les bureaux de dieu

A social commentary that revolves around a family planning center, it's social workers, and the people mostly women, they take the time to listen and give advice to.

all the cases tackled by the social workers make the case for sexual education, women's rights, contraception, and abortion giving emphasis on having a personal and well informed choice on their respective matters as a crucial ingredient in making important decisions. we hear of cases where it is the total opposite when women don't have the choice at all.

this is in strike contrast to what we have today in the philippines where people are mostly ignorant and sans access to health services. it couldn't be more obvious why this is so when certain prominent religious institutions who have a hand on state policies (imposing their religious beliefs onto the rest of us) continue to halt progress on civil liberties and women's rights.

I find the movie socially relevant and mature especially on how the social workers sympathized with their (patients?). but not very entertaining for it lacked the hollywood formula much like a crutch or an addiction that we have grown accustomed to.

For french language lovers, it is a treat. but for the same reason, when a language is presented as english subtitles (and not entirely translated might i add) could fail to convey the actual emotion accross the language barrier, which could possibly lead non french speaking audiences unable to relate ..

Rating 3 out of 5 ***
women power!

the boy in the striped pajamas

bruno is a small kid whose father is a nazi officer. when his father was promoted to manage a concentration camp in the country, they all had to move out of the city with him.

later, bruno finds his way to the camp and makes friends with shmuel, a jewish kid despite everyone warning him about jews (not actually everyone). children do not have the same prejudices that adults have. we all learn it later from our parents, from school, from people around us.

my favorite scene is when bruno was forced to betray his best friend out of fear and the need to conform in order to survive. it tells us that all capable of treachery even at an age where we are supposedly pure and good.

rating 3 out of 5 ***

two lovers

(photo is by john clifford)

this film portrays in contrast an insight on the type of romantic love that we used to talk about a lot back when we were younger. the question of who would you go for, given that you have the following choice. will you go for "the one" or "the only one".

"the one" is the person you love ultimately but he doesn't necessarily feel the same way or none at all. the kind of love that exists in literature. it is love where the stakes are high. even life itself.

"the only one (available)" is the person who loves you but you don't necessarily feel the same way or none at all. it's the one that you accept because either you are afraid to be alone, that you think there might be no one else, or you need the company. the kind of love that is mundane, tolerable, or that needs years to be nurtured.

leonard (played by joaquin phoenix) was setup by his parents to meet with sandra (played by vinessa ssaw). i am uncertain if this is a usual practice for american jews. it reminds me of how filipino chinese parents actively participate in arranging dates or introductions so to speak for their children. especially when it becomes although subtle as a sort of business merger of mutual benefit between families if it works out well. i can see why it persists. it is practical.

later leonards accidentally meets with michelle (played by gwyneth paltrow) whom he falls deeply in love for. is this not how love should be? is not love a complete accident, like magic, that consumes us.

naturally leonards explores both women. he dates sandra as a fallback, as a duty to his family. the safe route. where some might be quick to judge him. i do not. would you turn down love that is offered. he pursues michelle who considers him a close friend or worse like a brother among other setbacks.

in the story, i savored the honesty of how it ended as i suspect it to be so with many couples. many wouldn't admit it. of course. but i believe it to be the majority in this case. that people do not often end up with those they intended to be with. that couples born out of complacency, convenience, contentment with what is available, end up with "the only one" rather than "the one". though it does happen. not just often enough. or if it does happen. it does not linger long enough. passion dies.

rate 3 out of 5
***

The Bucket List

I accidentally ran into the film a couple of times while channel surfing. HBO had been playing "The Bucket List" on several occasions and I managed to complete the entire movie (like a jigsaw puzzle) after three days.

So what makes this movie interesting, aside from having Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman? I guess the film talks about mortality and how people would react if they knew they only had a year to live. Some people might just live in fear, withdraw from the world, or even focus their last remaining days fixing their earthly business. Other people might choose a different path.

Both protagonists are cancer patients who learn that they only have a few months to live. So they made a list of things they want to do before they die and try to do them one by one. Enter the cliche Hollywood formula -- the two fight while doing their list, make up in the end, gain some epiphany about life, love and friendship, die, live life to the fullest and die again.

I think the film would have made a bigger impact to me if it didn't remind me of a Hollywood television series called "My Name is Earl".



Here are some similarities in "Bucket List" and "Earl":

• Both have a list of things that the protagonists are trying to cross out.
• They both have one asshole protagonist who, thanks to Karma or Cancer (take your pick), gets redeemed and becomes a better person in the end.
• Both have quirky supporting casts who help them cross out the things in their list.

