munich

munich is a historical fiction that begins with arab terrorists taking israeli athletes as hostages in the oylmpics in munich, germany. a few years after, the government of israel unofficially hires assassins to hunt down the people responsible. eric bana plays avner kauffman - the leader of the group of assassins.

immediately, i sympathized with israel. the group of assasins, each experts in their individual fields, were in fact very likable. it felt right, what they're doing, that it was justice. im glad the story became impartial turning around towards the end, mentioning the plight of the palestinian people. at the end, nothing seemed to matter except the question of when the killing of each other, is going to stop.

personally i believe it was a mistake for the western (european) powers to put up israel in the middle of the arab region. it does not seem smart to me anyway. there is whole lot of history about this. something i am no expert in. the palestinian people who are now refugees, practically robbed of their lands are understandably doing everything they can to fight back. i believe a futile attempt. there was an interesting political dialogue between avern and one of the arabs. and avern made one very important and objective point. the palestinians have nothing now to bargain with.

Rate ***** 5 out of 5
a powerful film.

notes on a scandal

english movie about two women. sheba hart (cate blanchette) and barbara covett (judey dench). i love the name sheba. it's exotic. sheba is the new art teacher. and i found her suited to the job. she is young and handsome, without restraint, new age type, good natured. she is married to an old guy who was her previous teacher. a young woman married to an old guy is already a story in itself.
then there is barbara, an aging collegue who takes sheba under her wing.

the interesting part begins when barbara catches sheba being intimate with one of the students. barbara threatens sheba unless she stops the affair. then it becomes really dark and wierd when barbara begins to ask for more and more. more than just sheba's friendship ..

i loved the language used. what must be like ordinary language for the english people, it comes out poetic to ears such as mine who is accustomed to the bastardized english of filipinoes (learned from americans).

i have often imagined many times that i'd grow old and alone and id be like barbara here .. dried up and wasted, banal, cynical, and desperate for love, .. hopefully it won't happen ..

Rate *** 3 out of 5
I enjoyed the language

Kate Chopin: The Awakening

i do not know if the woman at the front of the book is kate chopin. or is it the heroine edna pontellier. kate chopin is a writer who wrote short stories in the late 1800s. the same time as our national hero josé rizal.

the first short story is "the awakening", notably her best work. the awakening recounts the tale of madame edna pontellier who just liberates herself from society's traditions. a time when women were considered property, when it was necessary to depend on being married to someone to provide for them, when women were restricted to the home and the kitchen, when women were in all respects functions primarily to provide assurance for the next generations - a baby factory. i am tempted to point out that this is a time that could describe the present as well. how ironic and horrible isn't it? but no, i am referring to the late 1800s.

some points i gathered from the short story - le réveil:

1. french créole society has similarities to pinoy high society as it exists as a microcosm.
2. infidelity was accepted if it does not cause a scandal.
3. the key to freedom is financial independence.
4. people do not own people. we are only in as much as we want ourselves to be.
5. i do not like the ending. i do not see the necessity of commiting suicide at the advent of her liberation from social bonds. maybe i misunderstood it? edna strikes me as someone who is strong but unless kate chopin meant to potray love as something that weakens people, both men and women. then maybe it makes sense.

Rate 4 out of 5 ****
Progressive ideas

The Notebook

An overly sentimental rich girl (allie) / poor boy (noah) love story that works for me (Maybe just me) . I guess one needs to draw something from real life to be able to appreciate it. That sense of wanting to be with someone from another world so bad and things are not in your favor. Where despite the improbability, we pursue it anyway.

A reminder that we have but a short while in this life. And we will all have to deal with endings despite how much we think we deserve eternity. And in the end, we just have our memories.

I disagree with what I felt the movie was in a way saying - that having a full life equals having someone to love (and back). Having someone or not should not deprive anyone from having a full life. There are many pursuits in life. In fact, it is not uncommon to find people who are in relationships to be at the loosing end, having compromised many things just to stay in it.

Rate: 4 stars ****
Made me cry like a baby ^_^

the brave one

The Brave One

Jodie Foster plays Erica Bain. Jodie is the best! I adore the roles she plays because she almost always potray women of strength. Not the ones that remain victims to fate but indepedent individuals who are willing to take action despite insurmountable odds and at the same time be accountable for them. This film illustrates that Woman is as capable as any man.

It is a social commentary about how life could be like living in a big and populous city such as New York, with the immense bureaucracy, the apathetic government, and the crimes. Society becomes disensitized and the individual is left to fend for themselves.

