She asked her daughter Akari (Riisa Naka) to go back to 1972 and tell Kazuo (Kanji Ishimaru) a message that only he can understand. She went back in time but got the year wrong. She arrived in 1974 and asked Ryota (Akinobu Nakao), a filmmaker she met in the past to help her find Kazuo.

Akari found her mom, who was still a teenager then (played by Anna Ishibashi), and she can’t remember who Kazuo is. At that time Kasuko is madly in love with Ryota’s cameraman/friend Gotetsu (Munetaka Aoki). Akari never knew who her father was and meeting Gotetsu made her suspect him to be the one.

Things got complicated when Akari is starting to fall for Ryota. When she learned that the filmmaker was destined to die, she tried to change his fate but Kazuo stopped her. It turned out that Kazuo was a time traveller who got stuck in 1972 until he managed to make a potion to bring him back to the future.

Riisa Naka is perfect as the sweet Akari. This is her first movie I’ve seen and I’m looking forward to watch her other works. Her chemistry with Akinobu Nakao was convincing enough to make me believe they were in love with each other. The same can be said with Narumi Yasuda and Kanji Ishimura.

The Time Traveller: The Girl Who Leapt through Time has two love stories. One stood the test of time while the other was bittersweet. The movie might not be in the mold of a typical sweet romantic comedy but I recommend this DVD for a movie night with your significant other. Happy Valentine’s Day!

If Harry Potter has Lord Voldemort, Woochi has Hwa Dam, played by the brilliant Kim Yoon Seok. He did a good job as the main antagonist. His role in The Chaser was memorable and it can also be said about his performance in this movie.

A wizard’s life is not complete without a special someone and Woochi had to wait for centuries to be with Seo In Kyeong, played by Im Soo Jeong. Last time I saw her was in A Tale of Two Sisters and seeing her playing a lighter role made me happy.

Although Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard is 136 minutes long, the story is fast paced and you’ll forget about the time. To be honest, it didn’t felt that long unlike some Hollywood movies that I’ve seen recently. It had the right amount of action and humor to keep the viewers engrossed with the movie.

The only downside I could say about Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard is its CGI, which is slightly rough compared to Hollywood standards. The CGI goblins could use some polishing work.  But the low cost effects gave it an old-school Chinese movie feel that I enjoyed watching when I was young.

In the end, Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard surprised me when an extra spoke Tagalog and although they didn’t state it, I’m 100 percent certain that the last sequences were taken in Boracay. I know Koreans love Boracay and the romantic island is indeed the perfect place for Woochi and In-kyeong to be for the ending.

Jeon Woochi: The Taoist Wizard is a good Korean movie that deserves to be enjoyed by everyone. Just ignore the crappy CGI and you’ll have a great movie that will keep you entertained for more than two hours.

It tells the tale of people who at that fateful day were in Haeundae and how their lives are before and after the tidal wave strikes.  In the beginning we see Man-sik (Seol Kyeong-gu) part of a fishing boat where one of its crew died during the December 2004 tsunami.  Fast forward to the present and he’s still blaming himself for it.  He looks after the dead man’s daughter Yeon-hee (Ha Ji-won).

A few days before the tidal wave, Man-sik’s younger brother Hyeong-sik (Lee Min-ki) is a lifeguard who saves Hee-mi (Kang Ye-won).  She’s a college student on vacation in Haeundae with her friends.  Their feelings for each other went from zero to a hundred in a couple of days but it is not without any hitch, which is caused by her rich admirer who owns a yacht.

Kim Hwi (Park Joong-hoon) is the scientist who has been warning the local officials of the impending danger only to be met by deaf ears.  His ex-wife Yoo-jin (Uhm Jung-hwa) is in charge of an expo event in Haeundae.  She’s in town with their daughter Ji-min (Kim Yoo-jeong).

Typical disaster movies are like roller coaster rides where you anticipate the dreaded event to happen.  This wait can be boring at times.  Haeundae managed to entertain the audience right from the beginning by featuring the stories of the three pairs mentioned above, as well as the people around them.

And just when we think that we’re watching a romantic movie, the tidal wave shows up.  The CGI-generated tidal waves and other special effects were a delight.  It can make you forget about logic for the time being.  But once the end credits are rolling, you’ll be asking yourself why the divorced couple died when they were perched on top of a tall building while Man-sik, Yeon-hee and the rest of the supporting casts survived swimming at ground level.

