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Title: City of Ember (微光城市)
Director: Gil Kenan
Genre: Science-Fiction / Fantasy
Running Time: 90 minutes
Year: 2008

City of Ember is a 2008 science-fiction-fantasy movie based on the book of the same name written by Jeanne DuPrau. In the movie there is an underground city known as Ember that is kept alight by a massive generator. The Builders of Ember have handed down a metal box set to unlock itself after 200 years. In the box are instructions on how to leave Ember and return to Earth's surface. The box was passed down from mayor to mayor but the box was lost over the generations. It's now the year 247 and the generator that keeps Ember alive is failing, causing massive "blackouts". Disturbed, Lina Mayfleet the Messenger (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon Harrow the Pipes Worker (Harry Treadaway) try to figure out a way out of Ember. 


I haven't read the book, so I can't compare the movie to the book. Overall the movie is an okay one to watch. There's a mixture of action and boring scenes throughout. The blackouts are scenes of mass panic and hysteria throughout. The protagonists take too long to figure out the plot, and Lina can actually be quite a dumb character at time. There are countless times when she fails to realize the answer right before her and needs Doon to figure everything out (Thank goodness that there is at least one smart character in here). However, what the film lacks is replaced by its absolutely amazing soundtrack.  The music is absolutely epic and makes you want to go on an adventure yourself. So if you don't want to watch the movie (which is perfectly fine because you won't miss anything) I suggest that you at least get the soundtrack.

Title: Sherlock Holmes (大侦探福尔摩斯)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Producer: Joel Silver
Genre: Action, Mystery
Running Time: 128 minutes 

Directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 live-action mystery film based on the character of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The plot follows the detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) as he tries to solve a series of murders that are connected to occult rituals led by antagonist Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) who has supposedly risen from death after an execution by hanging. Tagging along with Holmes are his trusty sidekick Dr Watson (Jude Law) and the fatale Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams).

Sherlock Holmes has been another one of those movies where I have waited a long time before finally being able to see it. Thankfully, this movie was hardly a disappointment when the moment finally arrived. Law and Downey both handsomely portray their characters, and each offers a wide range of talented acting skills to go along with their characters' intended personalities. Holmes never-ending schemes and experiments leave poor Watson exhausted and the one to clean up the mess. There are several classic fight scenes riddled about throughout the movie, and the scenes are never suspenseful as they are filled with humorous moments. For example, one such moment would be when Holmes tries to use a small hammer in order to defend himself against a giant of a henchman and one very big hammer. This movie is funny with slight moments of suspense. It has a little something for everyone, from action to romance to comedy, and will keep viewers light on their feet with laughter. Sherlock Holmes is most certainly a must-see movie that you will want to watch over and over again. I know I certainly want to.

Title: Alice in Wonderland (爱丽丝梦游仙境)
Director: Tim Burton
Written By: Linda Woolverton
Genre: Fantasy Adventure, Live Action and Animation
Year: 2010
Running Time: 108 minutes

Of course, when Tim Burton declared that he was doing a Alice in Wonderland tale, I wasn't quite surprised. The tale was certainly popular enough that there was bound to be a few remakes or spin-offs at least. Tim Burton's movie features a now grown-up (teenage) Alice Kingsleigh (Mia Wasikowska). We see her having recurring nightmares about her previous trip to Wonderland (Underland, as it is called in the movie). She takes these to be simply dreams, little realizing that they are real. Soon into the movie, Alice reunites with the White Rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen) and follows him once more down the rabbit hole. However, Underland was hardly as fun as her last visit. The Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) has taken the throne from her sister the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) and cloaks the land with terror. Creatures have been hunted down and beheaded. All those remaining are hoping dearly for Alice's return in order for her to slay the fearsome Jabberwocky (voiced by Christopher Lee) and defeat the Red Queen. Throughout the film, Alice meets other familiar characters such as the Chesire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry) and the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) on her quest to defeat the Red Queen.


