Virginia Beach, VA

I spent last week in Virginia with my family. One of the places we stopped by was Virginia Beach. It was a fairly short trip from our hotel in Newport News, even though there seemed to be a ton of traffic. Luckily, it was a nice day so we didn't mind it.

Virginia Beach doesn't rank very high on our list of favorite beaches. My husband had read that there was a boardwalk and he was really looking forward to it. In his mind, a boardwalk means shops and arcades and fun things to do. In Virginia Beach, a boardwalk means an area not covered in sand for you to walk with a few benches for old men to smoke their montecristo cigars. The shops were a block away from the beach and, while we did manage to find one arcade, there wasn't a lot to do.

We ended up only staying for about 3 hours. That included trying to find a decent parking spot that didn't cost an arm and a leg (I believe we paid $15 for 'all day' parking), eating lunch, and playing in the arcade. We did stop in a few shops but they were typical beach stores. Virginia Beach was a nice town (with an anti-bad behavior policy) but I would rather go to Ocean City, MD instead.

Jmovie review: My Darling is a Foreigner

Title: My Darling is a Foreigner Release date: 4/10/10 Genre: Slice of Life Cast: Inoue Mao, Jonathan Sherr Plot: Saori (Inoue) strives to be a manga artist. She has fallen in love with an American man, Tony (Sherr). This is the story of their relationship. What is good: Inoue Mao is still adorable. What is bad: There isn't a lot of substance. Letter rating: C

I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. I love Inoue Mao and I thought the plot seemed cute. Unfortunately, at the end, I realized that there wasn't a whole lot there. What the movie claims as cultural differences are sometimes just the differences between men and women. At one point, Saori laments that she does all of the housework while Tony does nothing. So, being the nice man that he is, Tony starts washing the dishes and doing the laundry. However, he doesn't really know how to do these things properly. Instead of taking him aside to show him how to do the chores, she just kinda grumbles through it. I don't see this is a cultural difference. I think men all over the world don't know how to wash dishes.

As a matter of fact, there are only a few cultural differences shown. When Saori introduces Tony to her family at her sister's wedding, Tony doesn't understand how the family communicates. The parents jokingly put down their children but Tony doesn't get the joke. It isn't until the end of the movie that he understands her family dynamic.

Despite wanting to enjoy the movie, I found it somewhat boring. It's basically the story of their day-to-day life. If you have nothing better to do, it's not an awful movie to sit through. At least there's the adorable Inoue Mao to save it!

JMovie review: Liar Game: The Final Stage

Title: Liar Game: The Final Stage Release date: 3/6/10 Genre: psychological thriller Cast: Toda Erika, Matsuda Shota Plot: Kanzaki Nao (Toda) and Akiyama Shinichi (Matsuda) have finally reached the final stage of the Liar Game. Will they be able to beat the game and shut it down for good? What is good: Toda Erika's acting has finally reached the level to match Matsuda Shota's. What is bad: The ending was a bit of a letdown. Letter rating: B

I think my biggest problem with this series is how little the plot changes. The players still need to work together in order to beat the game but no one wants to. It's frustrating. It also makes the game's result obvious. In the end, I liked the series. I just would have liked it with a little more variety.

JDorama review: Liar Game 2

Title: Liar Game 2 Broadcast dates: 11/10/09 - 1/19/10 Number of episodes: 9 Genre: psychological thriller Cast: Toda Erika, Matsuda Shota, Kikuchi Rinko Plot: Once again, Kanzaki Nao and Akiyama Shinichi are thrown into the Liar Game. However, their goal is not to obtain the most money. It is to take down the Office and end the Game forever. What is good: It's nice to have an actual rival for Akiyama to deal with. What is bad: The outcome is still predictable. Letter rating: B

This season picks up awhile after the first season ended. Even though there are new players and new challenges, the outcomes are still the same. Since the advertise the Final Stage movie in the very beginning of the show, we already know that Akiyama and Kanzaki will advance to the next rounds. Luckily, the different challenges keep the show entertaining. I wonder what the movie will be like.

JDorama review: Liar Game

Title: Liar Game Broadcast dates: 4/14/07 - 6/23/07 Number of episodes: 11 Genre: psychological thriller Cast: Toda Erika, Matsuda Shota Plot: Kanzaki Nao (Toda) is idiotically honest. She unwittingly finds herself entrapped in the Liar Game, where the goal is to deceive your opponents out of their money. If she does not win, she will end up deeply in debt. She turns to Akiyama (Matsuda), a swindler recently released from prison. Together, they fight through each level of the game. What is good: Matsuda Shota is awesome. What is bad: The final episode is two and a half hours long. Letter rating: A

I absolutely loved this show, up until the final episode. Toda's acting as the naive Kanzaki was adorable. She really made you believe that the world would be a better place if everyone was honest with each other. Meanwhile, Matsuda was able to bring forth both the cynical and caring sides of Akiyama. The two of them got me hooked way faster than the plotline, which isn't awful but can get a little tedious at times.

The annoying part was that the final episode was so long. They recapped the entire series and added little snippets of what some of the off-screen characters were doing at the time. The additions made the long episode bearable but I don't think we really needed an entire recap of each level of the game. I wanted to fast forward through most of it but I was afraid I would miss an important piece of information.

In the end, that final episode didn't ruin the whole series for me. Not only did I enjoy it immensely, I am anxiously waiting to watch the second season. I hope it doesn't let me down.

