Synopsis: Kim Chi Ho, Lee Dong Woo, and Kang Gyung Jae have been best friends since high school, but can their close bonds survive the challenges of growing up? Amidst shifting priorities, these friends learn important lessons in love and life, proving that while girls and work can be confusing at any age, it's especially challenging when you're a 20-year-old guy.

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Title: Twenty

Episodes: Movie (1)

Genre(s): Coming of age, comedy, drama

Air Date: March 25, 2015

Producers: Lee Byeong Hun, Lee Sung Doo, Lim Ji Moon, No Seung Bo

• • •

I actually watched this movie the weekend before last with Jeremy. We were supposed to watch the second Lord of the Rings movie...but since we don't own it, and we couldn't find a decent quality, and for some strange reason Netflix doesn't have any of the trilogy...well...we watched Twenty.

Which is completely okay. I mean, I wanted to watch LotR but in all honesty, I've been wanting to watch this movie, too. I've put it off for quite a while. Which is seriously insane, considering Kim Woobin is one of my favorite actors.

Anyway, this movie is getting a 4 out of 5 stars due to it's humor. Honestly, besides the humor, it was pretty mediocre. But I surprisingly didn't mind that. I think it was mainly mediocre because it was a bit...predictable? The plot was pretty dry and in my opinion didn't go very far. The characters were funny and somewhat relatable but they didn't particularly grow on me. The start of the movie was rather confusing, and I feel that they could've definitely introduced the characters in a cleaner fashion. Names were thrown around randomly without faces appearing straight away, and so that also added to the confusion of figuring out who was who.

Despite the initial confusion of trying to figure out the characters, their names, and most of their stories, the entire movie was hilarious and funny. Jeremy laughed a lot and I loved it and there were moments where we had to completely pause because we were cracking up too hard. Or because of the secondhand embarrassment. It was an interesting take on the whole coming of age story being told, mainly because it was so funny. Like...I wish my life was that funny. I wish coming-of-age was that funny. I wish problems were that easy to solve.

For a coming of age movie, I feel that it didn't really touch on a whole lot of topics that were super important to those viewers who actually are around that age. The romance was hugely played up, the college life had, really, nothing to do with college at all, and there was really no backstory to these characters introduced, at all. It would've been interesting to know a little bit more about some of them. Instead, what was given about the two that didn't lead your normal everyday family life (Gyung Jae) was very limited and a lot was left up to the audience to guess—and also put the pieces together of why Chi Ho and Dong Woo act the way they do.

That being said, the movie did touch on some interesting, and maybe questionable, Korean culture issues. I say "issues" and "questionable" tentatively. Korea has a major drinking scene problem—one you get to briefly see in the midst of Gyung Jae's short-experienced college life as he makes a slight fool of himself when he sees a pretty girl. But, seriously, the drinking culture there is pretty ridiculous. So I don't blame his outburst. It was also interesting to see someone make an outburst at that...albeit a fictional character who won't change anything. But still.

The family values issue is also touched on. As in the son being the head of the house. Dong Woo, as the oldest who doesn't want to be a lawyer like his brother, really feels the brunt of this expectation after something happened to his father. But I wasn't able to pick up what exactly it was that happened to his father that landed the man in...prison? Chi Ho also experiences this as an only child, although not as forcefully as Dong Woo. Chi Ho could be coined as being spoiled, from a rich family, and used to getting his way. On top of it all, he's a womanizer because of all those traits. So when his father finally puts his foot down and says his allowance will disappear until he figures out what to do with his life...well, I kind of felt bad, because he's still at that age where not everyone knows what they want to do with their lives. But the Korean culture is fairly strict about having a Life Game Plan and also either going to college or getting a job straight out of high school (neither of which Chi Ho did) and also making it a respectable job or major (Dong Woo's problem).

All in all, it was an interesting movie, with some interesting topics touched upon very briefly that related to Korean culture. It was still pretty mediocre. I wouldn't really watch it again. Some tweaks to the story to either make it more relatable or to give the characters some more depth would've definitely helped the movie, in my opinion. The humor was A+ and had Jeremy and I both pausing the movie in order to either catch our breath, or hide our faces from embarrassment. I also enjoyed the light note it ended on.

Well, with all the hype that followed with that amazing Suicide Squad trailer trailer that came out yesterday, I wanted to make a new blog post! My Top 10 most anticipated movies for this year. Honestly, I would've made this post yesterday when the Suicide Squad trailer was released (because ever since Suicide Squad had been whispered about on the internet, I've been stoked) but literally everyone was watching the trailer yesterday and YouTube totally bugged out on me...sob.

Anyway, here are my Top 10's and why!

Okay so, despite being super stoked as I previously mentioned when I first heard about Suicide Squad being in the works...this movie falls at #10 for me. Why? Well, because I love Harley Quinn. Dr. Harleen Quinzel, to be exact. I love her character development, I love her origin story, I love why she acts the way she does, her growth and journey, and her reasons for becoming a villain. In all, I guess you could say she's more of an antihero? Honestly I don't know what girl doesn't look up to Harley Quinn (at least to some extent).

