Movie Time

I have a modest collection of DVDs and Music CDs. It's slowly expanding and some day I might be able to fill a full shelf. There are some I'll never watch again and those which entertain me over and over. I've rated them out of 5 stars, based off personal preferences and re-watchability. You'll find I like action flicks and have a soft spot for movies with medieval settings. Oh and cartoons  will always garner an extra star or two, just because so.

This list also helps me to keep track of what I already have so I don't fall into the trap of purchasing a duplicate (happened twice already!).

2017 - I've recently discovered iTunes Movies. I suppose this is the natural way forward. Most folks have already gone to Blu-Rays, Netflix and other streaming services. So going forward I'll most probably get movies off iTunes. The thing I loathe about this is the limited selection. If only the content in Singapore iTunes is as robust as that of US iTunes ....

Titles marked with * denote iTunes purchases.

2018 March - I recently discovered that Itunes purchases can disappear. So I'm now back at keeping track of purchases I made.

To Buy

• The Magnificent Seven
• Gods of Egypt
• Justice League
• King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
• Mine
• Avengers: Infinity Wars
• Johnny English Strikes Again
• Ready Player One
• Black Panther
• Maze Runner: Death Cure
• Deadpool 2
• Antman & the Wasp
• Mission Impossible: Fallout
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald
• Ocean's 8
• Venom
• Den Of Thieves
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Coco
• Justice League
• Thor: Ragnarok
• Dunkirk
• Legend Of The Dragon
• A Silent Voice
• Despicable Me 3
• Groundhog Day
• Blade Runner 2049
• The Accidental Spy
• The Replacement Killers
• Special ID
• Lilo & Stitch
• xXx: Return Of Xander Cage
• Ever After: A Cinderella Story
• Kingsman: The Golden Circle
• Toy Story
• Toy Story That Time Forgot
• The Dark Tower
• Air Force One
• Pirates Of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge
• Pirates Of the Caribbean: At World's End
• Pirates Of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tide
• Pirates Of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
• Transformer: The Last Knight
• The Bone Collector
• Brave
• Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans
• Hail The Judge
• Pulp Fiction
• Train To Busan
• Haywire
• Enemy Of The State
• Stargate: The Ark Of Truth
• Stargate: Continuum
• Aeon Flux
• DisneyNature: Chimpanzee
• Macbeth
• Indiana Jones And The Lost Ark
• Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
• Moana
• Thelma & Louise
• 50 First Dates
• Home Alone
• Ben-Hur
• Hensel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
• Exodus: Gods And Kings
• The Negotiator
• Zoolander 2
• Overheard 3
• Overheard
• Pearl Harbor
• Accepted
• Liar Liar
• Wild Wild West
• Valkyrie
• Love On A Diet
• Sword Master
• What Women Want
• Toy Story 2
• Tora! Tora! Tora!
• The Mask Of Zorro
• The Legend Of Zorro
• First Knight
• The Bullet Vanishes
• Hollow Man
• The World Is Not Enough
• Tomorrow Never Dies
• Golden Eye
• Die Another Day
• The Last Witch Hunter
• The Sum Of All Fears
• Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy
• Shaolin
• Shanghai Knights
• Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
• Charlie's Angels
• XXX
• The Mad Monk
• Justice, My Foot!
• Broken Arrow
• Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
• Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

English Movies

• 007 Skyfall 3 I think this is the one 007 I've watched which has the least gadgets. A finger sensing gun, ok. So where is the fancy car? Nice action sequences but without the techs you could put it as any action title. The 007 looks to be more for the marketing of the film rather than truly representing the 007 franchise.

• 007 Quantum of Solace 3 Hmmm, ok the desert part is a little stretching it. 

• 007 Casino Royale 3 Not much viper for a villain. Would have been better if there was someone more nasty than a fella with an eye that bleeds blood when he is stressed.

• 007 Spectre 3 You don't get the feel of power and superiority of a secret spy. It feels he is on the back-foot every step of the way. 

• 10,000 BC 3.5 I like the action and the prehistoric setting. Not much in terms of conversations though. The Egyptian backdrop at the 2nd part looks a little mismatch against the snow age setting at the start but then again I'm no archaeological buff, can't tell if it is right.

• 2001 A Space Odyssey *

• 21 Jump Street *

• 300 0.5 Mindless action flick with man in loincloth, umm nah not my type.

• 300: Rise Of An Empire 0.5 Total crap of an action flick. War on water ...

• The 5th Wave *

• The Accountant *

• After Earth 3 Not sure what's all the negative review are about. Sure it's not your usual Will Smith blockbuster ... he is after all a supporting role this time. But t's still quite enjoyable to watch.

• Ah Boys to Men 2.5 So familiar. Much of the humour really relevant to only folks who have been through National Service.

• Ah Boys to Men 2 2 A continuation of the earlier movie. Sporadic humour throughout.

• Ah Boys to Men 3 2 A more serious film than the earlier two instalments. As with the earlier movies, the product placements are very glaring and in your face. Makes for very uncomfortable viewing during these scenes.

• The Amazing Spiderman 3 Much better version than the Toby Maguire one. Andrew Garfield brings more of character to the show.

• The Amazing Spiderman 2 3.5 I like how Spiderman's true identity is known to Gwen. Makes Spidey less dark and emo.

• The American President *

• American Sniper 3.5 I like how they try to keep it as close to reality as possible. It's interesting to see the moral conflicts of shooting a kid armed with a grenade launcher. Although the ending is the true reflection of what happened to Chris, it's sad how such a talent's life has ended short because of some crazy dude. Sad.

• American Ultra 2.5 Plays like small time budget movie. The action sequence and background all point to a low budget movie trying to hit the big screen with star actors/actresses. Ok story to run with but limited in action.

• Ant-Man

• Apocalypto 2.5 No stellar cast to draw the crowds. Practically all the roles were done by unknowns. But I like the vividness of the action and the costumes.

• Arrival *

• Assassin's Creed *

• The A-Team 4.5 I've watch this over so many times and never got tired of it. Love it. The synergy between the main characters made it a strong film, even if the last part with the falling containers was a little over the top.

• Argo 1 Can't appreciate the storyline. Not something that keeps you in suspense or anything. You just simply watch each scene unfold and at the end, oh ok well that's it.