Movie review: Green Lantern

My husband and I got the chance to go to a screening of Green Lantern last night. Unfortunately, we had absolutely terrible seats. (We were the second row from the front on the left side of the screen.) As a result, the 3D effects were completely lost on us. Luckily, that didn't effect my enjoyment of the film.

For those of you that know nothing about Green Lantern, here is your Cliffs Notes version. Hal Jordan is an irresponsible test pilot. He comes across a dying alien that gives him a ring that allows him to harness the green power of will. The enemy is the yellow power of fear. Hal needs to come to terms with his fear in order for him to save the Earth and become a member of the Green Lantern Corps.

Ryan Reynolds did an amazing job as Hal. It's almost like Reynolds was made to play superhero roles. This time around, he has some pretty good writing to back up his acting skills. Blake Lively played the love interest, Carol Ferris. She was OK but everything she said felt really forced and unnatural. I think my favorite character was Hal's best friend, Thomas, played by Taika Waititi. Not only does he have some of the best lines, the two actors make it look like they have been best friends behind the scenes for years.

I wish I could comment more on the graphics of the film. We do plan on seeing it again at some point though. Maybe then I'll be able to ooh and ahh. Until then, you should see it yourself. There are even a few hints to some other DC characters in there! See if you can spot them.

Game review: L.A. Noire

My husband purchased L.A. Noire for the Xbox 360 a couple of days ago. Given the long weekend, we had plenty of time to give it a whirl.

The game is based on the stylistic movies of the 1940s and 50s. Sex, lies, and corruption are everywhere. You play a rookie police officer. It is your job to nab the bad guys. However, not all of the witnesses are honest people. You need to use everything at your disposal, including your intuition, to decide who is lying and who is telling the truth. When you solve enough cases, you get promoted to another area of the precinct, where more difficult cases await.

We are having tons of fun with this game. I didn't think it would be nearly as difficult to figure out when suspects and witnesses are lying. But, like real life, liars aren't always easy to notice. It gives the game something a little extra. You aren't just blindly following a trail. Options change depending on what clues you find or what answers you get. I'm very happy that we decided to pick it up.

Glee

I know I am way behind everyone on this. My husband, my daughter, and I have started watching Glee on Netflix. They only have the first season up and we're about halfway through it now. I get why so many people like it. Not only is the music pretty good, it's also catchy and most people recognize the songs. Unfortunately, that is the only good thing about the show. The characters are annoyingly two-dimensional, which doesn't leave a whole lot for the actors to do between songs. Supposedly the glee club "needed" 12 members in order to participate in competitions. However, half of them are barely there. One of the characters is even referred to as "Other Asian." If you're going to bring in new characters, at least use them. In addition, the "plot" is only there to carry the characters to their next musical interlude. Almost everything in the show is based on lies and trickery. It would be nice if the show didn't use music as a crutch. Let the characters carry the plot. There are some great beginnings there. Stop forcing them into song just because they haven't sang for 10 minutes.

Even though I will continue to watch the show, I can't guarantee that I will ever actually like it. It's too big of a hit for them to make any changes to it now. And that is rather sad.

JDorama review: Tomorrow

Title: Tomorrow Broadcast dates: 7/6/08 - 9/7/08 Number of episodes: 10 Genre: Medical Drama Cast: Takenouchi Yutaka, Kanno Miho, Ogawa Tamaki Plot: Moriyama Kohei (Takenouchi) quit his job as a doctor 8 years ago. Suddenly, he finds himself thrust back into the medical world to help save a dying hospital. What is good: The main actors were very good. What is bad: Sometimes the storyline drags. Letter rating: B+

While I'm normally not an overly emotional person, I found myself brought to tears a few times during this show. The passion and dedication that Tanaka Aiko (Kanno) has for her job and her patients is awesome. I think it was that character that made me cry more than anyone.

I don't want to say too much about the show because, really, everyone should watch it. There is no romance so don't expect hearts in anyone's eyes. For those of you that are squeamish, there is a little bit of blood but nothing overly gorey. It's just good drama.

Movie review: Hop

Since I didn't really want to sit through Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules, I elected to take my daughter to see Hop. I'm glad I did. While the critics have mostly panned the movie, I found it to be funny and enjoyable. Is it the best kid movie ever? No. But it's a lot better than sitting through another Barbie animated movie.

Russell Brand lends his voice to E.B., the son of the Easter Bunny. Unfortunately for his dad, E.B. doesn't want to be the new Easter Bunny. He wants to play the drums in a band. When it comes time to hand down the title, the young bunny runs away to Hollywood. He winds up meeting Fred, a (human) son that also wants more than what his father has planned. The two dodge an elite force of ninja bunnies as they try to find their place in the world.

To be honest, I really like Russell Brand. I was very surprised to hear that he was going to be in a family-friendly film. (Maybe Katy really has mellowed him.) Amazingly, I even liked him toned down. James Marsden, though, takes a little bit of getting used to. It's OK for a cartoon rabbit to mug for the camera. It's not so cute when it's a grown man. I didn't let him get in the way of enjoying the movie though.

I suppose this is a movie that completely depends on your mindset going in. If you are going to to see a funny animated movie, you'll probably like it. If you're going in looking for the best of everything, you won't find that here. It's just a cute feel-good movie.