If there is one thing that I learned growing up, it is the fact that birthdays are important to people. No matter how much we try to downplay it, how hard we try to forget our age, we will never be able to rid ourselves of that tingling anticipation when the special day comes around once every year.

Birthdays are never too commercialize, and always deeply personal, unless you are one of the lucky few who is born on Valentine’s Day, Christmas, or New Year’s Eve.

One of the greatest joys in life is to celebrate birthday with our loved ones. Ultimately, it is a celebration of the gift of life, without which the birthday person won’t be here to brighten our days and share our lives. What will you give to see that joy on her face?

Happy Birthday, Xiaoyi!

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This movie was released in 2003. In 2004 it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, among which are Best Actor (Jude Law) and Best Supporting Actress (Renee Zellweger). It was only recently that I became curious of Cold Mountain, thanks to Legends Of The Fall.

Before watching Cold Mountain, I thought it is simply a tragic romance that is set during the American Civil War. Perhaps what is different in this movie will be the sweeping cinematography and beautiful scenery of that period. On the surface, and in the movie Trailer, this seems true. Ada (Nicole Kidman) and Inman (Jude Law) are budding lovers whose lives are forever changed when the Civil War started. Inman has to leave his home town, Cold Mountain, to fight for the South, whereas Ada loses him and more. Cold Mountain tells the tale of how Inman travels across the country back to Ada, and how she survives those turbulent years, hoping for his return.

So yes, on the surface, this movie is about the two lovers. But it is not.

Cold Mountain is about promises, hope and survival. Inman and Ada’s romance just started when they parted. Three meetings and a few short conversations, though they hit off immediately. So is it love which keeps them going; or is it the hope and promises? I would say the later. For Inman who lost all his friends, and witnessed the brutality and senselessness of war, Ada is a beacon of hope -- the promise of a normal life which he desperately wants to get back to. The promise of home. For Ada, Inman too holds the same significance after all that is crumbling down around her. Both longed for a life which held so much promise, but was cruelly taken away from them. She desperately wrote to him to “Come home. Come home to Cold Mountain. This is my request.”.

What separates Cold Mountain from a mere good movie is that it is sprinkled with supporting casts that are first class, such as Ruby Thewes (Renee), Rev Veasey (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Sara (Natalie Portman). And I have to mention that the pacing is very well done too, the highs and the lows in the movie are memorable. The epic scale of the Civil War, and how it affects the non-slave owning Southerners at that time is beautifully portrait.

For anyone who has ever had their lives changed by a twist of fate, every soul who longs for the warmth of family and familiarity, this is the movie that will be close to your heart.

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I must say that I was unsure at the beginning whether I made the right choice to rent this movie. You see, the last Coen Brothers movie I watched was Fargo (1996). Fargo?! Yes, that’s right, it was 13 years ago.

The Coen Brothers have a reputation of making good movies. Fargo won the 1997 Oscars for Best Original Screenplay. No Country For Old Men surpassed that in 2008 with the Oscars for Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay. Nonetheless, after Fargo, I realised that I was not an admirer of their brand of dark humor and satire, which I found to be somewhat disturbing. I did not enjoy Fargo, and thus I did not watch No Country For Old Men.

So why Burn After Reading? Well, I have run out of first choice new releases to rent. And this movie has too many big star names to stink. A quick check on rottentomatoes.com indicated it to be fresh with 78% approval rating.

My verdict? The movie is hilarious! It has a very potent mix of odd-ball characters and bizarre situation. The beauty of the plot is how seemingly rational action and reaction can snowball into total chaos within a few turns of event. Everyone in the movie is a functional adult, yet obsession, selfishness and in some instances, plain idiocy runs the day. Watching Burn is like observing a bunch of teenagers at a frat party - they are loud, drunk and full of hormones. We are intrigue by the world they think they live in, amuse at the pointlessness of it, and do I need to mention hormones and sex?

The movie carries many laugh-out-loud scenes and the dialog was knife-sharp.

Perhaps a decade ago I wasn’t mature enough to enjoy the Coen Brothers’ Fargo? Who knows, maybe I’ll pick up No Country For Old Men after all.

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This movie is a reboot of Ang Lee's more thoughtful Hulk. But it is not Edward Norton nor Liv Tyler's fault really that the movie fails to deliver.