It is rather a simple story about revenge for a love lost. Erica and her fiancé takes a walk around the park at night. They were attacked by local thugs. Her fiancé dies. Erica becomes a whole new person. She becomes a stranger as she often describes it in the movie. She recovers but not really. After seeing that noone, even the government, was going to make things right, she decides to buy a gun for protection. But ends up turning vigilante.

The following quotes from the film cracked me up ..

Pimp: What if I don't pay?
Erica: Then this will be the last super cunt you'll ever see.

Rate 3 out of 5
Woman rules!

Mr. Vampire

mr vampire

mr vampire upholds that certain tradition of favorite kungfu movies we have grown to love over the years. i felt like a kid wanting desperately about knowing the kungfu. remembering jackie chan and his antics. the movie appears low budget but what it lacks in special effects, it fully compensates with good natured humor. i think anyone from any background would be able to appreciate it. come to think of it, the raw quality of it is part of its charm.

the story is filled with chinese folklore, about the nature of the dead. how it continues to "live" after life. my favorite part was when the taoist? monk discovers the rogue vampire and tries to (and fails) to capture it using his own stock of undead. the fight scenes were not martial arts intensive. but like i mentioned earlier. it compensates with humor.

3 stars ***
made me laugh ..

Death Note 1 and 2 (The Movie)

death note 1 and 2 (the movie)

it was only after did i watch and liked the movies did i learn that they (supposedly) pale compared to its manga roots. i have also heard that there was an animé which also surpassed the real live movies. then i suppose it was for the best that i was ignorant when i came to watch them because i enjoyed the anime-like characters and the the mind games they played against each other.

death note is about a magical book granted by shinigamis (death gods) to certain mortals. the book basically kills people. the chosen mortal writes down the name of his/her enemies. and possibly, but not necessarily, the nature and circumstance of their deaths. and those people who have their names written down on the death note helplessly die, written circumstance fulfilled. at the very least, having your name written down on it grants you death by heart attack.

i am not going to read in too much about how the japanese psyche deals with death. certainly, in the story, the seriousness of mortality as it affects all of humanity is caricatured. so i felt unattached to the idea of mortality. to me, the story is an intriguing question. what would you do if you have to power to kill.

3 stars * * *

August Rush (Movie Review: 3 out of 5)

You don't have to be a music lover to enjoy this movie. However, you must be prepared to accept all the freaky coincidences and odd circumstances that play around the main protagonist of the film.

The hero (August Rush, aka Evan Taylor) is an orphan who is driven to find his birth parents. He's a music prodigy who has the "gift of listening to the world". Thanks to this gift, he is reunited with his family at the end.

It's a modern day fairy tale of sorts -- we have a young boy who gets thrown into a cruel/nasty world (aka New York City). But thanks to his musical talent, he meets people (like a character named "Wizard") who either helped or exploited him along the way. But August stays true to himself and his dream does come true.

Jen loved the film while I found it just okay. It's a feel good movie with a nice soundtrack, but there are better "feel good" movies out there. The only point that I found interesting were the movie's attempt to portray the "underground society" of New York through the eyes of children. We see the flaws and the issues of the child welfare system and how many runaway kids get used and exploited off the streets. August was lucky that he had the magical talent to get himself out of the gutter. I pity the other kids who got left behind.

Pan's Labyrinth

I've been wanting to do a review of this movie ever since I watched it last October 2007. I'd personally give the movie a six star rating for its imagery, story, and suspense.

Pan's Labyrinth (or "El Laberinto del Fauno" in Spanish) is the work of Guillermo del Toro, the same guy who directed the Hellboy movie. At first I was skeptical of the movie's English title, it sounded like a B horror movie. But then after hearing nice reviews, I decided to watch it and see for myself.

The movie is basically an adult faerie tale. By adult, I'm talking about the intense and gruesome violence depicted in the story. I wouldn't recommend having kids watch the movie because of the gory head bashing, torture, and the bloody gun fights.

Pan's Labyrinth is set in the wilderness of Spain, during the country's civil war. The military, led by a maniacal war freak captain, is hunting down rebels - killing them left and right. Amidst all the death and violence, a young girl becomes enamored in the world of faerie. She encounters a satyr and learns of a fantastic faerie world. With the help of the satyr and some pixies, the girl undergoes a series of quests to help improve the lives of her family.

Slowly the girl's secret fantasy world and the realities of war begin to overlap. The rebels waged their final war against the military and the girl is forced to make a choice - to save her dreams or her family.