Having missed the chance to watch the movie in theaters, I waited a long time for the DVD to come out. After much hard waiting, I finally managed to get my hands on a DVD and watch the movie. Having heard countless reviews from my friends about how "awesome" this movie was, I was undoubtedly excited. However, this movie was a sore disappointment. First off, I really dislike the casting choice for several of the characters, particularly Alice. The acting was also pretty bad. It was stilted and awkward. For example, Hathaway has her arms up in air for the entire movie as she plays the White Queen. I understand if the move is used once or twice to show a sense of grace but having it played the entire time really ruins the effect. The makeup for Alice was also overdone, having way too much powder. It questions me as to why Hathaway's brows were kept black while her wig is white. It just doesn't make sense. The horses in the movie also looked fake, despite knowing that they were computer animated. The proportions for the Chesire Cat were also off. I don't know if they did that on purpose, but most certainly the cat's head is larger than its body. To me, Alice is also an extremely annoying character. She insists that her trip down in Underland is all a dream and makes a great deal of showing that "This is my dream and I'm the one that gets to control it". Talk about super annoying. Plus, she only runs away from her problems. When someone proposes to her, she runs off. When the Underland creatures ask her to take on the Jabberwocky, she runs off yet again. Overall, the movie portrayed bad makeup and bad acting and also special effects that were rather disappointing for a Tim Burton film. The only good characters in the movie are the ever crazy March Hare and the Chesire Cat though Crispin Glover does make for a handsome Knave of Hearts.

Title: Sacred Scars
Author: Kathleen Duey
Genre: Fantasy
Year of Publication: 2009

Sacred Scars is the sequel to Kathleen Duey's Skin Hunger. The story picks up where we left off with the boy Hahp and the girl Sadima. Sadima, Franklin, and Somiss have been driven out of Limori by a fire and have taken residence in a cave. Somiss continues to attempt to restore magic while Sadima dreams of escape for her, Franklin, and the boys that Somiss keeps locked up. Generations later, Hahp is still trying to keep himself alive through the rigorous courses offered at the Limori Academy of Magic. The tasks are getting harder and harder and it's all Hahp can do to keep his sanity. He teams up with his mysterious roommate Gerrard in order to put a stop to all the evil the magicians are inflicting upon them. But are they powerful enough?


Reading this book reminded me just how annoying this series was. First off, the writing style is simple. Most of the writing favors the use of one type of sentence structure, often favoring it when other structures would have been better. This leads to a rather choppy reading, particularly for Sadima's story. Hahp's story is somewhat better, which keeps causing me to think that the novel was written by two different authors as the writing styles for the two stories are rather different.

Secondly, I really hate how novel alternates between Sadima's and Hahp's story via chapters. This leads to an extremely disconnected experience while reading. The two stories do not intertwine with one another except for a few of the same characters. It's much better to read all of one character's story and then going back to read the other's afterward.

Thirdly, each chapter follows a similar plot line. Readers most often times finds the main character waking up to the darkness. This makes the novel extremely predictable. For example, for Hahp's story, Hahp always wakes up to the pounding on his bedroom door. He cleans himself up, follows a wizard down the halls to his classes, meets up with the other students, does his lessons, then goes back to his room brooding how to escape the nightmarish place he is in.

Fourth, there is hardly any actual characterization in the novel. All of the characters are flat; hardly are they dynamic. Somiss will always be a cruel and violent wizard. Luke will always be a bully. The author seems to choose only one character trait for each character and lets it stick with them for the rest of their lives, allowing for no growth whatsoever.

Overall, the book is predictable and just drags on. There are a lot of filler chapters that the author uses in an attempt to lengthen the novel. Out of the seventy or so chapters there are, at least half of them can be removed, lengthened somewhat for more details, and there will still be a story. Most of the characters I also find to be annoying. However, you can't not give the author for trying. The story idea itself has potential. If only she can develop it more into a much more dynamic novel.

Title: Magic Study
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Genre: Fantasy
Year of Publication:2006

Snyder's Magic Study picks up where we were previously left off in Poison Study. After rescuing the other kidnapped girls from General Brazell, the protagonist Yelena follows Fourth Magician Irys to the southern land of Sitia to be reunited with her family and to learn control of her magic. Once in Sitia, Yelena receives mixed responses about her return. While her parents are absolutely exhilarated, her older brother Lief is hardly pleased. In fact, her own brother wants her dead! Soon Yelena meets up with Cahil, nephew to the slain Ixian king, who wants to rebel and regain the throne. Meanwhile, a mysterious man is murdering girls and Yelena must put a stop to him before any more innocents die.


Despite my previous shining review for Poison Study, the first book in the Study series, I found Magic Study to be a disappointment. Reading this book has also caused me to review the first book again, making me realize the many existing flaws there are.

