Kung Pow - Enter the Fist: Steve Oedekerk (2002)

"I-It's bad.. It's..It's wrong.. It's...badong!"

Kung Pow -- I'm not really sure about the popularity of this movie because most of the people I ask about this aren't even aware of it.

Anyway, Kung Pow is one of the best martial art-parody movies ever! The movie stars Steve Oedekerk (yeah, try saying that 10 times as fast as you can). He's also Kung Pow's director and writer.

Kung Pow was taken from a 1977 Hong Kong action movie called Tiger and Crane Fist. It was dubbed to become a comedy and Oedekerk was inserted over the main character.

For the plot (don't worry, I won't reveal that much.. I'm too lazy to write the whole plot. Oh and I don't want to spoil your fun ^^): Oedekerk's character is known as "The Chosen One" - he is the Chosen One because of the face on his tongue (refer to picture). The Evil Empire wanted to get rid of Chosen One so they send a guy named Master Pain (and several henchmen) to kill Chosen and his family. As expected, Chosen survives.

So Chosen grows up and looks for the dojo of Master Tang. He finally finds it and takes refuge there. He meets Wimp Lo who swears to beat Chosen and Ling, a female resident of the dojo who fancies Chosen. Then Master Pain comes to town to visit the mayor and he shows off his strength. Oh and he also announces that he will change his name from Master Pain to Master Betty. He fails to recognize Chosen, but of course, as the story develops, they will face each other and encounter many, many, many deaths (and tons upon tons of laughter).

Okay.. That's my version of Kung Pow's summary. Overall, I'm giving Kung Pow a 10/10 rating. Why? Well, watch it and you'll see why (and you'll also see how knocked up my brain is). The bad dubbing, obvious CG, intended puns, hazy picture and weirdness all around contribute to the beauty of Kung Pow.

Azumanga Daioh

Azumanga Daioh -- Meet Yomi, Sakaki, Kagura, Tomo, Osaka and Chiyo. Six high school girls whose daily antics will never fail to give you a good laugh. They're crazy, gullible, absent-minded...and uhm...plain stupid.

Azumanga Daioh is based on a 4-volume manga (Japanese comics) by Azuma Kiyohiko. The series has 26 episodes but each episode is divided into 5 mini episodes. Azumanga Daioh doesn't really follow any story. In a general sense, it just shows the lives of six girls during their high school years. It starts when they're in their first year of high school and ends with their graduation - well..when they were accepted in different collages.

I'll tell you a bit about the major characters:
Yomi - she can't stop eating but she's always on a diet. Yomi's always aggravated by her friend since junior high, Tomo.
Tomo - she wants to be the best in everything but her stupidity always messes things up. She's loud, annoying and thick-skinned too.
Kagura - what she lacks in brains, she makes up through sports. She's second to Sakaki in terms of athleticism.
Sakaki - she's reserved, admired not only by boys but by girls too. Sakaki's the best in sports in their whole school and she's secretly obsessed with anything cute.
Osaka - her head is always up in the clouds. Osaka has a different view of the world, she spouts randomness at any given time, she sucks at studying and sports...but that makes her, IMO, the funniest character.
Chiyo - she's a 10-year-old genius who skipped grades and is now a high school student. Chiyo is still a child despite the level of her brain, she's always cute in whatever she does, and she owns a big dog that she rides on the back - Tadakichi-san.

Other characters:
Kaoru - she has the biggest crush on Sakaki but unfortunately, Kimura fancies her.
Yukari - she's the girls' homeroom teacher. She's an adult version on Tomo and she gave Chiyo a trauma.
Nyamo - she's the school's PE teacher and Yukari's friend (and rival). Students like Nyamo better than Yukari in terms of personality.
Kimura - he's the only male cast and the school's literature teacher. He loves high school girls and is open about him being perverted.

You should watch Azumanga Daioh because I promise you won't regret it at all. It might even become one of your favorite anime series! It's funny and it's a good way to relax and have a good time, by yourself or with your friends. I also have to admit, the things Osaka blurts sometimes sound so witty, she might just be a genius too!

Lazy Town

Lazy Town -- You'd probably be aware of Lazy Town if:

1) You're a kid who likes Nickelodeon,
2) You like watching kids' shows or
3) You like small, underage girls (or lolita, as they call it)

Anyway, there's not much plot with Lazy Town. Simply put, Stephanie (the pink-haired human girl) moves to Lazy Town and she meets different people and befriends them. Oh..did I say people? I meant puppets. She befriends puppets.

There are only three human characters in Lazy Town. There's Stephanie, Sportacus (the sporty guy dressed in blue) and Robbie Rotten (the guy with the chin that rivals Leno). The puppets are unimportant. You guys don't have to know them.

I used to watch Lazy Town whenever I'd catch it on Nick. Then I realized that the characters in Lazy Town all seem to have eaten a kilo of sugar each before every episode. They're all hyperactive! Watching them jump everywhere tires me out. The songs are really addictive though. The ones that they sing are the types that get stuck inside your head and no matter what you do, you'd be hearing...

