White House Down - 2013

Category: Movies

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller

Writer: James Vanderbilt

Director: Roland Emmerich

Producer: Columbia Pictures, Mythology Entertainment

Cast; Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gylenhaal, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Joey King, James Woods, Nicolas Wright, Jimmi Simpson, Michael Murphy and more

Tagline: It Will Start Like Any Other Day

A Capitol Policeman, John Cale (Channing Tatum) was on tour while on the White House with his young daughter while at the same time applying for his dream job to be part of the Secret Service in protecting the current President, James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). But, then on that same day the White House was overtaken by a heavily armed group, now John Cale springs into action as he tries to protect his daughter and the President.


It's the fourth of july! and what better way, than to watch the first screening of White House Down.

I'm not a fan of Channing Tatum but it was a good one though. I had loads of fun watching the film. It was a great action film, loads of bullets, missiles, helicopters, and all those shizznit and with a good enough humor.

Bloody Monday - 2008

Category: TV Series

Genre: Action / Technological / Crime / Suspense

Broadcast network: TBS

Original writing (manga): Bloody Monday by Ryumon Ryo
  
Screenwriter: Makita Mitsuharu, Watanabe Yusuke

Producer: Makita Mitsuharu 

Director: Hirano Shunichi, Hatano Takafumi, Miyashita Kensaku


Theme song: Over the rain ~Hikari no Hashi~ 

Cast: Miura Haruma, Sato Takeru, Kawashima Umika, Fujii Mina, Tokunaga Eri, Hisano Masahiro, Tanaka Tetsushi, Matsushige Yutaka, Narimiya Hiroki, Kichise Michiko, TET, and more


A biological terrorist attack kills off the population of a Russian town; Japan's Special Third-i unit believes that the terrorist organization responsible plans to have the same virus known as Bloody X in Tokyo. THIRD-i then recruits, Takagi Fujimaru a genius, notorious hacker to find out what happened in Russia.


It's absolutely a good tv series. One that would keep you wanting to see more. Great storyline. Also this reminds me of Jack Bauer, only this time, it's not focused on Jack but on Fujimaro, a civilian, helping Third-I. It took me awhile to get the relation of "THIRD-i" and Third Eye. It's pretty much designed like CTU of 24.

I like how each episode made you want to check the next episode. And missing one might make you miss the ingenuity of the storyline. It has good character build-up. It gets nifty on Episode 3. It has a very good psychological warfare script.

This is as much about crime and suspense, but also about friendship and family. It's about courage, honor, pride, life.... love....

I like the lyrics of the song they have: (translated into english)

Though the cold rain drenches my forehead, flower petals fall like raindrops overlapping with you...
if that can be called "light"
the radiance doesn't fade, right?

no matter how it is contaminated.. i think it disappears.
not only this but also the sad memory does not vanish
holding back the tears
light that is more beautiful than anything esle, is gathering;
walking towards the clouds;
the rainbow forms after the rain...
trust only your dream and walk towards it...

Quotes from Bloody Monday:

"If you are given a talent... you are entrusted with a mission."

Photo Source: Anaherarika

Cathedral - Nelson Demille

Category: Books

Genre: Spy / Thriller

Author: Nelson Demille



Demille is one of my favorite authors in the "spy genre". I first read his book "Charm School".

The Cathedral, is a book that is hard to put down! I have to stay awake to get to the next chapter. Finally, I finished it!!! I actually read this twice, the first one wasn't successful since I couldn't quite get the drift so I didn't finish it. The second time, I began to get the gist of the story.

It's a tragic, romantic story between a revolutionary IRA couple Brian Flynn and Maureen Malone. And both their love for their country - Ireland and it's people. It tackles on an issue between the IRA (Irish Resistance Army) and their hatred for the British concentration camps. A cycle that never ends.

Maureen got burned out and got out of the group but was always reminded by Flynn: "Once in, never out". Which haunted the rest of her life, she took a different path to free their people who are in concentration camps... and began making alliances with the Brits, publicly during St. Patrick's Day in New York.

Brian Flynn and a group of IRA  who has family and friends inside those camps they want to free decided to take hostage 4 people (The Cardinal, Father Murphy, Baxter(British) and Maureen), and took hold of the Cathedral which they plan to blow up with a deadline.

One thing about novels involving the Irish... there's this sense of the occult and always always with a hint of magic and mystery. Because webbed in the story may be considered as a logical point of view, can be Flynn's imagination... but to them who believes in supernatural phenomena.... then it's something different. ;) (something involving the ring and the drive Flynn has).

Photo Source: Ioffer

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol - 2011

Category: Movie

Genre: Action / Thriller

Director: Brad Bird

Writer: Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec

Producer: Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Bad Robot

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist, Vladmir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Ivan Shvedoff, Anil Kapoor, Lea Seydoux and more.

Tagline: No Plan. No Backup. No Choice.


 Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), and a new team  is tracking down Hendricks and racing against time, a dangerous terrorist who gained access to a Russian Nuclear Launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt by Hunt and his team ends in an explosion causing damage to the Kremlin and the IMF is being implicated forcing the President of the US to invoke the Ghost Protocol, where IMF is disavowed and will be offered no help or backup in whatever form.

