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Monday, August 8, 2016

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Movie: Train to Busan: Should you watch it?

Hi Everyone,

I've come to share a new movie with all of you. The movie Train to Busan has been recently released and I was one of the huge crowd vying to watch it as soon as possible. I have just gotten back from the cinema and I just couldn't wait to share my thoughts about it.



Train to Busan is a zombie movie based in South Korea about a group of people who try to survive by going to (by train obviously) a province called Busan. It tells you the story of several people who have very different lives. They all have different reasons why they are on the train, but it reminds us about humanity and how different people react to desperate situations. You'll see people trying to help others, sacrifice others, care about themselves, care about their loved ones.

It was definitely a good watch for me. I would even pay to watch it again. Some things happened that I didn't expect at all. The very few jump scares got me, but overall, you wouldn't really be scared because of those. Personally, what scared me was the decisions some of the characters made to survive. They've made those decisions because they were scared, but it affected me nevertheless.

I thought the characters had this special trait or this special thing about them that makes you want to know what will happen to them. I felt like the movie isn't just the usual zombie movie out there. Yes, it was about survival. Yes, it had a lot of violence.  But, I'd say it focused on the characters and their development.

Should you go and watch it? Yes you should.

You can check out one of the trailers out below :


Below, I will be sharing more about these characters if you'd like to know more, you can scroll on ahead. There will be spoilers on that are, so be warned if you do read ahead.

If you haven't watched the movie: Do I think you should read more about these characters? No, it would be better to see and learn about them yourself. But, if you're the type of person who isn't affected about the spoilers and whatnot, go right ahead. Just don't say I didn't warn you!

Characters: Spoiler Alert

This is just some of the characters in movie. As much as I want to, I won't really be able to cover them all.

Seok Woo: A Funding Manager and Father who tried to buy his daughter's affection through material things. He was the typical father who got divorced/separated from his wife, but wants to take care of his child. He was financially stable, but always busy. He also had this loving mother who took care of his daughter. I understand he was trying to do whatever he can to provide for his daughter but he forgot the important part which was actually being there for her and being able to see her grow as a person. There was even this scene where he gave his daughter a Wii console, but then forgets he already got her one before. I felt bad for him when he found out her daughter's plan to leave and go to her mother. He did redeem himself though. From being the man who only cared about himself and his daughter, to a Man who cares about other people and knows the value of a life. I just cannot express how sad I was to see what happened to him. He did go with a smile on his face, but I felt like he just had to get more time with hi daughter.

Soo/Su Ahn: Daughter of Seok Woo and overall a good kid. She knows her values and isn't afraid to speak of it. She tried to correct her father when needed and showed what she tried to preach his dad. Her mother taught her the meaning of being a "good person" and she definitely took it to heart. She gave the elderly her seat when she had one, insisted his father to let people in when they were being chased by the zombies, knows judging people isn't a good thing and voiced it out, and a lot more. I just wanted to give this kid a hug in the end. I can't stress out how much my heart ached for her too when she said she practiced the song for her dad, but he never came to his recital. I respect this little girl. If only more people were like her.

Sang Hwa: The father-to-be and big guy who just wanted to take care and protect his family. He was one of the heroes in this movie. He was brave, strong, and protected everyone he could. I thought it was adorable how he interacted with his wife. He was bold and strong with others and soft and sweet to his wife. I just hoped I had heard more about his story.

Sung Gyeong: The pregnant wife of . She acted like the typical pregnant woman at first sort of commanding her husband and all that, but the movie also showed her soft side when she was with Su Ahn. I thought she was the silent rock for Su Ahn during the movie. People tried to protect them physically, but she also tried to protect who she can. She tried to fight the zombie in the last train, as Seok Woo was having difficulties fighting him off. I just want to see her give birth to a healthy child. I kept hoping her water won't break or that she won't get a miscarriage from all the stress physically, emotionally and mentally. Is it just me though, or did her baby bump become smaller near the end?