• Avatar 3.5 The CG is amazing. After watching it awhile you will forget that most of it is just animation.

• The Avengers * 

• The Avengers 4.5 Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Black Widow all in the same movie. The "yes!" moment for me was when Hulk pulled Loki's feet and whipped him around, "Puny God" = Win!

• Avengers: Age of Ultron 2.5 Somehow the magic just didn't flow for this one. I'm not sure Marvel was trying to put too much into one film but the whole story feels its been pieced together from separate parts.

• Armageddon 2.5 I will always remember this film for the Aerosmith hit song 'I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing'. Could we be faced with a similar catastrophe in the near future?

• Baby Driver *

• Babylon AD 1.5 I expect better action sequences from Van Diesel films. This one simply disappoints.

• Bad Boys

• Bad Boys 2

• Batman Begins 3.5 I've catch parts of this on the airplane, some of it on tv. And funny thing is I've never seen the starting parts of it till I watch the DVD. Suddenly all of it made more sense.

• Batman: The Dark Knight 3 Love the joker, can't say the same for Harvey two face though.

• Batman: The Dark Knight Rises 2 I think this is the least memorable of this Trilogy. It's straight forward good battling evil, not much in way of character development.

• Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2.5 Interesting concept to bring the DC super heroes together in the same environment, in similar fashion to Marvel. But somehow it feels forced rather than blending together.

• Beauty & The Beast *

• Beethoven *

• Beowulf 1.5 I didn't know this was a CG animation film. Storyline is ok but only watch if you are ok with CG cartoon films. Wait, it's not a cartoon per se as the storyline is an adult theme.

• Black Hawk Down *

• The Bourne Identity 4.5 Love the action sequences. Especially the driving scene on the little beat-up mini. All the while I was gunning for more fight and actions scenes.

• The Bourne Supremacy 3 Why did they have to kill off Marie? She brought the unknown, the softer touch to the previous film. Nicky Parson is just a cold flat character, you can't feel for her unlike Marie.

• The Bourne Ultimatum 3 Love the Tangier location. The narrow building adds a layer of suspense where you don't know what's at the corner. I've always like the Mediterranean and it's arabic influences.

• The Bourne Legacy 3 Ok, so there is more agents, more programs ... this conspiracy theories of secret agents and assassins is endless. The action is better for this film though I suspect it is likely a one-off for Jeremy since the story is straight forward unlike the previous 3 where Jason Bourne tries to come full circle.

• BoyHood 4.5 The director did a marvel shooting this over 12 years. Although the story is just simply growing up, he managed to bring up the key moments in life to the screen and captivated me from start to end. It all just felt so real.

• Captain America 4 Another Marvel classic with the back story for 'leader' of the Avengers. Thoroughly enjoyable though sad for the last part when Captain miss his date with Peggy. I wonder if Peggy became Howard Stark's wife later? Hmmm.

• Captain America: The Winter Soldier 3.5 I feel for Bucky. Action was great, don't get why they try to fit Falcon into the story though.

• Captain America: Civil War 3 Not sure what the internet is raving about on this instalment of Cap America. I find it thin on some scenes, not knowing what exactly is going on. There was little build up too on why each choose to be on which side.

• Cat Women 1 It's not a terrific storyline to begin with. I've always seen Cat Women as a side-show to Batman. And casting Halle Berry just doesn't bring the wow factor to the plate.

• Central Intelligence *

• Centurion 3.5 I remember checking out the ratings before buying this. Most of the reviews were lukewarm but again I was attracted by the medieval setting. Turns out to be an enjoyable movie. No stellar cast but I suppose that made it work better.

• Cinderella

• Clash of the Titans 3 Remake version. Who doesn't want to be a demigod huh? The CG is a little over the top but that's to be expected from a mythical setting.

• The Client

• Collateral 2 You don't normally see Tom in a villainous role. Well its not a bad bad character but more of a antagonist role.

• Collateral Beauty *

• Con Air 2 Never liked Nicholas Cage and his mumbling voice. Thank goodness for John Malkovich who livened up the action. And what's with the dirty bunny?!

• Conan the Barbarian 2 Conan is a character I associate with during my youth. I see a big bulky simple minded warrior charging at warlords. So yeah, mindless action film with little memorable scenes.

• Contagion 1.5 This was on offer at $3. The story is a little bland, not much piecing it together. I supposed it was trying to stay truthful to valid scenarios in a global outbreak, but that somehow holds it back in terms of emotional attachment to the characters.

• Cowboys & Aliens 3.5 For some odd reason I find this film enjoyable and have watched it twice already. 

• Daredevil 1.5 Well it wasn't so bad, the story was a little bland and one dimensional.

• Deadpool 4 Not your usual Marvel super hero movie. There is no hero in this movie and a pitiful appearance of two unknown X-men I've never heard of. That said, there is much silliness and laughter in the movie.

• Defiance 3.5 I was never sold on Daniel Craig as 007. But he really stood out in this film. Only watch if you can appreciate combat and warfare.

• Die Hard 2 3 This is a rehash of the Die Hard 1 formula. A hero at the wrong place at the wrong time.

• Die Hard With A Vengeance 3 You get what you expect from a Die Hard film. Lots of boom, blast, gun power and carnage.

• Doctor Strange *

• Due Date 1 Umm, I wanna strangle Ethan. Arghhhh. It really gets on my nerves the idiocy displayed by Ethan. Shoot him in the head already!

• Edge of Tomorrow 3.5 This is like Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers. There are certain parts that become repetitive (well that's the whole idea of the show really) and you want it to move faster. Other than that the action sequence are great, fast paced, gory non-stop action.

• Elysium 2.5 It was an ok storyline. Believable to a certain extent. I suppose it was trying to explore a social issue at a futuristic setting. But it only scratch the surface on that and then taper off to a rushed ending. 

• Enchanted 3.5 Always trust Disney to come up with a cheesy yet totally enjoyable fairy tale love story. "I've been dreaming of a true love kiss~"

• The Equalizer *

• Expendables 1 Ok .... aging action heroes and a cameo or two from the more popular and successful ones. They could have at least film better action sequences.

• Ex_Machina *

• Faceoff 2.5 I remember it was better when I watched it at the movies years ago. Still I like how the story unfolded though the switching of faces does come across as a little far fetch.

• Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them*

• The Firm

• The Forbidden Kingdom 4 Wow, Jacky and Jet Li in the same movie? And the most surprising thing is that this is an English movie rather than a Chinese one. Who would have thought of that with 2 of Hong Kong's biggest action stars in the movie. I supposed it was just as well it is a Hollywood produced movie as the action sequence and CG are a notch above the Asian calibre.

• From Paris with Love 4 Classic John Travolta characters. A little wacky but all with depth. Only he can pull off seriousness with a quirky disposition.

• Ghost In The Shell *

• Gifted *

• GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra 3 Ahh bringing to life a 80s kid's cartoon action heroes. Yeah the over the top gadgets and weaponry is about right.

• GI Joe: Retaliation 0.5 They say sequels usually bomb 9 out of 10 times. This sure did, it's all over the place, the story just didn't flow, the action a mishmash of scenes. I mean, flying around on the top of mountains on rope lines .... seriously??!

• Get Smart 3 I remember watching the original Get Smart series on TV in my childhood dates. The movie is in the same vein of silly humour.

• Gladiator 4 A tastefully done action movie from the Roman era.

• Godzilla 2.5 So I've never watched a Godzilla movie or comic or whatsoever before. I got this just because it was on super sale. Pretty ok movie for the price I paid.

• The Grand Budapest Hotel 3.5 One of the more artistic comedy made. Definitely one of the more uncommon, uncertain scripts and settings.

• The Great Wall *

• Green Hornet 0.5 Ouch. Painful. Jay Chou as a sidekick to a challenged hero, nah doesn't work.

• Green Lantern 2 Soso, I'm not a fan of Ryan Reynolds. He gives me the feeling of a beefy dumb fella in the same token as Mark Wahlberg. Green lantern doesn't draw the same superhero worship like others.

• Guardians of the Galaxy 3.5 I never knew about the Guardians till I saw the promo clip of the show. I like all the action and fantasy setting that Marvel gave in this movie. But somehow I lack that attachment to any of the characters which is why it is not getting higher ratings from me.

• Guardians of the Galaxy 2 *

• Hacksaw Ridge 3.5 Powerful and inspirational, though tad exaggerated. Nonetheless still worth every bit the effort to ship it off Amazon to Singapore.

• Hairspray 1.5 This is a little different from the normal movies, more like Mama-Mia but with unknown tunes. Pleasant but none of the kick you would find like in a broadway production.

• Hancock *

• Hanna 3 I watched it once before on TV and the show captivated me to follow through to the end. So I'm getting it on disc again for reruns.

• The Heat *

• Hercules 2.5 Don't really find 

• HellBoy 2: Golden Army 2 I've never read the comic so this is just another action flick with good versus evil battles.

• Hitman Unrated 2 Soso action and storyline. Not really keen on the nudity too.

• Hitman: Agent 47 *

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 4 Although I've never read the book, the fantasy setting of Middle Earth truly attracts. I was never a fan of Bilbo Baggins after reading the Lord of the Rings book but this movie does pique my interest in the storyline.

• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2.5 The 2nd in the trilogy of the Hobbit film. Didn't really inspire in terms of Middle earth lore. Unlike the LotR trilogy, this one ended in much more of a cliff hanger. Didn't like that. Hope the last one is better.

• The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 3 The battles and screenplay doesn't have the grandeur of the LotR trilogy. I think there are too many subplots and characters that draw away the focus on the main storyline.

• Hunt For Wilderpeople *

• The Huntsman: Winter's War *

• Hurt Locker 3 Unexpectedly watchable. Do watch if you are in to the middle eastern warfare conflict settings.

• I Am Legend

• I am Number Four 3 Special beings from another planet with extraordinary powers. I wish I can have a chimera masquerading as a cute loveable dog too.

• The Imitation Game 4 It's a real shame Turing died young. He could have brought so much more to the world.

• Inception 1 Utterly confused by the storyline, assuming there is one.

• Independence Day: Resurgence 2 Nothing like the first instalment ... This is a cheap shot at remaking the original but without any originality to boot.

• Inglourious Basterds 3 Quentin Tarantino's films are always so different and interesting to watch. Again one of those world war settings I like.

• Inside Out 2.5 Oddly this is one cartoon where I didn't really take to the storyline nor the protagonist. Somehow it just didn't resonate with me.

• Interstellar 2.5 As much as I like sci-fi, the idea of time space bending is a little too far-fetched for me.

• Into The Woods 1 It was by Disney so I thought it might have the similar makings of Enchanted. I was grossly mistaken ... there is not a single tune that rhyme and is catchy to the ears. In fact every tune was a torturous mishmash of notes. 

• Iron Man 4.5 Robert Downey Jr is the perfect man to play the narcissistic Tony Stark. Iron Man brings to life childhood dreams of being in a robo-suit with cool powers. And the show just gives you this feeling that it isn't really out of this world, at least not in the CG world.

• Iron Man 2 3.5 Mobile Iron Man suit. I want one too. A good sequel to the first.

• Iron Man 3 2 I hear 3 times' the charm. But apparently that didn't happen for the third sequel of Iron Man. Yah lots of flashy versions of the suit but the movie just lack the proper storyline, feeling more like a haphazard poor put together chain of events to milk the franchise. Disappointed.

• The Island 3 Interesting and plausible in the future. Too bad it didn't explore futher on the morality and ethical aspect of cloning for organ replacement.

• The Italian Job *

• Jack Reacher 3.5 Surprisingly entertaining. I didn't know what the storyline was about to begin with so I watched with zero expectations. Well typically I don't expect much from Tom Cruise movies but I must say this is a good film. Not much in terms of re-watchability but impressed me enough on the first go to get 4 stars.

• Jack Reacher: Never Go Back *

• Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit *

• Jason Bourne 2.5 It's a lot of action but it doesn't feel that the story is well made. There are bits and pieces here and there, fragmented bits of new information about the conspiracy of government assassin programmes.

• Jersey Boys 3.5 Watched my first Jersey Boys in the broadway version at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre. You see more of the story in the movie but don't expect the magic and feel from the broadway show.

• John Carter 3 Hmmm so there used to be a civilisation on Mars? I wonder if the movie is a good portrayal of the book. Well I've never read it so I'm enjoying the movie as is.

