Move over, Danny Ocean, there’s a new crew in town, and headed, by no other than Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett! Fans of the “Ocean’s Trilogy” franchise had a field day when it was announced that these two A-list actresses would be headlining the sequel movie of sorts, with an all female powerhouse cast. While… Read More Movie Review: Ocean’s 8 (Spoilers!)
Before superheroes came into their own in the cultural zeitgeist of today, fourteen years ago, audiences were treated to a different kind of superhero movie with Disney Pixar’s “The Incredibles”. At the time, the notion of superheroes reigning supreme was just something that happened just once in a while, allowing us to be witness to… Read More Movie Review: The Incredibles 2 (Spoilers!)
Every now and then, amidst the myriad of Korean dramas that crop up every year, there are a handful that are good solid dramas that are not only timeless, but a precursor of things to come and that mark a milestone in the evolution of Korean dramas. tvN’s “Forest of Secrets/Stranger” was definitely one of… Read More TV Review: Signal (2016) (Spoilers!)
Ever since the last season’s finale, with the knowledge that the series was going to end with its third season, and with the announcement that “Trollhunters” was just the beginning of a three series shared universe, fans of “Trollhunters” have been wondering how the series would end, and what the future would be for this… Read More TV Review: Trollhunters S3 (Spoilers!)
Over the past few years, the independent local film scene has been booming with well made, well acted, and meaningful films. It has come to the point in which movies like “Birdshot” have become available for streaming on Netflix, and to the point in which smaller local film fests are attended by more and more… Read More Movie Review: Citizen Jake (Spoilers!)
People watch television shows and movies for different reasons, and sometimes, one does watch a mixture of things based on different reasons at a given point in time. Sometimes, we watch things to be entertained and to escape from reality, sometimes we crave more realism and would rather be confronted by the harsh realities of… Read More TV Review: Something in the Rain/Pretty Noona Who Buys Me Food (Spoilers!)
Having the main saga stories come out every other year is a smart move as it allows them to explore parts of the galaxy that hasn’t been touched upon before, while it gives us a nice little break from everything happening with the Skywalker clan. In 2016, we had “Rogue One”, which nicely filled in… Read More Movie Review: Solo:A Star Wars Story (Spoilers!)
Whether it comes to the films or their tv shows, MARVEL is not only on everyone’s mind thanks to “Avengers: Infinity War”, but they are also doing well when it comes to their television shows. When it comes to MARVEL shows, many will no doubt mention their Netflix shows, which are on a league of… Read More TV Review: MARVEL’s Agents of SHIELD S5 (Spoilers!)
It takes a special kind of cast and crew to pull off a successful movie about a heist or a con, and it takes guts to be able to pull off an entire series based solely on the premise of different cons. In recent years, there has been USA’s “White Collar”, with an infamous white… Read More TV Review: Switch- Change the World (Spoilers!)
It didn’t take long for the first season of NBC’s “Timeless” to strike a chord in viewer’s hearts and minds, as it was the power of the fans (and social media) that enabled the show to come back for a second round of time traveling adventures after NBC decided to cancel the show after the… Read More TV Review: Timeless S2 (Spoilers!)
Recently, Netflix has been acquiring Korean dramas aggressively as of late, and interestingly enough, they now have several tvN dramas that aired in 2018. First up was the black comedy with heart “Prison Playbook”, then there was Lee Seung Gi’s fantasy romance “Hwayugi”, and now, the all to real human drama that is “Live”. “Live”… Read More TV Review: Live (Spoilers!)
When it comes to watching tv shows, whether it be a Western show or an Asian show, there are moments when one wants to see something and different, but there is also a slight comfort on falling back to shows with the usual tropes one expects from that particular genre. However, there is something immensely… Read More TV Review: Fight for My Way (Spoilers!)
