I’m a little behind but I watched The Big Year and A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas a couple weeks ago.

I’m a big fan of Harold & Kumar as I was with Cheech & Chong. Harold and Kumar are really the modern day Cheech & Chong. I really enjoyed this movie. It wasn’t as good as the first but better than the second. The 3d had no point and I didn’t need the singing as usual.

Adrian: “…also I told her you work for the White House”
Kumar: “Yeah, like anyone’s gonna believe that”

If you know Kal Penn, you should understand that inside joke.

I don’t think there is a Jack Black movie that I don’t like. The Big Year was funny with the team of Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson. I don’t know about Bird Watching but I do know about Otaku. This is exactly what I imagine Bird Watching Otaku is like.

On Movie Plus, I watched Milk which was a gay movie. Just Joking. It wasn’t that bad at all. I also watch The Last Samurai which is one of my favorite movies.

For two weeks before the release of this movie they aired the other two movies each Friday and was still so hooked. Kumi says she can’t believe how much I like these movies. She said I must be the only foreigner so crazy for it. Even though I think she cried more than I did. Of course since these were on TV they cut some scenes due to time constraints but what surprised me is that I could notice the scenes.

Before I get into the new movie, I’ll try and explain why I love these movies. I love Japan, and I have no desire to live anywhere else. Of course I’ve seen countless of movies about the 50s and 60s in North America but I never knew life in Japan. These movies show how life was. This time in Japan was unique because I think it was really the start of the North American influence over Japan. Kumi’s mother was in her preteens in the era and says she remembers the first TV, the ice box fridge, and the old clothes washer. If I think about my life time, there isn’t really big inventions. Sure we have iPhones and iPads but really they are just improved versions of something we already had. There has been no new inventions that changed how we lived. If I could go back in time I would go back to this era in Japan.

ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日’64. We went to see this movie in 2D not 3D as I’m not big on 3D. I enjoyed this movie and went threw several emotions as I did with the first two. I loved this movie. As I always say, I don’t review movies, I write about my thoughts and experiences while watching movies.

I really enjoyed how they did the Forest Gump style of taking old footage and adding the actors in. Even though you could tell, it still looked cool. A couple things I noticed about this movie. Ippei, who had big story lines in the first and second movie became a secondary character with not much story line at all. Also
Mutsuko makes a boyfriend, gets engaged and married in this movie. Sure that sounds fine, right? Well… The start of this movie was just before the ’64 Olympics and ended on the day that all the Olympic festivals ended. I looked up how long the ’64 Olympics lasted. It was only 2 weeks. So basically the whole movie took place in less than a month. W@W, that’s fast to get married.

Like I said before, I love these movies and I’m sure you would too. Also surprisingly I wasn’t the only foreigner in the theatre. There is a good article on The Japan Times Online about this movie. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ff20120120a1.html

In the past week and a half I also watched Pulp fiction (great), Enchanted (surprisingly OK), Drag Me to Hell (Started OK but got stupid fast), New Town Killers (Surprisingly good British film) and Charlie’s Angels (Lucy Lui, Damn hot!)

The first was on Friday, I watched Van Wilder: Freshman Year. This movie was released straight to video in 2009 and I never heard of it. Being a big fan of the first, I thought I would give this a try. It reminded me of a 80s T&A movies. What was OK. About the same level as the 2nd. They say it was a prequel but with all the men of the Wilder family being Vance(AKA Van), it could be a sequel and they could end up making several more. It’s funny how edgy movies like American Pie or Van Wilder turn into the T&A flicks.

On Saturday I watched In Time and then Proof. In Time has started showing commercials in Japan so Kumi wanted to see it. The idea for this film was good. The currency is time of your life. It would be a good way to control over population and the homeless problem. You need to work to live. Justin Timberlake is really turning into an actor not a singer. Will he ever be a Will Smith, I don’t think so but I don’t mind him at all. Both Kumi and I enjoyed this film.

Proof was on Movie Plus. It wasn’t the first time I watched this movie. I don’t mind this movie and have always liked Gwyneth Paltrow. Especially after her Glee performances.

Sunday I watched Johnny English Reborn. I was meaning to watch this for a while but just got around to it. This was a typical Rowan Atkinson’s movie. If you liked the first, you’ll like this. Have you notice his strabismus or wandering eye has become more aligned in his old age?

