Pete's Write

 After watching the touching and feel good Walter Mitty, I decided to re-visit an older show from 2005: Millions . This is Danny Boyle's only none R-rated movie, and it's about a young boy who finds a million pounds, that literally drops on him. He thinks it's from God and proceeds to do good with it. The sweet innocence and the lovely interaction of this boy with the supporting cast is beautiful and will withstand a few viewings. Both kids and adults will find this a solid movie, although it's only found on DVD right now. Recommended. I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the items / events I write about.

Made it to 200 000! Thank you everyone who reads this blog and I hope you continue to enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing ..

Fuji TV Drama Special 2013 ~ Galileo Double X This is a special standalone bridging episode in the well received Galileo TV series, which happens between Series 1 and Series 2. Shibasaki Kou is the main protagonist here, with the eccentric Professor merely having a cameo. She is at a crossroads in her detective career, feeling the weight of coping in a male dominated career, she is dragged into a murder case that takes her to Nagano, and in the course of investigating this case, opens up a big can of worms on a 10 year old case, that has suspicion of mis-handling by the police. You get familiar music, sans the wild writing of the Professor, and there is genuine detective work here, not unlike the more famous film, Suspect X, from which this made for TV movie is derived from. Shibasaki Kou sticks to her detective chops, and grows up from merely a pretty face, and I still find it a pity that she is replaced in Series 2. Fans of this TV series will enjoy this 1:45 hour...

--> I first noticed this movie as a trailer, and I didn’t have a deep impression of this show, thinking it was a little akin to the less than successful movie “Sucker Punch”, which has a similar daydream cum fantasy / escapism kind of theme, but I was glad I decided to give it a chance. It’s easy to consider this as a fine tourist promotion video of fine places, with a man who has trouble facing reality, but it actually combines the triad of elements that make for the most successful movies: Action, humor and romance; all rolled together into a well-edited package with little spare fat, and gives the viewer a nice feel good end. It also combines two of my favorite hobbies outside of Hi Fi: travelling and photography. Walter, played by Ben Stiller in his finest showing yet, is a Life Magazine Negative Editor, a dinosaur in the modern world of digital photography and online magazines. He lives a boring life in the dungeons of the Life Magazine company base...

Aka : 厨子戏子痞子   An interesting and slightly outlandish Chinese production, set during WWII in China, where a group of Chinese Resistance fighters try to wrestle the secrets of an antidote to a cholera epidemic out of a couple Jap scientists. The plot is over the top, and totally outlandish, with bright colors and crazy acting. Good chemistry and the whole show is largely set within a small place but you will be glued. This is done by the DP of the sleeper hit, Crazy Stone, and you will find that despite the smallish main cast, and the wild antics, the story has depth, and clever dialogue. You will need a few viewings to get the nuances. It has the claustophobic feel of "Dragon Inn", and the twists will keep you guessing til the last act. Good surround and fantastic bass, a real demo for mid and deep bass. Recommended for a watch at least, but you will need to understand their lingo. I have no financial interest or other interests in any of the item...

 Inspector Galileo series 2 is now out... This series follows the antics of a quirky but brilliant physics professor who helps a young detective to solve less than usual crimes which render the Japanese police helpless. When you have a successful formula, don't mess with it, and the 10 episode show follows the same style, with music from Koh+ sung by Kou Shibasaki , but is no longer the bright eager young detective, and is replaced by another sweet young thing Yuriko Yoshitaka , but the concept remains the same. Each 40-45 min episode has an opening scene where a crime, usually a murder happens in a strange way, that baffles the police, who are usually portrayed as bumbling buffoons. They then enlist the physics professor in the form of the ever youthful looking Masaharu Fukuyama , who is mainly in it for the mystery, rather than to find the criminal.. Each time he will utter that "behind every mysterious phenomenon there is a logical explanation" the theme mu...

  Dante Lam is an interesting Hong Kong director who can bring the best of his stars. In Nick Cheung, he has one of the best material to showcase. Nick is willing to make a lot of effort in preparation for his roles, and here, he does a massive transformation, beating his 45 year old body into shape, and producing a top shape chiseled body for his role as a down and out ex boxer who wants to make a comeback as a MMA fighter. The movie borrows heavily from many other movies, such as Warrior, which borrows from traditional hits like Rocky, and other boxing shows before. What makes the difference is the intensity Nick Cheung brings, and his chemistry with the younger, and new actor Eddie Peng, who does valiantly to keep up and the precocious and yet lovely young actress Crystal Lee who is like Asia’s Dakota Fanning. Sporting movies with an underdog concept are always welcome, and even though the boxing plot the backbone of the movie, it’s much more tha...