• John Wick 4 Action pack from start to end. And the gun fights made me reminisce the good old days of Counterstrike. Every kill had to end with a headshot. And the swiftness and lethalness of the shots were stunning. I'm surprised Keanu still had it in him.

• John Wick 2 *

• Johnny English Reborn *

• Jumper 2.5 I caught this movie in the theatre, but missed parts of it when the film roll somehow failed to flash onto the screen. We received refunds for it but well it still ruined our movie night. Only consolation was that it wasn't that great a movie, and the dvd rerun just confirms it.

• The Jungle Book 3.5 I never read the book but the movie is pretty fun. 

• Jurassic World 2.5 Having never being interested in the previous instalments of the Jurassic series, there wasn't much to expect. I see it as another action flick, just one that is filled with dinosaurs. The action is ok but nothing to get me excited about. The ending part is somewhat like a godzilla vs giant evil reptile sort of fight ... cheesy.

• Kick-Ass 2.5 Silliness comes easy with superhero wannabes. It's the torture to watch them self implode that usually makes me turn an eye away. Thankfully it was saved by speckles of kill action from Hit Girl.

• Kingdom of Heaven 4 The medieval setting already sets it up 2 stars to begin with. Add a touch of arabic allure and you have a winner for Pokpok.

• Kingsman: The Secret Service 4 Another Spy organisation from the UK ala James Bond? I like the suits and bulletproof umbrellas.

• Knight and Day 3 A traditional action flick with helpless damsel helping out the male protagonist. A watch and forget sort of film, though it was fun to sit through it.

• The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen *

• Letter from Iwo Jima 4 You know ... 99% of world war 2 movies were about how the Japanese were evil, US were heroes who won the war etcetc. Refreshing to see a movie from the other side of the coin, showing how ordinary Japanese soldiers share the same fear of death and the shedding of tears for their families back home. We are as human and have the same feelings as the next person beside, regardless of nationality, race or religion.

• Lion *

• Little Miss Sunshine*

• Logan *

• The Lone Ranger 1 Painful, you don't feel like rooting for Lone Ranger, much less Tonto. I was expecting they do a good job of an old classic hero character. I vaguely remember the Lone Ranger cartoons from young. But after this film, I've lost all interest in this.

• Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring  5 I read the book in a single session from 8pm to 4am on a weekend ages ago. I must say Peter Jackson did justice to the book, bringing to life the world of Middle Earth. The characters depicted in the movie were exactly as what I've imagined when I read the book. The first time I saw this in the movie theatres I was disappointed with the ending as I wasn't expecting a trilogy and thought we would go through the whole story. But a re-run on DVD really made it come together and really, you could not detail the story with one movie.

• Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 5 This is surely grander than I've imagined. Again kudos to Peter and the whole cast for bringing this epic story to the screens. My only bugbear, well it's a personal thing, is that I didn't expect Gollum to have a split personality and looked so evil. Nonetheless I love the sequences in the battle of Helm's Deep, I've watched this many times. Gimli:"Toss Me" Aragon:"What?" Gimli:"I can't jump the distance, you'll have to toss me! Oh — don't tell the elf." Aragon:"Not a word." *smile*

• Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 4.5 The climax of the trilogy. The scene inked in my mind was that of Aragon, wielding Anduril, looking back and then charging the orc army at the Black Gates of Mordor. And who can forget the surge of the undead army who swept through the orc army and mercs at Minas Tirith. The one thing that bugs me though is the final bit where the giant eagles come to rescue Frodo and Sam from Mount Doom. Hmmm couldn't Gandalf have summoned the birds to fly Frodo and the ring straight to Mount Doom in the first place instead of running around Middle Earth? Heh, we wouldn't have a story if that happened now, would we *wink*.

• Losers 3 Kind of a one-off action film. A cast of unknowns, at least for me. But turns out pretty watchable and entertaining.

• Mad Max: Fury Road 2.5 I've never seen any previous Mad Max movie so I'm watching this purely for the action. It was fun enough though the desert setting does get tiresome after awhile.

• Maleficent

• Mamma Mia! 4 I've always had a soft spot for musical movies. This one is especially enjoyable since it features ABBA hits. I can't stop humming the tunes in my head.

• Man of Steel 2.5 Hmmm a little different what I've come to expect from a Superman movie. I always thought Louise didn't know Clark Kent was Superman. Trying to build the emotional grounding for Superman was a little laboured. Especially the part where Jonathan Kent stopped Clark from helping him and was pulled into a twister. Nah, don't buy it.

• The Martian 4.5 I didn't think I was going to enjoy it as much as I did. It was an amazing performance by Matt Damon to bring the story to life.

• Max Payne 1 Forgettable film. Again Mark Wahlberg, I should stop buying any movies with him as lead.

• The Maze Runner *

• Maze Runner: Scorch Trials *

• Men In Black 5 This movie explains a lot :-) Now we know why some folks look so weird.

• Men In Black 2 *

• Men In Black 3 3 Watched the series many times on TV reruns. Never got to buying them in DVD though. This was going at clear-out prices so why not.

• Miami Vice 2 A TV series ported into the big screen. You can take it as a 2hour season premiere. More gun power and explosions due to larger budget in a movie.

• Mission Impossible 3 I watched this in the movie theatre long time ago. Bought this again as kind of a remembrance of the youthful days when I would blast that classic MI song on my Sony portable cassette player. Ahhh those were the days. Action scenes are no longer as spectacular when compared to the CG enhanced sequences these days. But I suppose it was a standout action flick in its day.

• Mission Impossible 2 2 Not much in terms of improvement from the first film.

• Mission Impossible 3 1 Ok the franchise is being milked till its bare. A break of six years did not seem to improve the franchise's longevity. It needs to learn from 007.

• Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol 2.5 Again another MI film that doesn't go with the times. I suppose it's hard to mix a meaningful storyline into an action film but hey at least try yah.

• Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation 3 A little better than the previous instalment. I was expecting an army of bad guys but the 2nd half of the show only introduce a couple of them. Budget issues with getting more extras?

• The Monuments Men

• Mr & Mrs Smith *

• The Mummy 2 There isn't many Egyptian era films so it's refreshing to watch one, especially where it is all action. But they could have done it better though.

• The Mummy Returns 3 A continuation of the first Mummy movie. Much better flow to the story this time. The CGs not bad too.