As I mentioned before, we were supposed to watch New Year’s Eve on Christmas Eve but Kumi wasn’t feeling well. So we watched it tonight.

I spent the first 10mins or so was just finding out all the stars in it and not really getting into the story lines. The movie was as expected. Hollywood is running out of ideas so they throw a lot of star power in without much of a storyline.

I have a feeling this is similar to Valentine’s Day. Many stories that are slowly introduced as being linked to each other. In the end everyone is happy and loved.

Kumi really wanted to see this movie. She is a big fan of Sarah Jessica Parker. After the movie I asked her what she thought and she said “lots of stars”. Exactly.

Don’t get me wrong. This movie wasn’t bad. It is the love story version of The Expendables. My only question is what holiday is next?

I was hoping to watch a bunch of Christmas movies on Christmas Day but there were none on TV. Movie Plus was just showing a stupid Steven Seagal movie. Not sure which one because they are all basically the same. We ended up just watching Fox Japan’s Christmas dramas.

On Boxing Day I watched Jack and Jill. I’m a big Adam Sandler fan and this movie didn’t let me down. From the start of the movie, I was laughing. Sandler makes an ugly woman. If you an Adam Sandler fan, you should like this movie. I know most critics were down on this movie and IMDb gave it only 2.9 but I enjoyed it.

In the evening we watched Hollow Man 1 and 2. Of course we’ve seen the first but we’ve never seen the second. Hollow Man was a good movie even with Movie Plus cutting the rape scene out. I always though they should of had more of him in public playing pranks and slowly realizing his power.

Hollow Man 2 however was terrible. Kumi couldn’t take it and went to bed before the end. I never saw it before and I didn’t miss anything. The storyline was slow and boring. Enough said.

First up was Terminator Salvation. This was my third or forth time watching it. I enjoyed this one much like I enjoyed the rest of the series. I always wonder how different would it of been if Arnold played Kyle Reese in the first movie instead of the Terminator. If Arnold did take the role I think there may of been no series and Arnold’s fame might not of been so big.

Anyways the funny thing I noticed watching It after a long absence is that I said “That’s the guy from Avatar!”. Why I think that’s funny is when I watched Avatar, I never said “That’s the guy from Terminator Salvation!”. It’s funny how the memory works.

After that we watched Music and Lyrics. Another movie we’ve seen several times. My wife and I enjoy Hugh Grant’s movies. We even chose the theme from his Notting Hill soundtrack as our wedding song. She by Elvis Costello. We also like Drew Barrymore. She’s plain to look at but she has a cute personality that makes her shine.

A couple days ago I watched Moneyball. I don’t like baseball at all. In fact, I can’t stand it. But I enjoy baseball movies. Field of Dreams, Major League, etc… I also enjoyed this one. I was meaning to watch this one for a while but never got around to it. It was interesting and I could learn a lot about the business side of baseball.

I also watched The Shawshank Redemption and I am watching it again now. This movie is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time. I’m not sure how many times I’ve watched this but I can watch it over and over and never get bored of it. Great movie.

Here are some things that did stand out. The way they made　Bella look sick and skinny was excellent. It reminded me of Skinny Steve. Also what’s up with Jacob? He “imprints” on Bella’s kid!!! Can you say pedophile wolf? Also what happened to the shinny skin that the vampires get? I have a feeling the ending of this story will disappoint me like Harry Potter did.

In the evening we watched Glee: The 3D Concert Movie except in 2D. As you know I’m a Gleek and so is my wife. I could enjoy this …Movie??? I guess movie. I liked how the actors stayed in character throughout the movie. It would of been disappointing if the they broke kayfabe. I enjoyed seeing the hardcore Gleeks and their lives. If your a Gleek, it’s a must see.

That’s all this time. I’m not a critic or a reviewer. If your interested in a movie, watch it. Don’t listen to what other people say.

But I did enjoy this movie when the tournament started. The beginning felt a little too long. I was intrigued by Tommy but Brendan story felt like I story I seen in man, many movies. Being such a fan boy, I felt the fights were a little scripted but for the uneducated watcher it was fine. I liked the idea that one brother was a striker and the other a grappler. This is a constant question, Striking or Grappling.

