My Girl (2005) | ★★★★½ [Korean Drama TV Series]

Genre: Korean Drama, Romantic Comedy.
Stars: Da-hae Lee, Dong-Wook Lee, Jun-ki Lee, Si-Yeon Park, Seok-Hwan Ah, Hie-bong Byeon, Ran Choi

My Girl is up there with the funniest Korean dramas I’ve ever seen. It was so refreshing to watch, breathing life into a genre that I was starting to find repetitive and unexciting. It contains many of the things I love about Korean dramas, and cuts out almost all of the things I hate about them. It’s just a perfect show for me! Words cannot do justice to how immensely joyful I felt whilst watching My Girl. The characters were hilarious, the story was hysterical, and the romance had everything I wanted and more. Each episode made me laugh, swoon, and more than a little emotional. I couldn’t ask for anything more than that. If it weren't for the sub-par ending, I'd call this the greatest romantic-comedy I've ever seen. 

Loveless (2005) - ★★★½

Director: Yuu Kou
Writer: Yuji Kawahara
Voice Actors: Katsuyuki Konishi, Junko Minagawa, Kana Ueda

Loveless is a show that grew on me. The themes and characters annoyed the hell out of me at the start, but as the story developed I became more invested with each episode. I thoroughly enjoyed the show, but its disturbing premise really prevented me from ever loving it. It's a shounen-ai anime, which translates to 'boys love.' The romance aspect was more disturbing than entertaining, but I'll elaborate on that later. What makes this a great show is the magical, action-packed storyline and the questions each episode raises. When I finished the show, I was pretty devastated. I really wanted to know what happened next in the story, but unfortunately it wasn't renewed for a second season. From what I've seen, Loveless is one of the best anime's of its genre.

North Country (2005) - ★★★½

Director: Niki Caro
Writers: Clara Bingham, Laura Leedy (Novel), Michael Seitzman (Screenplay)
Stars: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sean Bean, Jeremy Renner, Richard Jenkins, Sissy Spacek

I'm really disappointed in North Country. It was fantastic the whole way through... well up until the ending. My God! They managed to turn a truly emotional underdog story into a cheesy Hollywood motion picture in the space of 2 minutes. The performances are top-notch, the story is frustrating but engaging, the cinematography and music is brilliant... but that ending. They almost ruined it with that horribly cheesy ending.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) - ★★★★★

Director: Ang Lee
Writers: Annie Proulx (Novel), Larry McMurtry, Diana Ossana (Screenplay)
Stars: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Linda Cardellini, Randy Quaid, Anna Faris

Brokeback Mountain is one of those rare movies that are even better than the novel. I've never seen a romance like it. The story isn't a question of sexuality; it is simply about two people who are in love. There is not one thing I would change about this film. Ang Lee managed to turn a good story into a shining masterpiece. It stands among the greatest movies ever made.

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) - ★★★★★

Director: Rob Marshall
Writers: Robin Swicord (screenplay), Arthur Golden (novel)
Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, Li Gong

I started watching this film with little knowledge on the life of a Japanese Geisha, and left in amazement at the skills they have and the lives they lead. This secret world has been opened up with this wonderful film that beautifully depicts the true story of one Japanese Geisha with blue eyes; the eyes of water.

Set in 1929, an impoverished nine-year-old girl named Chiyo is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto, where she undergoes cruel treatment from the owners and the head geisha Hatsumomo (Li Gong). Her stunning beauty attracts the vindictive jealousy of Hatsumomo, until she is taken under the wing of Hatsumomo's bitter rival, Mameha (Michelle Yeoh). Under her mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang), trained in all the artistic and social skills a geisha must master in order to survive in her society. As a renowned geisha she enters a society of wealth, privilege and war between herself and Hatsumomo. Not far in the future is World War II, where the world of geisha's are changed forever.