I think the movie dwells too much on the positive, feel good aspect of life -- like friendship, love and family. It tends to downplay the actual reality of suffering and death. I doubt if all cancer patients view living and life with such gusto. I doubt if people can make instant life changing decisions just because they know the grim reaper is looking for them.

It all boils down to how a person accepts his death and how he chooses to live out the remaining days of his life.

Twilight the Movie

I just finished watching the movie over the weekend. All I can say is that the Twilight story reminds me of the Roswell TV series. Here is a list of common things I noticed between the two series:

1. Both female protagonists (Liz Parker and Bella Swan) are high school students who nearly lost their lives. They were in the wrong place and in the wrong time. Both girls who have died, except they were saved by their respective crush (Mr. Vampire and Mr. Alien).

2. Both female protagonist experience a strong attraction to their respective crush -- to the point of sacrificing everything they have just to be with their out-of-this-world boy friends. In the end, they became vampires/aliens themselves.

3. Both shows have sheriffs acting as distant father figures.

4. Both shows deal with a "family" or "group of related" aliens/vampires, who were forced to accept high school girl because of her strong/passionate connection with alien/vampire boy.

Watching Twilight made me think of Roswell and I couldn't help but feel that Stephenie Meyer borrowed/used some of Melinda Metz's ideas.

I would not suggest comparing the movie to other vampire flicks. Twilight was written to be a love story for young adult writers. It steers away from excess violence, bloody gore, and horror. The story focuses on Bella and Edward's relationship, mirroring your typical high school romance (mixing with some supernatural elements).

Overall, I had a good time watching the movie. The story was a bit predictable (even without reading the book) but the characters are interesting enough for you to want to watch the sequel.

(Review copied from My Seven Lives)

Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others)

the german democractic republic (GDR) and the stasi (the secret police) reigned on east germany before the wall between east and west came down.

it was a drab, dreary, suppressive world were the state watches over its citizens in every aspect of their lives. you could easily observe this in the color tone used for the character's costumes and environment they moved around and lived in. it was kind of dead.

a stasi agent was tasked to hold a prominent playwright and effectively his wife who was also a prominent actress under tight surveillance because he became a suspect for being too clean.

the operation was to wait and listen, then record everything that transpires in the playwrite's house. any subversive word or action will be charged with treason or disloyalty to the state. imagine what kind of burden that is for merely saying things could potentially lead to imprisonment.

many artists like the playright before him were known subversives. some had escaped and embraced the west which stood for capitalism and freedom. for others who had been caught and blacklisted (though one of the heads of state in the film vehemently disputes it and that the state never blacklists) to perform their crafts had been silenced. and there were other artists who couldn't take it anymore, had taken their own lives which the state conveniently reclassifies as self murderers.

during the course of the surveillance, the stasi agent experiences a change introspective in him. from being ruled entirely by principle to beginning to feeling things. watch the elevator scene when the stasi agent rides it with a boy who rats on his father about saying anti-state things. normally the stasi agent would have the boy's dad arrested but maybe for this time, he let's it go.

the playwright had begun writing an article to be published in the west which exposes the social conditions and suicide rate specifically of artists in the GDR. this is obviously treason in principle but the stasi agent let's it go because he begins to appreciate the simple lives of his target.

i had always been a supporter of socialism but after watching what true socialism had been at least for east germany. i think that any extreme of the political spectrum could never be good and could only end up oppressing its citizens instead rather then uplift their lives.

maybe the central to the film was a message of striking a balance between the extremes living by principle vs feeling

Rate: 3 out of 5
No to extremes

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

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.

The Fifth Mountain

Category:	Books
Genre:	Religion & Spirituality
Author:	Paulo Coelho

It's been years since I last read Paulo Coelho's books. Personally I prefer Coelho's first three books (The Alchemist, Valkyries, and the Pilgrimage) over his later novels. For me, "The Alchemist" was the best, followed by "The Pilgrimage" and then "Valkyries". These books were filled with insights, ideas, and new age mysticism -- which drew my curiosity and interest. I had the chance to skim through his other books, and found that they paled in comparison to his first three novels.

A few weeks ago, I friend of mine lent me "The Fifth Mountain" and "The Devil and Miss Prym". I read the two books and I am still convinced that Coelho's first three novels are still his best works. I decided to do a fantasy review on "Fifth Mountain" simply because this novel is an attempt by Coelho to retell the story of the prophet Elijah in a new age/fantasy type of narrative.