• The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor 1 This 3rd movie is just milking the franchise. No wonder it was on a big discount.

• Munich 3.5 I think this was never shown in the local theatres. It's after all a M18 film with a little nudity. Somehow I think the nudity is just an after thought to obtain the mature rating. The more critical aspect is the portray of the endless murder and assassinations between the Israelis and Palestinians. I'm too far away from the middle east to appreciate the duel but that did not take away the movie from me. The cinematography is superb and warrants the many award nominations. 

• Now You See Me 4 I nearly missed this good movie as the ratings and reviews from critics were only average. So even though it drew me with the impressive cast I held back on buying it till recently when there was a sale at my usual video store. Well, turns out it has a nice pace, little to no dull moment and lots of fun to watch. So the critics were not all right in their average opinion of the show, but as they say in the movie "The closer you look, the less you'll see". So I say take the chance and catch this, you find it is a worthy entertainment.

• Mr Bean's Holiday 2 Face twitching ... Usual painful humour and downright douche-bagery from Mr Bean.

• Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2.5 A movie meant for young kids since it's based off the Narnia series of children literature. But I like to watch it too since it brings to life a fantasy plane where mystic creatures roam the lands.

• Narnia: Prince Caspian 2 I don't fancy the four kings and queens being sidelined by Prince Caspian. Their mix of youthful impulse and imagination livens up the show.

• Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 2.5 A little more enjoyable than the previous film. I suppose the irritating cousin Eustace redirected some of my angst with the rest of the film.

• The Nice Guys

• Nightcrawler 2 The film's main character has his morals thrown right out of the window. It's all the more scary when you wonder if ambulance chasers can go to that extend to obtain exclusive footage and cannot sure-footedly say they won't. Ugly ... not for young viewers.

• Oblivion 4 Oh I didn't see the twist in the story coming. Nicely done to keep the suspense up till the end. Tom Cruise is on a row recently with quite a few pleasant movies.

• Ocean's Eleven 4 Interesting storyline, a band of crooks working together to rob another egoistic bad guy. All casinos in Las Vegas are crooks huh.

• Ocean's Twelve 2.5 Not sure about the emergence of this Night Fox character. Friend or Foe? It kinda takes away the focus from Ocean's gang. And there is no evilness there, rather more mischief which then doesn't draw you into the story.

• Ocean's Thirteen 2.5 A drill through the tunnel to create a earthquake? Umm they couldn't come up with anything better?

• Old Dogs 1 Yes Travolta is one of the leads but that didn't help the bland script. Nothing to see here.

• Olympus Has Fallen *

• Outlander 4.5 Not sure why but I've watched this several times. Whenever I'm bored and just want a relaxing action movie this is one of the contenders. Touch of alien, viking and survival of a species all rolled together nicely.

• Passengers *

• The Pelican Brief

• Pete's Dragon *

• Philomena 2.5 There are scenes that brought me close to her plight and sorrow. But the end of the film seems to fall a little flat. I suppose this is more to do with the film following the actual real life events and not create a fairy tale ending.

• Pink Panther 2 2 Another blundering detective in similar fashion to Get Smart, painful humour in the vein of Mr Bean. Watch if you are into this sort of comedy.

• Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tide 2.5  Caught the previous movies off and on on the free to air channels. Never really a fan of the Pirates series. This one happened to be on sale so I thought I might as well.

• Predestination 2 Not sure why this is getting good reviews. Its just a depiction of an infinite cycle. So which came first, the chicken or the egg?

• The Prestige *

• Prometheus 2.5 Never watched the Alien series. I'm a wuss when it comes to horror deaths and destruction in a craft trapped in deep space. So I didn't know this was actually a prequel before I watched it. Ok, it wasn't so bad. I wonder what happens to Shaw ...

• The Rainmaker

• The Revenant 4 A stunning performance, worthy of the accolades and awards for Leonardo.

• Riddick 2 Just doesn't have the same excitement of the Chronicles of Riddick movie. This movie is one dimensional, its only about saving himself without anyone else to care about.

• RED 3 Helen Mirren and John Malkovich are such good actors/actress. They bring class to an otherwise dull movie.

• RED 2 3.5 Helen and John M. are back for this 2nd instalment. And they even have Anthony Hopkins in the cast!

• Reel Steel 2.5 Heart warming tale of love and family and struggles of an underdog.

• Reign of Fire 3 Watched this couple of times on TV. Its a simple story line but I'm always attracted to the mythical settings.

• RepoMen 1 I don't like how it ended. Yes, things don't always turn out in the right way, but that's real life. If I wanted that I just have to look at my immediate surroundings. I prefer films to have a fantasy ending where the good guys always come out on top.

• Robin Hood 4 Good backstory to bring about the myth of Robin Hood. 

• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 3 I remember this was one of the earliest film I saw at the movie theatre. Still good even in today's age of CG stunning scenes.

• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story *

• Runaway Jury

• Salt 3.5 One of the better Angelina Jolie action films. I like the covet sleeper spy concept ... you never know who you can trust!

• Silver Linings Playbook 2.5 Warming show about a down guy getting his feet back after going crazy seeing his wife in the shower with another man. Not sure why Jennifer Lawrence was awarded a Best Actress award for her role though.

• Scorpion King 3 You would think Wrestling stars are simply brawn with no brains but Dwayne Johnson has repelled that concept. Egyptian theme movie, yes please.

• Seven Psychopaths 4 A refreshing cinematic piece, very quaint and whimsical. The pacing of the scenes were good and you can slowly appreciate the light humour as Marty discovers the truth of the stories Billy has been telling him.

• Sherlock Holmes 3 It is interesting that they have made the movie as an action film more than a drama. And a quirky Sherlock versus a serious one. I suppose that livens up the show. I like the performance from Robert.  

• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 2 Messier than the first movie. There isn't really an objective or goal to root for, just simply walking through the scenes. I thought Sherlock Holmes was about the mystery and the clever deductive ways to solve the suspense.

• Sicario *

• Skyline 0 It's so bad there is nothing to say except *ptooie!

• Snow White And The Huntsman *

• The Sound Of Music *

• Spiderman: Homecoming *

• Spy 3 Its a cheesy action flick of goofiness. But somehow the laughter didn't come easy.