Young Gook and Jin Hee: The two students who liked each other. The girl was more vocal about her feelings, but the guy was quiet, reserved and tried to keep his feelings to himself. I thought they greatly cared about each other and it did show in the movie. They refused to leave each other till the end. I can't believe she was pushed by that old man. I just felt heartbroken for the two.

The elderly man who seemed like a homeless person: He was quiet, scared and ever seemed a little crazy. He looked like he didn't have much, like he only has the clothes on his back and his will to live to carry on. I felt he was just his luck that he was able to go to the train. He didn't have a lot, but he gave what he can. Strength and Help to the people whom he can help. He threw his jacket on the face of the zombie who was attacking Seok Woo when he was pinned down in the train station. He also gave his life to save others. He didn't have much, but he gave what he can.

Yong Suk: COO of Stallion Express and antagonist of the story. He was the cause of so many deaths in the movie. I think he believes in Survival of the Fittest. In this case, yes, he was a grumpy old man, but he was still human. He was scared and did what he did because he wanted to live. People will say he was greedy and shouldn't be called human at all. But if we were in his situation, what will we do? I'm not condoning his actions. I hated what he did. So many people would have lived, if not for him. I'd even call a lot of what he's done Murder. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'd like for us to think of what we'll do if we were in his situation. Will we try to save other people too? Or will we focus on saving ourselves even at the cost of other people's lives? Just think about before he died, he confessed, he was scared and almost broke down. I feel conflicted about this character. I want to hate and be angry at him, but I feel a little sad for him too.

Do you think people are the way they are because that's who they truly are? Or do you think there is a reason for their behaviour? I think, there is always something that influences us as human beings. It includes the way we were brought up, the family we have, the friends we hang out with, the environment we live in. These are just some of the things that influence us as human beings. If someone was brought up in this all-for-yourselves environment and taught only the fittest will survive, do you think he will think/react differently in emergency/desperate situations? If someone was taught to be a caring person who should be 'good' to other people and have moral values, do you think they will react differently in emergency/desperate situations? I guess all these things are subjective and all these things don't have a straight answer.

Another thing I noticed was how the Elderly man who looked like a homeless man acted towards other people in comparison to the supposedly rich COO of Stallion Express. The COO definitely had more in terms of money and whatnot, but who do you want to be like more?

These are the things the movie made me think about.

I'd like to ask you what I asked myself, and I'd like you to really think about this: What would you do if you were in their situations? What type of person will you be? Which character will you most likely be like?

I'll stop here before I go on and on about this as I have a lot more things I want to say and ask. Thanks for reading this far!

Hopefully I'll get to see more movies like this. This is a 4.9 out of 5 Stars for Me! I usually just make it a 4.5 or so, but this one will have to be a special case. I want to make it a 5, but I just wished some things ended differently

Publisher: Unknown - 2:19 AM

Thursday, June 16, 2016

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Movie Review: The Finest Hours

I wanted to watch something while I was having lunch when I came across this movie. I was actually looking for a Romantic Comedy when I came across this film. When I started the trailer, I thought it would be more of a love story with a dangerous obstacle, but it wasn't. I am so glad it isn't just a love story, it was so much more!

I just watched The Finest Hour, and boy was I moved to write this review. I'm supposed to be working tonight, but here I am watching this movie and writing this review about it. I guess you can say this is how much I liked the movie. It is actually based on a real story. The amazing story of Bernie Webber, retired US Coast Guard and how he and his 'crew' set out to find survivors of a sinking tanker/vessel, The Pendleton.  

I don't want to get in too much detail of what happened in the story as it is better for you to watch it in whole. To be honest, I didn't even finish the trailer when I decided to watch this movie. I wanted to see it in its whole. Although, You can see the trailer at the bottom if you want to see it. 



They had such a nice cast. I felt like they fit their roles just nicely and that they all did a good job. The effects are very well done. It didn't feel like a cheap movie that just wanted to rush everything and get it out to the public. Disney always do great movies and I got surprised to see that this was one of them. When I see/hear Disney, princes and princesses, or animated movies come in mind. I'm not complaining though, this was definitely a great decision on their part. I loved this movie!

