more than meets the eye

took a break yesterday and spent the whole afternoon bumming... and burned 400 bucks in the process. but who cares, i enjoyed it. seeing the transformers on the big screen is soooo worth it.

galing talaga ni optimus prime.

---

spoiler alert:

during the end credits, the (controversial? at least to purists) songs contributed by linkin park and smashing pumpkins were played. thought they were good, but maybe not spectacular.

the part i loved (or at least remembered, the movie was over 2 hours long) was when the geekboy sam brought his new-second hand yellow 1974 camaro (ring any bells?) to the lakeside, hoping to connect with the hot chick mikaela. just as he thought his chance has slipped away, he sees mikaela starting to walk home. suddenly the car's stereo plays drive by the cars. hahahahaha. this whole sequence was just cute. i just can't remember all the songs played in this sequence, though i still remember marvin gaye's sexual healing somewhere there.

just some buzz

thanks to pk for the video clip of m5's makes me wonder. i couldn't play it on my office pc (it has *gasp!* windows media player 2) and i can't wait until i got home... so i bugged officemate larsen, who also loved the new album, to play it on his pc. most people think adam levine is so hot and i'm no exception. dunno why i brought it up, it's such a boring subject. but sorry, this is my blog so i'll do what i want. so sit tight while i sing along to makes me wonder, live @ aol version. (thanks to doug for this one!)

...

ok, song's done.

---

there's a rumor going around about a hardy boys movie, starring tom cruise and ben stiller. actually, it's almost a done deal. but the general consensus seems to be: take tom out of the project. can't imagine him as frank. really. and he's too short. the fanfic i read suggests keanu reeves as frank and matt damon as joe. i'm not that sold on keanu, either... too brooding (or in pinoy slang, o.a.) i like matt just fine, though owen wilson might be a more obvious choice for joe. and after racking my brains, maybe eric bana for frank. yay! that's because i saw lucky you a few weeks ago. it has to be a perfect match, because i love frank! but right now, it just doesn't look good. what can i expect, since frank didn't end up with nancy...

---

ever since i've heard of blackberry i've always wanted to own one. when before i preferred the look of palm, the new bb models are the machines to beat. i'm currently setting my sights on the newest, the blackberry curve. by the time it gets here or maybe in singapore, i'll hopefully have enough money to get it. i wish.

i got you babes

i feel so happy. so invincible. all my worries are so far away. and i forgot about the million things i still have to do tonight. all this because i took the bus to work (one of my least favorite things) and was forced to watch you got me during the trip.

i don’t really go for sam milby. zanjoe marudo is even worse and toni gonzaga is only marginally better. the script needs more work and the story is far out at times. but somehow, the movie left a big impression on me. for today, at least, policeman kevin became the perfect man. i envied moe’s close relationship with her dad. the whole swat ops angle is a bit incredible, especially the role of kevin the i.t. guy in the team. but then, pinoy films are sometimes so unreal that i’m thinking it’s intentional.

maybe it was the closet (or not) romantic in me. maybe it’s the same as going around book sale kiosks and trying to find that romance paperback that will melt my heart – when i’ve got a thousand others collecting dust back at home. romance is associated with cheesiness, just like clichés. but much like clichés getting overused because they are truth, the universal truth is that romance is such a big part of our lives. no matter how tacky it gets.

pop! goes my heart

i remember the first time i passed the billboard at slex, on my way home. immediately i whipped out my mobile and sent a message to my friend nessy, telling her about this new movie with hugh grant and drew barrymore in it... and i forgot the title. eventually, the more i thought about it, the lower my expectations got. still reeling from the disappointment of two weeks' notice, i was determined not to put too much stock on music and lyrics having a seemingly unique plot (80's has-been, anyone?) and two acknowledged romantic comedy mainstays.

fate conspired to let me watch the movie today, alone as usual. my good luck even extended to the ticket booth, where the sales lady allowed me to get the ticket though i was 5 pesos short -- on the other hand, it's their fault for not having change for 500 bucks -- which i didn't forget to give back. so, i lugged my mocha latte and planted myself on one of the back row aisle seats, and got ready to be underwhelmed (but laugh at appropriate intervals).