One down point I found is that at the start everyone doesn’t know much about MMA. Like when the high school kids are talking, etc.. But by the end everyone suddenly knew about it. It’s just my opinion but I believe MMA and the UFC is a household name now. I think even non-fans still know what it is. Am I wrong?

I was surprised to see Kurt Angle. Mr. American Olympic Hero playing a Russian. But I guess that is the only way he can fill his dream of being a MMA fighter. He never even had 1 line though.

I would recommend this movie to fans and people who have a slight interest in MMA or any type of fighting. However I can’t recommend it to the common person.

The plot is they take 10 death row inmates, put them on an island and the sole survivor gets to be free. Meanwhile they stream everything over the net. Steve Austin is the main face of the movie while Vinnie Jones is the main heel. It’s a low budget action film. Lots of fighting and blood. Not to mention people blowing up.

As I said, I have a sick and twisted side but I’m not sure why I like this movie. I was never a Steve Austin fan or a fan of any of the other actors. This movie always make me think whether people would really pay to see this Internet TV show.

I think people would. Everyone has a sick and twisted side, even though they don’t admit it. This is why people always slow down to watch car accidents and why people gather to watch a burning house or building. Not just in North America but it happens in Japan to and I’m sure the rest of the world.

Yes, I would pay to watch it.

The plot is about a failing screenwriter who gets introduced to a Muse. The modern-day Muse takes him on as a client. She basically makes him do everything and pay everything in her life while guiding him with ideas.

This movie had a lot of laughs but that wasn’t the best part. Beside the well known cast, it also had a lot of cameos. It was great seeing all these stars young again. Rob Reiner looks the same 12 years later. Not to mention, he resembles my father.

The best line for me was when Steven and Jennifer Tilly were talking.

Jennifer Tilly: Isn’t Josh a doll?
Steven Phillips: Oh, yes, he’s a real doll. He’s like a regular little Chucky.

Of course that is referring to Bride of Chucky that Tilly did a year prior. Another funny line was when Steven was trying to get into the studio gate. Steven Phillips: Let me ask you – is this the lowest a human being can go? I mean, is there such a thing as a ‘crawl on?’

There was one thing I didn’t understand. If Sarah was actually crazy, why did she know all these celebrities?

Much like the Saw series, I like to see the different ways they kill off the characters. Final Destination 5 had the same plot as the rest of the series. A group of people are in a gruesome accident then suddenly one person snaps out of the daydream to realize it was more than a daydream, warns others and saves a group of people. But that wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to die so Death takes it upon himself to finish the job, killing them all.

In 5, it was a bridge collapse. The first big accident scene was good but they did better in prior movies. Actually most of the death scenes didn’t compare. But the best death scene of this movie goes to the laser eye surgery. First off, I’m glad I have good eyes because that is one scary procedure. What made this scene was the kick your while your down spot… Or should I say kick your while your dead. To make it short and not to ruin the scene for you, after she’s dead, her eye rolls towards the camera. I was like “Damn, that’s cool! When suddenly a car comes and runs over the eye.

If you like the series, you’ll enjoy this. The twist at the end of the movie is maybe the best twist of all the movies. They dropped hints throughout the movie so listen for it. I didn’t expect it and was shocked. Great ending.

In the afternoon, I watched 50/50. I’ve been wanting to watch this movie for awhile but it was totally not what I expected. Not in a bad way. The movie was still funny and good but it was also quite emotional. I really like Seth Rogan but it’s still strange seeing him skinny.

I have just a few comments about this movie besides it’s worth to watch. Adam’s girlfriend at the start of the movie is a b*tch. I would of spat in her face. I know this movie was inspired by a rue story but I think if he died at the end, it would of made for a more dramatic ending. Just my thought though.

“I’m a guy who’s a guy being a guy”

When I was in Odawara, I was shocked when I saw the Chirashi for ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日’64 (ALWAYS: Sunset on Third Street ’64). I am a big fan of the original 2. I’m obviously a big fan of Japan and Japanese customs so it was really interesting to see Japan in the late 50s. Now this one takes place in 1964. The release date for this movie is 1/21/12 (Some meaning???). You can bet I will be in the theatre that day and 99% chance I’ll be the only foreigner like I usually am when I watch Japanese movies. I can’t wait.