A must watch move about Death

Went to watch the Japanese movie "Departures" today at GV.

I had heard some rather good reviews about this "death" movie. About how it was almost full house on weekdays afternoons when most movies play to empty halls. Heard about the laughter in the first part of the movie and the tears of the audience that flowed towards the end of the movie.

And I was truly intrigued! I really wanted to see people walking out of cinemas, eyes red, crying after a movie. That I have never seen!

So I dragged SO, who normally dun like foreign films, to the cinemas. Not our usual chain of movie theatres, which offered a 50% discount on the 2nd movie ticket on Sunday, simply by flashing our handphone operator logo.

We paid for 2 full price weekend tickets! And that's a rarity! That's how much we wanted to watch this movie!



"Departures" was truly one of the best shows I have seen this year ...so far. Even better than "Push" of 2 weeks ago or even "Watchmen" last week. Those were 2 truly boring movies!

Frankly, the story of the "Departures" was so simple and there were no great special effects or drama. The movie captured the audience with the subject of death.

This musician, Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) became unemployed after the symphony orchestra he was working for, disbanded. So he moved back to his hometown with his wife.

There he cluelessly took on the job of that of the ceremonial “encoffination” (is there even such a word?) of corpses prior to cremation.

And from there and then Daigo developed "a deep respect for life in all its variations, and a profound empathy for people trying to make peace with the finality of death". (as quoted from the official movie website)

There was this scene in the movie where an old lady was about to be cremated and her adult son wanted to watch his mother's cremation. And as she was cremated in the furnace (not actually shown), the son was crying and calling out to his mother.

I turned to my side and I saw SO crying. Softly. Eyes red, trying to control his tears. And I am sure that quite a few audience in the cinema were tearing softly too. That's how emotional it was.

Well, as for me, yeah, I did felt the sadness and there were times when I was very near to tears. Especially when the living bade farewell to the dead. But I held myself back. It was difficult.

It was a really touching movie, worthy of the Oscar foreign film award 2009. The show had its great moments of brilliance, comic and sadness and at about 2 hours and 30 mins (150 mins total) felt just right.

And when the movie finally ended, well, the audience seemed reluctant to leave.

Normally when movies ended, audience would just rushed out. But not for this movie.

We were only of those who left after the end credits rolled for about 3 minutes. I think that quite a few of the audience were too embarrassed to be seen with red eyes and eyes tearing. So as the final credits rolled, they just sat there, trying to get over a hold over themselves.

After the movie, I confronted SO about his tears and that Bitch simply denied it. He simply refused to talk about it. He said it never happened. He claimed that he never cried. And then he gave a sheepish, guilty laugh.

Well, I am sure the movie touched quite a few people.

To me, it's sad, but not that sad. But yet, this is one of the sadder movies I have watched so far. I think few movies are this sad. But for a movie, dealing with the sensitive subject of death, sadness and tears are to be expected. All of us can identified with Death.

After all, all of us have to die some time or another. No one is truly immortal. And I am sure, we all knew someone who had passed away, be it a friend, a family, a relative or someone we know etc.

I rate this movie a 8.5 out of 10! A must watch! Especially when there is this surge of stupid movies this time of the year like "Street fighter - Chun li" and "Dragon ball revolution".

And when "Departures" the VCD or DVD comes out, I am going to get my hands on a copy.

Animated Wonder Woman trailer

I saw this animated Wonder Woman trailer some weeks back. Looks promising.

This animation movie even has its own Facebook, Twitter and Myspace page.

Wonder Woman here was voiced by Keri Russell (Waitress, Felicity). Yeah, the big hair girl from Felicity. I dun recalled her having a very assertive voice. Wondering if she could pull this off?

The cheesy Wonder Woman trailer

I was searching for the animated Wonder Woman trailer when I came across this video in youtube.

Gosh it was so cheesy that it was beyond cheesy. The trailer was created by this fan of Joss hedon and she wanted to be that unknown to play the part. So she created this audition trailer.

Rather than hurt her feelings and posting my comments on youtube, I would rather post my comments here.

Well, the trailer was simply too corny for words. That fan did took some effort to create this audition trailer, but frankly, she is just not that pretty enough to play Wonder Woman.

In certain parts of the trailer, Wonder Woman looked like a drag queen and she has this sort of longish, horsey face. Too much make up?