In all my years of experience watching Korean dramas, I have never tried watching a weekend drama, let alone a family drama, as these usually tend to be over fifty episodes long. However, while I was looking for a fun drama to watch, I decided to try out a family drama that I have heard… Read More TV Review: My Father is Strange (Spoilers!)
To be honest, it has been quite some time since I’ve seen an Asian movie that wasn’t Filipino or an anime movie. In fact, the last time I watched a Korean movie was years ago, when I watched “The Thieves” at a local Korean film festival with a friend, and it still remains a favorite… Read More Movie Review: V.I.P. (Spoilers!)
Korean dramas usually don’t get second seasons. More often than not, most Asian dramas have one season. If they do get greenlit for a second season, they come in a variety of froms- a spiritual or anthology sequel with the same spirit as the original but with a completely different cast; or a sequel with… Read More TV Review: Queen of Mystery S2 (Spoilers!)
“Avengers: Infinity War” is probably one of the most anticipated films of the year, not just because of the sheer magnitude and ambition of this film, but because everything that MARVEL Studios has been working hard on for the past ten years now all comes to a head with this film. This film is also… Read More Movie Review: Avengers: Infinity War (Spoilers!)
Relying on old formulas are always safe things to rely on, but they become refreshing when you put an interesting and unexpected twist to it. Such is the case with the KBS drama “Queen of Mystery”, as it takes the old tropes of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson and gives it a new spin.… Read More TV Review: Queen of Mystery S1 (Spoilers!)
As we are now ending the month of April, and with it, Autism Acceptance Month, this will be my last post for now in which I review a movie that deals with autism or characters with autism. And for this, I have decided to take a look at “My Name is Khan”, a Hindi film… Read More Movie Review: My Name Is Khan (Spoilers!)
Reboots of shows that have left a legacy and a fan base are quite hard to do as the reboot would have to live up to and go the extra mile to go above and beyond to be the best it can be. Aside from that, rebooting a science fiction show is hard because it… Read More TV Review: Lost in Space (2018) (Spoilers!)
When it comes to genres in Korean dramas, interestingly enough, we rarely get pure comedies. Most of the time, its mixed in with other genres such as drama or romance. Because of this, and even if there was romance mixed into it, JTBC’s “Welcome to Waikiki” or “Laughter in Waikiki” is a rarity as it… Read More TV Review: Welcome to Waikiki/Laughter in Waikiki (Kdrama)(Spoilers!)
For my fourth entry for my Autism in Film series for April’s Autism Acceptance Month, I have decided to shift gears and focus on a documentary that is quite special to me, personally. So, for my fourth entry for this series, let’s take a look at a real life group of four individuals with Asperger’s… Read More Movie Review: Asperger’s Are Us (Documentary)
On March 30, 2018, the second season of Lemony Snicket’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events” dropped all of its ten episodes on Netflix. Many fans of both the books and the series had been eagerly waiting for the second season due to the success of the first season and because we could not wait to… Read More TV Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events S2 (Spoilers!)
I had a very different post in mind for today, but a couple of days ago, I was notified by WordPress that I have received a big milestone…or what I consider to be a big milestone for my blog- I’ve finally hit 100+ followers! So, to all of those who have followed by blog, both… Read More Update: Thank You, 100 Followers!
For the month of April, as it is Autism Acceptance Month, I have decided to review movies and other forms of media that have autistic characters or that deal with autism. However, as I am still doing my usual fare in terms of reviews for this blog, for this month, I have decided to just… Read More Movie Review: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Spoilers!)
Last week, in celebration of Autism Acceptance Month, I decided to mix in some reviews of films and other media that deals with the subject of autism, with my usual fare. I kicked things off with a review of Denzel Washington’s “Roman J. Israel, Esq.“, and this time around, I chose an underrated claymation gem… Read More Movie Review: Mary and Max (2009) (Spoilers!)