It is gripping, over the edge action during the beginning till the end! It will take you from Moscow to Dubai to Mumbai! Cool gadgets and gizmos were being presented along the way, which will satisfy all you spy afficionado's!

And the funny one liners in between worked. I had fun! The story aint that groundbreaking or something new... but I was entertained and was on the edge most of the time.

Why did I ever stall my watching this? Well, everything's just perfect. :)

I love the scenes in Burj Kalifa, because I've been there! And it's actually cool to see it on film with Tom Cruise! (Wow, we were on the same place! Haha!)

Photo Source: Weeklysnooze

Source Code - 2011

Category: Movie

Genre: Sci-Fi / Thriller / Mystery

Director: Duncan Jones

Writer: Ben Ripley

Producer: Vendome Pictures, The Mark Gordon Company

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Arden, Cas Anvar, Russell Peters, Brent Skagford and more

Tagline: Make every second count


An action thriller about a soldier named Colter Stevens, a US Army helicopter pilot, who wakes up in the body of a man named Sean Fentress and then discovers he is part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

Great unique storyline, even though the scenes were like cooped up in one scene in a train, it gives room for creativity for the makers because they have to come up with something new for each scene and make it interesting and unique despite it's "same-ness".  It keeps you on the edge, and it's like you are discovering something with Jake Gylenhaal in this film. Great acting, and the tandem of the Gyllenhaal and Monaghan here is fresh as well.

Great great great film. :)

The Siege - 1998

Category: Movie

Genre: Action / Crime / Drama

Director: Edward Zwick

Writer: Lawrence Wright

Tagline:

Cast: Denzel Washington, Bruce Willis, Annette Bening, Tony Shalboub, Sami Bouajila, Ahmed Ben Larby, Mosleh Mohamed, Lianna Pai, Mark Valley, Jack Gwaitney, David Proval and more.

A series of escalating terrorist attacks were made in New York City after the US Military abducted an Islamic religious leader. The head of the FBI's Counter-Terrorism Task Force, Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington), would team up with a CIA operative named Elise Kraft(Annette Bening) to hunt down all the terrorist cells responsible for the series of attacks. Meanwhile, the threat of using the "Martial Law" for New York is threatening the rest of the people.

This one is one good objective film. All of the elements are here. From the terrorists, to the innocent ones, the lawmakers, the good people and the people who are so greedy of power. It's a well-made suspense film.

Eagle Eye - 2008

Category: Movies

Genre: Technology Thriller

Director: DJ Caruso

Writers: John Glenn, Hillary Seitz, Dan Mcdermott & Travis Wright.

Producers: Pete Chiarelli - co-producer Patrick Crowley - producer James M. Freitag - associate producer Alex Kurtzman - producer Edward McDonnell - producer Rizelle Mendoza - associate producer Roberto Orci .- producer Steven Spielberg - executive producer

Tagline:

If you want to live you will obey

Casts: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Anthony Mackie, Ethan Embry, Billy Bob Thornton, Anthony Azizi, Cameron Boyce, Lynn Cohen, and more.

Overview and Review of Eagle Eye directed by D.J. Caruso.

Jerry (Shia LaBeouf) and Rachel(Michelle Monaghan) are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family through a series of blackmails, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life (cellphone, nearby phone booths, cellphones of other people, electronic billboards and more) to track and control their every move.

Rachel Holloman: Do you think they could derail a train?

Jerry Shaw: They changed every traffic light to get us here. The woman, she called me on a stranger's cell phone who happened to be sitting next to me - never met the guy in my life. And then they broke me out of maximum security custody in a way I'm not even going to describe to you because it sounds crazy, and then they lift us off the face of the earth and drop us into this shitpile. She could probably derail a train, she could probably turn a train into a talking duck.

This is a "you can run but you can't hide" situation and another of those "what if's". Although the plot may sound unrealistic but it sure is one great entertaining movie what with Shia spearheading the lead. It's smart and it has this near relation to "I-Robot". Yes, kinda I-robot-ish. So there goes the originality on this one... but it's different all on its own. But, I enjoyed every bit of the movie, it has this intensity which can give you the edge. So, I'm giving it credit. It's also one case of where "technology" can go wrong even though how sophisticated that technology is. CGI is great. Actors did a great job.

Just watch it.

Iron Man - 2008

Category: Movies

Genre: Comics

Director: Jon Favreau

Stars: Robert Downey Jr.,

A review and overview of the movie Iron Man (2008) Directed by Jon Favreau

This is a film based on the Marvel Comics character named Iron Man.

This film stars Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) a billionaire industrialist, C.E.O. of Stark Enterprises and a master engineer who built a powered exoskelon after a life-threatening incident and became the superhero Iron Man.

I decided not to watch it at first because I thought it would be "just another movie" I could miss watching on the big screen and prolly I could just wait and settle for DVD's later on. But, since my bro and sis were persistent... I watched it with them.