One memorable scene from Haeundae was the one involving Hyeong-sik and Hee-mi.  During the tidal wave, Hee-mi was at sea in the yacht with the rich guy.  They called for help and Hyeong-sik was one of those who responded to the call.  The cable can only hold two people at a time so Hee-mi went up first.  When it was time for the rich guy and Hyeong-sik to go up, cable started to break.  Hyeong-sik sacrificed his life to save someone he despised.

Another thing I like about Haeundae is its humor.  It was like watching a cartoon when Eok-jo was lucky enough to dodge the falling cargoes.  And just when he thought he’s safe, he started to light a cigarette, which accidentally caused a large explosion that brought down the bridge.  What’s funny was that in the end he was given a Courageous Citizen Award.

Like what I’ve said before, Haeundae was more about the people than the tidal wave.  This made it different from the rest.  After Haeundae, next stop is 2012.

Also back for the sequel are Owen Wilson as Jedediah Smith, Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, Mizuo Peck as Sacajawea, and Steve Coogan as Octavius.  Also featured in the movie are Hank Azaria as Kahmunrah/Abe Lincoln/The Thinker, Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart, Christopher Guest as Ivan the Terrible, Alain Chabat as Napoleon Bonaparte, Jon Bernthal as Al Capone, and Patrick Gallagher as Attila the Hun.

Larry finds out that the Museum of Natural History is being closed for renovation and the museum pieces are being moved for storage at the Smithsonian.  Then he gets a call from Jedediah and found out that Dexter the monkey stole the tablet and now the Evil Pharaoh Kahmunrah is after it.  Larry must now go into the Smithsonian and save the day (or night as in this case) again.

Critics are bashing Night at the Museum 2 because they say the magic and the essence of the movie was already lost.  Some say that the story felt unreal.  Well if they can make inanimate objects come to life in the night then I’ll agree with them.

Jedediah (Owen Wilson): Two words come to mind when I hear you speak, weird and delusional.  And If I had to pick a third… goofy.  Just plain goofy.

I enjoyed Battle of the Smithsonian. Jedediah and Octavius are still hilarious.  There was a scene where they went Rambo against bigger opponents and it made me LOL in real life.  The addition of Amy Adams was just icing to the cake.  Her portrayal of Amelia Earhart was perfect and believable.  Although I still can’t figure out how she managed to go back to Smithsonian after bringing Larry and the rest of the gang back at the Museum of Natural History.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is entertaining.  The humor was okay, the musical score hits the right notes, and the special effects were excellent.  I’ve never been a fan of Ben Stiller but I would recommend this for the whole family.

The Good. Woo-sung Jung (The Good), Byung-hun Lee (The Bad) and Kang-ho Song (The Weird) played their parts well. It also helps that the movie took place in picturesque Manchuria where each scene is breathtaking. The movie takes us to that particular place and time for the duration of the movie. Byung-hun Lee was extraordinary in this movie and I think that casting him as Storm Shadow for the upcoming G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is a good choice.

The Bad. Don’t look for any plot in this one. Everyone’s after a map and when I say everyone that includes the Good, the Bad and the Weird along with opium dealers, thieves and the Japanese army. But it is still entertaining and action-filled as they chase for the map all over Manchuria.

The Weird. Despite the lack of plot, I enjoyed the movie. There were funny moments and the best one is when the three were in the spot where the treasure was supposed to be but they found nothing there. Just as The Good, The Bad, The Weird are killing each other, oil spurted and they don’t know what it was.

I expected the three of them to die just like in any other Korean action movie but then only Bad died. Good miraculously survived being shot by two expert gunslingers while Weird was wearing a steel plate to protect himself. The Good, The Bad, The Weird is the perfect movie to kill time.

First of all, I think most of Sam’s (Shia LeBeouf)  college scenes were irrelevant and could have been compressed to cut the viewing time. Although it was funny how Sam’s mom made a fool of herself, it didn’t contribute to the plot.

Another thing that got to my nerves is that Transformers 2 featured generic Decepticons. Aside from Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Fallen, Devastator, and the Insecticons, the other Decepticons looked alike and you can’t tell one apart from the other. There was even a girl robot that reminded me of Kristanna Loken’s T-X of Terminator 3.

The epic battle in the end didn’t feel like it is a Transformers movie. I thought someone switched the channel to G.I. Joe. I was just waiting for Major Lennox (Josh Duhanel) or Sergeant Epps (Tyrese Gibson) to shout “Yo Joe!”

Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf): You gotta be kidding me…

But not everything about Revenge of the Fallen is bad. The CGI is good and believable. It is a very good action movie. Another plus for the movie is Megan Fox. Michael Bay must have been mesmerized with her “beauty”. There were slo-mo sequences to showcase her assets. She can forget about being an actress and stick to modeling.

I still haven’t forgiven the producers for making Bumblebee into a Camaro and this sequel didn’t do anything to satiate the hatred. Like what I said above, Revenge of the Fallen is an entertaining action movie but it is a weak Transformers flick. I guess nothing can beat the classic animated movie.

Redemption takes place in between Day Six and Seven. We find Jack helping his friend Carl (Robert Carlyle) run an orphanage in Africa. Jack has been served with a subpoena from the US State Department but he declined to honor it. To make things worse, the country is suddenly on the verge of a coup and Americans were asked to evacuate the country.

This movie is a redemption of sorts of the series for me. We see Jack Bauer again in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s not his fight but in the end he managed to secure the safety of the orphanage’s children. But there’s one thing from the series that I really love but is missing in Redemption, Kim Bauer.

If you’re not a fan of the show then skip 24: Redemption. The movie was made to give the fans some sort of compensation for a forgettable Day Six of the series. Now that I’ve seen Redemption, I need to watch Day Seven. Anyone got the full season seven of 24 that I can borrow? Hehe.

Australia became a love story when Lady Sarah fell for Drover.  Kidman and Jackman gave noteworthy performances in the movie and their onscreen chemistry was believable.  Even though she’s old, Kidman is still hot.

Australia is a detailed period movie and tackled the Lost Generation.  Nullah (Brandon Walters), the mixed race boy running from the authorities did good considering that this is his first time acting on the big screen.

Then going into the final parts of Australia, Japan decided to join the World War II by attacking Pearl Harbor.  Luhrmann used a lot of CGI in the movie and unlike what some critics said, it was decent enough for me.

Drover (Hugh Jackman): Just because it is, doesn’t mean it should be.

There were lots of memorable scenes from Australia but what I like the most is the scene when Drover was coming back from Mission Island with the mixed race kids and Lady Ashley hearing Nullah’s harmonica with all the noise in war-ravaged Darwin.  Australia has action, drama, comedy and adventure.  Not a second is wasted in its three hour running time.

Then things turn ugly as the past goes to haunt the squad in the form of former top shooter Lincoln (Xiaoming Huang). He used to be best sniper of the team but a mistake landed him in jail. Now that he’s released from his incarceration, he wants to get back at his former buddies for not standing up for him during his trial.

One observation about The Sniper is that it introduced a lot of subplots that was unnecessary for the big picture. We know how snipers love their rifles more than their wives or girlfriends and the movie showed three significant others but they were not given enough time or explanation as to why they’re in that situation. First there’s OJ’s girlfriend who was in a single scene and never to be seen again. Then there’s Hartman’s wife who is in a hospital bed after attempting suicide for reasons left unexplained. And lastly there’s Lincoln’s wife who is haunting him most of the time. This might be the only female who has more than ten minutes of exposure in the movie. The plot might be not be great but then it’s a Chinese movie. People watch it for the action.

What’s refreshing about The Sniper is that unlike other sniper movies, we were not looking through the rifle scope most of the time. It shows that marksmen are dynamic as well. The action sequences were on target. It is bloody but not that over the top.

The Sniper is the first Edison Chen movie to be released after his scandal. It might feature an ensemble cast but Edison is definitely the star of the movie. He might be stereotyped as the young, arrogant and impatient type but he played his role well and The Sniper is a good comeback (or farewell) movie for him.

Though Tim Robbins and Bill Murray play supporting roles, they did a good job at it. But the movie is about the two kids, Lina (Saoirse Ronan) and Doon (Harry Treadaway). These virtual unknowns did well with their parts and carried the movie smoothly.

Much like any fictional work, the plot should not be taken seriously. Only the heartless would plot an escape route like a rollercoaster ride. But if you like a feel good adventure movie, then watch City of Ember. This is one movie that you’ll enjoy with your kids in tow.

If you like Goonies, you’ll love this movie as well.

*Spoiler*
Lina finds the box left by her great great great grandfather, the 7th mayor of Ember. She and Doon then found out that the mayor is hoarding the food for himself. Then they figured out what the message in the box was and escaped out of Ember. Then when they were outside in the real world, they dropped a stone with the instructions. Fortunately Loris (father of Doon) found it and everyone safely got out of Ember.