PUSH trailer

SO was looking forward to this trailer when we went to the movies yesterday. However, it was not shown there.

And boy, he was pissed when he found out I saw the trailer on TV some days back.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Trailer

Just saw this movie trailer while I was watching American Idol.

I certainly did not know the movie was completed. Frankly, I thought it was still in casting or production stages.

Awesome! Looking forward to the movie!

Rain of Madness - The video

This has got to be the hottest video of the moment.

It's a a spoof of the spoof within the spoof.

This video is about 10 mins 30 secs long.

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New Paper
31 Aug 2008

Tropic madness

We round up the Internet sites or videos that people are talking about

What's the noise?

Rain Of Madness is a 30-minute fake 'making-of' mockumentary of the feature film Tropic Thunder, about a group of actors making a war film.

This send-up of Hollywood war movies and its stereotypes stars Robert Downey Jr, Ben Stiller and Jack Black.

Rain Of Madness uses all the styles of a behind-the-scenes segment in a DVD extra feature and 'chronicles' the insanity of Tropic Thunder's fictitious cast and crew and their struggle to finish the film.

Essentially, this is a spoof of the spoof within the spoof. It has hilarious pseudo-interviews with the cast and crew, including some bizarre moments with Downey Jr.

Rain Of Madness was shot in Hawaii using the same locations as Tropic Thunder.

It is directed by the latter's co-writer Justin Theroux, who stars in the mockumentary as German documentary producer/narrator Jan Jürgen.

Paramount put Rain Of Madness online alongside Tropic Thunder as part of its Internet viral marketing for the film.

What we say:

It sucked that we could not download the film as it was available only on the US iTunes site, so we turned to other video-sharing sites as well as the mockumentary's website.

Who would have thought Hollywood could take the mickey out of itself and do it well?

Film buffs would recognise this as a send-up of the 1991 documentary Heart Of Darkness, which chronicled the making of Francis Ford Coppola's problem-plagued 1979 epic war film Apocalypse Now, starring Martin Sheen and the late Marlon Brando.

I do hope Rain Of Madness does make it as an extra feature on the Tropic Thunder DVD release.

What people say:

'If you thought Tropic Thunder was funny, you have GOT to check out the documentary showing the making of the film - Rain Of Madness.'
- be experiment.com

'A twisted and well-done riff that manages to add to the value of the existing film while deserving a life of its own.'
- chud.com

The dude from Bangkok Love Story

Last year, I watched this thai gay movie, "Bangkok Love Story".

Well, the story plot was paper thin, the acting was pathetic and in some parts bordering on the ridiculous. The actors were stony faced through out. I even found myself laughing at certain supposedly erotic parts of the movie.

The only thing I liked was the short haired actor in the movie, Tohssawat. He was the cutest thai guy I have ever seen. And he said he's straight in real life and took the part to get into the movie industry.


The movie plot as described by Yahoo movies.
"Bangkok Love Story" tells the story of Maek (Rattanaballang Tohssawat), an assassin who is sent to kill Iht (Chaiwat Tongsaeng). However, a twist of fate brings the men together, and Maek refuses to kill Iht and takes a bullet in a gunfight. Iht takes Maek to a safe house and nurses him back to health. A strong bond develops between them, revealing emotions from the men's hearts to each other.



Anyway, I just read an article that says that one of the lead actors, the short haired guy in the movie, Rattanaballang Tohssawat was only 17 years old at the time of filming. Only 17? Gosh! I couldn't believe it. He played some police officer with a girlfriend. I thought he was at least in his mid 20s.

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Fridae
20 Aug 2008

Celluloid to iron: Chaiwat ''Tob'' Thongsang
By Vitaya Saeng-Aroon

Chaiwat ''Tob'' Thongsang of Bangkok Love Story fame speaks to Fridae's Vitaya Saeng-Aroon about success, taking on a gay role as a 17-year-old rookie actor and his future plans.

Celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger started out as body-builders and later became actors.

Thai actor Chaiwat Thongsang is doing it in reverse. Chaiwat, whose nickname is “Tob,” was only 17 years old when he was cast in his first leading role in the controversial feature film Puen Koo Rak Meung Wah (Bangkok Love Story), released September 2007.

In the movie, he played “It,” a closeted gay man in uniform who is about to marry his pretty fiancée. But by chance he falls in love with a lone hit man hired to assassinate him.

