Shadow Man

I decided to rent this 2006 Steven Seagal movie partly because I enjoyed all his old movies (Hard to Kill, Above the Law, Out for Justice, etc.) back when I was in college. There is a certain nostalgia factor in seeing an old school Seagal movie released just last year.

The film opens with Seagal teaching his Dojo students how to fight. He says something about the force power coming from the core of the body, or something like that. He then proceeds to beat up his students one by one. Ordinarily I like mindless fight scenes, but this just made no sense whatsoever. I was left thinking, Huh?

There's this plot element where various people - high level criminals, the CIA, are all after this priceless item in the hands of Steven Seagal. His daughter gets kidnapped, I don't know why. And it even appears the female kidnapper might be a good person after all, indirectly helping out Seagal. Why that is, I don't know.

In fact a lot of elements in this movie didn't make sense at all. The car chase scene was scattered and hard to follow. The action scenes were shallow and unsatisfying. I found myself not caring what happens the rest of the story.

The most disappointing is that I actually liked Seagal's old movies, but not this one. I'm puzzled as to why there's so much user feedback on imdb who said they enjoyed this. What I should do is borrow one of his older movies (maybe Marked for Death which I remembered as particularly fun to watch), just to convince myself that the older films are still good, and that Shadow Man was just an off day.

Rating: 1/5 *
Huh?

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

Marit Larsen - Under the Surface

This is Marit Larsen's solo debut album. You may remember her as the blonde girl from M2M. I've gotten my fair share of ridicule in the past for being an M2M fan, but what can I do, they make good music.

At the young age of 24, with this album, Marit has established herself as a certified pop star with an extraordinary ability as a composer. The songs have catchy melodies, witty lyrics, and that x-factor that differentiates it from what you usually hear on the radio. You'll find yourself thinking how unique and refreshing each song is to listen to.

The individual tracks focus on a specific feeling and make a point. It's a combination of pop, country, folk and have a little bit of that M2M feel. It's clear to see that among the two M2M girls, Marit is the better composer and musician. She avoids the formulaic top 40 radio style by cleverly incorporating whistles, harmonica, claps and other cool sounds in her songs.

'Only a Fool' is my favorite song in the CD. It's the one making heavy use of the harmonica, hand claps, and whistles, and is a hybrid pop/folk song with country-style lyrics. Without listening to lyrics, you'll think it's a happy feel-good song, but listen clearly to the words, it's actually a sad and angry song.

"Don't Save Me" is the most commercial-friendly hit, staying number one in the Norwegian radio charts for several weeks. This comes closest to the traditional M2M sound only with a bit more edge. It's a angst-filled angry song disguised as a happy one. I like it because of its undertones on the M2M breakup. If you think about it, it seems to be directed towards her former M2M partner and best friend Marion Raven, who first went solo after getting a million dollar recording contract leaving Marit behind. I imagine this to be her feelings regarding the breakup.

'Under the Surface' is a haunting ballad with a slow Broadway-like melody. At first it sounds like your traditional boring love song. But there's a twist - she suspects her partner still holds feelings for someone from his past. And this thought dominates the rest of the song and she ends up sounding more desperate and obsessive with this realization. This may be the deepest and scariest song in the album.



Overall, this is a beautifully made CD filled with future classics from a rising star. You need to check this out.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
From the better half of M2M

A Chinese Ghost Story

I remembered watching this classic Chinese horror story back in high school. Back then, the idea of spending a night in a haunted house really spooked me out. Despite the numerous scary and gory moments, the movie is basically a love story between a man and a ghost.

The original Chinese title of the movie is “倩女幽魂” or “a beautiful maiden’s spirit”. It stars the late Hong Kong actor, Leslie Cheung, as well as Taiwanese actress Joey Wong, and Wu Ma. The movie such a hit in Hong Kong and a few other Asian countries, it spawned off two other sequel movies and a cartoon.

The movie is an adaptation of a short story written back during the Qing Dynasty by Pu Songling. It is a typical tale of a lost traveler who spends a night at an abandoned house/temple, not knowing that the place is haunted by maligned spirits.

In the movie, the temple is haunted by a troupe of ghosts and demons, all controlled by an ancient tree demon. The ghosts are ordered to hunt mortals to feed to the demon tree.

The hero (Cheung), stays in the temple, and falls in love with the tree demon’s favorite ghost maiden (Wong). Despite all the horrible things he saw, the hero manages to fall in love with the ghost maiden and resolves to free her from the clutches of the tree demon.

Watching this movie again, reminded me of how I first reacted many years ago. I was too engrossed with the horror scenes and special effects to even bother noticing the love story. Now, I find the movie to be a tragic love story between two people. It is impossible for a mortal and a ghost to fall in love. Freeing the ghost from the tree demon’s clutches would only sets her soul back to the wheel of reincarnation. They would have to wait for another lifetime to meet up and fall in love all over again.

I gave this movie a four star rating for its story and its attempt to delve into the classic theme of a Chinese ghost story. After all, this movie is based on a Chinese horror tale written many dynasties ago. I wouldn’t recommend watching the sequels or the cartoons though (apparently Chinese movies are also prone to bad movie sequels).

