A big check for Samurai-X!

Last Friday…

Cindy: Let’s watch a movie later.
Me: Okay!
Cindy: Rurouni Kenshin.
Me: Uhhh… ehhhh… Maglalaba pala ako.

I didn’t want to watch Kenshin because it’s not my 90’s anime of choice. I preferred Sailor Moon over Samurai X. I also did not want to go to MOA and face the Friday night traffic. But I couldn’t say no Cindy.

image image

Cindy: Sige na. Bukas ka na maglaba.
Me: Kung hindi lang kita mahal, hindi ako manonood ng Kenshin!

My other friends who already saw the live action movie all said that it kicked some serious ass so I just told myself that it can’t be that bad for me. The only things I know about Kenshin is that he wears a red (or burgundy?) kimono and that he’s a battousai (slayer). I checked the Wikipedia page of Rurouni Kenshin to equip my mind of the things to come and so I wouldn’t be slow in understanding the 2-hour Japanese film.

image

I was not at all surprised when people clapped after the movie. Ang ganda ganda GANDA!!!!!!!!!  I even updated my Facebook profile with-  “Kenshin, Kenshin, you’re the best! Kenshin, Kenshin, above the rest. Gooooooo Kenshin!” :p I did not mind the uncomfortable seats in the cinema and relying on subtitles the whole time because of the fast and the furious fight scenes that made blood and violence visually appealing and the nakaka-kilig moments of Kenshin and Kaoru.

imageimage

I read that there’s going to have a sequel and I plan on reading the manga and watching the anime to prepare for it. Btw, I call it cartoons and I get condescending looks because of it. Anime is Japanese cartoons.  I don’t see the point of being technical. Anyhoodles, if the sequel is another SM Cinema-exclusive, I will have no qualms of going to any of my least favorite malls- MOA and Megamall. Anything and anywhere for The Wanderer! Hahaha!

image

I liked the movie so much that when Cindy and I had coffee after, I told the CBTL barista that my name is Kaoru. :p

—–

listening to: Sting – Roxanne

The End (It’s About Time) of The Twilight Saga

The last installment of the Twilight Saga is actually pretty good. And no. I have not gone cuckoo. Breaking Dawn Part 2 is the best (but this ain’t saying much hahaha) among the 5 movies.

image

And the reasons why I think so are…

1. Forget Edward the constipated-looking vampire. Forget Jacob the pedo-werewolf. Ang gwapo ni Carlisle!!! Ampogiiiii!!!

image

2. Fine. Forget Carlisle. Ang ganda ni Alice!!! I happen to have a girlcrush on Ashley Greene. I really think she’s gorgeous. And fyi, she and Olivia Wilde have some girl to girl action in quite forgettable movie, Butter.

image

3. Her name is weird but Renesmee is pretty cute. My imagination’s pretty spot on when I was reading the book. The kid in the movie looks exactly like the kid I pictured. And yeah. I read all 4 books. You can ask me why but I do not have to answer. Hehe.

image

4. The father and daughter scene made tear up because I remembered my Daddy when Charlie was attempting to crack a joke even when he looked as if he’s gonna break down any minute and I was so happy for Kristen Stewart for showing some semblance of emotion in that scene.

image

5. I did not expect such awesome fight scenes. The battle of The Cullens (and friends) versus The Volturi entertained me more than the whole of Skyfall. Ang daming pugutan ng ulo! Yehey!!! Bwahahaha!!!!!

image

6. The OST is beautiful. I don’t care what you think, music snobs. I’m downloading the entire album and listening to A Thousand Years by Christina Perri.

image

I’m happy with how the movie version of the Twilight series ended. And some are just happy that it finally ended. Haha.

