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I'm beginning to think that if I can count on anyone, it's Suzuki Ryohei. He always grasps and plays his character so interestingly that I can't help but enjoy his performance every time. Those who know Lupin the Third and even his immortal rival Zenigata can guess what's in store for him. Ever wonder what Zenigata actually does when Lupin isn't sending his theft reports to the police? That's what this special is about. It's not a brilliant whodunit, nor is it an action-packed shoot-em-up full of car chases, it's just a light-hearted romp where a hastily assembled team follows the trail left by Mr. Question. At the end of every one of these clues, there's an explosion. A classic Japanese crime/light-comedy... Nobody shines like Suzuki. I'm certain of it now.

Thank God it's not a Marvel movie! I went to see Logan in the theater with absolutely no expectations and I really got Logan. I don't think any of the action in this movie is important at all, in the end the journey isn't important either. What's important is Logan himself and his life. I keep coming back to it three days after the screening, so it was definitely worth it. We get a summation of the entire Wolverine saga in the form of a tortured old man who basically just wants to live out his days in peace, which of course he's not meant to do, because suddenly he's got a tiny mutant to take care of in addition to a retired mutant. Plus, this little mutant is incredibly similar to him. Hugh Jackman is an incredible actor, the things he can play, all the emotions that were certain to rage within his character floated to the surface and the viewer absolutely knew how he was feeling, even without any big emotional display. A great farewell to an icon. A very strong 4 stars, maybe I'll bump it up to 5 after another viewing.

A film that has an embellished but far-fetched plot. It was interesting, the actors were good, we never got sick of them even though there were only a few of them that we kept switching between; still, it somehow just couldn't hold my attention the whole time. The jumping from hypnosis to the real world and back is supposed to be interesting, the viewer is supposed to wonder what’s real and what’s not, yet I didn't see it that way. Instead it gave me a rather tired impression, which I only woke up from towards the end when the shooting started. Even though I wrote that the final payoff was excessive, it still fails to impress with a proper wow effect if the viewer has seen a few similar films. You can see through the smoke effects. But if Boyle wanted the viewer to feel sympathy for a man who gets a bundle at the end, he succeeded. A mediocre film.

I'm going through an Agatha phase. I've read so many of her books that it wasn't that hard to guess what it was all about. Still very engagingly made, the acting is already a classic in the Poirot saga. So if you're in the mood for that ridiculous little Belgian man, why not check out Sad Cypress. A better 3 stars.

Mitani Kōki has tried this concept a few times before, but it didn't really succeed this time. Although the setting where the story takes place is rather unusual (it is a diner on a galactic highway, after all), the plot itself fails to properly engage. Even though everything is turned on its head, and at the end a character herself declares that we mustn't forget that the universe doesn't follow human logic, it fails to win a smile. There are a lot of silly comedies or topsy-turvy movies being made in Japan and this can probably be counted among them; unfortunately, it's one of the weaker ones. The acting is also mediocre, no one stands out. Maybe it's the director's intention not to make it a clear choice of who is playing the lead, that they are all equal, but I think that's also one of the things that hurts the film. Audiences were probably drawn to the theaters by the director's name and the great cast, but from what I've read, they didn't exactly leave excited. I'm not surprised. The film is also unusually long given how boring it is. Even the final finale (the one with the kids) wasn't epic. This time, Mitani failed full on. The only thing that injected some life into my veins was the final musical performance.

Here's the thing about Kudō Kankurō. Some of his comedic antics don't sit well with me and seem a bit too over the top; on the other hand, he has some works whose hilarity suits me and I enjoy them. This is exactly the case with Too Young to Die! It's kind of that fast-paced and imaginatively subtle Japanese humor, only spiced up with rock and guitar solos. Basically, I watched one hell of a musical and enjoyed it. The idea of hell was so typical, but that heaven! There are some interesting ideas in the film, the film felt very fresh to me and I enjoyed the acting. I even laughed out loud at some of the scenes. Of course, once again the film gathers its breath for the grand finale before the end, but the viewer can't leave unsatisfied because you get it all – comedy, romance, indomitable spirit, and drama. Of course, all of this comes wrapped up in absurdist garb that may not suit everyone. If Japanese humor doesn't do much for you, this isn't your cup of tea, but the main character goes to hell! Where Nagase Tomoya is playing! And I just loved it! An improved 4 stars.

I liked the photos in the end credits the best. Which everyone will probably acknowledge is very, very little. The whole movie dragged on incredibly and it's not even two hours long, yet to me it felt like it lasted at least double that. The whole thing was soulless; I couldn't get into any of the main characters, much less the performances of their actors. The whole wonderful tale of a rebel without a cause and a photographer making art didn't touch me, in fact it completely passed me by. There may be a story to tell, but this film absolutely failed to do it. A weak 2 stars.