But after finally watching this trailer today...and then watching it again, and again, and picking out certain information. It doesn't look like it's the origin story for Harley that is my favorite. In fact, this movie appears to be focusing on the exact opposite origin story where Harley didn't even have a choice in becoming who she is—which basically means that this is not the Harley Quinn that I know and love.

Either way, I'm still excited for the movie. The concept is cool, the characters are cool, and I'm still curious to see the direction this goes in. I'm just (honestly) not as excited as before.

9) THE HUNTSMAN: WINTER'S WAR

There's not much to talk about on this movie except to say that I am excited for it. A little more excited for it than Suicide Squad after I figured out the whole episode with Harley Quinn thing. Anyway I wouldn't say I'm stoked for Winter's War, but out of other movies coming out this year I'm anticipating it. It feels so long since I watched Snow White and the Huntsman, and I actually really enjoyed that story line and how the movie played out. And at the time, despite Kristen Stewart not being extremely popular due to the whole Twilight fail—I actually really loved her in the movie and the part she played.

To top it all off, I really like prequels and origin stories and I'm interested to see how the Huntsman actually got mixed up in the entire mess that happened in the first place.

8) CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

I mean, honestly, just like every fan, I've been dying to know what happens next. I'm not a huge Marvel and DC comic nerd (although I do tend to prefer Marvel stuff a bit more) but after watching the first Captain America after waiting for the second one to come out before I finally figured, "Hey, I should watch this," I've been hooked. I have so far enjoyed The Avengers movie line and Captain America (not so much Thor, unpopular opinion - I know) so I'm pretty excited to see what happens next. I do have to say I love how the movies all interconnect...honestly, I think that's what's most fun about all this for me.

7) GHOSTBUSTERS

Ooookay. So. Ghostbusters is at #7 for me because I am excited, yet also not. But a little bit more excited than other movies I've mentioned. Why am I excited? Well...kick-ass female remake, duh! What more could make me more excited than that? Oh, I know—the diverse cast! Hell. Yeah. Why am I not excited, though?

Because I grew up on Ghostbusters. My dad loved it. My mom loved it. My brother loved it. I loved it. We would have Ghostbusters marathons...and by that I mean we would literally just watch the original Ghostbusters movie at least 3 times in a row, back to back, on the same exact day. My brother especially loves the movies. So I have a lot of standards this remake has to live up to, although I'm hoping it doesn't make me too biased...

5) LONDON HAS FALLEN

Morgan Freeman. What else am I supposed to say?

Okay, I suppose I'll say a bit more—it looks like a good action movie with a pretty good story. So, of course I'm in. Plus, Morgan Freeman. Plus, the president's bodyguard seems like a pretty cool character. I just wish the movie wasn't titled "London Has Fallen" while being so America-centric. Meh.

4) WARCRAFT

The nerd in me is rejoicing! Yay! I'll be honest, though, I haven't played Warcraft—but I've basically pined after the game for so long in my life and wished I had enough money to play it that I pretty much know what's going on and what the game is about. I'm normally skeptical about video game movies...but from the trailers it looks like they did Warcraft some justice. Let's hope, anyway.

Either way. Humans, orcs, war—oh my! I can't wait!

3) THE JUNGLE BOOK

Okay seriously I can't say much about this one (unlike the whole Morgan Freeman joke). The Jungle Book is one of my favorite Disney movies. One of them. I have many. But still, I'm so excited to see it brought to their live action series! I never saw Cinderella, but I loved Maleficent so I've been anticipating The Jungle Book for a while!

2) ASSASSIN'S CREED

Like I mentioned before. I'm skeptical about video game movies. Heck, there isn't even a freaking trailer released for it! But, hey, at least the poster looks awesome.

Also Assassin's Creed is one of my favorite video game franchises—so of course this would be #2 on my list. I just hope this one really doesn't let me down!

1) TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS

Okay remember how I said my brother loved Ghostbusters and we'd sit and watch the movie over and over again, back to back?

Yeah take that and double that love for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. My brother and I really, really did grow up on TMNT. We owned toys, we owned movies, we owned cartoon movies and TV shows on DVDs and there's so much TMNT stuff that we had at one point I've literally lost track and gotten a lot of it all jumbled up. Also—I freaking L-O-V-E-D the first TMNT live action remake! Well, actually, can you call it a remake? It did its own justice. Anyway, that being said, of course I'm out of this world excited for the second TMNT movie!

Also, they've brought in Bebop and Rocksteady!!! I literally haven't seen those two since my childhood cartoon days. Oh, and Casey Jones. Man! Blast from the past, I'm so ready—bring it on, childhood memories!

Before I forget, because I wanted to keep this list to a minimum and not ramble on, I do have some honorable mentions:

So those are, at the moment, my most anticipated movies for the year. What are yours?

Title: From Up On Poppy Hill (English), Kokurikozaka kara (Japanese)

Episodes: Movie (1)

Genre(s): Historical, romance, school, shoujo

Air Date: July 16, 2011

Producers: Studio Ghibli
• • • So From Up On Poppy Hill is one of my new top-favorite Studio Ghibli movies. This is also one of the movies my best friend, boyfriend, and myself marathoned the weekend she visited back at the end of June.