Here Coelho tries to mix religion with new-age mysticism and philosophy into a pseudo-biography of the prophet. In the book, Elijah is shown as a man who has the gift to communicate with angels. What makes the novel interesting is the way Coelho manages to portray Elijiah as a flawed human being. Coelho's Elijah is not the same Elijah in the Bible. He tries to run away from his destiny as a prophet and a messenger of God. Elijah is a man constantly bombarded with self-doubt, fear, and frustration.

My main comment about the book is that it reflects the same ideas from "The Alchemist", "The Pilgrimage", and "Valkyries". Coelho seems to be recycling or promoting the same kind of spiritual philosophy in his all his books.

At the start of the story, Elijah refuses to become a prophet and decides to live his life as a carpenter. When Queen Jezebel decides to kill off Isarel's prophets, Elijah was forced to flee his homeland. Elijah continues to reject his destiny as a prophet, causing him to experience more pain and hardship. This same conflict was also seen in Coelho's "The Alchemist", where the shepherd boy was tempted several times to follow a path that was not meant for him.

One curious thing about the novel is that Coelho skips over the story of Elijah that is found in the Bible. Instead, he creates his own story about Elijah's exile. Coelho focuses his story on Elijah's stay in the city of Akbar. Here Elijah undergoes a spiritual journey, much like the journey in "Valkyries" and "The Pilgrimage". He falls in love, learns about himself, God, and his destiny.

I think this book be is a re-telling of "The Alchemist". Coelho recreates the story of Elijah to talk about his ideas on destiny, God, and spirituality. The story works on some levels, but there are some sections where Coelho rambles about his philosophy, which I find a bit too "new-age" for me.

The Weather Man

imdb page

Most movies follow fairly predictable plots. You can almost tell what the characters are going to do, what will happen next, and sit smugly knowing that things are going to be resolved, that everything will turn out alright, and that the heroes will be vindicated in the end. The Weather Man is not that type of movie.

In fact, you can't tell what will happen next. It could be good or bad, but in this case, things always get worse. And when you think you finally reached the turning point where things ought to be getting better, guess again. This thing is depressing to watch, but in a good way.

Nicholas Cage is David Spritz - a TV Weather Man. On the surface, it looks like he's doing very well for himself. He's a well known TV personality, has that charm on camera, earns big bucks, gets to have sex with lots of attractive women, and is on target to get a potential six-figure income as the weather guy in the country's number one syndicated morning show, Hello America. He's living the American dream, but there's a problem.

Despite all his successes, his personal life is in shambles. His ex-wife hates him. His kids have no affection for him. He feels like a failure when he compares himself to his father, a world-renowned writer played by Michael Caine. He gets no respect from strangers either, as he is frequently gets fast food and beverages thrown at him on the street. Nobody likes the weather man.

Spritz tries desperately to make things better. He takes his daughter to the company Christmas party, where things go wrong. He takes her out for archery lessons but there's no warmth in their father-daughter relationship. To make things worse, his son is befriended by a pedophile, which Spritz is unaware of. He can't even get things right in his father's "live funeral" (a make-believe funeral you stage with loved ones while the person is alive).

It's like watching a horror movie. I wanted Spritz to win, even just a little. The character is shallow, weak, and oftentimes a jerk, but I found that I still wanted to root for him to succeed. There's a point in the film where he realizes exactly the type of person he is, and I think this is the most powerful point in the movie.

In a way, it's also a film about the modern ills of western society. You can be well off materially, have all the physical comforts, and have all the external trappings of success, yet be very unhappy. One of the dilemmas that Cage's character faces is how his professional success contrasts with his failures in personal life and relationships.

There were some things about this film that I felt were flaws. For one, I couldn't figure out whether Michael Caine's character was british or not. He kind of had a british accent, yet he was supposed to be the father of Nicholas Cage's character who was American. To add to the confusion, Cage's son played by Brit Nicholas Hoult, who was Marcus in About a Boy, also seemed very British. Were Caine and Hoult supposed to be Americans, or were they there to show that Cage's family had some British roots? Though not relevant to the story, it distracted me enough as they just didn't feel as if the three males from different generations were related to one another. Poor casting in my opinion.

Another thing was that I got the impression that this was a comedy, or at least a dark comedy. It's not. In fact I think this plays more like a modern day tragedy. I watched this with the wrong expectations. Perhaps that was the intent of the filmmakers, but it made it more painful to watch for me.