—–

listening to: Iron & Wine – Always On My Mind

Halloween 2012

I will share bits and pieces of my October 31 to November 4. It’s Halloween and All Saints and All Souls and regular days but I don’t want to name this entry Undas Weekend! :p

—–

As mentioned in my last post, I have not experienced trick-or-treating yet. In fact, the most Halloweeney thing that happened to me last October 31 was when I ate (beef) papaitan for the first time. Thanks (?) to Enzo! To those who do not know what it is, it’s INNARDS STEW. It’s a bitter soup with tripe, heart, liver, intestine and others. What makes it bitter? BILE. I quickly drowned the icky taste with beer. Much as I did not enjoy this first time, I can’t say it’s also the last time because I promised myself that someday (hopefully not soon) that I will eat papaitang kambing. Yes, goat. Meh!!!

image

Mang Rudy’s Grill Beef Papaitan. Charming, isn’t it?

—–

I spent November 1 mostly at home. Only went to Cash & Carry to get some toiletries andsatisfy my craving for gyoza and bibingka. Weird combo eh? Try mo. Masarap. Thought of watching a movie alone but they weren’t screening Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay, so I went home instead and read a Gaiman book.

—–

November 2, I was in the office. Yeah, you read that right. I worked during the holiday. Nothing new. And in observance of All Souls’ Day, I watched Casper. Devon Sawa was a cutie! Also saw some baduy Tagalog horror movies in Cinema 1.

—–

November 3, I was comfortably lying on the sofa watching a dessert challenge in Masterchef when my friend Jero invited me out to eat. Busog pa ako so I said yes but suggested we see the latest Bond movie too– Skyfall. So we went to Resorts World. Dinner at Kenny Rogers first before the movie.

image

Kenny Rogers Healthy Plate + muffin

I had this embarrassing convo with the waitstaff:

Me: Miss, isang Healthy Plate sa akin.
Waitstaff: Okay, ma’am.
Me: Miss, pwedeng pa-change ‘yung kasamang iced tea to soda?
Waitstaff: Ma’am, hindi po.
Me: Ay, bakit?
Waitstaff: Hindi na po healthy ‘yon.

The customer is always right? Wrong. ay point nga naman si ate. Oo nga naman. Ako na ang hindi tumutupad sa rules ng isang healthy plate! :p

—–

image

the 23rd spy film in the James Bond series

Skyfall. Mmmm hmmm mmmm, Skyfall. It was okay. Sorry, Bond fans. It was JUST okay. The first half was interesting and promising. The 2nd half was dragging and I had to fight to stay awake. It’s not as sexy and action-packed as I expected it to be. And sorry, I do agree that Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva is one of the creepiest Bond villains ever but I wish he was made more sinister.

Too bad Bond girl Berenice Marlohe’s character did not live long. Sayang. Ang sexy pa naman niya! And sorry friends, Adele’s song is also just okay for me. I don’t regret watching it though.  Loved the chase in Turkey and the word association. While the serious dialogue was blah, the humour was good. I’ve always been a sucker for dry, British humour.

—–

And lastly, November 4. The highlight of this day was the service at Victory Pioneer. The last leg of the The End Series was about heaven, aptly called The Never-Ending Story. I don’t know about you but I believe in heaven and hell. I would like to go to the former and one of the best things I heard about what kind of place heaven is is this:

“Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.”

Sabi nga ni Pastor Robert, Creation happened in only 6 days, and it’s magnificent! What more ang heaven, eh more than 2,000 years nang pine-prepare ni Jesus ang heaven para sa atin. To listen to The End series, please visit http://victorypioneer.org/podcasts/the-end. 🙂

—–

Belated Happy Halloween! 😉

—–

listening to: Backstreet Boys – Everybody

Five Things About The Mistress

image{the cast of The Mistress}

1. Ayoko sanang panoorin ito kahit pa ang daming magagandang reviews kasi may cringe factor ‘yung age gap ni Bea Alonzo at Ronaldo Valdez. Ano ba. Hindi niyo ba naaalala na siya ang lolo ni Cedie?

