Grave of the Fireflies (1988)#*@

There are certain movies that are simply more just a movie. 'Grave of the Fireflies' is one of the most haunting and brutally honest movies I have ever seen. Also one of the most depressing movie as well. War is not pretty and it makes no attempt to hide the fact. Its images and message will always be in my memory. Set in Japan during WWII, the film tells the story of young brother and sister who loses their mother during a bomb raid. Seita and Setsuko lose everything they have and are left to do whatever they can to survive on their own. The animation is gorgeous and it captures both the good and the bad times perfectly. This is a movie that you just have to experience on your own to get a feel for it. It's always hard to rate a movie like this one and frankly I don't think it really matters. I highly recommend that you give it a try in the future.

#IMDB- 8.3/10 (#124 of 250)

Rotten Tomatoes- Critic-96% Audience-93%

* One of 1001 movies you must see before you die

@Ebert's Great Movies

Yong's Rating- 5/5

Thor (2011)

I will admit I had pretty low expectations going into 'Thor'. Just another big blockbuster movie with no real substance, right? Wrong! I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I found myself enjoying it. I had no idea who Thor was going into the movie, but it does a very good job of explaining the genesis and doesn't make you feel alienated for not already knowing who Thor is. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is a powerful warrior prince from another universe or realm of Asgard. When a group of ancient enemies make a surprise attack on the day he was set to become the new king, an angry Thor decides the best way to protect his people is to attack back. He disobeys his father Odin's (Anthony Hopkins) orders and makes a counter attack. Disappointed in his son's arrogance and vanity, Odin banishes him and his hammer down to earth. 'Thor' has two main storylines- the sibling rivalry between Thor and Loki for father's approval (Tom Hiddleston) and the romantic spark between Thor and a beautiful mortal (Natalie Portman). I think Hemsworth may have been inspired by the way Natalie Portman transformed her body for her role in the 'Black Swan' because he definitely got in shape for this one. This thought was confirmed by the girl sitting behind me whispering 'Yeah he is' to her friend in response to Hemsworth telling Portman that 'I am bad'.

Overall, I thought that 'Thor' was a perfect mixture of action and engaging storyline that is hard to find in many of the blockbuster movies today. I highly recommend it for everyone. I just hope this is a sign of good things to come for the summer movie season.

IMDB-7.6/10

Metascore- 58/100

Rotten Tomatoes- Critics- 78%, Audience- 84%

Yong's Rating- 4/5 Stars

The Switch (2010)

I did not think it would be possible for me dislike Jason Bateman. There was no way I would ever think ill of the Michael Bluth. Well, 'The Switch' proved me wrong. In 'The Switch', Jennifer Aniston plays a single woman who feels her time to have a child is running out. Being busy with work and having bad luck with men, she comes up with the perfect idea of turning to a sperm donor. Jason Bateman plays the best friend who obviously has a crush on her. Kassie (Aniston) decides to go through with the insemination against Wally's (Bateman) disapproval. She even throws an insemination party to celebrate the inception of the baby. Mix some alcohol, pills, and unfortunately placed sperm sample. What do you get? The perfect formula for the switch. Kassie gets pregnant and leaves town. When she comes back a few years later with her son, Sebastian, Wally starts to remember the night of the insemination party and realizes that he is the father. The rest of the movies deals with how the revelation of the truth will effect the relationship between Kassie and Wally. And I will leave that up to you to find out.

Overall, this movie just felt very flat. There was just no life. I was initially interested by the premise, but it just failed to keep my attention. 'The Switch' may be worth a look if you are a big fan of Jennifer Aniston or Jason Bateman, but I think you should just stay away from this one.

IMDB-5.9/10

Metascore-52/100

Rotten Tomatoes- Critics-52%, Audience-45%

Yong's Rating- 2/5 Stars