The movie broke new ground in mainstream Thai cinema with the portrayal of two masculine men in intimate scenes including deep kissing and love-making. For decades, the big Thai studios produced movies with themes or sub-plots about sad transgender characters and comedies portraying gay men as drag queens.

Not so with Tob, who was 79 kg and 187 cm when he was cast and already looked like an aspiring body-builder. He said he became interested in body-building when he was 14, but only got serious about it after the success of Bangkok Love Story, which afforded him the time and money to devote himself to the sport.

His personal success is all the more ironic given how most actors still shun gay roles, seeing them as the kiss of death for their careers. As with Tob’s transition from actor to body-builder, his attitude toward gay roles is the opposite of most actors.

“I wanted the part because I knew taking a gay role could quickly make me famous,” Tob said, adding that he’s more than willing to take on the role of another gay hunk, if offered.

“No doubt about it,” he said. “If I hadn't played It, I wouldn't have gotten famous and received more job offers,” adding that recently he was the only guy picked out of 25 male actors in casting for a foreign film production to be announced. He was also signed up to be a presenter in a TV commercial ad for a muscle-pain relief balm gel product.

While doing publicity interviews for the movie, Tob said the most oft-asked question was how he felt about kissing a man. He always gave the same answer: he's straight, but also a professional: “After many takes, I got used to it. It's just acting.”

Late last year, he was seen dancing at a famous gay bar on Samet Island with his girlfriend and her gay pals.

“It's fun going out with them,” said Tob. “They're members of a cheerleading team at the university where my girlfriend is studying. In the group, it's only me and another guy who are straight. I really had a good time on the trip.”

Now standing 190 cm and over 90 kg, Tob turned 20 a few months ago and is ready for a new direction, though he’s not giving up on acting or modeling work, which pay the bills. He said he believes he can tone down his big muscles if they do not fit the outfits for fashion shoots or movie roles.

Tob made his remarks in a two-part special interview with the male lifestyle TV show Passport For Men, now available with English subtitles on the Internet and on Bangkok cable TV.

In the show's special two-part report, “Adonis,” Tob and his buddies talk about the tough training sessions and how they enjoy the sweat, shouting, and companionship of one another.

“I'm training to compete in a body-building contest in October this year,” he said. “It's my dream. I'm not planning to be another 'Hulk,' but I want my muscles toned.”

He plans to compete in Body Classic category, under which the contestants develop toned muscles without the bulk.

One of his trainers Sitthi Charoenrith is a five-time Mr Thailand champion and two-time International Federation of Body Builders world champion. “Since Tob has strong interest in the sport and he is a well-build, I believe that he stands a great chance to join the national team.

“Please come to the competition and give me support,” he said.


Passport For Men Special (Eng sub): Adonis 1: Tob Chaiwat


Passport For Men Special (Eng sub): Adonis 2: Tob Chaiwat

Cute dude but sounds a bit too whiny speaking in thai.

No Harry Potter this year!

Frankly, I am NOT one of those rabid a fan of the Potter series. I have so far read only one of the book. I think it was Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

It was given to me free.

I read the book and then recycled it. I wasn't very impressed by the book contents or plot. I wasn't especially intrigued either. And I could not see any point in buying the book also. And I could not get it from the library, they were always out of stock.

But I watched all the Harry Potter's movies. I thought, they were pretty okay. Better than average. Excellent special and visual effects. But still more of a kiddy movie. Kids and teens loved Potter movies.

And so yeah, I am not affected by the news that the new Potter movies has been postponed from November this year to July 2009. Big Deal!

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The Straits Times
15 Aug 2008

Harry Potter film postponed

LOS ANGELES - HARRY Potter fans clamouring for the next movie installment of the boy wizard's adventures will have to wait until 2009 after a decision to postpone release of the new film, officials said on Thursday.

A statement from Warner Bros Pictures said the original November release date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling's books, had now been shifted to July 17, 2009.

Warner president Alan Horn said the decision was taken to guarantee the studio a major summer blockbuster in 2009, and was partially explained by the Hollywood writer's strike, which paralysed the movie industry this year.

'Like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers' strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films - changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of', Mr Horn said.

'We agreed the best strategy was to move Half-Blood Prince to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer'. A 'tent pole' movie is usually a big-budget, heavily promoted film relied on by a studio to turn a profit rapidly.