• Star Trek: Generations 3 I've never been a trekky but really like the theme of the series. Thing is none of my friends in secondary school are interested in it. So I've always gone alone to watch the movies at the theatre. So when I chance a compilation of Star Trek movies with Patrick Stewarts as lead in HMV Hong Kong, I didn't hesitate one bit to purchase it. They are just as good as when I first saw them many years ago.

• Star Trek: First Contact 3

• Star Trek: Nemesis 3

• Star Trek: Insurrection 3

• Star Trek: Evolutions 3

• Star Trek (2009) 4 Ahh a star trek movie worthy of trekky adoration. Wonderful reinvention of the early days of Captain Kirk.

• Star Trek: Into Darkness 1.5 Ummm what happened? After the previous good showing this follow-on sequel just went totally off a tangent and into deep deep space. Odd that it is getting good ratings though.

• Star Trek: Beyond 2 Ummm the movie is drastically short on characterising the nemesis. I get that its part of the mystery and attempt to mask the true identity of the enemy leader. But what about all the foot soldiers? Where did they come from? All robots or crew members of the USS Franklin? So many questions ....

• Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace

• Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones

• Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

• Star Wars IV: A New Hope

• Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

• Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi

• Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens

• Sucker Punch 1 Huh? ahhh what? Sorry I'm totally confused by the plot. What's going on? Blah, forget it ...

• Suicide Squad 2.5 It's soso action flick. Character development is imbalanced among the team members. Plus the villain twist is kinda off putting considering that there is so much bolts and lights flying around. Meh ....

• Super 8 2.5 This is a little different, kinda like an indie feel movie. I think its the lens shade with a small town greyish mellow tone. No big stars to helm the movie, just a bunch of kids being taunted by an alien mystery. Turns out ok.  

• SWAT 3 Standard action flair.

• Taken 3.5 Takes kidnapping theme a little far. The chase is always exciting though. I love the coolness of Liam Neeson.

• Taken 2 3 A repeated of the earlier movie except with better backdrop? Nothing new to the theme, I don't think there would be a third. 

• Taken 3 *

• The Day the Earth Stood Still 1 I bought this movie thinking it was another movie, which I later found out was titled the "Day after Tomorrow". Silly me.

• The Departed 3 This is a remake of the Chinese classic 無间道. The plot pretty much kept through to the original except that it had the added bonus of at the end where the dirty rat in the police got executed. I think that's the one bugbear I have of the original. Thankfully this film had a more feel good feeling to the ending.

• The Heat * 3 I never thought to buy it when it was on DVD but it's definitely worth a shot as Movie of the Week on iTunes and going at $4.98 for HD version. Oddly this was mildly entertaining. There are times when it's painful to watch but I still got quite a number of good laughs.

• The Taking of Pelham 123 3 I bought this movie because Meimei wanted to watch it. Now that I have, she still hasn't. Hmmm, well the movie is pretty good. It has John Travolta after all. He always makes a good villain character come to life.

• The Thin Red Line 4 The movie expressed the raw emotions of loss, fear, despair so clearly that the audience is bound to feel it however hard hearted they may be. A masterpiece, giving war the true image it deserves - no one wins.

• Thor 4.5 Again you gotta love Marvel. Impressive action and drama. And the scene where Thor comes back to life and armour pieces flying to suit him up really takes to every boys childhood super hero dream.

• Thor 2: The Dark World 4 The first is always the best. This one didn't do too bad either. A a little far fetched on the teleportation line of story where Jane was transported to the Aether, but oh ok it just had to be her for Thor to be roused to save her. I'm intrigued by the ending snippet on the Aether being first of six infinity stones.

• The Three Stooges 1.5 Silly more than it is funny. If you find guys hitting each other on the head funny, then this is your thing. For me, this falls short in the humour department.

• The Rock 2.5 This film would have been shafted if it wasn't that Sean Connery was in it. I am not convince on Nicholas as an action star.

• A Time To Kill

• Tomorrowland 1.5 A little too far-fetched and there is very little to get audience excited about. Seems more like an elaborate advertisement for the 'Save the Planet' NGOs.

• Total Recall *

• Transformers 2 I would have prefer the animators stick to the clean lines in the cartoon series. The robots has too many parts and irregular texture. I know they were gunning for realism and sophistication on the machine parts. But they lose that touch of slickness on the robots. And why is there a human love story in between robots fighting each other? Hello I'm here to see the robots, not the teenage love affair.

• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 1 More of the same as the first instalment. They simply took whatever was rendered in the first and threw in a thoughtlessly conceived storyline and there, another Transformer movie to milk the dollars.

• Transformers: Dark of the Moon 1 Next to none in terms of character building for the robots. Disappointed that the focus seems to be on the humans. It's called Transformers guys!! And where has eye candy Megan Fox gone?

• Transformers: Age of Extinction 0.5 Is there even a storyline to it all? Well I had very little expectation of this before I saw it. But being able to take a nosedive from the previous failed instalment is a wonder in itself.

• The Tuxedo *

• U.N.C.L.E 3.5 Ehhh what does UNCLE stand for? ... Oh never mind. It has all the elements to make a good spy movie, suave heroes, colourful villains and a touch of damsel in distress.

• Underworld: Evolution 3.5 Ahhh vampires and werewolves. This is the 2nd of a movie series. I should really go get the first, there are parts I don't understand of the film. But still, love the medieval setting, like always.

• Underworld: Blood Wars *

• Unknown 3 I picked this up as Liam was the lead. The backdrop has a similar feel to the Taken series, gloomy east european autumn/winter setting. Ok storyline to watch.

• US Marshals 3 Tommy Lee Jones stars. I wonder ... his face looks plastic. Surgery? Back to the film, ok soso action film. Early year Robert Downey Jr in supporting role.

• Van Helsing 3.5 Watched this countless times on TV and finally got a copy in DVD. It's a good action movie in my book. Not sure why it's been bashed by all the critics. Seriously just chill and enjoy an action movie already.

• Wanted 3 Imagine, a line of assassins who can bend bullets to slain adversaries.

• War Of The Worlds *

• Warcraft: The Beginning 2.5 It is as the reviews are saying. The story is thin, there isn't really a character you can relate to. And most importantly if you don't play warcraft or know the story in the first place, you won't get much of the story. It's really a movie for the Warcraft fanboys(girls) only.