I do, however, have to note that Snyder certainly is doing a better job at conforming with the time setting in the novel by masking modern inventions with more primitive solutions. One of Esau's inventions (spinning flower blades) can easily be recognized as the modern fan. However, many of the items (particularly when it comes to Valek) still leaves me unconvinced that such an item could exist in the novel's setting.

Snyder still also focuses on sexual intercourse to hide the plot of the story. Yelena has intercourse with Valek every single time they see each other. It should be quite obvious to the readers that the two are really in love and miss each other; further sexual intercourse is not needed to emphasize their love. Countless, unmentioned victims are also raped during a crime spree. Snyder uses such incidents with such frequency that one cannot help but feel that she's using these to hide the fact that there really is not plot.

Magic Study has been a major disappointment for me. Now knowing magic, Yelena solves everything with magic, and that just leaves no real suspense for readers if we know that the problem will be solved with magic. All it takes is for Yelena to go into the mind of her attacker, control him, and Voila! no more attacker. The fact that she's the only one with this ability in the novel is also more annoying. Yelena isn't the "strange, outcast" here; her magic is called "taking the easy way to solving problems".

Corpse Bride (僵尸新娘) is yet another musical stop-animation film by Tim Burton. This time the story deals with a boy named Victor who finds himself accidentally married to a corpse while practicing his wedding vows. Then begins a dramatic episode of Victor desperately trying to return to the world of the living to marry the girl he loves (Victoria) while Emily the corpse bride chases after him. The movie is set in a gloomy Victorian era setting. Johnny Depp plays the voice actor for Victor while Helena Bonham Carter plays the voice of Emily.

Burton does an excellent job with The Corpse Bride. The graphics are awesome and beautiful. Emily is hardly as creepy as I thought she would be; instead, she is beautiful. Her movements combined with her wedding gown all make her look extremely graceful. The music is also very nice. I especially enjoy Victor's Piano Solo, not so much the singing though. Overall The Corpse Bride tells of a lovely tale about two people that never could have met, all because of an honest mistake, that combines beautiful music and animations.

Disney tries to take a new spin on the traditional happily-ever-after princess story by creating Enchanted (魔法奇缘). Giselle (Amy Adams) is about to be married to her true love Prince Edward (James Marsden) but everything goes wrong when the prince's stepmother Narissa (Susan Sarandon) pushes her into a magical well that sends her to New York City. There, she meets Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey), a divorce lawyer, who tries to help her return to Andalasia. Soon Edward comes through the well and into New York, followed by Pip the Chipmunk and Nathaniel (Timothy Spall), who is Narissa's henchman. Together, Giselle and Robert must work together to return Giselle to her world and to her prince.


Despite what the producers might tell you, Enchanted is hardly a twist of the classic Disney princess tale. Despite everything, the story still follows the same plot to the classics. The only difference is that it's set in New York instead of some fictional world (Andalasia, in this case). Everyone still has the stereotypical characteristics of all Disney characters. Giselle can still charm animals with her voice, and Prince Edward is still as blindly and (dumbly) heroic as ever. Pip the Chipmunk can still speak to some extent (Of course, chipmunks can talk, my dear). What's more is that the animated movements displayed on an actual person is extremely creepy and disgusting, if I might add. The animated parts were simple. It was obvious that not much time was spent on these parts. The only thing that might redeem this movie was that the animated animals were cuter than its other Disney predecessors. Other than that, I was disgusted by this movie and it was all I could do to not throw up throughout. An extreme disappointment after all that much advertising about "a Disney princess tale that does not follow its stereotypical plot".

I'm quite sure that many of you are familiar with the movie The Princess Bride (公主新娘). The movie is an reenactment of a story sick boy's grandfather reads to him to pass the time. The reenactment follows the love story of a girl named Buttercup (Robin Wright) and a farm boy by the name of Westley (Cary Elwes). During their relationship, Westley had to go out to the sea to earn money for their marriage. However, he is killed by the Dreaded Pirate Rogers. When Buttercup learns of Westley's death, she is devastated. Later, the Crown Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) chooses her to be his bride and the two are scheduled to be married. However, a trio of bandits kidnap Buttercup where she is later rescued by a not-so-dead-Westley. Together, they battle against Humperdinck in order to be together.

