On Watching the Watchmen

I really liked this movie...I've been 'warned' by some people that I might not enjoy it since I'm not familiar with the story/graphic novel, but I think that actually worked to my benefit.

What ensued was a weave of stories flashing back and forth to show us the lives of these superheroes. And of course, how it relates to the central plot of the world being on the brink of nuclear war, and with a 'the end justifies the means' moment that was slightly predictable but still unsettling. It's a long movie, (approx 2h40mins), but it was entertaining enough to keep from dragging.

The only thing I didn't like much, was how Laurie Jupiter acted. Actually, she didn't bother me so much while I was watching it, but when my sister pointed the fact out while we were discussing it, I agreed with her. She wasn't terrible, just okay. Not unlike the rest of the Watchmen who were totally absorbed in their roles. My favorite was Rorschach, How could I not like him? He was totally bad-ass. :D

Warning to the squeamish...it has some very graphic, brutal scenes. But hey, it is from a graphic novel right?

I have to reiterate, I really liked this movie... I'm sure it's not for everyone, but if you're looking for something worth the price of your admission ticket, the running time alone should make it worthwhile. Who knows, you might actually enjoy it as much as I did. :)

Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon. - Rorschach

I Want to be the Exception :)

A couple of years ago, there was all this craze about a book called 'He's Just Not That Into You'. It's a 'self-help' book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, who were both working in one of my favorite sitcoms, Sex and the City. The book lists down the 'signs' if a man is not 'into' a woman in a no-nonsense, straightforward way, like 'He's Just Not That Into You, If He's Not Asking You Out, Because If He Likes You, Trust Me, He Will Ask You Out'. I borrowed a copy of the book and read through it, but I didn't like it. I didn't find it enjoyable, or empowering...I found myself questioning it and insisting it didn't apply to Filipino culture. So, I just read it and promptly forgot about it.

Fast forward 5 years later, and I am reminded of the book because it has now been made into a movie, starring Jennifer Anniston, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson among others.

So, along with some of my office pals, we went to watch the screening in a full-packed (read: full-packed) G4 cinema. Let me tell you, it was really fun to watch. And I absolutely loved it, and I couldn't help agreeing with the points it mentioned. Sooo....I found a copy of the book and re-read it, just to see if I would change my mind about it. Granted, I still did not find it 'enjoyable' to read, but now I agree with most, if not all of the points mentioned. So yes, I guess now I do feel empowered by it. But anyway, back to the movie, it's really a must see for all the ladies out there. I'm sure you'll relate to at least one of the story arcs, and it was all beautifully done, I wouldn't mind seeing it again (like tomorrow), hehehe. The pic below was taken after the movie, thanks to Dianne for making the collage.

So, why did I like the movie so much? Well, it was honest, it was believable, relate-able(?), and it really showed how vulnerable women feel at times. But what I like most about it, which I didn't find in the book, was that it gives us hope. No matter how empowered we have become, it gives us hope, that we too can still be the exception to the rule. Yes, there are signs that show how men are just not into us, but there are exceptions... and I know that we have to think of ourselves as the rule and not the exception, but I want to be an exception, I dunno, it seems sweeter that way. If all I said in this paragraph is gibberish to you, it means you haven't watched the movie yet, trust me it'll make sense if you do.

Bottom line is, it really depends on how you interpret the movie or the book and whether you agree or not, it's up to you. Me, I just wanted to say my piece. :)

VLLMA Encore and Hairspray

And the great Apple finally decided to grace us with her presence. :)

We finally got hold of our dear "mommy" for lunch @ North Park yesterday. As usual, she was her apple-licious self, full of stories and anecdotes that made us laugh all throughout lunch. Unfortunately, Les wasn't able to join us then so it still wasn't a VLLMA get-together.

Les did join Mich, Lui and me to see Hairspray after office. Cute movie, John Travolta was convincing in drag. :) I liked the songs, and of course panalo si Tracy Turnbland! Played by Nikki Blonsky, and High School musical's Zac Efron also joins the cast as Tracy's love interest. Other notable actors in this film are Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Elijah Kelley and Amanda Bynes.

Then, afterwards we had dinner at Cafe Breton for some crepes and coffee...and hot chocolate...and hot milk. :) To quote Lui's quote "A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent."

To end this post, I leave you with some lines from each of Hairspray's main characters.

Tracy Turnblad: I'm a bad, bad girl who needs to be punished.

Amber von Tussel: Right now, as we speak, your daughter has entered a hotbed of moral... turpentine.

Penny Pingleton: [about Amber] Plastic little spastic.

Edna Turnblad: [singing] You can't stop my happiness, 'cuz I like the way I am. And you just can't stop my knife and fork when I see a Christmas ham! And if you don't like the way I look, then I just don't give a damn!

Link Larkin: I was just at home, practicing my new twist on The Twist, when I overheard it on the news. I can't believe Tracy savagely bludgeoned an Eagle Scout. That's just not like her.

Seaweed: Calm down, cracker boy, it's cool.

Velma Von Tussle: Incredible! I could do a fan dance with a lettuce leaf and you would remain completely obtuse!

Motormouth Maybelle: Well, love is a gift, a lot of people don't remember that. So, you two better brace yourselves for a whole lotta ugly comin' at you from a neverending parade of stupid.

...and last but not the least!

Wilbur Turnblad: Honey, it took me five years to realize you were flirting! **Geekyobserver's comment: Typical male! :)

Hairspray Info Source: IMDB.com

The Order of the Phoenix

I can't bring myself to speak ill of the movie, no matter how many cuts, changes, ommissions, additions and modifications they put in to make the whole thing understandabable to non-readers or for the whole production (870 pages worth) to fit into a two hour movie.

