Feygan's Drowning Pool

I just saw "The King's Speech" and I have to say that it was a truly excellent movie. I had wanted to see it since the first trailer aired but I got a little nervous when all the awards started coming out. There's been way too many times where a movie wins a bunch of awards, but I end up disappointed when I watched it.

"The King's Speech" did not disappoint. I might never watch it again and I will not be listing it as one of my all time favorite movies, but it was still incredibly good. It's just one of those movies that should be seen at least once.

Colin Firth did an incredible job as King George VI. And as usual Helena Bonham Carter was absolutely charming, you know, except for that time in Sweeney Todd when she was all crazy and stuff :)

"What's happening? What's going on?"

I don't know, but I'm sure I'd relate to you more if you took a few acting lessons and came back with more of a plot.

The premise of the story is good--and that's about it. I was left sadly disappointed by a movie that was way over-hyped, and they way under-done.

"M. Night Shyamalan's first R-rated movie..." and that's all that can be said for it.

Watch the trailers. Those are the best parts of the movie right there.

( Spoilers )

My recommendation for this movie? If you really have to see it, save your $7-12 per person and rent it on DVD from Redbox.

I have just one word to describe this movie: lame.

By the end I was just happy to have it all over and I actually left the theater infuriated by the amount of disappointment I experienced. Wow, that's like two hours of my life I'm never getting back.

This movie is totally a renter, not a buyer.

I just saw the unrated version of Hitman and there are just a few things I have to mention.

For one thing, the hitmen in the movie don't actually seem to be genetically modified superhumans. They are orphans and castaway kids that are taken in by the Order and trained into killing machines. So why does the beginning sequence, with the children being trained, feature kid-Max and the other X-5s from Manticore receiving their training? That's right, this movie basically recycled scenes from the TV series Dark Angel for the training time.

The girl in the movie, Katya (?) was actually incredibly beautiful, I will give you that. She totally made me want to get myself a facial tattoo of a little dragon and wander around in trashy little outfits. Other than that though? She was basically just a decorative piece that pouted around and had a few comments to throw out there.

Agent 47 went about his business of killing people and that was basically it. The plot was a little shady, though there were some shooting, slashing, blowing up scenes that will probably entertain the action-set.

In all, not a bad movie. Though I'm not saying it's a good one either... I rate it 3 out of 10.

title: L'Etoile Solitaire
author: Yuno Ogami
publisher: June
art style: fairly rudimentary
storyline: immature
overall impression: tries too hard to be cutesy, the sex is very basic and not really that entertaining, and there's something a little odd about the angles and lines of the characters' bodies (one guy's arms look REALLY long.)
rating: 3 out of 10

summary from the back: Micah Remington is a serious businessman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. A shark when it comes to hostile takeovers, Micah has been buying, restructuring and selling hotel chains for years. His next target?--Hotel Kurahashi, a small hotel chain in Japan that's experiencing financial difficulties. Micah plans to turn it into a vacation spot for foreign travelers.

Things soon become complicated when Micah meets and falls for the young president, Yuuki. Yuuki has just succeeded his late father as president; and while he works hard, he's really a managerial failure. But is Micah's infatuation with Yuuki just another ploy to seal the deal without a hitch? Considering that Micah is engaged to the heiress of one of the world's most prominent families, can Yuuki's personality and charm really hold his attention? Either way, Micah's executive assistant, Richard, isn't taking any chances. Richard will stop at nothing to protect his boss and his company--even if it means protecting Micah from himself.

Product: The Original Mint Julup Masque from Queen Helene
Ad: "Helps dry up acne pimples, rinse away blackheads & shrink enlarged pores:
Contains: water, kaolin, bentonite, glycerin, zinc oxide, propylene glycol, sulfur, chromium oxide greens, fragrance, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben

All righties, first off I would like to say that I'm pretty sure the mask does what it's purported to do. After using it, my skin feels smooth and refreshed and I have the sense that SOMETHING has been done about my acne.