Very well crafted. As the series progressed, it was also clear that the characters were very well acted and their emotions/non-emotions as well. The series does a very good job of showing the motivations behind the characters' actions and explaining why they are who they are and what that implies for others. At first, I couldn't really get into the series – it felt almost alien and sterile, yet I got such a sudden rush of emotions in what for me were almost dry moments, that I couldn't properly process my feelings about the series – do I like it or not? Eventually, it all started to make sense (why the emotional aridity, why the general greyness, why the heavy blows interfere), and for this reason I concluded that I actually liked the series. That I absolutely dislike the world in which it takes place – the ugly world of Korean (and other) hospitals, where everything is built on power and its abuse. I think the series deserves a rerun to prove it can land properly. And oddly enough, it was very noticeable and it was a shame that the series took away from the last two episodes, because so much happened in episodes 13 and 14 that it spoiled the impression, since it clashed with the previous, rather free-flowing story. There were a lot of shortcuts that didn't suit the series and didn't fit. Still, an above average achievement. A medical setting, drama, love in various forms, and power struggles. That's what you get from A Beautiful Mind in a nicely filmed package with actors who don't hold back.

Goblin aired at the same time as The Legend of the Blue Sea. The two shows have a lot in common. Even at the end there is a similar "oblivion". It's true that I expected more from Goblin and that expectation wasn't met; I didn't expect anything from The Legend, so I'm not even disappointed that I didn't actually enjoy it. So why didn't I go crazy over it? I'm not a fan of Lee Min-Ho; I notice that these roles don't suit him since he plays them all the same and they're all kind of stiff in their own way – especially the love parts. Maybe it's his scene partner in this case, who is also absolutely not suited for romantic roles. She may be such a good comedian, she can put in a good performance, but the more serious roles don't suit her, not here. Put that together and you end up with a couple that has no special chemistry and you just don't trust his love to the grave. It was sad to look away after four episodes when I realized that the writer was ripping herself off – the UFO worked! So it'll work here too, it doesn't matter that it's the same thing in pale blue, no one will notice anyway and if they do, they'll like it, right? That's how it felt to me. I found the songs to be an afterthought too, and after all, all fans of Korean shows know that songs are something they're good at. The story has potential, but I don't know what killed it – the acting, the plot? In the end, I was actually bored the whole time. I finished watching it out of pure interest to see if it would end the way I imagined... nope, it was much more cliched. :-D In the end, my favorite part of the whole series was the little girl Shin Rin-Ah who was in Marriage Contract. And that's just not enough considering the rest and how little she was there. I'm not disappointed that it didn't go according to the vague ideas I had when I started watching, just bored. If it had just stuck to comic relief the whole time and left the romance, tragedy, and melodrama out... it would have been better.

As mentioned, Goblin is a horribly unbalanced series. You watch and watch and it doesn't feel like the series is going anywhere, let alone its characters. Still, if you were to take it as the "slice of life" genre, it might even work; but then it wouldn't be called Goblin. Something catches hold, then doesn't get revisited; occasionally something gets revealed, but then some things don't follow through on what was said. It just has its bugs, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone threw it away because of them. On the other hand, if you overlook the fact that the hero and heroine are involved with the supernatural, it becomes a very sweet relationship story, not only between the heroine and her soon-to-be-boyfriend (where there's no x-angle, but really the story just focuses on the development of their relationship), but also between the guys who have to live together – they're fun to hang out with and the viewer gets to savor their friendship with them. By the thirteenth episode I was thinking of giving it a higher rating, but those last three episodes... why?! SPOILER Not only does he lose his memory, but then she dies after he gets back?! And then he has to wait another 30 years to get it back? Hasn't he been punished enough? I honestly don't get this punishment and merit system because it obviously works differently for everyone. Which I thought was very unfair and undermined everything we were served up until episode 13. Very disappointing. END SPOILER ALERT An incredibly uneven series. At one point you're almost bored out of your mind, the next you're enjoying the cuteness of the heroine and enjoying where it's all headed, only for that excitement to be followed by another cold shower. I like the actress In-Na Yoo a lot, but I didn't really understand what her role was throughout the whole mess; she was absolutely unutilized, very unnecessary. The restaurant manager could have easily been filled by someone with "no past". I'm still at a loss for words about the whole thing. I'd probably recommend it to fans of the five who appear the most (Yoo Gong, Dong-wook Lee, In-Na Yoo, Go-eun Kim, Sung-jae Yook). Anyway, it’s better than The Legend of The Blue Sea.