Horn said a summer release date would benefit box office revenues, citing the most recent Harry Potter film, the second-highest grossing film in the franchise after the first instalment.

Jeff Robinov, president of Warner Bros Motion Picture Group, said the change would not affect production of future Harry Potter films, the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment in the series.

The good news (for fans) is that the gap will now be shortened between Half-Blood Prince and the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', Robinov said.

The five Harry Potter films released so far have grossed more than US$4.47 billion (S$6.31 billion) worldwide since 2001, making it one of the most lucrative franchises of all time in terms of box-office. -- AFP

Journey to the Center of the Earth

We went to watch the "Journey to the center of the earth".

The movie was supposed to be in 3 D in some cinemas but the one we watched had no 3D equipment, so it was in the average movie mode.

Basically this is a kiddy movie. Not dark like the Dark Knight and not cheesy like the Mummy 3.
Actually, SO preferred this movie to Mummy 3.

Watching this movie was like being in a roller coaster ride. There was 2 such scenes in the movie. That's why it's in 3D! To showcase the rollercoaster ride in the movie and to make the audience felt like they were on a roller coaster.

Frankly, I was tired of watching movies with ugly lead actresses (Dark Knight, Mummy 3). And so I was pleased to finally see a pretty face on screen.

Anita Briam, whom I had never seen before on screen was pleasant to look at. She 's definitely a hottie as compared to the female leads in Dark Knight and Mummy 3. Those were trolls with wigs in disguise!

The kid, Josh Hutcherson resembled the kid from Prison Break, Lincoln junior.

These type of roles in such action movies dun really require any acting skills. The actors only need to react.

And well, Brendan Fraser was just being himself. This role was not any different from his role in Mummy 3.

This movie is not a must watch. But kids and teens would love it.

I heard the 3 D version is awesome. Hmmm...maybe I should find a cinema that offers 3D and watch it again and see how difference is the experience.

The Mummy 3 aka Where's Rachel?

I watched the Mummy 3 on Thursday. SO had taken leave on thursday and friday.

Well, the movie was average okay. Of course, it is NOT the same standard and calibre as Dark Knight or even Hellboy 2.

The Mummy movies series are not really something to be taken seriously. It is just brainless fun and humor.

What I missed most in this movie sequel was Rachel Weisz. Frankly, Maria Bello, the replacement just couldn't make it. She's another one who looks old and ugly. First Dark Knight 's ugly aunty Maggie Gyllenhaal and now here's another ugly aunty Maria Bello.

SO kept nudging me in the cinema, whispering, "She's so ugly".

Sorry to say this, I dun mean to be mean. I have never seen Maria Bello on screen before. And frankly, she's not that memorable on Mummy 3. And I dun think I would ever see her on screen again. And even if I did, I dun think I would recognise her. She's that forgettable.

I had never seen Rachel Weisz before the Mummy 1 either but she got such a pretty face and she's so illuminating that she lighted up the screen with her presence.

And now in Mummy 3 is this dull ugly aunty, Maria Bello. Similarly to the Dark Knight, this sort of flower vase role does not require great acting skills, even a bimbo could do it and they couldn't find someone better as a replacement?

And there was absolutely no chemistry between Mario Bello and Brendan Fraser.

And then there was the son. He was played by 27 year old Luke Ford. Well, Fraser was actually only 13 years older than Ford in real life, so it was somewhat creepy. Brendan Fraser did not looked old enough to be his dad or the son just looked damned old.

Other than the mis-casting, the movie was generally just average. Jet Li was okay. Michello Yeo was okay.

The storyline like the previous Mummy movies are well...lousy in plot. It does made up for it in terms of actions.

Frankly, the kids and teens would love it.

Curse of the Dark Knight

There has been rumors circulating in cyberspace about the curse of the Dark Knight.


Heath Ledger died from a prescription drug overdose.


Christian Bale was arrested for allegedly assaulting his sister and mother.


Morgan Freeman was seriously involved in a car accident.

And last year a special effects technician working on the film died when a vehicle he was in crashed during a stunt test run.

So who's next? Curse or just coincidence?

The Dark Knight vs Hellboy

I finally got the chance to watch Dark Knight today. It has been showing in the cinemas for quite some time. In fact, the show is probably ending it's run in 2 or 3 weeks time.