Unlike a lot of the other Ghibli films, where they have the more "magical journey" feel, this is a journey of life, and love, and laughter. It's just a normal journey of self-discovery—a theme that is seen often in Studio Ghibli films—but unlike the others films, the characters in this movie make the self-discovery journey fun and enjoyable. Each character has their own charm and color that adds to the story and makes their journey magical in its own way.

I love the intertwining stories of the characters in this movie. It's easy to get attached to the characters and what's happening to them because the story is so simple and relatable. These characters have so many quirks and charms and they literally just make me smile as I watch them, it's so hard to dislike this movie or anyone in this movie. Becoming attached is easy and also makes your heart go out to the characters, so when little plot twists appear you really feel for them.

As always, Studio Ghibli lives up to the animation, colors, and character design in this movie. It's all such a joy to watch and it's so beautiful. Every little detail is taken into consideration when this movie is made and because of the era this movie takes place in, along with how much attention to detail there is, everything is so unique and the art and setting itself, along with the characters, have personalities of their own. Especially the clubhouse. It's just really lovely.

The music for this movie is wonderful. It fits the year of 1963 and it's so wonderful. If you're familiar with the era, or have older parents or grandparents, you may be familiar with some of the songs that appear throughout the movie. But besides that little fact and the familiarity, the music complements the movie and era so well. You have soft, beautiful scores and then you have the jazzy feel of the 60's.

Honestly, this movie is amazing. Simply put, there's a lot of charm and personality. The main characters have an engaging story line and the supporting characters pick up the slack wherever the movie may let off or slow down. It's an enjoyable, simple watch filled with fun and loving characters. I don't really know how to put it...but this movie is just great. It's sweet, charming, and I love it and would recommend it in a split second. Studio Ghibli did amazing, Miyazaki did amazing. From Up On Poppy Hill is a must-watch for everyone, in my humble opinion.

Synopsis: Arrietty, a tiny but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper. Like all little people, Arrietty remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to "borrow" scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shou, a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty's family from the home and straight into danger.

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Title: Karigurashi no Arrietti, The Secret World of Arrietty (English)

Episodes: Movie (1)

Genre(s): Fantasy

Air Date: July 17, 20110

Producers: Studio Ghibli, Walt Disney Studios (English)

A few weeks ago, my best friend visited for the weekend and brought a bunch of Ghibli movies with her that neither my boyfriend nor I had seen. So, we marathoned them for the weekend she was here. Before I start this review, I'd like to say that I will refer to the movie title as it's English name, and the characters by their Japanese names.

As always, Studio Ghibli lives up to their reputation with The Secret World of Arrietty. The detail of this movie is absolutely stunning, amazing, breathtaking...I can't even sum it up with words, that's how great it is. Every little detail is hand-drawn, and that has always amazed me when it comes to Studio Ghibli movies, even more so with this movie. The detail to specific elements of nature was so beautiful and magical, it felt as though you were in the world—in Arrietty's world. The raindrops, the leaves, the grass, the flowers all felt so real that it was almost as if you were Arrietty herself in a fantasy world. It was like being zapped with a shrink ray and becoming a Borrower. Appreciating the artwork and art style of Studio Ghibli movies is quite easy, even more so when you learn that everything is hand-drawn...but there's something more about this movie when you consider all that.

Like most Ghibli movies, this follows the story of the main character going on a sort of adventure, and through that adventure there is a lot of character self-discovery. There was a lot of creativity put into creating the world of Arrietty and the Borrowers, and that was something I loved so much about The Secret World of Arrietty. Things that are trivial to us, things we might throw out—those are things the Borrowers find most important, those are items they literally risk their lives to go out and get in order to sustain themselves. A needle to us is a sword to the tiny Borrowers, a sugar cube to us may only be useful in a cup of tea but it can last a Borrower a month or longer. A few days travelling trip for the Borrowers is literally a walk down the road for us. It's amazing how thought-out this world was and how much detail and thought was put into everything.

This movie, while very peaceful and a wonderful fantasy adventure with a well-thought out world and a unique idea, has moments that are both sad, fun, and will have you on the edge of your seat. Most of the characters are likable—I won't say anything more on that topic due to some spoilers I don't want to ruin—and it features a family that is easy to connect to and fall in love with, because despite their size and despite calling themselves "Borrowers" they're a perfect picture of normal and something you would see everyday, which is almost unimaginable when considering tiny people. The ending is a little bittersweet; there are things you want to happen, things that seem so perfect and even perfectly set up and things that should happen but in the end, inevitably, they don't. Considering everything, it's not much of a surprise. But it's still bittersweet in that you wish it would have turned out a certain way.

The story and the art are both beautiful. The soundtrack, too, is gorgeous. I loved the soundtrack so much I went and bought and downloaded it. It's epic and loud, it's soft and beautiful, it reminds me of Celtic music. It's a great companion to the movie.

I am so in love with The Secret World of Arrietty and I hope everyone gets to watch it someday, at some point in their life.