As soon as Ernest Cline’s novel, “Ready Player One”, was released in 2011, it flew off the shelves almost instantly, especially as it hit the sweet spot of ’80s nostalgia before “Stranger Things” came along. As soon as it was announced that there would be a movie adaptation of it, many waited in eager anticipation… Read More Movie Review: Ready Player One (Spoilers!)
Over the years, the film industry, whether it be Hollywood or International Cinema, has changed and has become more progressive, even though it took some time for it do so. The movie industry, especially in Western cinema, has only become more inclusive and diverse as of late, and movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp have… Read More Movie Review: Roman J. Israel, Esq. (Spoilers!)
Recently, streaming giant Netflix has been quite aggressive in expanding their database by adding and acquiring Asian television shows and dramas. However, just a few days ago, Netflix made history once again by acquiring the critically acclaimed film “Birdshot”, making it the first Filipino piece of content to be added to the streaming giant’s huge… Read More Movie Review: Birdshot (Spoilers!)
Just recently, tVN just finished its run of their (Korean) remake of the 2010 Japanese drama “Mother”. Before watching the Korean version, I decided to take a look at the eleven episode Japanese drama first to get a feel for it, and as I wanted to see the differences and the similarities in the two… Read More TV Review: Mother (Jdrama) (Spoilers!)
As soon as it hit the shelves, Ernest Cline’s science fiction young adult “Ready Player One” was an instant hit, as it came out in a time in which pop-culture was becoming mainstream, and it hit the sweet spot when it came to nostalgia which hadn’t yet reached its peak. And while I would never… Read More Book Review: Ready Player One
In the midst of all the prosecutors, time travel, and supernatural romances, there were two notable science fiction Korean dramas that graced (k) dramaland in 2017- tvN’s ambitious “Circle” and OCN’s “chase thriller” “Duel”. Thankfully, both “Circle” and “Duel” delve upon different thought provoking concepts, and are very different from each other, with “Duel” also… Read More TV Review: Duel (Kdrama) (Spoilers!)
Just like any genre, the realm of science fiction allows it to appear in many forms, from exciting genre movies with a lot of flash bang special effects, to slow moving art house think pieces. In recent years, although there have been many thought provoking science fiction movies, many have gotten used to science fiction… Read More Movie Review: Annihilation (Spoilers!)
Adapting a beloved book into a movie is no easy feat as not only will it have to please the general public, but it also should be able to satisfy fans of the book as well. Among the more notable book to film adaptations is Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy, which… Read More Movie Review: A Wrinkle in Time (2018) (Spoilers!)
Everyone has their own favorite stories, television shows, and movies; and while some of these might be subjective, there are some that are universally acclaimed to be classics. The same is true for Korean dramas. However, it seems as if JTBC managed to create a new modern classic with the romantic melodrama “Just Between Lovers”.… Read More TV Review: Just Between Lovers (Kdrama) (Spoilers!)
Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time”, ever since it was published in 1962, has been capturing the imagination of readers young and old alike, and now, it had been turned into a movie by director Ava DuVernay. Regardless of whether you have seen the movie already or not, let us take a moment to take… Read More Book Review: A Wrinkle In Time
Making a reboot is pretty tricky, as there are expectations and a time element that a film studio has to factor in. With “Tomb Raider”, aside from the fact that they had the difficult challenge of presenting the iconic Lara Croft in a fresh new light, they also had to surpass the “bad video game… Read More Movie Review: Tomb Raider (2018) (Spoilers!)
After three years of it gracing the small screen on Disney XD, “Star Wars: Rebels” officially said goodbye last Monday, March 5, 2018, with an exciting three episode finale that also served as the series finale. This is the second animated spin-off show to have come out of the “Star Wars” franchise, with the first… Read More TV Review: Star Wars: Rebels S4 + Final Thoughts (Spoilers!)
Recently, it seems that there are more and more live action adaptations of popular anime and manga franchises than before. This shouldn’t really be that surprising as it has been proven that we do now have the technology to be able to pull these things off. Unfortunately, most live action adaptations haven’t really done that… Read More Movie Review: Fullmetal Alchemist (Live Action) (Spoilers!)