All that can be said and done with the Bruce and Betty story lines had been said and done in the previous film. So what we are left with is a dump down plot for the action hungry teenagers, and the supposedly superior special effects. I didn't quite enjoy the CGI Fight Club though, so the movie doesn't do much for me.

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In the post 9/11 world, it is appropriate that we have an intelligent movie that brings us closer to the cat and mouse game that is being played by the CIA and various fractions in the Middle East.

Body Of Lies is gripping throughout, and puts us in the frontline of the war against terror. Strong performances by Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe helps.

The main weakness is the improbable love story, which is shoehorned in, gets too little time to develop, yet plays a significant role in the plot.

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This is a documentary that Morgan Spurlock starred and directed. He observes that America has a health epidemic on its hands - obesity. He attributes the phenomenon to the easy access of fast food, and its marketing might, which targets mainly children.

It is interesting to watch Spurlock subject himself to a 30 day exclusively McDonald's diet. The documentary constantly switches between the experiment, interviews, and commentary. Although they were quite well-paced and balanced, it became repetitive in the final 20 mins.

Ultimately, the conclusion is something we've expected. McDonald's (fast food) should not be eaten regularly. There is a secondary message though: limit your child's exposure to advertisement, and teach them the value of fresh food.

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Have you ever witnessed a person who can solve Rubic's Cube in a few seconds? Amazing isn't it? What if he can also do Sudoku and complex crossword puzzles in seconds? Is he for real? You'd ask.

Watching Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) in National Treasure 2, I had the same experience. He jumped from puzzle to puzzle and solving them with such ease that I stopped caring. Several highly incredible feats which would have taken weeks or months to plan and execute was done in minutes. For example the kidnapping of a US President, and breaking into BOTH the White House's Oval office AND the Queen of England's Office!

Ocean's Twelve should just hire Ben Gates and that movie would be over in about 5 minutes.

National Treasure 2 is overall a bad second attempt to be a poor man's Indiana Jones.

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This is the first movie that saw both Jet Li and Jackie Chan on screen together. They are living legends in Asia cinema and have quite a following in the West.

But the sad truth is that their collaboration came 20 years too late. Jet Li is 45, and Jackie Chan is 54. So instead of breathtaking kung fu, we see them performing wire-fu; instead of them being the stars of the movie, we have to watch Michael Angarano perform the Karate Kid routine.

Production value is not high, plus the plot is so simplistic that there is no suspense to speak of.

I think this movie is for the kids.

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The Dark Knight is the second film in the Batman series that is directed by Christopher Nolan. The first was 2005's Batman Begins.

From the smashing box office success, to the rave reviews this movie received, one would think that it is the equivalent to the Second Coming - or something close.

Truth to be told, Dark Knight is a good film. But I did not enjoy it as much as Batman Begins. Sure, there are great moments, especially whenever the Joker (the late Heath Ledger) is on. My main gripe is that this feels like a movie about Joker, rather than Batman. But a psychotic Joker isn't exactly why I watch a Batman movie. Don't believe me? Just ask anyone to recall a memorable Batman scene or quote.

And boy, is this movie dark. It should have been given an R rating for the disturbing violence. Don't bring kids younger than 12 yrs old.

Overall, a good but flawed film. I was hoping that it will be more fun. Perhaps someone should ask Mr. Nolan, "Why so serious?"

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This movie isn't a romantic comedy, but is marketed as one.

It tries too hard to be funny, touching, and romantic. In the end, it didn't pull off any of them well. The characters were quite shallow, and the plot simply not engaging enough. I can't feel Hilary Swank's love nor pain for her dead husband.

The only redeeming things are its guitar soundtrack and beautiful portrait of New York.

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Julie Delpy has made an anti "Before Sunrise" movie which she starred in 12 years ago.

Before Sunrise was sweet and romantic, like young lovers getting to know each other for the first time. 2 Days in Paris is more grounded to reality, with not-so-young and not-so-fresh-face lovers getting to really know each other for the first time. They peel away the layers of hypocrisy and self-awareness to find out who they really are, and what makes each of them tick.

The central theme is whether lovers can accept and love each other after they've seen the really ugly side of one another?

I like the concept of this movie, the dialog is very lively and funny. But I feel that the script could have been more polished. There is just too much happening in 2 days for me to suspend my disbelieve, and some of the situation is purely bizarre.