i'm not really good at writing reviews and i'm too impatient to get into the kind of detail a well-thought-of review requires, so here's what i think off the bat. as usual, hugh grant and drew barrymore prove their mettle as romantic leads. not as spectacular as the chemistry in notting hill and 50 first dates, but at least they made me believe they're who they were supposed to be in the movie. well, except for the pre-recording party where drew wore this amazing white patterned coat over a cute black dress... i'm not sure even now that sophie is more bohemian like most of drew's characters, but the outfit really stood out. the supporting cast was ok, not too many people to get confused about, and haley bennet is probably headed for stardom. the plot is so-so. one review quipped that the romantic development wasn't so convincing, and i agree. maybe the movie got too short to properly take us through the nuances of the love story. much like a fountains of wayne song.

speaking of, i come to my favorite part, which is the soundtrack. the review i read before seeing the movie especially took note of the soundtrack kind of holding the movie together. yes, the one mostly written by fountains of wayne's adam schlesinger (to refresh: they were the ones behind stacy's mom). what i didn't know was that adam is also the one behind that catchy song by the wonders. i truly enjoyed the songs featured in the movie, like the cheesy 80's hit (well, in their universe) that i was singing along to at the beginning of the movie. i'll even go out on a limb here and say that way back into love should seriously be given radio airplay. i just don't remember this song called meaningless kiss they keep bringing up in the reviews. and honestly, i really appreciate the actors being the singers as well. i really do. hugh grant can definitely carry a tune.

and boy, can he dance. well, at least he can do it with gusto as a joke. i seem to remember richard curtis fearing that hugh grant will never again dance in public, following that infamous scene in the hallways of 10 downing street on love, actually. expect the same convoluted running-man, multiply by 100. the hip thrusting gets tired after a while (no pun intended. i know what you're thinking! hahaha!), and it's obviously one of the long-running inside jokes. the producers of this movie obviously saw the other film for them to milk hugh's dancing prowess for all the laughs they could get.

so anyway, to end this pathetic attempt of a review i will say that music and lyrics isn't bad for a typical romantic comedy. i think if you balance your expectations well enough you might actually be pleasantly surprised.

six degrees of separation

the movie marathon, part deux

pride and prejudice (2005)

this book by jane austen was a breakthrough in english literature, with enviable status as a universally acknowledged classic and permeating influence in pop culture. but in spite of its impressive credentials, it became one of my ultra-favorite books simply because of the story.

fast forward 2005: there's a pretty convoluted back story here. the british broadcasting company produced a television mini-series on this book which was shown in 1995. the lead role of mr darcy was played by pre-shakespeare in love colin firth, which caused all of the female british population to fall in love with him. i'm not sure if this mini-series is still playing on lifestyle network, i was just reminded by my friend so i'll have to check it out. a few years later, helen fielding began writing a newspaper column that told the story of a fictional publishing assistant named bridget. one of her love interests is the reserved barrister named mark darcy. in one interview, helen revealed that mark darcy was actually based on colin firth's portrayal of mr darcy, so when bridget jones's diary was made into film, she didn't want anyone else but colin to play mark. now colin and bridget co-star hugh grant starred in another richard curtis screenplay called love actually, along with many other popular british actors. this included hot young actress keira knightley, who now plays the protagonist elizabeth bennet in the 2005 film adaptation of pride and prejudice.

i didn't see this film in the theatre. i actually bought a dvd copy from my friendly office pirata, something i don't do often (honest!), because i was so excited about this movie. i finally watched it when i was on sick leave. it ran 2 hours but then the book really was long-winding, and considering the previous version was a mini-series this is a pretty good abridgement.

in case you're unaware of the story, here it is in a nutshell. elizabeth is the second of five daughters of a not-so-rich family in victorian england. one of the peculiar customs of the time (also a pivotal theme in jane austen's sense and sensibility) is that a family's titles and estate can only be passed down to a male descendant. in absence of a male son, it goes entirely to the nearest male relative. because of this law, none of mr bennet's five daughters will receive any income when mr bennet dies, so the mother is hard pressed to contract advantageous marriages for her daughters so that they (especially the mother) will live comfortably without the bennet estate. enter mr bingley, the new kid in town, nice and genial and moneyed to boot. so mother bennet schemes to get him paired with eldest daughter jane, the beauty of the family. meanwhile, bookworm lizzie had a few verbal tussles with bingley's friend, the older and more remote (but also tons richer) mr darcy. despite all appearances, nothing was settled between jane and bingley, and lizzie discovers afterward that darcy was the culprit. but surprise, surprise! darcy declares love (albeit unwilling) for our heroine, which she did not accept (hello! like, where in hell did that come from?).

