friendship

Water boys is a heart-warming , inspirational and yet light-hearted J-drama about five boys as they struggle to form a men's synchronised swimming club. Along the way they learn about hardship, determination, team spirit, friendship, and love.

Going back to the events in the movie,  five seniors formed a men's synchro club which made their school - Tadano High- a pioneer for men's synchronised swimming. Two years has passed since then. The team is disbanded as the Education Committee is keen to maintain a high standard of education - no senior members had passed the entrance exam. The members left with no choice are forced to comply.

Kankuro Shindo inspired by a performance he has watched as a freshman, now leader is determined for a chance to stage a performance.  And so begins his adventure as he struggles to obtain the minimum five members and teacher advisor needed to reform the club.

Fans of the original movie might find this disappointing. Compared, there are only slight differences that mark the drama as different. (Read: Carbon Copy)  So if you do not want to ruin it, Don't-Watch-The-Movie or vice versa. On a brighter note, this is exceedingly entertaining and refreshing. Its funny, and yet not to overly so as certain drama tend to overdo things a little by using a lot of special effects.

The 1st quarter is interesting but somewhere towards the middle it gets rather boring, repetitive and also predictable.  However, the final performance really did a closure and you'll find yourself excited watching their performance.  Just so you know, don't expect to see a lot of pro-synchronised swimming moves.

Anyway don't let the cheesy gay-ish title fool you and it is worth a shot - a few shots at least. Just give it a chance and you might find yourself wondering why are you watching a bunch of skinny guys in speedo's prancing around in less than flattering movements.