Bing bang diggly dong
First thing that I say after I wake up
Bing bang diggly dong
I say those words before I go to sleep

...erm... You'd be hearing that all day long!

Well, watch Lazy Town. Even if they're all hyperactive and they sing songs that are hard to forget, Lazy Town is still amusing, even for a 22-year old like me. (Oh mind you, I'm a girl and I don't like lolis.)

MacGyver

MacGyver -- MacGyver was aired back in 1985 until 1992 so a lot of kids today probably don't remember the show. Heck, I think a lot of people born in the 80s only have a vague idea about MacGyver because 1) it's not a cartoon show and 2) it's something Daddy would watch.

Who is this guy? (He's the one with the mullet, btw.) MacGuyver - also the title of the show - is a hero. Hero in the sense that he rescues people, towns, etc. Yeah, he's a typical "hero"...or so you think. MacGuyver can do all his heroic stunts with the least amount of weapons. No, he doesn't do martial arts. Give him a lightbulb and he can go through any door using that as a lock pick. That's the kind of "hero" he is. MacGyver can turn any ordinary object into a weapon or a tool that can help him save himself and others from critical danger.

Did I mention he's afraid of heights?

If you're looking for some clean and action-packed adventure series, then you're looking for MacGyver. You won't be left asking for more, plus, it's a great Do-It-Yourself (DIY) guide show. So when you watch MacGyver, be sure to get your pen and paper ready to take down notes so you'll know what to do to save yourself the next time you get stuck at the bottom of a 1000-ft. well with a bomb that's about to go off in 20 seconds and all you have with you is a pair of toothpicks, 3 pieces of marshmallow and dog poo.

Ringu - Ring (1998)

Ring -- I know a lot of people like scary movies. I love them too and I love getting scared like hell.

One of the top three scariest movies of all time for me is the original Ring (Ringu). I got scared senseless when I watched this in the cinemas with my cousin (she even cut me with her nails when she clung onto me when she got scared).

I'm sure a lot of people have seen Ring and got scared too when they watched. Although for those (un?)fortunate enough who refused to watch the movie when they heard their family and friends talking about it, I will (as usual) give a super concise gist of the story (of the Japanese version).

Okay. So there's this reporter whose cousin died mysteriously. She finds out that the death was caused after the cousin watched a video tape a week before she died. The reporter, who knew about the tape beforehand but dismissed it as an urban legend until she finds out about her cousin, was able to get a copy of the tape. Of course, there won't be anything else left for the movie if the reporter didn't let her curiosity get the better of her and avoid watching the tape. So naturally, the reporter watches the video, gets a call that she'll die in 7 days, and gets all frantic trying to avoid her untimely death. She calls her ex-husband to help her save her life. End of super-concise gist (without giving away spoilers).

For those of you who have seen the movie, I guess you can relate to the things written in the next few sentences...

After I watched the movie, I had to cover my TV set with thick cloths and boards. Not only that, I couldn't watch TV for a week. I also couldn't go out of my room at night alone, not even when I'm super hungry or thirsty (good thing the bathroom's adjoined to my room). Okay, a lot of you might think I took things to the extreme but, the movie scared me shit.

Well, it's better to see for yourselves what I mean. Watch it...

Tales from the Darkside

"The Darkside is always there waiting for us to enter; waiting to enter us. Until next time, try to enjoy the daylight."

Tales from the Darkside -- If you like all those horror and sci-fi stories, I think Tales from the Darkside is perfect for you. It's considered a relative of the Twilight Zone because of the morbid, but sometimes funny, episodes. The stories that are featured in the show are based from books by famous horror-genre authors like Stephen King and stars actors from the 40s-50s era.

I really wouldn't want to spoil Tales from the Darkside for eager viewers, so let me just give you a list of the best-rated episodes in the 4 seasons that it was aired:

Season 1:
Episode 7: Slippage
Episode 8: Inside the Closet
Episode 10: A Case of the Stubborns
Episode 14: Anniversary Dinner
Episode 22: Bigalow's Last Smoke

Season 2:
Episode 28: Parlor Floor Front
Episode 29: Halloween Candy
Episode 34: Ursa Minor
Episode 44: A Choice of Dreams
Episode 47: Fear of Floating

Season 3:
Episode 48: The Casavin Curse
Episode 49: The Circus
Episode 53: The Geezenstacks
Episode 57: Baker's Dozen
Episode 58: Deliver Us from Goodness
Episode 59: Seasons of Belief
Episode 61: The Milkman Cometh
Episode 65: Everybody Needs a Little Love
Episode 67: The Social Climber

Season 4:
Episode 74: The Moth
Episode 75: No Strings
Episode 77: The Yattering and Jack
Episode 79: Sorry, Right Number
Episode 84: The Cutty Black Sow
Episode 85: Do Not Open This Box
Episode 86: Family Reunion
Episode 89: Barter

The Lost Gospel: Would you believe it?