Had Julie, who also wrote and directed this movie, allowed the characters some quiet time with each other, or more time for them to reflect on their relationship, I think this movie would have been better.

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My favorite anime growing up was Space Adventure Cobra. There is so much in common between Cobra and Hellboy that I couldn't help but wonder whether Mike Mignola borrowed ideas from Buichi Terasawa? Hint: Google for Cobra and you'll see what I mean.

Anyway, back to Hellboy. I am a fan of the first movie, and very much like this one too. How could I not? For 2 hours, we are treated to some of the most imaginative visuals seen this year. Del Toro, the director, kept to the spirit of the comic and delivered a highly entertaining movie.

My favorite thing about Hellboy is that the CGI blends in effortlessly and realistically. Del Toro uses old-school technique, combining puppets, man-in-rubber-suit, physical studio sets, with CGI. Contrast this with Star Wars episode 1-3, where actors delivered lines in front of blue-screens, and aliens were all rendered with computers. There is much more appeal here, just think of the original Yoda and the "new" Yoda.

The only negative thing about the movie is that using the Elves twin as a plot device doesn't work too well. The whole "they are linked" concept is quite weak and introduces plot holes. Other than that, for those young at heart, this movie is not to be missed.

It is a comforting knowledge that Del Toro will be directing The Hobbit next.

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I am quite a fan of Tim Burton. The Nightmare Before Christmas and Big Fish are both among my all time favorites.

This movie, however, was a major disappointment for me. I was expecting dark humor, catchy songs, and unique visuals. But instead I felt like I was watching a run-of-the-mill slasher flick.

It is impossible for me to root for a protagonist who kills the innocent and make meat pies of them (yes, you read that right). He doesn't seem to have any real motive, or remorse - just slash away at anyone unfortunate enough to be there. Oh, and the gore level is high too - blood splashing all over the screen (yes, you read that right as well).

Isn't this movie based on a musical? If the source material is as joyless and the music as dissonant as it is here, then I pity those who pay to see it. Well, I guess I am no better, since I paid to watch this on DVD.

Hello? Is this Fleet Street or Elm Street?

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The film is shown out of sequence, so it is no wonder that many find it confusing. But hang in there, and you will find that the payoff is satisfying - like a gourmet meal, where the food is expensive, portion is small, yet you kinda like the experience.

Yes, that's the type of satisfaction many will get after watching this movie. It could have been more suspenseful, could have been more fulfilling, but it makes us feel good watching a movie where the director doesn't insult our intelligence.

Satisfying experience, but, we'll leave wondering why the chef doesn't put more meat on the plate.

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27 dresses is a light weight romantic comedy. I expected more since the director is a woman.

The plot is a rehash of countless others. What makes it worth watching is Katherine Heigl, but she can only do so much with this brain dead script.

On the other hand, my wife likes it... so maybe it is a female thing.

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The Munich incident happened the year I was born. I don't know much about the incident, and its aftermath. However, what I know is that the Israeli and Palestinian conflict is still as real and bloody today as it was then.

The movie is non judgmental on the conflict. It doesn't take sides. It delivered a very strong and urgent message - but will this message ultimately get through to the people who matter most?

The cynic in me doubt so, but what is humanity if there is no hope for a brighter future?

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I wouldn't say that The Mist is a horror movie. It is a cross between monster and suspense movie. Passable, but nothing to write home about.

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An enjoyable small movie. Dialog is hip and modern. The situation is bizarre yet believable. Ellen Page, who plays the title character, deserves the acting awards for her role here. Wise beyond her years, she appears.

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I watched the Last Crusade when I was in high school, with my classmates. One of them commented that there will definitely be a 4th installment, and he was right - almost 20 years later.

I love the Indiana Jones movies, more so than the original Star Wars series. Indy was the kind of hero I would like to be when I grow up.

So I watched Crystal Skull with some expectation. Indy with whip and pistol? Check. Exotic locations? Check. Creepy insects? Check. Exciting chase sequence? Check. Larger than life artifact? Check.

I felt like a kid again - thanks Indy.

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Not bad at all, but the first movie, Bourne Identity, was slightly better. Why? Because in this movie, the mystery surrounding Bourne's character is no longer the focus, so we are left with "a good guy seeking revenge" plot. My main complain is that the director shoots action sequences with too much camera movement.

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