I like the pacing of the movie. I like the musical score which I found out was specially made and was character inspired. Robert Downey Jr., did a great job portraying Tony Stark as the famous playboy and as Iron Man himself. Often humorous and sarcastic at times. I like the CGI: effects and all that. It was jussssttt great. I love every minute of it and did I say I enjoyed the musical score (just want to stress that out) ?

I read reviews about they did not nothing to alter the real story of the comic book which made the Iron Man fans fuss over it. And the movie was actually good for all those who never read the comics (like moi).

Lesson I got from the movie: Tony Stark's purpose/mission to continue his father's legacy and also when he finally knew what he wanted to do, after the life-threatening eye-opening incident.


May 6, 2008

Die Hard 4.0 - 2007

Category: Movies

Genre: Action / Suspense

Director: Len Wiseman

Writer: Mark Bomback (screenplay & story)

Cast: Bruce Willis (John McClane), Timothy Olyphant (Thomas Gabriel), Justin Long (Matt Farrell), Maggie Q (Mai)

Overview and Review of Die Hard 4.0 or also known as Live Free or Die Hard starred by Bruce Willis and directed by Len Wiseman.


A new breed of terrorists is brewing and it's bound to attack the U.S. during the Independence Day weekend. Over the weekend a couple of hackers died and there was a massive computer attack that would threaten the U.S. infrastructure.

John MacClane was assigned to bring hacker Matt Farrell (Justin Long) into the FBI after a couple of the top security mainframes of the government got hacked. When they arrived at the FBI (they survived a series of attacks from the terrorists before arriving), the country is facing a war with "cyber terrorists".

I actually like it. Contrary to some "negative reviews", there were too many people who expected this movie to be good but was disappointed because some thought it did not live up to par with the first 3 Die Hard series. {I actually did not see the first 3, so I guess I can't say much} But, better or not, I enjoyed the whole movie. The action scenes and stunts were so cool (specially the tunnel one), there was a bit of humor courtesy of Justin Long (but not much that would make it too korny). It also delved into the techie side which made another plus points. Although, a lot would talk about many things that is soooo technically wrong about it.

If you are looking for the anti-hero McClane and a much violent Die Hard film, this is not it. Those negative reviews are raving about this because McClane seemed to be out-of-character in this film.

Funny lines:

Slacker Kid: Hey, Matt, I just downloaded that new copy of Killzone, the one that's not out yet. You wanna play?
Matt Farrell: No, but good luck at the bad timing awards.

John McClane: [after covering the webcam] Freddy, can you trace these guys.
Thomas Gabriel: Detective, covering the camera does not turn off the microphone.

Munich - 2005

Overview and Review of Munich directed by Steven Spielberg.

Category: Movies

Genre: True Story

Director: STEVEN SPIELBERG

Rated: R - strong graphic violence, some sexual content, nudity and language.

Tagline: The world was watching in 1972 as 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the Munich Olympics. This is the story of what happened next.

This is a story about what happened after the Black September *1972*. Israel’s Mossad retaliates by sending out five men (led by Avner) to kill those who murdered the 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.

Some said the movie is biased. I think not, because it actually does not side with anybody. How the Palestinians killed the Israelites was gory and inhumane and you would begin to wonder how people can do such a thing like that. But, when the Israelites retaliated… you wouldn’t even want to side with them because you would see how helpless those Palestinians were as they were about to be killed.

I’m a BIG SPIELBERG fan.. and I have to say this was one of the best movies he had. Very thrilling, although confusing at the beginning *I have to watch it twice*. I like the five different character, their first kill shows how inexperienced they were and not cut out as assassins but eventually they later got the hang of it. All 5 believed they were bringing their country honor. The terrorists were different as well and were not steoreotyped to a bunch of screaming lunatics.

As they kill the terrorists in their list one by one their convictions changes. At one point Avner, said “Don’t think - Just do it”… but later on he wanted more evidences that the people they are killing are really part of the Black September. And the 5 began to doubt each other’s involvement.

This also shows how an assassin can be paranoid when they are left alone. All of them knew that the blood would come back to get them one day. Avner spent many sleepless nights getting paranoid about a lot of things because somehow he knew one day they will come and get him like he did to them.

Awards:

Nominated in 5 Oscar Awards: Best Achievement in Directing, Best Achievement in Editing, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay.

Nominated in 1 Eddie Award: Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic

Nominated in 1 International Award *Australian Film Institute* - Best Actor

Nominated in 2 BFCA Award - Best Director and Best Picture

Won 1 COFCA Award - Best Ensemble

and moreeee……

Games of the Hangman - Victor O`Reilly

Summary & REVIEW of Games of the Hangman by Victor O`Reilly

Category: Book
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers / Terrorism / Fiction
Author: Victor O`Reilly

I did not know that Victor had a “Ludlum” in him. I mean he writes soo good and all that. I have to say, he can easily join the ranks of Ludlum! This book is amazing and very intriguing. Thrilling and all that.

About a war photographer named Fitzduane living in a lone island near an exclusive school. Where all the kids of prominent people from all over the world are studying and boarding.

It’s about a very cunning terrorist who has a lot of identities and a lot of followers.

Very very good. Great read. Super.