I think people focused on Bernie and his team's effort to save the men on the boat, as it is such an amazing story, but in my opinion, we need to also point out how Ray Sybert, Pendleton's Chief Engineer (You'll learn more about later on) tried to keep the boat afloat amidst those circumstances. The vessel WAS sinking, but he was trying his gosh-darn best to prolong their lives. It also showed a glimpse of the love story of Bernie and Miriam.

I had to mention though, I honestly didn't really feel the deep love between Bernie and Miriam at the start, because I felt like he loved her, sure, but he was just going with what she wanted. Although they were able to redeem themselves at the middle part and at the end. My heart went soft, and I just crumbled at the end. Team BerIam! 

I cannot explain how much my heart ached for the Pendleton crew and their fight for survival. I felt like my heart was racing when they were trying to steer what's left of their vessel. They broke into groups, but then finally worked together as one after Ray Sybert became their officer-in-charge/captain. 

It was truly an incredible story, I just can't get over Bernie's determination to go through with his mission to save what's left of the Pendleton Crew. I also would like to applaud his team for stepping up and volunteering even though they know they might not come back.

That's it for now! Thank you so much for spending time to read my review. I truly appreciate it. I would like to end this post with a quote that just struck me. In my opinion, this was the best line in the film. 4.5 Stars ! 
"We All Live or We All Die" - Bernie Webber. The Finest Hour 


Publisher: Unknown - 2:55 AM

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Why I Went Missing: My Fallout with Blogging

Hi Everyone,

I know it has been quite some time since I last posted something here. I remember the last time I tried to start writing again, but unfortunately I failed. I guess I have been busy with work and everything around me that I wasn't able to put blogging as one of my priorities. I feel regretful for I have failed to continue writing for quite some time. Writing has been one of my interests ever since I was young. Don't get me wrong, this blog is still important to me, it's just that I don't know how to fit it in my busy work schedule, or at least that' what I keep telling myself.

I believe in the saying "If there's a will, there's a way", but I guess I didn't want to write/blog enough for me to actually try. I can say I had a fall out with blogging. I felt as if I didn't have the heart to create something. I have so many things I want to share, and so many things I want to talk about, but I didn't. I dwelled on the excuse that I had too much going on, but in reality, I can squeeze in a blog post once in a while.

I believe I've lost touch, with my writer side. I think I've forgotten why I started blogging in the first place. I noticed how I wanted to showcase a specific item, book or food for the sake of getting more readers, instead of sharing that particular thing because I want to. I got pulled into this blackhole where getting more views was more important than actually sharing my opinions. I didn't even write as much as I wanted to say because I feared people would think it was too long. I lost my way. I got off track. I forgot the reason I started blogging in the first place, My love for sharing my opinions with the world.

Blogging was my outlet. If I wanted to express how I felt regarding a particular book, I would elaborate by making a blog post. If I wanted to express how I felt regarding a certain dish, I would share how I felt through writing a blog post. It made me happy to write and share about my experiences.

Over these last few months I've started feeling the itch to write again. I wanted to write again, but this time, hopefully I will stop looking at the views and start focusing on how I want to share my experiences. Don't get me wrong, I also love writing for my readers, knowing they are interested in what I write. It's just that I won't focus on the number of views I get for the things I share. I cannot promise you my posts will be consistent again, as I will still try to work out how I will squeeze in writing with my work schedule, but I will try.

I would like to thank everyone who stayed with me and checked my blog even though it has been dormant for a long time. I hope you will continue to read and check out my posts in the future. Also, I would like to share that I will be writing some posts where I will write how I feel and my daily experiences. Yes you read that right, I will be writing about my life and daily experiences. Although, if you are not interested in this and is more/only interested in the items I share, I don't mind. Don't worry, you will be able to pick which ones to read and not read anyway. By the way, I apologise if this post was sort of all over the place. I'm just blurting out everything I feel and think.

I guess this is it for now. Thank you for reading this far down and I hope you check out my blog again soon!

Note: I will be doing some changes regarding the layout and template soon <3 p="">
Xoxo
-J
Publisher: Unknown - 7:58 AM