This movie won't make you feel good and will make you probably more depressed after watching it. But I think that's its main purpose. You'll also think of how much your own life either resembles or contrasts with the quiet desperation of David Spritz.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
How are you like the weather man?

V for Vendetta

imdb: V for Vendetta

This was an odd movie. Somehow I couldn’t put my finger on it. Is it about revenge? Or social revolution? Or a political statement based on current events? I’ve read that the original graphic novel was a reaction to the Thatcher administration. And that the Wachowski brothers (who made The Matrix) wrote the screenplay for this, and simplified and revised the story for the benefit of the viewing audience.

It occurs in the distant future, with the entire story taking place in the UK. The United States has fallen into civil war and is in ruins. A fascist, repressive government has taken over, led by Chancellor Sutler. The government has removed all civil liberties and is bent on enforcing its will on the people through propaganda, government enforcers who goes by the name ‘Fingermen’, and through spying on its own citizens.

The two protagonists is a masked character named ‘V’ and a young female, ‘Evey’ played by Natalie Portman. V is hell bent on revenge and justice as he has been disfigured as a result of being incarcerated by the government. Evey has her own back story, starting out as an innocent citizen, but slowly being drawn into V’s world, eventually playing a major role in his plans.

There is a lot of social commentary in the dialogue, mostly from V. The idea that is repeated throughout the film is that ‘ideas are bulletproof’, and are more powerful than men. He also said a lot of other lines that I thought were interesting, maybe a bit idealistic, a little weird, funny even, but it fits in with his overall character and accomplishes its purpose.

I had the subtitles turned on while watching the DVD as I didn’t want to miss any of the quotes. My favorite is the one when Evey asked V whether he was certain of his plans, and he replied “There is no certainty, only opportunity.” Of all the bits of dialog, this was the one I could relate to the most.

I didn’t exactly agree with how V went about with his plans for overthrowing the government. I felt it was a bit too reckless, a bit too idealistic, and self-serving. He also came across as this goofy character, particular in this one scene where Evey wanted to leave, and he kept saying something like, ‘oh before you go’, and ‘could you do me one favor?’, which came out really weird (I kept thinking, uh oh, I think V wants to have sex with Natalie Portman). I’m not sure if the humor was intended, probably not.

There were also some boring and ridiculous parts, such as the one where the TV host spoofs the Chancellor and plays the Benny Hill music. It felt unfunny and out of place. The priest's acting in the scene with Portman was totally dumb and unrealistic. There was also this part where the lead detective kicks a garbage can in a fit of frustration that felt out of character. Many scenes didn't work at all for me.

The Wachowski brothers are brilliant writers and filmmakers, but when left uncontrolled to their own devices, they occasionally turn out some weird crap such as in Matrix Revolutions and some of the scenes in this film.

Natalie Portman was great in her role, and I think she saved this movie from going over the edge. My friend remarked that he avoided watching V for Vendetta because he didn’t want to see a bald Natalie Portman. But she still looked great with her head shaved! And I think the character fit her perfectly.

There were a couple of plot holes which I can’t list without giving away spoilers. I had some trouble believing what happened in the Evey interrogation/torture segment, and how V had rebuilt the subway train all by himself.

This is not horrible. Maybe even an entertaining movie. And it has some good ideas. It felt very preachy, but I believe this was the intent anyway. It will make you think, which is the important part. It’s the ideal movie to watch with your friends and talk about over starbucks afterwards.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
+1 * for Natalie Portman

(Note: This article describes the differences between the movie and the graphic novel. After reading it, I understood why the movie felt so flawed, at least to me. Contains spoilers. -rob)

Land of the Dead

I was looking forward to watching this, being a fan of apocalypse-type movies. With regards to other zombie movies, I enjoyed the remake of Dawn of the Dead, was disappointed with the original Night of the Living Dead (I think it's overrated), and was mildly entertained, yet also disappointed with 28 Days Later. So I was curious to see how Land of the Dead would rate.

Imagine what a world would be like months or even years after a zombie outbreak. This is what this movie is all about. Entire cities are abandoned and in ruin, completely overrun by the undead. The remaining human survivors band together in encampments protected by walls and electric fences, protecting them from the zombies.

A class society exists, with the more well-to-do humans staying together in a megaplex building, containing all sorts of luxuries and security. It is controlled by a shady businessman played by Dennis Hopper. Supplies and resources need to be gathered from the ruins of civilization - a dangerous task that is accomplished by mercenary teams led by Riley and Cholo (John Leguizamo). They have this super tank-like vehicle named 'Dead Reckoning' to protect them against the zombies.