2. Napilitan ako manood dahil gusto manood ng pinsan ko na lumuwas pa ng Maynila mula sa Bataan. Ang galing ng cast. Grabe. Tutok na tutok ako sa lahat ng eksena lalo na sa mga eksena na kasama si Hilda Koronel. I love her. Btw, hindi ko talaga naatim tignan ang love scenes nila Bea at Mr. Valdez. Pumikit ako at nagtalukbong ng shawl.

3. Ay, John Lloyd. *buntong hininga* Gustong-gusto ko ang karakter niya dito as JD/Eric. Straight forward, romantiko, well-dressed. Attractive ang noo ni John Lloyd. Gusto ko lang sabihin pero hindi niyo pwede malaman kung bakit.

4. Simpleng istorya na madating. Na-appreciate ko na wala itong “fantasy” ending. Gusto ko rin ang mga confrontation scenes. Tama lang rin ang sulpot ng mga nakakatawang eksena at sundot ng mga parte na paluluhain ka.

5. Popoy and Basha > JD and Sari Maganda ang kalidad ng The Mistress pero hindi pa rin nito kayang patumbahin ang bigat ng One More Chance. Kahit pa may love scenes si Bea at Lloydie sa TM, wala pa rin ito kumpara sa mga batuhan ng linya sa OMC.

Ito ang paborito kong dialogue sa The Mistress:

Sari: Ang kunwari ba pwedeng maging totoo?
JD: Kung gusto mo.
Sari: Natatakot akong maniwala.
JD: Release your fears, Sari.

Buti na lang diyan na ako nakaka-relate at hindi na sa “Sana ako pa rin. Ako na lang. Ako na lang ulit.” HAHAHAHA

—–

listening to: Parokya ni Edgar – Halaga

ZOMG TDKR!!!

Taking a break from my busy sched to talk about The Dark Knight Rises!

image

Saw it on its 3rd screening day. The only avilable tickets were for 11:45pm. Quite late but we got them anyway. Couldn’t let the weekend pass without seeing Bruce Wayne aka Batman aka my one true love. :p

Somebody told me spoilers the day before and it fucking pissed me off. I will not do the same to you, so feel free to finish reading this post. 🙂

image

I was sad to see the last of the Nolan-Bale collaboration end but I was relieved that they made a great end to the Dark Knight trilogy. Still, Batman Begins is my favorite (because I’m a sucker for firsts) and The Dark Knight is the best, just because it’s the darkest among the 3 aaaaannnddd Heath Ledger (RIP) was an amazing Joker.

image

The news about the bombing in Colorado at the TDKR premiere was heartbreaking. If only Batman were real, I’m sure he’d take the bastard out and run him over with the Bat Pod. Christian Bale *swoons* visited the victims and it’s a reminder that a person doesn’t have to be a superhero to reach out.

image

The friend I watched with is a Batman geek and he said that Anne Hathaway makes a terrific Catwoman, true to the comics. Well, I dunno. I’ve never read any of the comics but I agree that Hathaway on the Bat Pod is over the top hot!!! That’s the only part of the movie that rivaled my reaction upon seeing a shirtless Bruce Wayne. Christian Bale in American Psycho is the yummiest though.

image

As you may have already noticed, this is more of a Christian Bale than a Batman post. Sorry. I’ve been crushing on Christian Charles Philip Bale since 1994. He’s Laurie in Little Women— the guy that Jo March (Winona Ryder) friendzones and marries the youngest March sister. In real life, Christian married Sibi Blazic– Winona’s make-up artist/p.a. in Little Women. Lucky bitch.

image

Okaaayyy… going back to TDKR, the rest of the cast was superb. Yaaaaay for Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth), Joseph Gordon Levitt (Blake. Another hottie!), Gary Oldman (Commissioner Gordon), Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate) and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox). Boooo Tom Hardy! But kudos to him for gaining x number of pounds just to play Bane.

image

* If you haven’t seen TDKR yet, stop right here. Thanks for reading. If you already saw it, read on.