a few months later, lizzie went on a sightseeing trip with her favorite aunt and uncle, and they ended up in mr darcy's home town. they inevitably crossed paths with darcy, and lizzie discovered a different side to her erstwhile nemesis. however the idyllic reunion was cut short when lizzie's ditzy sister (in other words, talandi) ran off with a british officer, remotely related to darcy. because of the scandal, the family had to come after the lovers so lizzie had to go home. it was all settled eventually, but lizzie learned later that mr darcy had plenty to do with it -- again, surprise, surprise. is this the straw that broke the camel's back... err, that finally turned lizzie around? it's not that hard to guess how it ended, especially if you know that this is a romance story. extra snaps for guessing who between lizzie and jane got her happy ending first. (whew! nutshell, huh?)

so, besides keira's academy award nomination, what makes this film special? first off, two names: donald sutherland and dame judi dench. i was like, whoa. dame judi's take on lady catherine de bourgh is quite reminiscent of her queen elizabeth I on shakespeare in love (geez, another connection! the british film industry is starting to look like an advert for 6 degrees). except that lady catherine is a selfish snob, so expect a darker portrayal here. meanwhile, i loved donald as the absentminded (spaced out and deadma comes to mind) patriarch. compared to the straight-out snobbish lady catherine or the materialistic and social climbing mrs bennet, his character is actually a complex one: he is a caring father but rather self-absorbed. while he doesn't care much for social niceties, to the endless frustration of his wife, he prefers to leave the parenting to his wife's suspect capabilities. his hands-off policy is partly to blame for some of his girls' mishaps, but he can be roused from apathy when his favorite daughter lizzie is concerned. donald managed to pull off an endearing performance, and he hit on the right amount of humor at the final scene.

i also liked how the movie provided visual narration for the period. most films and tv series set in the regency or victorian period depicted either a rigid formality or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, a brazen wantonness of behavior, which often turns the viewers off. this movie offered a more relaxed and laid-back visual, from the costumes to the furniture. even shakespeare in love, with the ruffled shirts and so much bling, seemed too stiff in comparison. maybe there really is a difference in the era, or the locale, but the setting of pride and prejudice was easier to relate to.

most of all, the movie remained faithful to the material. there are some minor variations, in order to retain its brevity, because jane austen has the tendency to describe in minute detail. some changes were made for more visual impact, but this is minimal. as a concise version of the novel, the movie was a success. in fact, it succeeded in creating more interest to the novel, because it showcased the beauty of the plot that made it a classic. being a fan of the novel, i loved it even more because of the movie. and in that respect, it is a winner in its own right.

last hurrah: the end credits of the film mentioned emma thompson, who actually had a hand in revising the screenplay. a few years back, she won the oscar for her screenplay adaptation of jane austen's second most popular novel (at least in my opinion), sense and sensibility. this is also one of my favorite films, and i could see that the stories were similar which necessitated the similar storytelling. now this is where it gets freaky. the heroine elinor was played by emma, her beau edward by hugh grant, and her future brother-in-law colonel brandon by alan rickman. the three were also directly related in love actually, though this time emma and hugh played siblings while alan was the straying husband. the role of elinor's mother went to gemma jones, who also played bridget jones' mum! and here's more: dame judi dench, colin firth and tom wilkinson were in both shakespeare in love and the importance of being earnest; tom wilkinson played mr dashwood (elinor's father) in sense and sensibility; rosamund pike, who played jane bennet, is the traitorous mi6 agent (and m's pet) on die another day; tom hollander (mr collins on pride) is keira's co-star in the pirates of the carribean sequels; and emma, colin and thomas sangster (the orphaned son in love actually) are all in emma's movie nanny mcphee. if i get all the six-degrees stuff in here (and there’s more, which i’ll spare you from) i'll never get done.

(next: big momma is resurrected)

pass the popcorn please

three in a week ain't bad

after a few months of acting the social recluse, i managed to see a whopping 3 films in a span of one week. that's what you get when you find you're suddenly free one afternoon, kesehodang state of emergency pa yan.

syriana

as rumors of coup d' etat flourish that friday morning, so did these two magic words: "half day". finally, by virtue of the celebration disguised as rally (or is it the other way around?) on ayala scheduled at 3 pm, my boss finally made the much awaited announcement right after lunch. i was constantly on the phone with an old work colleague that morning, keeping tabs on the situation, and she called me back asking if i wanted to hang out that afternoon. i wasn't much worried about getting stuck at glorietta so we agreed to kill time at the cinema. because of time constraints, we narrowed down our choices to brokeback mountain and syriana -- ruby didn't seem to care for comedy that day.