Things go wrong when Hopper rejects Leguizamo's application to live in the megaplex complex, as it's supposed to be for the rich only. So Leguizamo decides to take Dead Reckoning for himself and threaten to destroy the megaplex.

You have the usual zombie/undead parts such as guy thinking the coast is clear, then out comes the zombie who gives a quick bite, and it's all over, with either his companions decide to shoot him before he turns into an undead himself, or him being eaten alive by zombies. These scenes are usually shocking and brutal, and there are lots of them in this movie.

However, the impact of the 'eaten alive' scenes don't have the shock value of similar scenes from the Dawn of the Dead remake. It's because no effort was made to build any emotional bond between the audience and the character. I think this was the intent on the part of director George Romero though, he probably wanted to keep the theme light and fast.

It's because of this that I feel that Dawn of the Dead is the superior movie of the two. The Dawn remake feels more realistic, and has more of the apocalypse feel. Land is more like a typical horror/action movie. In fact for some reason I couldn't help but think of Robocop while watching this, as you had your superhero-like characters in Riley and Cholo, and a supervehicle that had its own name.

An interesting plot line was the one which shows how the zombies evolved to become smarter. They were led by a somewhat more intelligent zombie named 'Big Daddy' who felt empathy toward his fellow undead, could communicate with them, and eventually lead them to take over the walled city. So while the humans adapted to life after the undead invasion, the zombies also did some adapting of their own.

Romero fans will enjoy this movie. It's mindless, the characters are shallow but fun, and there's plenty of gore, but done in a good way as to not upset anyone. Some may say there's some social commentary and message being communicated in this film, but naaah, it's just a fun zombie movie.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
Textbook undead film.

Sam Harris, End of Faith - BOOKTV CSPAN2

Sam Harris - End of Faith (1 of 4) [max] sam begins with the prestige given religion against criticism (first) about stem cell research where in between a 3 day old human embryo having 150 cells (hardly human) and a suffering human being who is plagued by an illness. theists put more value to the 3 day old human embryo. (second) theists belief in the soul at conception. if it were true that a soul is assigned to an embryo, then later splits which become two souls (?). what happens when the two souls recombine - which sometimes does happen.

Sam Harris - End of Faith (2 of 4) [max] he talks about the evils of religious moderation giving cover to the inevitable evils of fundamentalism. that is, if christians were to truly follow the bible, specific not metaphorical commandments from leviticus/exodus/thessalonians. slavery, child abuse, murder, genocide, sexism, and rape would all be legal.

Sam Harris - End of Faith (3 of 4) [max] he contines to speak about religious moderation. i am undecided about his point of view on tolerance over other people's irrationalities as being part of the problem. he does have a good point about reason being the only solution to improve the human condition. case in point, i am thinking that tolerance might be the first step and then reason as the last and only step in solving the problem of fundamentalism.

Sam Harris - End of Faith (4 of 4) [max] question and answers part. i believe the best part of the speech. he is asked to respond to religious zealotry, to homosexuality, on morality and ethics as far as statistics comparing the atheistic nations of europe and the states, the multi-verse, anne rice book on jesus?, meditation (c'est pour toi john!), distinction of buddhism compared to the violence we see in christianity and islam, and other topics ..

Rating: 3 out of 5
Makes sense

Van Helsing

I didn't have high expectations for this movie, yet I found it oddly amusing. It could be partly due to the nice scenery, or Kate Beckinsale's cute Romanian accent (she's one of those rare types who gets more attractive with age). She fits the role perfectly and could have easily played the lead role. It's visually a very attractive film, and while I'm not usually a fan of eye candy effects, its looks made me stand up and notice.

The story is cartoonishly simplistic, but in a nice way. It doesn't take itself very seriously, stays very relaxed while guiding the viewer to a tour of different monsters. It has vampires, werewolves, Frankenstein, everything you expect. The main protagonist, Van Helsing , comes off as a sort of superhero expert on these beasts. There are some good action scenes which it gets a little repetitive near the end.

No need to fool ourselves, the main reason to watch this is for Kate Beckinsale's character. She is particularly hot in this one.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
All about looks.

Sunshine

Say that in the distant future, that our sun gradually loses energy until it is unable to supply much needed sunlight to earth. This results in dark skies, more frigid climates, and a doomsday scenario looming over the populous. In an effort to save themselves, mankind sends out a lone spacecraft armed with a nuclear payload whose mission is to reignite the sun. The future of the world rests solely on the single crew operating the ship.