• Watchmen *

• Wedding Singer 3.5 I remember this movie for the plane scene where Robbie Hart sings "I wanna grow old with you". Ahhhhh love.

• Whiskey Tango Foxtrot *

• Winter's Bone 2 Ok so it may have won several awards. But its a simple story, nothing more than that honestly.

• The Wolverine 3.5 Wolverine is one of my favourite Xmen characters together with Professor X and Storm. This story is a little unfamiliar as it explores Wolverine in the aftermath of the previous X-men movie where he had to kill Jean. Also the movie credits has a scene with Professor X! I thought he was dead??!!

• Wonder Woman *

• World War Z 4 This is like a movie version of the Walking Dead TV series. It might just happen someday in real life. With all the biochemical engineering and virus mutations.

• Wrath of the Titans 2.5 Its passable flair if you are bored at home with nothing to do and want a mindless gothic theme action movie.

• X-Men: Apocalypse 2.5 Again somewhat disappointing after Days of Future Past. I think the X-men franchise is starting to lose its edge.

• X-Men: Days of Future Past 2.5 Something's just off with this instalment. Time-travel? That's a plain cop-out ... you can literally change the storyline to anything you fancy. Professor X, Jean, Cyclops revive with the 'new' future? Bah ... never liked time travel mixing into story lines.

• X-Men: First Class 3.5 Good movie for the uninitiated on X-men lore, ala me. Mystique is Xavier's sister? Overall nice film to detail the beginning of the X-men.

• X-Men: Last Stand 2 It seems they are running out of novel X-men to battle. Not much excitement at all.

• X-Men: Wolverine 3.5 The 'birth' of Wolverine. I never knew he was a mutant to begin with. Always thought he was some military manufactured killing machine.

• X-Men: 2 3 This was somewhat more predictable than the first. I don't understand, if Stryker's son Jason was that powerful in the art of illusion, how did he get past it? Wouldn't he have succumb to his illusions as well? And if Stryker was interested in killing mutants why did he create them?

• X-Men: 1.5 3.5 Ah the first X-Men movie. Nothing beats the first really.

• Year One 1 Painful and pointless. Silly unfunny jokes.

Cartoons

• Beauty & The Beast 4.5 A classic marvel. Watched it donkey years ago at the movie theatre.

• Boss Baby *

• Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs *

• The Croods 3 Fun movie, you can't help but root for Guy. I feel for him when he was stuck in the log and cheered when the cavies couldn't walk on the pointy rocks. The producers could have made a prettier heroine though rather than this broad tomboyish Eep.

• Despicable Me 4 Thoroughly entertaining movie. I love Agnes. "It's so fluffy I gonna die!". Even though its a cartoon I'm sure adults will enjoy it more than kids.

• Despicable Me 2 4.5 Another win for the Despicable Me franchise. Our eyes were glued to the show from start to end. And I was grimacing in 'pain', in a good and funny way, when the minions were singing at the wedding.

• The Emperor's New Groove 2 This is one of the Disney classics but I can't seem relate to it. I would rather beat down the Emperor than root for him to be turn back from a Lama.

• Epic 3.5 Pretty enjoyable cartoon. As usual there is the reluctant and irritating hero, and the enthusiastic heroine. But the hero wasn't overly obnoxious that you want to throw a book at him.

• Final Fantasy XV: Kingsglaive * 2.5 The first movie I bought over iTunes. I will always have a soft spot for the Final Fantasy series. This movie is good on its own though it gets confusing sometimes. Character development is also limited but oh well its based off a game after all so I shouldn't be expecting too much.

• Finding Nemo

• Finding Dory

• Frozen 5 Another masterpiece from Disney. Meimei had watched it at the theatres with Sis and even offered to bring me to watch it for a second time. But we couldn't find the time to do so. So when the DVD came out, it was a no-brainer to buy it. You'll fall in love with the movie and its characters. My favourite scene is when Olaf was singing "In Summer". *grinz it's the highest grossing animated film of all time at the time of writing. A must-watch, even if you are not a fan of cartoons.

• G-Force 4 This show is only possible in our era with amazing CG. Pint size guinea pigs  heroes to save the world!

• Home *

• How To Train Your Dragon 2 2.5 There are times I wanted to smash Hiccups face into the mud for his silly ideas of peace. Its giving kids a false sense of hope that all things can be solved with beautiful ideology.

• Lady And The Tramp *

• Kubo And The Two Strings 4.5 One of the best animation find in a long time. The visual is stunning and life-like. The story paces through nicely and action just right on spot. It's missing the last half star only because I wish the ending was more fulfilling ... well not that it's not really is ... but hoped for more.

• KungFu Panda 4.5 Panda are made of win. Especially a big fat clumsy one. An unlikely hero in midst of more ferocious and deadly animals traits. I mean, can a panda really compete with a tiger, snake, monkey and crane?

• KungFu Panda 2 4.5 More awesomeness from Po. So adept that Po can master tai chi, the circle of life, everything about Po is round. Haha.

• KungFu Panda 2 3.5 Funny, the awesomeness seems to have fizzled out a little. Or maybe the enemy wasn't as formidable as before.

• Megamind 3 It's far from your dreamy fairy tales with a hero that looks every part the villain.

• Minions 3 A spin-off from Despicable Me. If you don't mind having to listen to  gibberish throughout and having to read the subtitles to understand what's going on, it's quite an enjoyable cartoon.

• Monster University 1.5 It's like watching a teenage high school flick except in cartoon form. Very one dimensional and not the least bit amusing at all. We had expected more from Pixar.

• Penguins

• Rango 3.5 Another cartoon. And a surprising one considering it didn't come from Pixar. Well drawn screenplays and storyline.

• Ratatouille 5 I will always remember this movie as one of the earliest ones, if not the first, where Meimei and I went to watch together during our courtship days. The movie itself drives a wonderful and endearing story of Remy the mouse and his exploits in the kitchen. A timeless classic for all to enjoy and savour. I hope to make a version of the Ratatouille dish someday ;-)

• The Red Turtle *

• Rio 3.5 Fun entertainment. Love the samba groove.

• Rio 2 2 Somehow it didn't have the magic of the first. Maybe its the pesky kids. No matter, children will still love this film.

• The Secret Life Of Pets 4 Who doesn't like a show with cutesy puppies and kittens.

• Sing *

• Storks *

• Tangled 4.5 I'll put this down as one of the classics. It took us a long time to find the DVD of this lovely fairytale. The film never gets old.

• The Peanuts Movie *

• TinTin 2 Somethings are better left in print. I'm not impressed by the graphic rendering, tries to meet between reality and colourfulness of a cartoon.

• Toy Story 3 2.5 I'm never a fan of the Toy Story franchise. Something about the odd mix of characters that I don't get. But well its a cartoon of sorts so still enjoyable to watch.

• Trolls *

• Up 5 Truly heartwarming tale. This movie reminded me to update the blog regularly when I first saw it and regularly after, through the scene when Carl reminisce about all the loving memories of his wife Ellie from the scrapbook pics. It is also why I encourage Meimei on her scrapbook hobby. And ok, Pokpok cried during the movie at the theatre. And tears were shed again when watching the DVD. I might cry again if I watch it again. It wasn't a fluke that it is the 2nd animated film to receive an Academy Awards nomination. A must watch.

• Winnie The Pooh *

• Wreck-It Ralph 3.5 Whacky and fun movie. An evil character in a game refusing to continue being the bad guy? Ah-huh, take that heroes. It's time to switch the tables.

• Your Name *

• Zootopia 3.5 A bunny and a wolf. Both 'underdogs' to be police officer material. But don't having better intelligence and ingenuity than the bigger mammals. Good fun for family.

Chinese Movies

• 十月围城 Bodyguards and Assassins 1 没看头。还是不看罢了。

• 狄仁杰之通天帝国 Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame 4

• 狄仁杰之神都龙王 Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon 1 这整个故事简直一团糟。

• 剑雨 Reign of Assassins 5 顶级的动作片。我以看了无数遍。

• 撕票风 云 Black Ransom 3

• 证人 Beast Stalker 5

• 线人 Stool Pigeon 5

• 盲探 Blind Detective 3 还不错。结局部分有点夸张，盲人驾车？在现实早以掉落山崖了吧。

• 枪王之王 Triple Tap 3

• 赌侠 God of Gamblers 2 2

• 叶问 Ip Man 4.5 片中的动作顺序可是一流。

• 叶问 2 Ip Man 2 3.5

• 叶问 3 Ip Man 3 3.5

• 意外 Accident 3

• 少林足球 Shaolin Soccer 3

• 龙門飞甲 Dragon Gate 0.5

• 唐山大地震 After Shock 4

• 功夫 Kung Fu Hustle 4.5

• 墨攻 A Battle of Wits 3.5

• 神射手 Sniper 3

• 赤壁 Red Cliff 3

• 赤壁下：决战天下 Red Cliff 2 3

• 扫毒 The White Storm 3 有些镜头夸张了点，也有些你真想主角们是不是脑里挤满了草，自身有着无奈的感觉。

• 西游：降魔篇 Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons 3.5

• 西游 2：伏妖篇 Journey to the West 2: The Demons Strike Back *

• 西游記之大鬧天宮 The Monkey King 2.5

• 西游記之三打白骨精 The Monkey King 2 2.5

• 錦衣衛 14 Blades 3.5

• 逃出生天  Out of Inferno 1

• 食神  The God of Cookery 3.5

• 刺客聶隱娘  The Assassin 1 There is a total of maybe 50 dialogue in the entire show? And where is the promised action? Its been a long time since I fell asleep during a movie ... and that is saying a lot.

• 一个人的武林  Kungfu Jungle 3 Pretty good fight sequence.

• 衝鋒車 Two Thumbs up 3 A rather odd ball show. Weird yet interesting in its own silly way.

• 失孤 Lost and Love 3 A rather sad tale of losing your child to child traffickers.

• 卧虎藏龍：青冥寶剑 Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny 3 I was expecting more from the sequel. The fight scenes were ok but it lacks any serious story line.

• 大话西游三 A Chinese Odyssey Part Three

• 卧虎藏龙 Couching Tiger Hidden Dragon *

• 大内密探零零发 Forbidden City Cop *

• 武状元苏乞儿 King Of Beggars *

• 道士下山 Monk Comes Down The Mountain *

• A计划 Project A *

• 鹿鼎记 Royal Tramp *

• 鹿鼎记2 神龙教 Royal Tramp 2 *

• 整蛊专家 Tricky Brains *

• 唐伯虎点秋香 Flirting Scholar *

• 逃学威龙 Fight Back To School *

• 枪王 Double Tap *

• 杀破狼 SPL

• 美人鱼 The Mermaid

• 寒战 Cold War

Foreign Language Movie

• 200 Pounds Beauty 3

• Amour 5 In French. One of the most real and heart wrenching film I've watched in a long time. Each scene is so simple yet every clip exudes both the pain and sorrow of the couple's situation and shows the love and patience the husband has for her stroke stricken wife. I teared from the start to the end. Even when I thought I had braced myself enough not to weep, every scene that comes bring another bout of emotions. A true masterpiece.

• Downfall 3

• The Last Princess 2

• 告白 Confession 5

• Winter in Wartime 2.5

Mini-Series

• Band of Brothers 5 If you've ever been in the military this is a must watch. The combat, the emotions, the empathy and hope ... this is better and more than any movie could ever give.

• The Pacific 5 Closer to home and ever as impactful as Band of Brothers. The dense jungle and barren sand fields make for duller settings but the emotions are just as powerful in this series.

TV Movie

• Merlin 1 The story is a little weird. There are underlying foundations of the Arthurian lore but told in the eyes of Merlin.

• Knights of Bloodsteel 1 The budget for CG must have been very small ... they should have invested more in this department since they are trying to portray a medieval setting with dragons, orcs, elves etc.

TV Series

• The Mentalist: Season 1 to 7

• The Big Bang Theory: Season 1 to 6, 8 to 10

Documentaries

• Frozen Planet These are places you would never go in a lifetime unless you are a hardcore adventurer. Definitely worth watching.

• DisneyNature: Bears *

• DisneyNature: Born In China *

• DisneyNature: The Crimson Wing *

• DisneyNature: African Cats *

• An Inconvenient Truth *

• Imax: Deep Sea *

• Imax: Born To Be Wild *