I had great expectations for the show. In fact, I had planned to watch the show twice in cinemas for that theatrical experience. But that was before I stepped into the cinema today.

The show was not quite what I had expected. I had heard and read about how dark the movie was. But the movie was just okay. Yeah...it was dark but not that dark! In fact, I felt it could be darker still!

But would I watch it twice in a short time like a few days later? Nope. It was too draining. The first time was already quite a torture, with the movie clocking at above 2 hours.

Heath Ledger was in his element. It's a pity he died young. You can see the psychotic madness that he portrayed as the Joker. There would never be another Joker like him again.

Christian Bale as Batman was overshadowed by his stellar co-actors like Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. Even Aaron Eckhart displayed better acting skills.

The one person who was worse was Maggie Gyllenhaal as the girlfriend. Gosh...2 words can be used to describe her. Old and ugly.

SO was nudging me a few times during the show, whispering....she's ugly. That I have to agree! She looked so old that she looked more like Bale and Eckhart's elder sister than the love of their life!

As for trying to look sexy, forget it! I cringed every time she appeared on screen, so I was pretty glad she got killed off in the middle of the movie! Hurray! That's means she will not be appearing in any future sequel. If she is coming back or resurrected as some sort of villain or watever, I am going to boycott the sequels.

And did you look at her face? There are 2 deep wrinkle lines that slope 60 degree down from the inner corner of her eyes which I found to be very distracting and disturbing!

SO and I think Maggie bears a passing resemblance to Kirsten Dunst, the one who acted as Spiderman's girlfriend. Kirsten was also not that eye pleasing in that movie. So was Maggie cast cos she looked like Kirsten? A competition of the super heroes?

Frankly, I am not a fan of Katie Holms but I think Katie looks much better and younger! I would rather see Maggie's brother Jake drag as Batman's bitch.

And I am not the only one who thought Maggie was fugly (fucking ugly). Google her on the net and read about other audience's reactions to her looks and acting on Dark Knight. I mean the role did not need to flex much acting chops so why couldn't they get a prettier and younger actress?

Another person who did not looked as good on screen was Chin Han.

He was not that natural on screen. His acting was a bit awkward and eh ...un-moblike. And for the second half of the show, he was cowering in fear like an idiot.

Frankly Chin Han has not aged that well. His skin is starting to sag. Especially his eyelids. One eyelid's excess skin gave his face an unbalanced cock eye look. And his nose looked kinda big on screen close up. Sorry to say this but to survive in Hollywood, he needs to have some nip and tuck done pretty soon.

I have seen Chin Han before in person, many years back and he was dashing then. And eh...both his eyes eh....looked balanced and symmetrical. No what they did now.

Aaron Eckhart was great to watch on screen. He is like the male Barbie doll, Kent.

He could be the Batman, should Christian Bale decided to drop the bat cape. He really brightened up the screen with his looks and presence.

However, I felt that Aaron could be more forceful and evil in his role as the villian, Two Face. His 2 face role was not that much different from his role as Harvey Dent. Frankly, I could not feel his despair and madness as two face. His portrayal was different as compared to Tommy Lee Jones, his predecessor Two Face.

And then there was Edison. His role? A joke! His was a 3 second blurry appearance as a security guard! Even the mob henchmen got longer screen time! And Edison was boasting about his role in the Dark Knight some months back ! Frankly, it was a blink and you will miss it kinda of role. Edison should really sack his agent for getting him such an insignificant role.

One of the things that impressed me the most in Dark Knight was the Bat Pod.



How cool is that? If they ever sell this model on the street, I might just take up motorcycle lessons.

Frankly, the Dark Knight is a must watch. It is draggy at times. Some people may find it too dark but it is definitely one of the best movies this year.

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We rushed off after the Dark Knight ended to another cinema. I was determined to catch Hellboy 2 today.

I have been planning to watch this for weeks. And most cinemas only have 1 show per day as the movie is ending its run soon.

We managed to get the tickets which was nearly fully booked. The only seats left was the 1st row. In fact, just as we were paying for the tickets, the whole movie for that timing was sold out.

Hellboy 2 was interesting and entertaining. Compared to the Dark Knight, it was not as dark. In fact, it was a pretty average movie inspired by comics.

SO fell asleep during certain parts of Hellboy 2. In fact, he was starting to nod off and drool. I had to nudge him a few times to wake him.