This is the premise and plot of Sunshine. Many things go wrong, mistakes are made, and difficult decisions are debated over, with tremendous repercussions. The characters are put under enormous stress and while watching this, I couldn't help but feel like I was part of the crew, agonizing with them all the way. This is the type of film where I wished I could pause it, then analyze and discuss the situation with the people I was watching with, before resuming the movie.

One thing that added to the enjoyment was that during the time I watched this, I was obsessed with getting lots of sunshine. I had just recently come from a place with extremely gloomy weather the past few months, and was enjoying the newly found tropical weather I was experiencing. Another thing that further enhanced the enjoyment was the excellent and classy moviehouse we watched this in (Greenbelt 3 cinema in Makati).

There were a couple of flaws in this one, most related to plot holes and dumb moves by the characters. I know these are essential to the story, but I felt it could have been explained in a more believable way without making the crew looking incompetent. I thought that the Captain was weak and he was mostly to blame for all the mistakes made. I thought he evaded responsibility and let a lot of dumb decisions get made without thinking it through. It was ridiculous how they let one guy make all the calculations on his own (without double-checking them), and going off and implementing it while the rest of the crew was asleep. Another silly thing is having only one person in the crew capable of activating the payload. You would think if that was the most important function of the ship, you'd have at least two people capable of doing it rather than having the fate of the world rest solely on one person.

My favorite crew member, hands down, would be Mace. He wasn't afraid to make the hard decisions, and made the most practical actions based on reality. I'll also have to pick Cassie (Rose Byrne) as she looked fantastic in this one.

I think by the last third of the movie, the director and writer just ran out of ideas and lost control of the script. It got very silly real fast. I just wish they had taken a more conventional approach to the ending. I'm hoping there's some sort of alternate ending in the DVD, or even revising the later parts all together. Worth noting is that the director, Danny Boyle, did the same 'silly ending' pattern in his other movie 28 Days Later, so maybe he takes a perverse enjoyment in those. Still, I'm willing to forget all the plot holes and silliness because this was fun to watch.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
Ethical dilemmas in a spaceship

lady in the water

lady in the water. its a fairy tale with a modern day twist. the central figure is story, a water nymph, who needs to get back to her home. i thought that was a pleasant pun. and around her are a host of other interesting personalities who will help her do it.

the whole business of water nypmhs coming to our world and then going back to theirs, is a long time tradition. with that in mind, just as with any other tradition, it had developed intricate rules which are all revealed when the scrunt, a wolf like villain whose purpose is to prevent story from getting home, makes its first appearance. getting a nymph home is not so easy as it seems.

having played dungeons and dragons (a fantasy role playing game) and the changeling (a role playing game where the players role play the fae). i was easily interested.

my favorite part is the gathering of the people to play special parts in her "ascension". the pot heads could have been easily us only we really dont smoke but we do engage in interesting conversations ..

Rating: 3/5 ***
quaint and witty

jeanne poisson, marquise de pompadour

this is a period piece on a remarkable woman named jeanne poisson. she was the official mistress of louis XV. i am uncertain wether the film was historically accurate. i have little way to verify if it is.

the film was intriguing in a way that illustrates how french nobility behaves. maybe a reflection of how the elite, a different kind of norm, behaves. a norm of castes. where society dictates and in so doing expects a certain behaviour of a person based on his/her station.

the film may have presented the characters in almost stereotypical fashion. the haughty and witty dialogues. the political maneuverings. the backstabbing. the eternal struggle to gain allies and outwit enemies. and of course as expected, the pageantry.

jeanne poisson wasnt born noble. but she eventually was granted a title after becoming the mistress of the king. she was innocent but very intelligent. she was purportedly very pretty and fashionable. and thus she was favored. this has caused people around the king, especially the inner circle like the prince and his sister, to despise her. she was not without allies as her brother ascended to the nobility short after her. but her greatest ally is the king himself. the film is filled with plots to ridicule and destroy her. the king's mother the empress was a little more civil. but otherwise was part of the majority which without pretense would like to just about throw her out of the chateau. she was clearly envied.

my favorite part of the movie was when she tripped (not by accident) and fell on the pool/fountain. the other nobles laughed but she stood and cried with innocence and confidence "i am venus" which we know to be part of greek mythology as a goddess that was born out of the sea. i enjoyed her wit just as a priest who saw what happened befriended her and became one of her allies.

reading from history, we find that there is a debate wether jeanne was really influential in the affairs of the state.

Rating: 3/5 * * *
i love history