The Fast and the Furious - Tokyo Drift (Widescreen Edition) (2006) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Loud, Brash, Noisy, Sexy, Morally Murky, Bursting with Energy and Guts, Justin Lin's (the terrific "Better Luck Tomorrow") take on episode 3 of the "Fast and Furious" franchise is a great way to spend a hot Summer afternoon along with a gallon size soft drink and a tub of Popcorn.
Here Lin is in Tokyo with the stoic, deadpan line reading Lucas Black (as the booted out of the US to avoid Juvenile detention, Shane Boswell...a car nut addicted to driving fast and grinning like a Cheshire cat) who, of course finds the local car culture and its inhabitants by way of a school pal, Twinkie played by the appealing Bow-Wow. And he just as quickly falls in with the "wrong crowd" consisting of Han, a sort of Sensei to Shane (the enigmatic and excellent Sung Kang from "Face" and "Better Luck Tomorrow"), and the villain of the piece, Yamata played with his face crunched and a constant sneer by Sonny Chiba. Then there is the lovely Neela (Nathalie Kelley...a dead ringer for FFI's Jordana Brewster): like Shane and Twinkie a High School (!)student with very, very permissive parents.
Lin directs this piece to within an inch of its life: your eyes and ears are never bored, never without something to feast your eyes upon or pop your fingers to.
Lin never judges his characters, we never feel that he is slumming...he always respects the material he is given to direct and he always puts his personal stamp on everything that he does.
I wish he were given something as meaningful and heartfelt as "Better Luck Tomorrow" to direct but he's young and he has many many movies to make before he is through.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Fast and the Furious - Tokyo Drift (Widescreen Edition) (2006)

FAST AND THE FURIOUS:TOKYO DRIFT - DVD Movie

Get 17% OFF

Click here for more information about The Fast and the Furious - Tokyo Drift (Widescreen Edition) (2006)

The Ramen Girl (2008) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The late Brittany Murphy shines in this heartwarming movie about self-discovery. Abby (Murphy) moves to Japan to be with her boyfriend but when she gets dumped, she finds herself in a fix. Unwilling to return to the States, thinking she still has a chance to make it up with her BF, Abby finds a new purpose in the ramen place across the street from her apartment. One rainy night, a despondent Abby wanders into the ramen shop after closing, and starts weeping. The chef Maezumi (Toshiyuki Nishida) and his wife are puzzled as they can't speak English and Abby can't converse in Japanese, so they offer some ramen to comfort her. It does that and more - inspired by the wonderful taste of the ramen, Abby is seized by a sudden desire to learn how to cook ramen, and like an annoying gnat, keeps harassing the chef until he finally takes her on as his apprentice - but not without giving her a really hard time (Abby's initial duties include cleaning the kitchen and the dirty toilets as well as waiting on tables).
The heated exchanges between Abby and Maezumi make for great entertainment- Maezumi as played by Nishida is an irascible taskmaster, who hides a lot of pain beneath his prickly demeanor. Abby, portrayed brilliantly by Murphy, is an initially naive, lost soul trying to find a purpose in life, and struggles to adapt to a foreign environment - not speaking Japanese doesn't help either. There is also a cast of secondary characters, such as the American woman who works as a call girl/mistress, the handsome, young Japanese executive who forms a relationship with Abby, the chef's wife, and a few eccentric regulars at the ramen place. The story does not get overly sappy, and the story, though predictable, is not without a couple of twists. The story might not be original, but it certainly is well-cast and the leads make this an engaging watch. I took away one star because I felt some of the secondary characters deserved more development, e.g. the call girl/mistress who just disappears half-way through the movie. On the whole, this is an interesting, and uplifting drama about searching for one's path in life, and showcases Brittany Murphy's acting talents to good effect. The movie is in both Japanese and English, with a lot of Japanese dialogue accompanied by English subtitles. Also recommended for those who'd like to watch another ramen-themed movie is Tampopo, a highly-entertaining movie.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Ramen Girl (2008)

An American slacker (Brittany Murphy, 8 Mile; Girl, Interrupted) abandoned by her boyfriend in Tokyo finds her calling in an unlikely place: a local ramen house run by a tyrannical chef who doesn't speak of a word of English. Undaunted by the chef's raging crankiness, Abby convinces him to teach her the art of ramen preparation...and despite hilarious clashes of culture and personality, she learns how to put passion and spirit into her life as well as her cooking.Stills from The Ramen Girl (Click for larger image)

Get 50% OFF

Click here for more information about The Ramen Girl (2008)

Babies (2010) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)A short time ago, my wife and I were joined by a new baby and our remarkable little boy is now at 19 months. The baby was a first for both of us and neither of us had almost any prior experience with an infant. Everything that unfolded was new and a very interesting experience. When my wife spotted the new "Babies" movie, we just had to see it. We both enjoyed it very much and will be buying the DVD when it becomes available.
The movie is a very unusual documentary of four babies in four different parts of the world (San Francisco, Tokyo, Mongolia and Namibia) and four different cultures. There is no story. There are no spoken words, only background sounds. The movie goes from scene to scene, back and forth, back and forth from baby to baby and location to location. We watched with fascination as each baby learned to adapt and cope with it's new life as it unfolded in it's particular environment. Very interesting to watch. We cringed at some of the baby experiences and laughed at others. Of course, we had our own living example for comparison and it has promoted a wealth of conversation.
If you have a newborn/toddler, be sure to see this movie. You'll enjoy it immensely. Actually,babies are so interesting and humorous that almost anyone could enjoy the film. It's a very unusual movie to view. The photography in the various settings is excellent. The sound is good. Relax and enjoy.
Gary Peterson

Click Here to see more reviews about: Babies (2010)

BABIES - DVD Movie

Get 38% OFF

Click here for more information about Babies (2010)