I had my reservations about the film being in the English language rather than Japanese because I felt that it would be less effective. One of the great things about Memoirs of a Geisha was that it felt authentically Japanese whilst being spoken in English. It submerges you in the world of these Geishas, where they must compete against each other in order to get customers and earn a living. It also shows the sad reality that many of these women were sold into the business and had to become Geishas to pay back the debt they owed to the people that bought them. It's a very education film that leaves you thinking.

The acting throughout the film was just marvellous, with the accents sounding authentic for the most part. Li Gong as Hatsumomo was the standout of the film, who could stare daggers into Sayuri whilst still looking kind. Ziyi Zhang was great as the young and kind main character. Michelle Yeoh commanded the attention of the audience whenever she was on-screen. She did the same in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, but this time as a graceful geisha rather than a martial arts expert.

From the very first scene I was sucked into the story of Sayuri. The story is told so well through the usage of astonishingly beautiful music and locations. It's no wonder that Memoirs of a Geisha won three Academy Awards including an Oscar for cinematography. At the centre of the film is a very sweet love story that does not overbear the many stories from other moments in her life. The love story has such great importance to the movie yet is only mentioned from time to time, which made it all the more effective.

I cannot say whether the film does the book justice. All I know is that if the book is much better than this adaptation, then that must be one hell of a book!

Transamerica (2005) - ★★★★

Director: Duncan Tucker
Writers: Duncan Tucker
Stars: Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegers, Graham Greene, Fionnula Flannagan, Burt Young, Carrie Preston

Transamerica is a heartwarming story that sensitively shows both the inner and outer turmoil that trans-gender people go through, which is meticululously played by Felicity Huffman, (a woman, playing a man becoming a woman). It is also a beautifully crafted movie about the bonding of two very different people stuck with each-other on a journey.

When Bree (Huffman) finds out that she has been approved for her sex-change operation, she has to have signed permission from her therapist in order to have it performed. One week before the surgery, she finds out that she has a son, Toby (Kevin Zegers). Her therapist would not sign permission for the surgery unless Bree makes an effort to get to know her new found son. Toby is a deeply troubled teenager who dabbles with both drugs and sex with strangers in order to survive. When the two meet, Bree decides to help Toby attain a better life through exploring all options possible through going on a road trip. Bree also needs to make it back to Los Angeles in time for her surgery. Together, this beautifully interesting father and son combo meet some pretty wacky characters along their way to finding themselves in their trans-American journey.

From start to finish, this film had me mezmerized. You can put almost all of the blame on Felicity Huffman's oscar worthy performance as Bree, a transsexual man that plans on having male-to-female sexual reassignment surgery. I cannot stress how amazing this performance was, and I certainly believe it's one of the greatest performances in history. You could really feel her pain when someone referred to her as a man, which got me so invested into hoping that Bree finds her happiness.

The supporting cast were brilliant from top to bottom, starting with Kevin Zegers portrayal of Toby. This character went through much pain and suffering himself, which showed in Zeger's performance as the confused and lost teenager. It is very reminiscent of characters such as John O'connor (Edward Furlong) in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Toby had a wicked attitude, but also a very likable sensitive side which couldn't help but be nice to the very quirky 'woman' which was Bree. 

I sympathize with both of these characters, which is why they affected me so much. Their journey was fun, upsetting, and informative with issues of inner-conflict within a person. This isn't a movie for everyone. Transamerica is worth a watch for Huffman's performance alone, but along the way I think you'll find that it is a charming and entertaining film all-round.

Pride and Prejudice (2005) - ★★★★★

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Jane Austen (novel), Deborah Moggach (screenplay)
Stars: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Rosamund Pike, Donald Sutherland, Brenda Blethyn, Simon Woods, Judi Dench

Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice is stunning in every way imaginable. The casting is nothing short of perfection, the cinematography is breathtaking, the music is absolutely beautiful, and the story entails one of the greatest romances of all time. The romance of Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen).