While the movie revolves around the girl and her struggle to save her family from hardship and suffering. I think that her innocence and belief in faerie kept her protected from the brutalities of war. Since she is the only one who interacts with the Satyr and pixies, I was left thinking whether the faeries were real or if she made it all up.

Despite all the death and violence, the story redeems itself in the end. In the young girl's mind, she has succeeded in her quest and she has brought happiness and prosperity for her family and the land.

Kekexili: Mountain Patrol

I stumbled on this movie accidentally at AXN last Saturday and I was glued to the screen. At first I thought it was one of those mainland films depicting life under communist rule, but as I continued watching, I realized this was a story about life in the wilderness of Tibet.

The film acts like a travel documentary, revolving around a Beijing Photojournalist on assignment in Tibet. He gets first hand experience with the rugged and harsh life in the mountains.

During his trip, the journalist encounters a group of Tibetan vigilantes who roam the land to protect endangered antelopes from poachers. They track down illegal hunters across the mountains, arresting violators and burying the carcasses of dead antelopes they encountered.

The film portrays the harshness of the Tibetan mountains -- from its cold numbing frost, to its vast stretched of wasteland. It shows how people survive under poverty. Abandoned or simply ignored by the government, these people resort to illegal poaching, skinning of antelope skins (which are prized in the black market), and stealing.

One of the scenes that struck me was when the patrol arrested a group of poachers. The journalist interviewed one of the criminals, an old man who claimed to be the fastest antelope skinner in the region. The old man proudly showed his three sons who were along with him. He said that he was once a shepherd but because of the changes in the weather, his livestock died. Shortly after that, he became a poacher.

I liked the way the film portrayed the region as a "savage frontier", where everyday is a fight for survival. It also shows how the land affects its inhabitants, and how it affects ones moral judgment and view of good/evil.

Children of Men

Watched the movie on HBO last night. I 'm a sucker for post-apocalyptic movies and this was one of the best. The movie paints a realistic and terrifying vision of the near future, a future that seems all the more probable with all the problems that the world is facing right now.

The movie is set in the United Kingdom of 2027. Mankind has less than a century to survive, since all women have lost the ability to conceive and bear children. Accompanying this crisis is a worldwide societal collapse, rampant terrorism, discrimination, and environmental destruction. Britain becomes the last functioning government, persecuting illegal immigrants and refugees.

Watching the movie gave me a picture of the world, if the present problems of global warming, political/financial instabilities, and terrorism would continue to worsen. Unlike other apocalyptic movies where mankind is quickly eradicated by some kind of holocaust, Children of Men shows a slow and more gruesome collapse of humanity and civilization. Coupled with the mysterious dilemma of infertility, people have lost all sense of decency and morality. Many of them have simply surrendered to their inevitable doom and destruction.

Despite all the death and suffering, the movie offers hope and redemption for humanity. It might not be that uplifting (at least not for me), but it still shows that there is something positive and good about people, and there is a chance for mankind to survive.

Best Songs of 2007

Here's my top ten list of best songs of 2007. Last year was a great time for music, and if the pattern continues, it looks like 2008 will also be good for music fans.

Here's some interesting observations from the song list. Nine out of the ten songs had lead female vocals (Hugh Grant being the exception, and he's not even a genuine recording artist). There was only one American song in the top ten (the one by Rihanna). And four out of the ten were either remakes or heavily influenced by an older song.

You can also check out my previous 2006 and 2005 lists. Happy listening!

10. Pop! Goes My Heart - Hugh Grant

When the movie 'Music and Lyrics' opened with Hugh Grant in full 80's look performing the music video to this song, I knew I would like the rest of the film. It's a song that is made to match the look and feel of that era. And parodies a lot of the old 80's music video style.

9. Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne

Surprisingly catchy and infectious. Angst-ridden, yet at the same time having a lot of positive self-affirmations. My favorite part is the short rap solo and the line where she sings "Hell yeah, I'm the motherf___ princess".

8. Don't Save Me - Marit Larsen

I have endured my fair share of ridicule and mockery from friends after admitting that I was a big M2M fan. And Marit, the blonde girl, was always my favorite of the two. So when I heard that she had released her first solo album, I was eager to check out the new songs. This is the first single from the album and was a huge hit in her native Norway. It has a lot of the M2M qualities we like, but in Marit's personal style. You can interpret the lyrics as being about the split with her M2M partner and best friend Marion Raven.

7. Shut Up and Drive - Rihanna

This is a guilty pleasure of mine. Rihanna samples New Order's Blue Monday bass and rhythm parts to create a hit song. I love it when new artists take sequences from 80's songs and adapt it to today's pop music. Most of the time, they end up ruining the old songs, but Rihanna actually does it well, duplicating the successful formula she used previously in SOS (which sampled Soft Cell's Tainted Love). Shut Up and Drive is a fast paced, energy-driven song. Rihanna's attractive physical assets displayed in the music video certainly helps enhance the appeal of the music.

6. Only a Fool - Marit Larsen

I really like Marit's voice in this one. And she does a lot of unconventional things in this song, such as the use of an instrument/sound effect that sounds like a whistle, as well as adding a banjo and harmonica to the list of instruments. This sounds very much like a children's song combined with many bluegrass and country elements. Cute and good song.

5. Everything's Just Wonderful - Lily Allen

This is a song that speaks to the thirty-something batch with which I belong to. We are faced with enormous pressure to be more responsible, get a good paying job, pay for the mortgage, stay thin, be a good taxpaying citizen, stay within the norms of society and play the same game that everyone plays. Then when asked by our friends and relatives "How's everything going?", we reply "Oh, everything's just wonderful" with only a hint of sarcasm and bitterness. And that's what this song is all about.

4. Selfish - Sunset Daze

The original 'Selfish' by The Other Two was my top song back in 1994, when I used to share yearender lists with fellow dangerousreviewer Roehl and other friends. So I was very excited to discover this remake. I only found it by accident from one of the mix collection CDs I bought early this year in my goal of updating myself with the popular songs I had missed from the Philippines the past three years.

The added background vocal blending is a great enhancement to the original. It's also good to know that some of the younger people hearing this song for the first time will also rediscover the original version by The Other Two. It's a tribute to good 90's music. It also symbolizes to me my own reconnection to family and friends I haven't seen in several years.

3. I Didn't Know I was Looking for Love - Sitti

You're probably familiar with the EBTG (Everything But the Girl) version of this song, which is one of my favorites. But after hearing Sitti's bossa nova version, I think I'm starting to like it more than the original! I was with my brother and mother at Rockwell Mall when I first heard this playing in the background. I immediately asked my brother if he knew who the singer was. He didn't know, but he mentioned that bossa nova music was getting really popular in the Philippines and that it probably came from one of those new artists specializing in that genre, in this case, Sitti.

Of all the songs in the list, I feel this is the one with the most staying power and could easily have been my #1 pick as I'm still not tired of listening to it. The music and vocals have a relaxed yet playful style to it. This is how you remake a song, you take its essential qualities, and add your unique spin on it. Looking forward to more Sitti releases.

2. Oh My God - Mark Ronson/Lily Allen

Get ready for a real treat if you haven't listened to this yet. This is an overpowering, high energy song featuring Lily Allen's singing and Mark Ronson's musical arrangement. I was amazed when I first heard this, it has almost everything I want in a song. It builds up to a point where you almost feel that it's going out of control, then recomposes itself before the dramatic trumpet solo. I listened to it repeatedly last summer while working out and taking long walks in the hot sun.

It's a remake (and improvement) of the original Kaiser Chief song of the same name. Definitely check out the other tracks in the Mark Ronson album if you're a fan of song remixes.

1. Single - Natasha Bedingfield

This is hands-down the best song of the year. 'Single' has powerful vocals, one of the best bass lines produced in a song, fantastic lyrics, and an extremely addictive quality. The song is about proclaiming your independence, not only in terms of relationships, but also with regards to your individual liberation from the norms of society. Without question, 'Single' is the top single of 2007.

dragons of the dwarven depths

it is recommended that before you read the lost chronicles trilogy. you must finish reading the chronicles trilogy first. why? because the lost chronicles is about the adventures that happened during the chronicles trilogy but were intentionally left out (i heard as to make more money) but perhaps its a good thing that our favorite companions continue to have "new" adventures way after their lifetimes. ::sob:: ils me manquent bien ... ::sob:: tome 1 dragons of the dwarven depths is about how the companions obtained the hammer of kharas. a gift from the gods of light by which the inhabitants krynn will able to forge the mythical dragonlances. also it showcases the kingdom of the mountain dwarves thorbadin and the different clans of dwarved who dwell in it. my favorite part is when caramon drew a heart on the tunnel wall with tika's name inside. cute cute ^_^ (sigh) the highseekers who continues to be a burden to the companions and the refugees remind me very much of baptists or filipino politicians who charms their way in to the hearts of the mob whispering sweet words but with little or no substance.

rating 2 out of 5 .. for a book that has the word depth on the title, i find it lacked depth .. however i did want to make special mention of the artwork on the cover. its nice!