Review: Aside from all the frills and expensive thrills, SATC is really more about the bonds people have with one other and the understanding of how a relationship is not only about appearances.

When the movie starts, we see the pretty dresses and the power shoes. We see the big fashion labels. We think that SATC is all about the brands' opportunistic promotional advertising. In a way, the movie is one huge expat brand ad. Looking deeper however, the chemistry amongst the characters are evident and the story reveals itself to be larger than er... a dick or a very coveted Vivienne Westwood wedding gown. ::hearts::

The scene where Carrie gets out of the car and trashes the bouquet of flowers was perhaps the most ungraceful thing she ever did, and yet, utterly poetic in a masochistic way. I loved the way the movie portrayed her after the break up when she looks at her reflection in the mirror and we realize that she is way past her prime. Beauty is not skin deep, a woman's vulnerability is always there, under that perfect mask.

Samantha and Charlotte provide the laughs in this movie. Charlotte's little steps and her paranoia on hygiene are amusing. Samantha's lecherous behavior is so damn hilarious. Miranda's story is the total opposite and a reality slap in the face. I love the reflection bits and cuts where we see the friends bonding with one another. The conversations' quips and analogies are highly entertaining. The only let down is the conclusion of Miranda's failed-marriage-turned-revived relationship with her husband and Carrie's gradual acceptance over never getting married. The eventual forgiveness that the both of them had for their partners are inexplicably unrealistic (in my case, nevertheless).

The music is pretty much so-so, with Jennifer Hudson crooning a tune. Other than that, not memorable nor catchy enough.

SATC is like a better version of a 40 minutes long episode.

Review: We used to associate cartoons and animations as something that kids watch. With the introduction of Pixar animations, the idea of watching a cartoon no longer applies to just children but adults as well. Such is the use of adult and good humor. With the use of good old slow motion cinematic techniques and animation, Kung Fu Panda rules in terms of standard easily understood humor.

As usual, with any big animation production studios, Dreamworks has perfected (or near there) individualistic artistry. Furs are appropriately staged on the animal characters, the backdrop is fantastic with stereotypical Chinese details. Moreover, the voice-overs are spot on. Watching the making of Kung Fu Panda has me realized that the animators used the exact expressions of the actors when they were doing the voice-overs on the characters. Awesome! The animators had to learn amateurish martial arts to gain a better sense of the movements too. Awesome x 2!

For an animation, the action sequence is pretty impressive. A lot of thought went through the art execution, no doubt this was aided by the crew's compulsory martial arts training. Hence, the fighting scenes in the movie could probably be on par with... say... an Americanized kung fu film? I guess one of the major problems facing animation film makers today is how to recreate humor in a cartoon. Indeed, with the proliferation of animated movies, it is an ardent task. Kung Fu Panda is probably one of the pioneers in using the traditional slow motion capture that we used to see on the screen in comedies. Great job, I say.

Even though Kung Fu Panda has a damnably predictable plot line, the characters are just so lovable and engaging that it is difficult to fault this movie on anything. Po is simply a Jack Black incarnation and Dustin Hoffman's Shifu character is adorably cute, what with his eye twitches and furry ears. Oogway's - the name is a misspelled version of the Chinese word for turtle - quivering neck is such a source of distractive entertainment too.

Surprisingly, the music should be applauded for extreme effort in getting the whole Chinese spiritual feel. The original score has utilized the traditional musical elements of Chinese orchestra. Added to the fun aspect, the well-known "everybody loves kung fu fighting~" song is added to the mix.

In all, I must say that Kung Fu Panda is a celebration for those kiddos who love to imagine themselves as kung fu masters! Go watch it now.