we got in the theater only a bit late, so the movie was already starting. as it progressed, the confusion only increased. it became apparent that a) there were many stories going on, b) they were connected somewhat, and c) it was not pretty. since we won't understand the whole picture right there and then, we concerned ourselves with the trivial details instead. like, 1) george clooney really looked old; 2) oh, so there's the missing missile; 3) who the hell is that auditor conniving with now?; 4) galeng naman mag-target nung stealth missile.

i was happy when george clooney won the best supporting oscar. it's probably just makeup, but it took a second look for me to recognize him. but more than that, there was no sign of the swagger indicative of his early acting -- if you remember him as doug ross on er, you’ll know what i'm talking about. in that respect, he was bob, not george clooney playing bob. but i gotta tell you, i can't vouch for his acting in the torture scene because i refused to watch it.

in the same way, i also liked matt damon. i always think of him as a young man, like in the talented mr. ripley, so when i see him playing more mature roles i'm always surprised. but he was credible as a married man in this film, so kudos to him.

the story (or stories) is interesting, though a bit difficult to comprehend entirely. it's scary how one company's influence reaches far and wide, with drastic impact on so many people. now i realize that some groups can't be blamed for being suspicious of trade policies and political lobbies, if the effect is this widespread and detrimental. it makes me wonder if the filmmakers are activists or anti-capitalists, because they presented a very unflattering view of uncle sam’s corporate practices and covert government operations. i was left with a better understanding of conspiracy than all the spy movies i've ever seen.

the following week, i read a review of the film and found i wasn't alone in being messed up with the story. however, the review did shed some light on most of the movie. like, why in hell was the film named syriana, when it wasn't set in syria? i guess i missed the part where they explained that bit, or as the review intimated, the information wasn't in there to begin with. so, in other words, this is a film that you can't understand completely on first try. but i'm not really sure if i wanted to see it again, because the bad guys won this time round. much like how it happens in real life.

(next: six degrees below zero, or just how many good british actors are there?)

love, actually, is all around

a tribute to one of the best british comedies ever made

as usual, i spent last weekend getting my small screen fix. i now have a tv schedule for saturday and sunday nights. at 7 there's queer eye for the straight guy, then gilmore girls at 8, saturday night live at 9, and finally house at 10. sunday is csi marathon, and even if csi and csi: ny are yet to air new seasons, i'm still catching up with the old episodes. in a way i'm almost glad my dad is away for a few months so that i can keep to my schedule, not get banished to my aunt's tv -- or get him out of the couch myself. not good daughter behavior, i know.

but as i was channel surfing at almost 9 last sunday, i stumbled across an opening sequence of a movie on star and the studio canal credits struck a dormant memory.

goodbye, csi. hello, loveactually.

---

love actually is one of my all time favorite films. the first i heard of it was through entertainment news, and when i found out both hugh grant and colin firth were on it, i immediately put it on my wish list. then i saw the rest of the cast, and i was like, wow. this small british comedy isn't so small after all, when you see names like liam neeson, emma thompson and alan rickman (snape on harry potter). the film was directed by first-timer richard curtis, who had written the story, and was also known for co-writing the screenplay to bridget jones's diary. and rowan atkinson (mr bean), one of the regulars in curtis's films (think four weddings), also has a cameo (but surprisingly has top billing).

i was so excited about this film, even more so than when i first saw bridget jones, that i got the screenplay and the soundtrack even before the movie was shown. hence i know the story inside out, even the little sub-plots that didn't make the final cut. it was almost the same as watching the film over and over and over. and this before i even saw the finished product itself.

would you believe that last sunday was only the second time i saw the movie?

---

since this was a gp showing, i noticed a lot of cuts. one storyline was completely eliminated, which wasn't really explicit except that both characters met as stand-ins for actors in a porn movie. whoa. aside from that, a lot of the explicit language wasn't cut, and so i was relieved. somewhat.

but watching it for the second time, i realized why some people would be turned off by the multiple storylines -- it was confusing. what more if the john and judy story was included. later on i wondered, if i didn't know the story so well while i watched the movie for the first time, would i really understand it? i guess not. but some relationships between the individual stories were more obvious than others, and i would have got the general gist of it. the rest, i would have got them eventually.