Kdramaland in 2017 was rife with prosecutors, judges, science fiction and fantasy, and SBS’ “While You Were Sleeping” was no exception. This September to November drama was a romantic fantasy courtroom drama with an exceptional cast that had all the usual tropes one would expect in a Korean drama, but also managed to subvert it… Read More TV Review: While You Were Sleeping (2017 Kdrama) (Spoilers!)
All good stories must come to an end, some way or another, and for both the books and the film trilogy, everything does end with “The Return of the King”. Peter Jackson, his cast, and crew, continued to deliver, defying all odds and actually succeeding in doing the impossible by being able to translate a… Read More Movie Review: The Return of the King (Theatrical + Extended) (Spoilers!)
Just as every great story has a beginning, every great story also has a great ending. The difficulty with the last book in a series or in the season finale of a television show is that you don’t want the story to end just yet; and you hope beyond hope that the writers will be… Read More Book Review: The Return of the King by JRR Tolkien
Ancestral homes are things of beauty, but also hold the memories of the past and the legacy of a family. Anywhere you go, whether it be the Philippines or the United States, ancestral homes can be safe refuges and places of celebration; and it can also be the only things that link us back to… Read More Movie Review: Niño (2011) (Spoilers!)
Just like with films, creating and reading the second book in a series can be a little bit difficult. Most of this is because there is some pressure for the book to just as good as the first one while still driving the story forward. In this regard, JRR Tolkien’s “The Two Towers” is quite… Read More Book Review: The Two Towers by JRR Tolkien
Sequels, whether it be for books or movies, are the most difficult parts of a story to be actualized. There is that pressure of being consistent and whether it lives up to the first part, and there is the fact that it doesn’t really have a definite beginning or an ending, unlike the first and last… Read More Movie Review: The Two Towers (Theatrical + Extended) (Spoilers!)
Ever since Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa or Black Panther made an appearance in “Captain America: Civil War”, many have been eagerly waiting for his own standalone film; and to see what MARVEL will do with his character and to see how they will tell his story. And the anticipation for “Black Panther” rose even higher after… Read More Movie Review: MARVEL’s Black Panther (Spoilers!)
As a fan of fantasy literature, I have always been wary about books being adapted into films, especially if the books are close to my heart, and if they are literary masterpieces. By the time it was 2001, Hollywood wasn’t quite sure to make of director Peter Jackson’s attempt to adapt JRR Tolkien’s literary masterpiece,… Read More Movie Review: The Fellowship of the Ring (Theatrical + Extended Cuts) (Spoilers!)
Fantasy stories and novels are plentiful today, and appear in a wide variety of forms ranging from Young Adult all the way to high epic fantasies. However, among all of that which has been published, none has captivated and has been more influential than J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which began with… Read More Book Review: The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkein
For most fans of the fantasy genre, whether it be in literature or cinema, there is no denying that JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy is the best of the genre. In the realm of fantasy literature, this epic story defined it and influenced authors who would go on to create epic works… Read More The Kat’s Guide: A Quick Guide to “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy (Movie + Books)
Dramas and comedies about the justice system are nothing new, with shows tackling subject matters from court room trials to the prison system, and they have their own followings. As for me, I usually go more for crime procedurals and court room dramas, but I decided to take a chance on “Prison Playbook”, as it’s… Read More TV Review: Prison Playbook/Wise Prison Life (Kdrama) (Spoilers!)
Ever since the meteoric rise of Korean dramas worldwide, Korean dramas themselves have been rapidly evolving, allowing itself to take bigger risks and chances than before, and proving that they can produce good quality movies and tv shows with a wide range of genres. 2017 has been a groundbreaking year for Korean dramas as it… Read More TV Review: Circle (Kdrama) (Spoilers!)