What was interesting in the movie was the variety of new characters like the tooth fairies, the Angel of Death etc. But maybe there was a overload of creatures?

The movie was a bit draggy and boring at times. What worked for me was the fact of seeing a comic book come true to life as a movie. ( I have never read Hellboy comics before)

I enjoyed the movie as much as I enjoyed Dark Knight.

I think this movie is okay. Not a must watch, unless you are into fantasy and imagination and comics stuff.

Bloody Red Cliff

Just 3 words to describe the movie, Boring, Bloodbath, War.

This big movie epic, big production clocked in at 145 mins.

Frankly, I dun quite get it. There are lots of scene of war, bloodbath, blood spatter, slashing, and not much of a story.

Some of the scenes are much too long that by the first hour, I was writhing in my chair with agony. And I am not the only one in the cinema doing so.

And this idiotic family was sitting next to us, talking and whispering throughout the movie. I was feeling frustrated by the movie by then, and I did something I normally dun do for fear of being bashed up. I hushed the family loudly. I was going "Sshhhh" a few times before they got the hint. I was very close to telling them, "Have you talked enough? SHUT UP!"

Frankly, I was so relieved by the time the movie ended. Would I go for Part 2? I dun think I want to subject myself to such torture again! I watched this cos SO wanted to watch and also cos Hancock and Hell boy 2 timing was off for us.

This is NOT an international movie. It WILL NOT appeal to an international audience! It WILL NOT appeal to anyone NOT interested in chinese history!

Dun say you have not been warned!

Crazy Sexy Cancer

Saw this on Oprah also. Well, it is a film, book and blog about cancer, celebration of life and death. A life style and attitude revolved around living with cancer and death.



http://www.crazysexycancer.com/

http://crazysexycancer.blogspot.com/

Prince Caspian

Yesterday, I finally got to watch "Prince Caspian". We had been waiting to catch this move for weeks now, but I was sick, or was too tired or SO was too busy.

Anyway, SO was more excited this show than I was. I had read the Narnia series books about 5 times and while I really enjoyed the books, I was afraid the movies cannot do justice to the books.

The first Narnia movie, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" followed the book quite closely and it was real cool to have something you read come alive in the form of a movie.

Well, the Narnia books cannot be compared to the "Lord of the Rings" book series. I have tried reading the Ring books and I gave up after the very first chapter. It was reading for very mature adults and the material was rather dry.

The Narnia series on the other hand was written more for children. It's language and writing style is so simple, that it is almost laughable by today's standards. One thing I dun like about the Narnia series is that there is a very strong underlying element of religion within the context. In certain parts, the books sounded almost too preachy. Frankly, I find that in certain portions of the stories, excessive Christian theological concepts are incorporated that it almost become a Christian fairy tale. But I did enjoyed the stories enough to read it more than 5 times and at least 2 of the times, when I was no longer a child but an adult.

"Prince Caspian" the movie was not quite what I had expected. Basically, I can still remembered the story. Prince lead rebellion, blow the horn to summon the 4 children, 4 children arrived, gathered Narnia troops, fight big battle. Of course, some where in between Aslan appeared.

So i was a bit shocked when some extra scenes appeared in the movie. I dun remember reading about the raid at the castle. I dun quite remember the duel between Peter and the other King.

And Prince Caspian sounded foreign, with a thick European accent, like Antonio Bandaras leaning to speak English.

Overall, I find the movie okay but a bit slow though. The movie was not a direct theatrical adaptation of the book. After the Hollywood treatment, the movie is now "based" on the book, meaning that Hollywood has added modern elements as to what they think will make the story better and appeal to contemporary audience. Even SO was saying that this movie as compared to the prior one is less preachy and "religious".

The most popular character of the entire movie was not Prince Caspian, nor any of the 4 children, but Reepicheep, the mouse. Every time, he appeared, audience in my cinema cheered or laughed. And yes, he would be back in the next Narnia movie. (I read the book, remember)

Frankly, I have dug out my Narnia series and started reading "Prince Caspian" again. The language is even simpler than I expected, that it's almost like I am reading Enid Blyton, another favorite childhood author of mine.

I offered to let SO read the Narnia series but he said no thanks, he's not interested, he's just interested in watching the movie, not reading the book.

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There is an interesting theme song towards the end of the movie that's rather touching.

The Call by Regina Spektor

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder
Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never
Been this way before

All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye..

Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye.