Foreign Entertainment

More from Mitchell
Ooh, another BBC show starring David Mitchell. That's certainly something worth keeping an eye on, right? The show in question is The Bubble and it features the aforementioned comedian as the host of the show. It started its run on February 19th and is a four part show that will run until the 12th of March.

The show itself is an interesting concept. You grab hold of three celebrities and keep them in an isolated spot for four days. Well, it's not so much isolated as cut off from any new sources. Thus, these guys will be blissfully unaware of what was happening in the world when they were holed up in that location. Hence, you know, the title 'The Bubble'. Boy, I'd hate to be these guys if there was a zombie take-over of the country and they were uninformed of evacuation notices. Read more

Russell Howard's Good News
If you are familiar with Mock the Week, then you're already familiar with Russell Howard, a comedian who is a regular on that show. Well, if you love his brand of humor, be sure to check out Russell Howard's Good News.

RHGN is news satire show that started out in October 2009. Like other shows of the genre, this one examines various news that have been making headlines and, more often than not, makes you laugh about its (sometimes unintentionally) weird little aspects. Incidentally, the show is coming back for a second season later this year.

The show itself is divided into several sections which include Sports, Politics and Law and Order. Other sections are usually feel-good stories from the news as well as cutesy ones about little kids. Read more

Everything about Japan is a condensed version of what happens in other cultures. Tokyo is a city of cities, equal parts Manhattan, Las Vegas, Paris and Hong Kong. The country villages are like a bullion of provincial charm. And as for Japanese pop culture, it too operates on a much more intense, insular level than its counterparts in the West. Take the music scene in Japan in the 1990's, for instance. It was a sort of artistic renaissance in every sense of the word. Not only was there a boom in the number of unique artists in the recording studios of Tokyo, Hiroshima and Sapporo, there was also a refreshingly international flavor to the clear influences of the artists. For the first time in the history of pop music, Japanese artists made a splash beyond their own borders.

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Can it get any worse than this? Oh yes!

It's been a while since I made a list of must-watch Indian flicks. So I put together a list of weird and wonderful fantasy movies. I figured that it would be interesting to discover what type of stories about myth and magic would pop up from this part of the world. Well, a lot of what I found (ones based on mythology) was fascinating. But then there were the others, the stranger ones that defied any form of explanation. Check out these two gems.

Dude, what's with the horse mask?

Ajooba

Alright, so it is a tad unfair to pick on this one. It is a fairly old movie of the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. It probably dates back to the time when the guy could not afford to be as picky about his roles. And admittedly, the story was not bad. Read more

Snow White, if she lived in Wisteria Lane?
Source:Link

Controversial topics are the best ways to get someone's attention. At least that's what marketing and advertising companies seem to think. They aren't wrong about this though. Unless you come up with some really creative visuals (look, I'm on a horse!), chances are folks will forget about your product. Let's not even mention those unfortunate ads that we all fast forward; doesn't matter how well-done it is, we want to know if John Shepard from SG Atlantis does snuff the life out of the evil wraith! Well, I came across a few quirky foreign ads that will …. linger in your mind. A lot of them are a bit 'in your face', others are slightly out there. You've been warned.

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Big Man Japan's enemies
Big Man Japan or Dainihonjin had made headlines last year where everyone raved a bit about its quirky trailers. It was supposed to be a comical take on the whole superhero lifestyle. Well, I was finally able to watch this movie and I must say it was well worth the wait.

This movie is a bizarre little presentation of the daily life of a Japanese superhero. The man is a bit of a has-been. His family life has fallen apart. The local folks don't really like him. In fact, everyone is rather annoyed at the amount of damages done to the area after every monster fight. And let's not get started on monetary issues …

Basically, it is the portrayal of the less glamorous side of such a figure. Sure Bruce Wayne has his mansion and Clark Kent has … a well paying job but is that really how it works? Read more

Let the games begin
I've had to wait for a while before I could watch this one. But it was well worth it. The movie in question is Icelandic comedy called Astropia (I refuse to call it Dorks and Damsels, which sounds way too silly). With its references to comic books, sci-fi classics and RPG gaming sessions, this book is a geek's dream come true.

The story revolves around a somewhat ditzy model called Hildur. Maybe calling her ditzy is a bit harsh but ... she has made some bad decisions regarding her life. For one thing she is dating this sleazy car salesman who is in trouble with authorities for money issues. Well, once he ends up in jail, she has to bunk in with friends and figure out what to do with her life. Now, she needs a job. Read more

Super Conan
A friend pointed out this Chinese animated news story about the whole Conan/Leno kerfuffle. Can I just say that this was one of the best summaries of the event I have seen so far, not to mention really entertaining? Looks like they add animated updates about a number of news events, most of which, I must admit, are local news presented in Chinese.

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Grr, who ate the boss' lunch?
You know what's interesting about anime and manga that detail diabolical plans for world domination and what not? Lovable henchmen, that's what. Show me a story that has an evil genius hellbent on taking over the world and, more often than not, he will have a charismatic minion who distracts most of us from the rest of the story. Or worse, have us rooting for him throughout the tale. Of course, creating likable henchman is not an easy task; many have epic fails when overtaking such a venture. Well, let's check out those that make it to this list.

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She's having a bit too much fun?
Can I just say this now … I hope never to see anyone try this in a public place. So far I have been lucky, unlike this poor bloke. Yea, if I were him in that situation, I would be traumatized too.

The topic in question is a saddle-like exercise gear. You know, you get this machine which has a saddle that moves (shakes? Gyrates? Grinds?) under you. As if that was not bad enough, turns out, you can set it to different speeds. Ooooh, this is just as bad as that jerky-hand-motion dumbell!
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