---

romantic comedies (especially british ones) are my favorite kind, and love actually expectedly has the top points for the things i love in a movie. it has a great ensemble cast, which i also love, and multiple plots keep me really interested. my favorite story is about the pm and the assistant (hugh grant and martine mccutcheon). and while i was watching last sunday, i realized why. natalie (martine) is slightly conscious of her bigger built (like i am) but very pretty (like i am not). and here was this good-looking, intelligent, unattached guy who fell for her at first sight. the fact that he was her boss, the prime minister, wasn't a significant detail for her, but the situation was significant for him. as it turned out, david really went for natalie's type, so it wasn't just the proximity (though it did create some problems). and that despite his power, david really was just this awkward guy inside. and the endearing part is, when he finally got around to pursuing natalie, he didn't use his position.

their story drove home what real love can make you do. it can make you write a christmas card and admit your feelings without expecting something in return. it can make you knock on one hundred doors on the busiest night of the year, and do all sorts of things, just to get to that person you loved. maybe it is wrong to perpetuate that kind of idealistic thinking, but when you love, you should be prepared to do whatever it takes.

---

i recall greg behrendt's words when someone told him about the trope pinoy guys. he said something like if we wanted to settle for the shy guys, that's fine. but wouldn't it be better if the guy got up his courage and went after us?

maybe i get doubts whether my pride and my standards are too high. but i think i'll wait for the day when that someone who is worth my time will finally come along. and it will also be that someone that i am prepared to do anything for.

just chillin

saturday night is party night. but for now, it's all in my head.

i've been taking full advantage of my gprs connection and vegetating in front of my pc for, like, hours. really can't get enough of internet. i'm so addicted.

i'm also addicted to my windows media player. version ten. my officemates swear by apple's i tunes, maybe i'll take their advice when i get my own mac. for now, wmp is just fine, and i've gotten so used to it.

and when you're surfing, great background music guarantees hours and hours of virtual entertainment. over the last few weeks i've been so fixated on mp3 downloading, i even tried to trade links a couple of times. here are the choice tracks i've been keeping in my playlist tonight:

garbage -- bleed like me (album)
garbage -- special
plumb -- stranded
jennifer paige -- stranded (plumb cover)
lemonheads -- into your arms
lemonheads -- it's about time
everything but the girl -- my house is in my head unless it rains
everything but the girl -- cross my heart
everything but the girl -- rollercoaster
the cardigans -- rise and shine
the cardigans -- carnival (including acoustic version)
barenaked ladies -- call and answer
foo fighters -- big me
jimmy eat world -- last christmas

---

last night i watched mr. & mrs. smith with a bunch of friends. it's a good movie, flawed in parts, and very entertaining. though i found that i got tired after watching. all that action i suppose. or maybe my legs got tense because my handbag was too heavy and most of the time it was on my lap. grrrrr.

---

gee, i wonder how much my cellphone bill is now? don't think i wanna know.

sentimental overdose

last night i finally saw the notebook. the movie, silly -- not the school supply. and i wouldn't have seen it if not for a few well-masked bribes and persuasion. you see, i'd heard from somebody that it's a five-hankie movie. and my pragmatic facade protests over too much drama.

i wasn't surprised when my best friend asked for some tissues like half an hour into the movie (i had to give her my handkerchief). i was reasonably skeptical when my other friend (who was a guy) kept muttering jokes to himself at possible mini-climactic scenes. and i was privately amused when the guy sitting beside me (and who was not a companion) started sniffing and (gasp!) wiping his eyes. but when it came to the crunch, i betrayed the truth about my hopeless-romantic sentimental nature and broke down. yep, i meant it. not just a few tears shed or a few sniffs. but i so did not bawl. that would be too much.

afterwards, you would think we'd been watching a comedy from rise and fall of laughter you'd hear. from everyone. and no, it wasn't because of some blooper scenes shown at the end. we'd all been laughing at the way we'd succumbed to the drama. and laughing hysterically. i'm sure i wasn't the only one who had a male seatmate who shed a few tears. or who had to borrow my own hankie back because i was so overcome with emotion.

so when my best friend and i got home, after hearing her wax enthusiastic about the story and my other friend sarcastically pointing out that we'd been had, i thought i had enough for one night. but nooooooo. i had to ask for more punishment. as if reading can ever be that for me.

my best friend bought a novel two weeks ago, the newest title of one of my favorite authors. i had converted her into a fan when i lent her two of my better titles. but i was taken by surprise when it finally sank in that she has only read four chapters in the whole two weeks she's had the book. my curiosity was piqued. i had never been able to resist the books i had bought for more than a weekend, especially if they're romance novels. and i considered it as a challenge. at 11.15 last night i dared myself to finish the book during the night. for however long it took to read the whole thing.

and the result? i sent a text message to two of my friends when i had just finished reading and was still unable to sleep. the time was 5 am.