Overall, the movie was a great success. There are countless instances of humor that have now become classics. Elwes perhaps does the best acting in the entire movie. He does a hilarious impression of someone who is recovering from paralysis while also trying to sneak into a castle in the latter part of the movie. I find the rest of the acting to be rather stoic. The costumes wouldn't be what I would call great in itself, but the color combination definitely calls for attention, particularly that beautiful combination of blue and white for Buttercup's dress. There's also a little bit of action for those that like that. In short, The Princess Bride is a great movie that combines a little bit of everything -- action, adventure, humor, and romance -- and it doesn't even need to use the classic "I love you" phrase to represent the love Buttercup and Westley share.

Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands (剪刀手爱德华) (1990) tells the tale of Edward Scissorhands, an artificial man that was left with scissors for hands. His name: Edward Scissorhands (Johnny Depp) He is soon picked up by Avon salesman Peg Boggs and taken into her family. There, he creates a name for himself with his artistic creations by cutting hedges and people's hair. He soon falls in love with Peg's teenage daughter Kim (Winona Ryder). It's a touching tale about someone's attempt to fit in and finding love in the process.

 Johnny Depp portrays an excellent Edward, displaying the innocent and hesitant characteristics that Edward possesses. The creations that Edward creates are most certainly lovely. The suburban town that this movie takes place reminds me very much of the town used in the filming of The Cat in the Hat (2004). While looking at the set, you realize that the movie is fictional, due to the neat roads and lawns and the monochromatic houses. I find the general crowd in the movie to be extremely annoying, and this movie just really reminds people the power of a mob. I also very much enjoy the music, very touching. I admit that I shed a few tears during the movie and I'm usually not one to do that. So if you're looking for a touching movie, go see Edward Scissorhands today.

From one of the most beloved anime series comes a rendition done with the latest technology in the film industry. Astro Boy (铁臂阿童木) (2009) is set in a futuristic city known as Metro City. Humankind has decided to abandon Earth and instead live on a floating island where robots are there to guide us hand and foot. These ingenious creations are all invented by Dr Tenma (voiced by Nicholas Cage). However, things begin to go downhill after the scientists discover two spheres of polar energies. After an accident while experimenting with the two cores, Tenma's son Toby (Freddie Highmore) is killed. Devastated, Tenma tries to create a replica robot of his lost son. He quickly realizes that it was a "mistake" and banishes the robot Toby. The robot Toby is later renamed as Astro and the rest of the movie deals with Astro's attempts to discover who he truly is and where he truly belongs.

While most of the movie sets off with a sad note, the movie is truly touching. It's a fun watch for the entire family. The graphics are absolutely breathtaking, being one of the best animated movies I've seen in a long time, and the robots are super adorable. My favorite robot is the Squeezy-Bottle Robot. So, if you ever get a chance, go see Astro Boy. You will surely not regret it, for it's truly a touching tale about a young robot boy that's only trying to find his place in the world. And he has.

The Child Thief is a novel written by Brom, the commercial illustrator of Gothic (if you will) art. It can be considered a twisted version of Peter Pan. In this version, Peter hunts the cities for children to bring to Avalon, a land where children will never grow up. To many, it sounds awesome, but Peter fails to mention several things. His band of stolen children names themselves the Devils, and they must fight in a war against Avalon's monsters or risk being tortured or gruesomely slaughtered.


Brom does an excellent job with his novel. He paints in words to create this twisted tale of Peter Pan, based after the real Peter Pan written by JM Barrie and not the Disney-fied version. If you're thinking of purchasing this book for your child because it's a Peter Pan story, think again! This book is filled with gruesome violence, sexual intercourse, and profanities. However, while many authors use these in an attempt to cover up the fact that there's no real storyline, Brom masterfully weaves these elements into his story to better emphasize the dark nature of Peter's world. Not only that, but it also shows us why so many children would want to runaway into the mysterious (and dangerous) world of Avalon: because their lives back at home just aren't filled with happy sunshine and colorful rainbows. But everything comes with a price as the children soon find themselves in a world where monsters plague the land. It's either killed or be killed. And all to protect the Lady of Avalon, who has used her magic to seduce Peter. Meanwhile, a group of Puritans from long ago that were trapped in the Mist (a magical barrier that the Lady uses to protect Avalon and it's filled with horrors of all sorts) are still alive after hundreds of years and are seeking revenge. Peter, alone with his Devil children must fight for their lives in order to protect Avalon. They follow Peter because Peter's laugh is a "most contagious thing", but some just want to go home to humanity and find their mothers.


If you like dark fantasy and want to read a new rendition of the classic Peter Pan, then I highly suggest that you read this book, for Brom has created a dark and richly beautiful tale that will leave you hanging onto the edge of your seat throughout! On the bright side, it's illustrated too!

Apparently some guys just can't handle Vegas. That's the storyline for Todd Phillips' 2009 screwball comedy film The Hangover. The plot follows four friends who travel to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. However, they wake up the next morning to find that they can't remember anything that happened (let alone huge hangovers). Not only that but the groom-to-be Doug is missing! So now the three remaining friends must race against time as they slowly piece together the events and try to find Doug before all is too late. Justin Bartha stars as Doug, Bradley Cooper as Phil Wenneck (groom's best friend and a bored schoolteacher), Ed Helms as Stu (a dentist), and Zach Galifianakis as Alan (the bride's socially awkward brother).

This film is made primarily for entertainment reasons. If you look at it closer, there really is no plot other than "Oh, @#?!, we messed this up big time". It is definitely not suitable for children as there are constant uses of profanity and mentions of drugs and sexual themes, including nudity. However, the film is indeed funny. Three people wake up to find a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, and one of them has a missing tooth. Through a variety of mishaps such as accidentally stealing a police car or throwing a mattress onto the roof of the Caesars Palace, the trio manage to find their friend. It's all just this one tornado of chaos for these guys, as one dumb thing happens after the other.

Hayao Miyazaki's latest creation to hit the U.S. is a movie called Ponyo (Japanese Title: Gake no Ue no Ponyo). It's based on the Hans Chrisitan Anderson tale of The Little Mermaid. In Ponyo, a young goldfish with a human face (The idea itself is somewhat creepy but Miyazaki manages to make Ponyo look adorable) goes on land where she is discovered by a five-year-old boy named Sosuke. The two soon become best friends with one another and even fall in love. However, Ponyo's father Fujimoto, who is a powerful sorcerer, takes Ponyo back to the sea somewhere in the middle. In her attempt to become human and rejoin with Sosuke, Ponyo creates a giant tsunami that throws the entire world off balance. The moon is now much closer to the earth, and her gravity is pulling the seas upward. Ponyo's mother, Granmamare, on the other hand, gives Ponyo and Sosuke a chance and tests them. If Sosuke's heart to Ponyo is true then balance would once more be restored and Ponyo would finally become a human. The English dub features talented actors and actresses as voice actors. Noah Cyrus voices Ponyo, Frankie Jonas as Sosuke, Tina Fey as Lisa (Sosuke's mother), Matt Damon as Koichi (Sosuke's father), Liam Neeson as Fujimoto, Cate Blanchett as Granmamare, Lily Tomlin as Toki (a grumpy resident of the nursery home), and Betty White as Yoshie (another, and nicer, resident of the nursery home).

Having been a fan of Miyazaki's works, I was excited to hear about the release of his new movie. However, when I watched it, I was sorely disappointed. It's certainly not one of his best films. The running time for the movie is 100 minutes, but I felt that the movie could have been a good half to one hour shorter. The story seemed to drag on; everything moved by at a slow pace. There was never any clear and present danger (I guess this would make it okay for children to watch). Even when Sosuke is chased by the tsunami, we know that he will never be in any danger and that the movie will be a happy ending. I'm not a major fan of the character Ponyo either. She was cute as a "goldfish" (How anyone could ever mistake her to be a goldfish has been bugging me) but, when she turned into a human, she just became one annoying character, always bouncing around and yelling at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason. Either that or she falls asleep and is just one plain rude goldfish (We see her squirting water at people she doesn't like). There were few humorous scenes in the movie too (I perhaps only counted one). Fujimoto, Ponyo's dad, is by far my most favorite character. He might be somewhat uglier than the usual of Miyazaki's handsome creations, due to his permanently blushed cheeks and blue bags under his eyes, but there's nevertheless he still portrays this graceful character who knows what he's doing and is only out there trying to protect his children and the world from harm. Voiced by Liam Neeson just makes everything a bonus. Too bad everyone just ignores Fujimoto when he gives his "apocalyptic" warnings. Poor guy. Granmamare, on the other hand, just creeps me out. She's this water goddess that is larger than ten boats put together and her large eyes never blink.

In the end, I'm quite sure many will argue with me. Sure, the film can be seen as this magical, poetic, and touching tale about a young goldfish's efforts to become human and reunite with her five-year-old lover (Wow. Only five and he's already in love...). In some sense it can be seen as that "magical" tale (There's certainly magic in it), but I, for one, am not quite seeing the awesomeness people have been claiming in this film.