Reviews by tartan_skirt

**May contain spoilers**

Ice Bar is a story about two boys on the their school break selling ice bars to make money. One is an orphan and dreams of buying nice, new shoes, while the other (the protagonist) wants to meet the father he was never told about by his mother.

I thought the incidental music was nice and contributed by giving the film an upbeat feel at times. The acting overall was rather good, considering the age of the two boys.

I wasn't quite sure that this film was meant for family viewing or for a more grown up audience. The posters certainly give the impression of the former, but some of the language and themes seemed otherwise. The slightly cheesy, happy ending also gave the impression of being meant for children and was probably the part of the film I liked least.

For the first 20 minutes(ish) of this film I didn't know what I was watching. It was then I looked up the title and the kids started beating up the baddies. At that point the movie went downhill. Really, I should have realised as soon as I saw Hulk Hogan trying to act.

The acting is as terrible as it would be for a kids movie, especially one from the 1990's. The dialogue is cheesy and idiotic between the adult villains, and the characters are more than a little bit stupid and poorly written. Whats worse is the character called Amanda looks like a rip-off of the character Alex Mack (from The Secret World of Alex Mack).

If you really want to see a film about kids getting the better of the adults, then go watch Home Alone. This just isn't worth it...

(And who the frick calls their child "Tum Tum"?!?)

**May contain spoilers**

A Moment to Remember is a romantic drama exploring the progress of a relationship between two young people, and the unexpected hardship they face. It features some odd songs, ranging from classical to modern, yet it fits surprisingly well.

Warning: For those prone to tears, this is a sad story. Get your tissues at the ready.

Negima!: Magister Negi Magi marks Ken Akamatsu's third manga venture (fourth if you count the abrupt Always My Santa). First came A.I. Love You, a science-fiction based series set in high school. Second was his most popular, Love Hina, more of a reality focussing on the bridge between high school and university for the protagonist. Now Negima brings a fantasy angle into the picture, and portrays a junior high school. A good variation in some ways, but it does seem a little one track at times.

It is very easy to recognise as the work of Akamatsu. The characters are almost interchangable at times with those in Love Hina, which can be a trouble with his Ecchi style and large casts of characters. In addition to this the situation is also very similar. One male character to many females (the harem genre he is known for) with slightly pervy situations unfolding. It seems to me that over his three main series he has been increasing the ratio of females to the (almost) solitary male character to the extent we can see here to see how far the acceptable number really is. Surely we're reached the maximum?

Nevertheless, it is an ok start to the series. I just can't see it being nearly as good as Love Hina for some reason. Lets see him prove me wrong.

Wedding Belles has been dubbed the "all-female Trainspotting", but it is also Welsh's departure from male protagonists while still retaining all the attitude and wit which characterises his writing.

As a film the viewer is drawn in by the opening sequence. It may be only a few scarce minutes long, but it leaves you hanging and wanting to know the reason behind the actions.

The four actresses in the main roles did a fantastic job, IMHO Shirley Henderson was probably the best. Michelle Gomez was also surprisingly good in her role too, a change from her normal comedic roles does her good.

The story is great and the usual comedy-drama writing of Irvine Welsh shines through here. A definite must-see for Trainspotting fans.

Kamikaze Girls is a great story of two girls: One is in a female biker gang, the other loves everything Rococo and lolita fashion. The two have very different personalities and the latter is completely absorbed in her love for Rococo that she rejects any form of friendship. What develops in interesting, and very funny. Snatches of animation punctuate the film and add to it's comic side, while serious themes emerge later on.

I expected it to be quite close to Nana because of the two girls meeting element, but it is very different in every other respect. The light and fluffy lolita-fashion-lover is not the pushover she seems to be, and the biker-chick has her own morals which she stands up for.

A good laugh with random head-butts. Excellent!

I had no idea before watching that this also existed as a manga series and an anime series. Nana tells the story of two girls with the same name meeting and forming an unlikely friendship. The two central characters (Nana and Nana) are very different but they compliment each other well. The acting was good throughout, and the characters believable. I enjoy watching movies about music, though I didn't really consider what the band played as "punk" here.

I'll definitely be on the look out for the manga series in the future. Plus there is the sequel, but since two of the central characters have different actors in it I'll be wary of it.

There are just some things about American comedy that I just don't get. Why do you have to laugh and clap at every single word the comedian says? Half of this show is probably just clapping and laughing, and it detracts so much from the actual comedy. (That and the fact that I just don't get half of the American cultural references, though I'm sure an American would say the same thing about a lot of British comedy.)

It's not a bad stand-up show, but some of it I've seen/heard from other shows so it was pretty predictable at times. One thing I don't like about Cho's performance is that she repeats phrases a lot, which can get pretty annoying. She is able to talk about the most obscene of topics without shame, which is quite a good quality, but at times I found some of it a little odd.. Her impressions of her mother are quite funny, but they do tend to drag on a bit.

In short: A pretty decent show, but I prefer British stand-up.

**May contain spoilers**

I quite enjoyed this film. A Korean romantic drama about a man in debt attempting to con a young blind woman into believing that he is her brother to get part of the inheritance from her father's death. Except it doesn't exactly work out that way. The two are alike in that they don't need/want love.

The film could have done with a bit more explaination in bits (such as the guy in red who just seemed a bit random) and I was very confused by the ending. However, the acting was very good, especially Geun-yeong Mun's portrayal of the blind woman. (Though she did seem a little too young at points IMHO.)

Please Teach Me English is a goofy romantic comedy about a part-time adult class learning English in Korea. Though the development of the characters leaves much to be desired, it is overall a cute film with nice touches of drama. The characters slightly remind me of Love Hina's Keitaro at times, and they are very entertaining (especially Na-yeong Lee's character). Odd bits and pieces of animation are thrown in and the effect is a good one, adding to the fun spirit of much of the film.