Here are my favorite lines from TDKR…

Roland Daggett: You’re pure evil!
Bane: I’m necessary evil.

Batman: No guns, no killing.
Catwoman: Where’s the fun in that?

Selina Kyle: Do you think this is gonna last? There’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you’re all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us.

Bane: When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die.

Bruce Wayne: I’m not afraid. I’m angry.

Bruce Wayne: That’s a brazen costume for a cat burglar.

Bane: doesn’t matter who we are… what matters is our plan. No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.

Bane: I wondered what would break first. Your spirit? Or your body?

Alfred: You see only one end to your journey. Sometimes, a man rises from the darkness.

Blake: When you cleaned up the streets, you’ve cleaned them good. Pretty soon we’ll be chasing down over-due library books.

Al Ghul: If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal… you become something else entirely. A legend, Mr. Wayne, a legend!

I CAN’T WAIT TO WATCH TDKR AGAIN!!! 😀

—–

listening to: Rihanna – Where Have You Been

Thor and Friends

DISCLAIMER: Oo na, in love ako kay Thor kaya ‘yan ang title. :p Hello, this is my post about The Avengers. 😀

The long wait for the epic superhero mash-up movie was worth it! I saw it last Saturday and I’m planning to see it again! I’m sure a lot of you have seen it twice or even more! Director Joss Wheddon did a superb job in making all of the Avengers shine. Well… Iron Man’s easily the superstar but we can blame his rockstar attitude for it. :p

image
(fan art)

I have no plan to write a review because I’m sure everybody knows it’s a huge success. It’s made already more than 100million pesos here in the Philippines.

Let me just share my thoughts/reactions for each and every major character/or the actors that played them. 😀

THOR – The story of your solo movie was boring (sorry, baby) but you are still my favorite Avenger because of your absofuckinlutely hot body, sexy dirty blond locks, not-so-easy-to-understand-but-mesmerizing-anyway accent, and intense sense of entitlement. I looooooove yoooooouuuuuu.

CAPTAIN AMERICA – Oh captain, my captain… your altruism is endearing. I loved the scene when you rescued the old man from Loki’s crazy wrath. I hope that in the next film, you will already have a new love interest. I hope it’s not that blonde waitress that thanked you at the end of the movie.

image

BLACK WIDOW – Scarlett’s appearance was the first that put me at the edge of my seat. The escape scene was remarkably entertaining. Hehe @ “let me put you on hold!” You are my girl crush. ❤ Your unspoken relationship with Hawkeye is intriguing but I don’t really care much about him. I’m not a fan of Jeremy Renner. :\

NICK FURY – Always delightful but definitely eclipsed by Agent Phil Coulson in this movie. I shed tears when Nick Fury brought out Coulson’s bloodstained vintage Captain America cards.

THE HULK – Mark Ruffalo displayed the shyness and reluctance I expected from Bruce Banner. And since this movie is for kids and kids at heart (PG 13), I think he’s a better choice than Ed Norton. Also, I have loved Mark Ruffalo since 13 Going on 30. The Hulk, I guess is the fave Avenger of kids. I’m basing this on how the kids became happy-noisy when he was tossing Loki around. Actually, kasama ako sa tawa ng tawa sa scene na ‘yon. :p

image

LOKI – Tom Hiddleston’s an excellent power-hungry, revenge-driven psychogod. I think he’s the best of The Avengers cast. I look forward in watching him in Henry V and Thor 2. He played author F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris.