Based on Jane Austen's novel of the same name, Pride and Prejudice displays love and life during the Georgian era in England. The family's future happiness and security is dependent on the five Bennet sisters making good marriages.  Mrs. Bennet (Brenda Blethyn) wants nothing more than to have her five daughters be married before her husband Mr. Bennet (Donald Sutherland) dies, for their home and belongings would pass to the male next in line to inherit them. When a rich gentleman, Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) spends the summer in the country, he falls for Jane (Rosamund Pike), the beautiful Bennet sister. He brings with him his sister, and the proud yet dashing Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are very similar in personality, thus clashing in a story filled with misjudgements and love. This is a story that shows the pressure that women in the Georgian era were under to get married, with gossip, scandals and class determining the security of their future.

The characters of Pride and Prejudice immediatley capture your interest, with their many different personalities and problems clashing into a very entertaining story. Not only are the leads perfect for the roles, but the supporting cast is absolutely brilliant. I loved watching their stories unfurl, mainly due to the magnificent performances on all accounts, as well as the witty and refreshing dialogue. Knightley truly gave her greatest performance as Elizabeth, who is extremely clever and is constantly in deep thought. She really dictated how you felt during the film. When she was happy, I was happy. Her smile is infectious as well as her sadness. Credit goes to both her acting ability and the story. The same compliments go for Matthew Macfadyen, who played the abrupt, rude and anti-social Mr. Darcy so well. There was one scene in which he told Elizabeth "You have bewitched me body and soul," that literally had me swooning, for the ferocity in his eyes during that scene burned right through the screen.

The whole film flowed so effortlessly it reminded me of Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility. I could not believe the beauty in the cinematography. The stunning locations that were shot just seemed so unreal. I found all the scenes inbetween the dialogue and the story just as riveting, which is a credit to the masterful direction of cinematography by Ronin Osin. It also has one of the greatest soundtracks I've ever heard by composer Dario Marianelli, with classical music making each scene so much more beautiful. The costume design by Jacqueline Durrin, combined with the amazing dance choreography, set the mood of the era so well that it can be compared to the masterful scenes from Gone With The Wind.

I cannot praise this film enough. All I can say is that this is a classic story that I love to death. With perfect casting, story, cinematography, music, costume, and choreography, there's no doubt in my mind that Pride and Prejudice is one of the greatest films of all time.

Little Miss Sunshine (2005) - ★★★★

Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Writers: Michael Arndt
Stars: Steve Carrell, Toni Collette, Abigail Breslin, Alan Arkin, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano

One of my personal favorite films of all time, Little Miss Sunshine is a beautiful and inspiring story of a quarreling family's journey to help their youngest member achieve her dream of winning the Little Miss Sunshine Pageant. With a flawless cast, brilliant dialogue, beautiful destinations and a great moral, it's hard not to fall in love with this film.

Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear are Richard and Sheryl Hoover, the parents of a dysfunctional family on the brink of falling apart due to financial difficulties and lack of things in common. Their son Dwayne, played by Paul Dano, has taken a vow of silence until he achieves his goal of becoming a fighter pilot and visibly hates his parents. Olive, their daughter played by the marvelous Abigail Breslin, is a cute little girl that is completely oblivious to the fights and troubles that is going on around her. The innocence of this little girl that doesn't sweat the small stuff and only focuses on the fun things in life shows that although she doesn't have the life experience or knowledge that the other adults do, she is more mature many aspects. Alan Arkin gives one of his greatest performances as the sex and drug addicted Grandpa of the family. He mentors Olive in her dance routines and constantly builds up her self esteem when her father knocks it down. In one of the most touching scenes I've seen in many years, Olive asks Grandpa if she is pretty. He tells her "I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world." Of course we cannot forget the knockout performance of Steve Carrell, playing a gay, intelligent and suicidal man that slowly gets his spirit to live back throughout the journey. All of these performances were just incredible and were the highlight of the movie.

There was much hilarity in this film as well as subtle jabs at the pageant industry for being too critical and judgmental of little girls who just want to feel pretty. I believe this is one of the best road-trip movies that has been made. It packs so much feeling and conflict between the family members that you don't know whether to feel sorry for them or to hate them. The ending brought them all together and made them see the bigger picture. That no matter how much we may hate our lives, at least we've got a family to fall back on and build us up again.