Entertaining series. Some visual elements are a bit jarring but generally well-produced. It is funny, but can be funnier. Tries a little too hard to be edgy. Grounded by the friendship between the two lead characters.

Starship Troopers  was first published as a two-part serial before being released as a novel in 1959. Written by Robert A. Heinlein, himself a navy veteran, this military sci-fi coming-of-age story covers Johnnie Rico’s basic training and early career in Mobile Infantry (M.I.). This review will make a few comparisons with the 1997 film directed by Paul Verhoeven with the screenplay written by Edward Neumeier. Is the film faithful to the book? More Yes than No. Like most if n

Journalist reports woman going overboard but nobody believes her. Nothing particularly interesting but is intriguing enough initially. Becomes laughable later.

A young woman wants revenge against her father via shogi. Characters lack complexity and some things are resolved too quickly, but it is well-produced with strongly established lead characters and the series is tight.

A counter-intelligence officer tries to find a mole. His wife is on the short list. Sounds boring but is a tight film with decent dramatic tension.

If you like the novel, then don’t expect too much. Christoph Waltz carries the show but the corporate and office satire and black comedy are missing. One wonders whether the writer understands or appreciates the source material.

Nicely shot and intriguing film about life in a village surrounded by forbidden woods.

Mildly sci-fi action-thriller. Has its problems but a straightforward and enjoyable action-thriller with good main characters.

Spy thriller with a guy who can’t shoot, which is refreshing. Solidly produced. Steady pacing. Some elements can be better developed; definitely not a bad film but nothing spectacular either.

Back to (mostly) anime. More consistent than the previous two seasons.

Angels (and Demons): What Do We Really Know About Them? is a concise text about the topic. It was first published in 1995. The book is about 150 pages long in total, the main text is about two-thirds of the book. The remaining are the 4 appendices and the bibliography. This text is not  in the form of a Socratic dialogue as is common in books by Kreeft. It is in the form of Q&A, which is still very easy to read. The text contains a total of 100 questions organized into 4 par

Dark and gritty CG anime film. Mostly looks good but the storytelling tries to be way bigger than it is and so comes across as cheap.

Tries a little too hard to be dramatic but it is intriguing and captivating. Nicely shot and edited. Maintains tension throughout, BUT the ending is cheap and totally ruins the film.

Drama-comedy about a rookie cop learning the ropes. Has good balance between being half-realistic and being comical. Solidly produced.

The Life of St Teresa of Jesus  is an autobiography written by the saint herself, also referred to as St Teresa of Avila (b. 28 March 1515 – d. 4 October 1582) as she was born in Avila, Spain. She was canonized by Pope Gregory XV about 40 years after her death on 12 March 1622. St Teresa wrote this book under obedience during the 1560s in Spanish. An English translation by David Lewis was published in 1870. There have been other English translations since. The book is not sho

A 12-episode slice-of-life series of three-minute vignettes. The writing can be better, but it’s not that bad if one doesn’t mind risking half an hour.

Even for those who are not fans of fantasy, Pratchett’s easily accessible style and clever comedy make his novels a real pleasure to read.

A little different from Stephen Chow’s other titles but a solid horror comedy. Visually dark with effective use of sets/locations.

Lacks plot and focus. Has elements of action, thriller and drama, but manages to be none of them.

Boy and his mother in an online fantasy game. Crude but not as superficial as one may expect. Fails to reach its potential as both the comedy and themes can go further. But motherhood is lifted up and celebrated.

Very contrived way to get Arisu and Usagi back to Borderland. Well-produced but is more like an afterthought featuring material that should have been done in the first place.