IRON MAN – Take Iron Man out of The Avengers and it will be crap. Take Tony Stark out of the suit and he will still be smashing in his Black Sabbath shirts. I take back what I said about Tom Hiddleston being the best. It will always be Robert Downey Jr. 🙂 Here’s a clip of Iron Man vs Thor… Kinikilig ako!!!!!!!!! http://themovieblog.com/2012/clip-thor-vs-iron-man-in-the-avengers-movie/

image

The Avengers is, without any doubt, a crowd pleaser even to us non-comic geeks. Even Ted Mosby knows this and said, “Kids, in the summer of 2012, your Aunt Robin decided to join the Avengers.”

image

😉

—–

listening to: Wiz Khalifa – Young, Wild and Free

Happy With Happy Feet 2

Synopsis: A second skid round the rink with Mumble (Elijah Wood), Gloria (Alecia “Pink” Moore), their offspring Erik (Ava Acres) and their singing, stomping emperor penguin colony. This time, an ice block crashes into their Antarctic home, blocking the penguins from the sea and leaving the Glee-style troupe with only their love of 80s pop-funk for sustenance. But the real fun’s under the ice, where Brad Pitt and Matt Damon yuk it up as Will and Bill the krill. Will, though – determined to be “one in a krillion” – is treated shabbily by Happy Feet Two, which preaches acceptance but requires assimilation. You dance or you die. Join the party, swim with the swarm.

Source: The Guardian

—–

This will be quick.

Here are the 5 reasons why I liked this movie.

1. Eric is sooooooo cute!!! He’s cuter than Mumble imho. :p He’s also got better talent hahaha! Won’t say what ‘coz it will just spoil the movie for you. 🙂

2. The baby elephant seals are sooooo cuuuuuute too!

Yep, I’m a sucker for cuteness. And baby animals!

3. I love Robin Williams! He’s back for the dual birdy roles of Ramon and Lovelace. His love story with Carmen (Sofia Vergara) is hilarious. Sample:

Carmen: You are beautiful, Ramon!
Ramon: But only on the outside.

And this is Ramon.

Sorry, didn’t like P!nk so much as Brittany Murphy’s replacement. Huhuhu, Brit, why’d you have to die? 😦 Wala ako paki kay Elijah Wood, but I liked some cheesy lines of Mumble to his son.

4. Feel good OST! We are the champions my frieeeennnnndddd! And I don’t know ’bout you but I like the song Papa Oom Mow Mow! And Mighty Sven, the penguin/puffin danced to this. At sumayaw rin ako sa upuan ko.

5. The Brad Pitt and Matt Damon bromance. I don’t think this needs an explanation.

If you haven’t seen this yet, go find time to watch with your kids or nephews or nieces! Or your friends that are kids at heart. 🙂

—–

listening to: P!nk – Bridge of Light

Bella Cullen

Joko and I were one of the lucky ones who got to see Breaking Dawn Part 1 on its 1st screening day last Friday at Powerplant Mall. Luckier because there were lots of freebies! Ice cream, cereal, potato chips, lotion, gum, sausages, and even detergent! Hehehe! Thanks to Star Movies VIP Access for the free tickets. 🙂

Anyway, here are my thoughts on “the most anticipated film of the year”. Bwahahaha. I can almost hear all the Twilight-haters scream fuck you in my ear!!! :p

1. It’s definitely better than the book. I read all 4 books and hated books 2-4. The movies are so-so because of…

2. Jacob Black. I’ve loved Taylor’s Lautner since Cheaper by The Dozen 2. I really think he’s one good looking kid. I just try to avert looking at his neck because it reminds me of a giraffe’s/llama’s. Wala pang 20secs, pinakita na siyang shirtless dito sa movie! Yown!!!

3. Good job, Twilight peeps for using Iron & Wine’s song, Flightless Bird, American Mouth again. This is one of my most fave songs in the world and I was totally kilig when this was playing in the wedding scene. This was also used in the 1st movie. Prom scene.

4. Liked Mr.&Mrs.Cullen’s honeymoon in Brazil. Nope. I did not find the violent bed-destroying sex exciting. I just found Bella’s hunger for vampire sex entertaining. Don’t worry. There’s gonna be a lot of vampire sex in Part 2.