To me, Order of the Phoenix is a lot more fulfilling if you've read the book. The most common rant I hear about it is "nothing much happened", people seemed to expect so much more from this movie...but for those who know the book, we know that nothing much did happen...and since it was constrained to fit into a two-hour or so movie, the things that did happen (or of a particular significance) had to be rewritten or not shown altogether (Quidditch, Kreacher, Sirius' mum, Snape vs. Sirius, Occlumency (in detail), Draco and the Inquisitorial squad, the mirror, Rita Skeeter, Percy Weasley etc. etc.)

I do have some complaints... Occlumency for one, should have been given more emphasis. Draco and Snape's characters could have been more developed, as they do play bigger parts in Half Blood Prince. Lupin could have shown up more, and I think they should have explained the prophecy and the Order of the Phoenix more.



But the fight at the Ministry of Magic was just...magic. :)

I loved the way the Death Eaters and the members of the Order were shown as swirling masses of black and white, occassionally transforming into themselves, waving their wands and casting spells and jinxes at each other.

And the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort? Awesome.


All in all, anything that brings Harry Potter to life is an achievement in its own right. David Yates did a pretty good job bringing to the big screen Harry's fifth year in Hogwarts. I wish they would hurry up with the 6th and 7th movies though... as the gang is really getting older... (and hotter) over the years *grin*.


Six days to go before Book 7. And then it will all be over... :( I can't help but feel sad about the whole thing, but I can't wait to find out what happens next. I just hope that Snape (my favorite character) redeems himself in the end...although that would almost certainly bring about his death. Is he 1 of the deaths JKR was talking about? I hope not... but I just don't know how else he could be redeemed for what he did in Half Blood Prince if not to die in the act of saving Harry (provided that he is in fact good, which we don't know yet). I really wish JKR would do him, and everyone else, justice in the final book.

This is going to be a short post...

Transformers, one word, WOW!. :)

Obivously, my Palm has done nothing to help me blog more... :)

Updates, updates... last July 7 marked the start of the PalakaSun Badminton Tournament, as one of the members of the Red team, we must congratulate the Blue team for almost totally defeating us in all levels, save for one. My partner Louie and I, lost to Arren and Jaime 21-23, 23-21, 11-6. Dang.

Oh well, it's just the first match of the tourney, this week it's Red vs. Green. Good luck to us. :)

I'm currently training at Oracle, taking up Data Modeling and Relational DB design. It's interesting...but somehow not as I expected. The fact that we're in the middle of a storm is not helping. And I spend most of the afternoons freezing in that cold, cold training room listening to the instructor talk about entities and relationships and attributes and denormalization...

My relatives from Hawaii and England are also in town. We're all going to Baguio next week for some family bonding. :) I'm just hoping the weather improves... Baguio was declared a state of calamity today because of landslides and floods... :( But we have faith, hopefully the weather would clear up by Monday.

Oh, and yes, Pirates! The heavy rains and heavy floods did not stop us from watching the Pirates Opening Night. I love Jack Sparrow! :) Although I felt the 2nd movie was somewhat longer and a bit "messy", I was still thoroughly entertained, and some parts got me laughing so hard my jaw hurt. :)

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. Next week, hopefully I'll have much to say about our trip to Baguio.

Elizabeth Swann: There will come a moment when you have the chance to do the right thing.
Jack Sparrow: I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by.

On Da Vinci and The Last Stand

X3 wins hands down! :)

Hehehe... of course we can't really compare these two, but I didn't like Da Vinci code that much. I think Tom Hanks' performance was just average, and the actress that played Sophie was just so... blah. Ian McKellen as Teabing was a good call, as was Paul Bettany as Silas. :)

I guess this is what happens when you have such high expectations of something, you're bound to be let down.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad movie... not a great one either. The scenery was amazing though, but the subtle changes to the story didn't sit quite well with me. And I don't understand all the brouhaha that's going on about it. Even Sunday mass isn't spared...the movie wasn't all that convincing you know? The book had so much more impact, and it didn't seem to shake the Catholic faith that much now, did it?

Faith is faith. The book and the movie is fiction. Let's leave it at that.

Now, X-Men3 on the other hand, was just amazing! Great effects, great acting, great powers and great story... fun, fun, fun!

And don't leave until after the credits okay? You'll see what I mean.

Hopefully, there's still an X4 in the works.

Ever since I could remember, I've been a fan of musicals... From Grease, to JC Superstar, Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, to Miss Saigon and Les Miserables, to more recent musicals like Moulin Rouge and Chicago... and now, the latest musical to hit mainstream audiences... Rent.

Rent is in my opinion, an AIDS awareness campaign that translates well on stage and on the big screen. The music takes you through the lives of Mark, Mimi, Roger, Collins, Angel, Maureen and Joanne. The story shows us a year in the lives of these people, how so much can happen in 525,600 minutes.

"..Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear. Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles in laughter in strife. In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes - how do you measure a year in the life? How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love... seasons of love...."

I cried a lot during this film... maybe coz I know how it's going to end, so when Collins and Angel were performing "I'll Cover U", tears were already falling from my eyes...and when "Without You" was being sung I was sniffling like crazy.

Guess this shouldn't surprise me... since I was also sad about how Brokeback mountain ended...

But there were also some nice lighthearted moments... like Mark, singing "Tango Maureen", is it just me or does he look a lot like Alton Brown of Good Eats and Iron Chef America? And the cool, cool duet between Maureen and Joanne "Take Me or Leave Me". And Angel's entertaining story involving an Akita named Evita in "Today for U".

If you have time, you should really try to catch it... it's still showing in Greenbelt cinemas.

I'll end this post with a line which was repeated several times during the movie.

"...Forget regret...or life is yours to miss..."

La vie Boheme!