Unfortunately, I refuse to use the mask on a day when I have to work or do much of anything else. Why, you ask? Well, when you squeeze it from the tube the minty scent is very strongly reminiscent of toothpaste. Green, goopy toothpaste that you glob on your skin and spread until it's not too thick, which is difficult because it has the consistency of toothpaste as well.

There's a vague sensation of tingling heat over your entire face. You want to watch out though, because a lot of people find themselves allergic to zinc oxide. So if you have any real burning sense, rinse it off and keep an eye out for redness or swelling.

And here's the reason why I don't use it on a day when I have to do anything... when it's all rinsed off and done, even if you scrub with soap or whatever... you still get a stinky sense of sulfur. Just vague whiffs of sulfur when you least expect them that are really hard to wash away.

Still, I use the Mint Julup Masque because it actually seems to be doing something for my skin. Though it would be a lot better if it didn't have such a lingering sulfur scent, 'cause yuck.

From the trailers I wasn't one-hundred percent sure what this movie was about... but I wanted to see it.

Basically, two kids find a box washed up on the beach. Inside are various "toys," including the sentient bunny Mimzy (though only the little girl can hear him talk, all we get are warbling murmurs.) Both children have their brains enhanced so they can complete a mission to save the world.

"The Last Mimzy" was actually a fairly intelligent movie. A bit of spiritualism to counteract the sci-fi, and a pervasive message about "we can save the future." The beginning sequence highlights our over-reliance on technology at the cost of the human experience, though they go by the "show, not tell" method so it's not too heavy handed and they never actually come out and say there's too many tech-toys in our lives and not enough humanity.

You'll like this movie if you liked:
-A.I
-Bicentennial Man
-D.A.R.Y.L
-E.T.

Age group: about 5+. I took Bryson, and though he liked a lot of it, he got a bit squirmy because there wasn't a whole lot of little kid entertainment.

Goong S, AkA Prince Hours, AKA Imperial Household, AKA Palace S, AKA Goong Special
20 episodes total

At this point in time I have only watched 4 episodes, and while it's very flamboyant and entertaining, it's not quite as good in my mind as Goong/Princess Hours. The acting is somewhat stiffer, the main character (Se7en?) is kind of goofy and weird, and it is very much a K-drama. Still, I will probably buy the DVD version when it comes out just to round out my Goong collection.

So far, none of the characters from the first series have made an appearance, but maybe that will change(?)

What it's about: The idea behind Goong is that Korea is still a monarchy, like the UK, and royals living in the palace. Goong S is about a delivery boy for a Chinese restaurant that discovers he is actually a prince. His mother left the palace before he was born, which is why no one ever knew about his existence. His father dies of cancer. Kang Hoo is taken from his life as a commoner and moved to the palace where he is to train to be the next heir to the throne... never mind that his "cousin" Lee Joon was pretty much assured the title of Emperor in the future and really doesn't want to be pushed out of his position.

This series has some beautiful sets and scenery which makes it watchable just for that. Kang Hoo is not as loveable a character as Shin Chae-gyung from Princess Hours and is actually kind of weird looking in most of the scenes (those LIPS!) But still, it's entertaining and that's always worth something.

Goong S will help you get your fix of Goong until Goong 2 finally makes an appearance.

I went into this movie totally cold. Lots of people have said that they read the book as a child, or they've heard the story before, but I honestly had no idea what I was in for.

From the trailers, I was kind of expecting a Narnia-esque fantasy story. Two kids cross over into a fantasy world and have to solve some kind of problem or other. Instead... well, I cried watching this movie. Because even with the kids' imaginations running wild, I was sucked into what was happening.

I left the theater feeling strangely like a kid again. I was sad, but at the same time kind of freed somehow. The night air was sweeter than it had been for a long time and there was just a little more magic in the world.

You'll like this movie if you liked:
-Where the Red Fern Grows (book)
-My Girl (movie)
-Chronicles of Narnia (books)

Age Group: tweens, teens. I took Bryson with me, but after an hour he didn't even pretend to try and sit still anymore. Showed no interest in the movie other than the few scenes of Terabithia.