5. Alice Cullen. She’s exceptionally pretty here. Akala ko ba dapat si Rosalie ang mas maganda? Mukha siyang lalake kaya. Oh, Alice! Haaaay. I have a big crush on Ashley Greene. 🙂

6. Edward… Edward… What do I have to say about Robert Pattinson… he really looks like a sissy vampire in this film. But the soft tender character was effective when he’s listening to the demon-fetus’ thoughts and tells Bella, “He (akala nila lalake eh) likes listening to your voice.”

7. Freaky pregnant Bella (think Gollum) and the icky birth of Renesmee. Kristen Stewart looked more constipated than ever when she was preggers. Even when Renesmee was clawing out of her, Bella still had the emotional range of a rock. :p

8. Kickass imprinting scene! Well, kickass when they showed Renesmee from CGI-heavy baby to not-so-pretty teenager. The idea of an 18-year old werewolf imprinting on his quasi-gf/bestfriend’s daughter is still gross.

 <— Renesmee! :p

9. Bella wakes up from her coma (or death… and kilometric flashback) as a vampire. That’s the last scene. And she really makes a beautiful vampire. I really hope that for Part 2, the filmmakers makes her the strong Bella she is portrayed in the book. Please lang, no more poker face.

10. Stay for the after-credits. See the Volturi being grammar nazis.

It’s a neat 2nd to the last movie. I can’t wait to see the last one.

And for a lot of you, I’m sure you just can’t wait for all the Twilight everything to end.

Konting tiis na lang! :p

—–

listening to: Iron & Wine – Flightless Bird, American Mouth

Please deposit 2 months.

Synopsis:

In a future where people stop aging at 25, but are engineered to live only one more year, having the means to buy your way out of the situation is a shot at immortal youth. Here, Will Salas finds himself accused of murder and on the run with a hostage – a connection that becomes an important part of the way against the system.

– Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1637688/

It was unusual not seeing any Fb posts or tweets about IN TIME when it has a roster of talented and gorgeous actors to boot. It has Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde, Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men), Matt Bomer (White Collar), Alex Pettyfer (Beastly), and Johnny Galecki (Big Bang Theory)!

Even my fellow die-hard JT fans have been quiet about it. Well, ok, except for the occasional “Ang gwapo mo, Justin!!!”. It was a mystery to me why I didn’t see any rants or raves about this sci-fi film UNTIL Thursday night when I watched it myself.

Aha. It’s because there’s nothing genius about this movie. The premise is really intriguing BUT the director/writers/otherpeopleIcanblame did not manage to pull it off. If you’ve seen this, then you’d understand the title of my entry. IF you remember that the toll to New Greenwich is 2 months. That’s how much I’d be willing to pay for this film. IF I HAD AT LEAST A DECADE TICKING ON MY ARM!!!

Acting, hmm… Cillian Murphy always scores high in my book. Loved him here even if he’s the only one who doesn’t look 25 in this movie. Maybe because being a Timekeeper is very stressful! I think JT’s better here than in The Social Network. This is probably because of the bias that I would rather see him as a hot innocent fugitive than a techie douchebag. It’s too bad that there’s no sizzle in his onscreen partnership with Amanda Seyfried. In sexual chemistry, Mila Kunis wins.

The set is beautiful, I liked the retro-references to the 50’s and 60’s. The dialogue is mediocre with lines of potential genius ruined by being said twice. Seriously, guys, if you want a tagline to sound brilliant, do not make the characters repeat it.

Final note, the film is a gigantic middle, with no preamble of why time became the currency and no real ending- unless you want to count Justin and Amanda’s lukewarm take on Bonnie and Clyde.

Still, I’m glad I watched this in the cinema. Seeing JT in the big screen is always a welcome situation.

—–

listening to: Bonnie Tyler – Holding Out For a Hero

%d bloggers like this: