MOVIE REVIEW: How to Train Your Dragon

For me, this is the first animated film that fully utilized 3D in all it's glory. Based on the children's book by Cressida Cowell, How to Train your Dragon carries the universal theme of a son trying to prove himself to his father. Set in the world of Vikings, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel of Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up and recently She's Out of my League) is the son of the village cheiftain Stoic (voiced by Gerard Butler) who always leads his people when the village is constantly attacked by dragons.

Unlike the people in the village, Hiccup is smaller and therefore looked down upon. Therefore he is also not expected to fight the dragons. But an accidental encounter with the mysterious Night Fury dragon changes everything.

This film is fun, entertaining and in the end surprisingly touching. I had low expectations watching this film but in the end, I believe like most people, were pleasantly surprised. See it in 3D. It's worth it.

TEASER TRAILER: The Company Men

Coming out later this year: Oscar winners all: Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner and Ben Affleck. There's an American Beauty and Up in the Air vibe over this trailer.

FIRST OFFICIAL TRAILER & POSTER: Eat Pray Love

Based on the 2006 bestselling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is the first official trailer and poster of it's film version starring Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem and James Franco. I read the book and it makes you wanna travel to the three biggest countries in the world that Gilbert visited: Italy, India and Indonesia. Opens August 13, 2010 in the US.

EAT PRAY LOVE Trailer

Just Wondering.....

Among the four movies released last weekend: Green Zone, Remember Me, Our Family Wedding and She's Out of my League, the last one still does not an ad in any of the Bay Area newspapers that I had seen on it's second weekend while it's estimated that League will have the best second weekend gross among the four. Just wondering....

MOVIE REVIEW: Repo Men

The talents of Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and two time nominee Jude Law are wasted in this movie which has a very promising concept - in the distant future, human organs can now be paid in installment and if you fail to do after a couple of days after the deadline, the repo men will find out and get back the organs. A movie that echoes today's economic situation.

But there are some unnecessary scenes in it, with the proper writing and editing - it had the potential to be a Fight Club type of dark comedy. Unfortunately, from the middle part till the end - it's just another sci fi B movie.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Ghost Writer

A former British Prime Minister played by Pierce Brosnan is being questioned for authorizing England in joining the United States in an unpopular war in the Middle East. His seeks his redemption by writing his memoirs through a "ghost writer".

As the writer finishes the book, secrets are unraveled and it's much more complicated on what things seems to be. Ewan McGregor plays the titular character in this well-crafted political thriller masterfully directed by Roman Polanski who deservedly won the Best Director award at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

Based on the book by Robert Harris, The Ghost Writer is a triumph. Aside from Brosnan and McGregor, the actresses in the film also gave top-notch performances. Rushmore's Olivia Williams plays the Prime Minister's wife and Kim Cattrall in a British accent, the PM's assistant and occasional lover. This is easily one of the best films this first quarter of 2010.

MOVIE REVIEW: She's Out of my League

She's Out of my League is a story of a nerdy, awkward young TSA employee played by Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist) who during one of his regular working days at Pittsburgh International Airport encounters a hot, attractive lady (Alice Eve), whom everyone around him rates her a 10, as opposed to him a 5, finds him nice and falls in love with him.

I can safely say that this film is the offspring of Knocked Up. Same concept but different body type for the lead actor. The lady however does not get pregnant.

Baruchel and Eve have great charm as a couple. Their set of friends also give ample comic support. Warning: there is also a great scene in the movie involving meeting the girl's parents. It's just that it would be weird if you're watching the film with any of your parents, especially your Mom and any female relatives.

And also like Knocked Up, there is this good moral lesson that She's Out of my League imparted: what matters is always when one has a great personality.

Corey Haim: A Tribute

One of the best movies I ever saw in VHS then in Laser Disc is the 1988 Corey Haim and Corey Feldman flick License to Drive. A story about a teenager named Les Anderson (played by Haim) who failed driving school but one time drove his grandfather's prized Cadillac in order to impress a girl played by Heather Graham.

As a 13 year old then, I was awed by it. Driving around Los Angeles, living the American life and getting a hot girl. What made License to Drive more believable is by Corey Haim's performance as your all around boy next door in which most guys at that age can relate to. His skinny, lanky built adds points too as most of us who passed that phase more popularly known as puberty had that same body form. I will always remember that movie from my childhood.

Corey Haim lived a short life. Along with License to Drive, he was also in Lucas and The Lost Boys; his three well known pictures. He was not able to translate his film success into adulthood but, by virtue of that three films alone, he left a nice legacy for boys about to be men.

The poster of the big screen adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - opening in US cinemas on March 19.

BOOK: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

(The movie version of this great book is coming out here in the US on March 19, I know that the movie has already been shown in some parts of Europe last year. I simply can't wait for it to come out. Hollywood is also planning it's own version of it).This is an excellent suspense-thriller book. I was not surprised that this is the biggest selling Scandinavian book ever.
The Girl With the Dragon with it's original title in Swedish entitled "Män som hatar kvinnor" or (Man who hate Woman) is part one of the Millennium trilogy written by the Swedish author Steig Larsson who died before this book was published.
The main leads are Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist and Lisbeth Salander - an aloof, gothic girl who is an excellent computer hacker and investigator.
Through circumstances, they will find to find an heiress of one of Sweden's prominent families who disappeared in the sixties. Her mysterious loss baffles her Uncle until the start of this millennium.
Several twists and turns, woman power exemplified by Lisbeth Salander's character and the power of big business and the bigger power of journalism make The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo a must read. You will look at Sweden in a very different way.