The Lost Gospel of Judas -- If someone presents to you a document that would most likely disprove your beliefs, would you accept it?

National Geographic's The Lost Gospel of Judas created waves of both excitement and anxiety when it was shown as a prime time feature. This documentary is about, well, Judas' gospel, which was found in a Coptic codex back in the 1970s.

It is common knowledge that the four disciples all called Judas a traitor to Jesus, having betrayed the latter to the Romans in exchange for money. The gospel of Judas refutes the four New Testament gospels that are compiled in today's Bibles since it is written there that Judas was only obeying Jesus' orders.

Apparently, Judas is Jesus' closest friend because Judas understands Jesus' reason for being on Earth. This being the reason, Jesus asked Judas to "free" him from the chains of a mortal body, an act that Christians know as the "betrayal of Jesus by Judas Escariot".

If you're a Christian, would you believe this? I think that the Lost Gospel of Judas shouldn't be dismissed because it gives modern-day Christians - laymen, clergymen and scholars alike - different views regarding early Christian beliefs and understanding. When I watched this documentary, I was provided an insight that is generally and totally different from what I've read in the Bible, but it didn't upset me or caused me to disbelieve the other gospels completely. Watching the special, The Lost Gospel of Judas, only made me want to look for a clearer and an open-minded understanding of my faith in order to fully grasp its meaning in my life.

Who's afraid of the X-marked swordsman?

"The bluest sky is infinitely high and crystal clear..." - Gentatsu

Rurouni Kenshin -- If you're a fan of anime, that means you know what Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) is. I think almost everyone, fans or not, has seen Kenshin fight using his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu technique. People have seen him encounter opponents that grow stronger with every episode like Saito Hajime of the Shinsengumi, Shinomori Aoshi of the Oniwabanshu and Shishio Makoto of the Juppongatana.

Er... If you have no idea what Rurouni Kenshin is, I'll give you a bit of an overview.

Rurouni Kenshin, also called Samurai X, is a manga series by Watsuki Nobuhiro that was animated in 1996. The story revolves around Himura Kenshin, a wanderer who is known as the greatest swordsman in Japan during the Edo period. He was an assassin of the bakufu (Japanese government) who wanted to atone for all the lives that he took. The anime (and manga) tells us what happens to Kenshin as he meets new friends and old enemies alike while trying to accept that his past is part of him.

There are also two Rurouni Kenshin OVAs: the "Tsuiokuhen" (Recollection) is about Kenshin's childhood where he was found by his master, Hiko Seijuro, until he turns 18; the "Seisouhen" (Reflection) is about Kenshin and Kaoru's life years after the story of the series happens. A Rurouni Kenshin movie was also created called the "Ishin Shishi he no Requiem" (The Requiem of the Ishin Shishi) where Kenshin meets another samurai whose friend was slain by Kenshin when he was still an assassin. (I won't write about anything more than this because I might slip and give away spoilers.)

Rurouni Kenshin is a very good anime to watch if you're into Japanese history, well-drawn fight scenes, samurai, weapons, or just plain anime. I have to mention that the dialogues in Rurouni Kenshin are very deep and poetic and they reflect the period where the characters live in (an example being the quote I used to start this entry). Oh I also have to mention that most of the main characters in Rurouni Kenshin are based on real people who lived during the Edo period and not only the characters, but the historical events as well like the Shinsengumi, Saito, Okita, the Tokugawa era and the Meiji restoration among others.

Here's a list of my favorite Rurouni Kenshin characters:

1. Saito Hajime - used to be part of the Shinsengumi and Kenshin's enemy; his character is based on a real Saito Hajime who was also part of the Shinsengumi
2. Himura Kenshin - was known as "Hitokiri Battousai"; became a wanderer to try and atone for his sins
   
3. Shinomori Aoshi - head of the Oniwabanshu who wanted to defeat Kenshin to gain the title of "strongest swordsman"
4. Shishio Makoto - head of the Juppongatana; consumed with hatred for the government
5. Hiko Seijuro - Kenshin's master; runs a sake business since he retired from being a Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu swordsman
6. Soujiro Seta - one of Shishio's Juppongatana; learned how to keep smiling due to his past
7. Muto Shougo - a Christian who claimed to be the second Messiah; knows Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu
   

Do watch Rurouni Kenshin. I've never heard of anyone not liking it even a bit. If you're going to watch it for the sake of watching it because you're an anime fan, then by all means, watch Rurouni Kenshin from episodes 1 to 98. However, if you're watching it because you want a brilliant anime to add to your list, I suggest you stop watching after the Kenshin and Amakusa Shougo episodes because the rest are bad fillers that, I admit, caused Rurouni Kenshin to be pulled out and discontinued. Despite this, it really is a great, great, great watch!