Marvel 1602

I recently purchased the hard cover edition of Marvel 1602. This graphic novel is written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by Andy Kubert. Here, Gaiman reinvents the marvel universe by transporting iconic Marvel heroes to seventeenth century England.

We can see Stephen Strange working as the court magician of Queen Elizabeth, and Nick Fury acting as the Queen's spymaster (ala 007). Both Strange and Fury are working against the political maneuvering of Count Otto von Doom.

The two groups are seeking for the fabled treasure of the knights templar. Fury and Strange get to meet (and work with) other Marvel heroes: like the minstrel Matthew Murdoch (Daredevil), Peter Parquagh (Spiderman), Carlos Javier and his witchbreed (Professor X and the X Men), and the Four survivors of the Fantastick ship.

I like the way Giaman integrated the Marvel heroes into a Elizabethan-like setting. The plot invokes a sense of mystery and urgency. What is the legendary treasure of the Knight's templar? Who is Virginia Dare and his white American Indian bodyguard Rojhaz?

Overall, I find the series a nice read. It's been a long time since I enjoyed reading a comic book with an excellent storyline. I'm planning to buy the next series of the 1602 series (where some of the heroes have arrived in the New World).

princesse soraya d'iran

a biography on soraya esfandiary, queen consort to the last shah of iran. a beautiful woman. the shah is emperor. this film focuses on the romance and drama between her and her then husband reza pahlavi. like many monarchs, they were pressured to produce an heir. and as powerful as we perceive them to be, they are really more vulnerable and not in control because of their position.

in any case, my favorite part(s) is where it touched on the history of iran itself. the political backdrop. at this time, european powers (mainly the british) imposed an embargo, having sent battleships to prevent the arrival/departure of trade ships, so that iran will be forced to sell their oil and trade with them. sounds familiar? this has very similar underlying circumstances of when the US forced japan to trade.

the result was irans citizens starved and suffered for there was no food or anything coming in. nor oil coming out. depleting the country's coffers. this angered the people. and a nationalist movement was formed. iranian oil for iranians.

reza's family urged him to agree with the british so that the political threat of the national movement would be stopped. but soraya who was ideal at this time, and having talked with certain figures in the nationalist movement, urged him to not give in. to follow what the people wanted. this was the turning point.

a coup d'etat ensued. it was so easy. because the people had nothing to lose.

this was a good movie because it opened my mind as to what happened in iran. how it was the british who started it. how americans got involved, when they had a deal with the shah to retake the thrown after his brief initial exile in italy. and later, this was no longer part of the movie, but was soon overthrown with another coup by ayatollah khomeini and this time, iran became what we perceive of iran today. an islamic republic.

rating 4 out of 5
its all about power, greed and oil

Sicko

Sicko is Michael Moore's latest documentary following his previous successes, Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11. In this one, he focuses on the problems of America's health care industry and what must be done to fix it.

In a nutshell, here are the main points made in the film:
- American's health care system is broken.
- Health care should be universal and free.
- Steps should be made to fix the system.

I tend to agree with all these points and glad that Moore produced his usual entertaining and educational fare to address these. It always seemed to me to be common sense that medical care that can fix illnesses and save lives should not have a price tag associated with it. And the fact that uninsured elderly, or even young people would go broke or lose their life savings after getting seriously sick means that something is wrong with the system. This became a personal issue for me recently after seeing my parents, as well as parents of friends get sick and not having any insurance or enough savings to cover for it. Michael Moore just points out what should be common sense, that there should be no price tag with saving lives and getting well.

I thought the best idea from the movie came from one thing the British doctor said in passing - that he gets incentives and bonuses if he is able to convince his patients to lower their blood pressure, or quit smoking, or do other preventive measures to improve their health. It was such a fine thought that probably won't get as much attention as the other more controversial parts in this film, but it is worth repeating: that there should be incentives on promoting good health and preventing future illnesses, rather than on fixing bad stuff after it occurs. If you ask me, the medical industry is too focused on "fix-its": fixing problems after they already occur. Perhaps because there is more money on curing ill patients, rather than making sure they improve their health so they don't get sick in the first place. I've got a lot more to rant about regarding this subject matter which I'll cover in a future post on the coffeefriday blog.

While I thought this documentary was a step in the right direction, and hopefully an instrument for reform, there were just too much social propaganda here masquerading as facts. I understand that Moore may want to exaggerate certain material to make a point, but I think he goes a bit too far in this one. For instance, he puts the health care systems of Canada, UK, and France on top of a pedestal and uses them as Utopian examples the way things should be. But he gives very little lip service to the negatives of their system. You get the impression that these countries have high quality health care that is totally free. It sounds too good to be true. The reality is that nothing is free and that everything has a cost. The cost is in higher taxes, longer waiting times, lower quality. To be fair, Moore does mention and refute these points in the movie, but gives so devotes so little time to the arguments against them, that it just felt like he was dictating to me what to think rather than letting me make my own judgment.

The part where he led the batch of 9/11 rescue workers on a boat trip to Guantanamo Bay, and later to Cuba turned me off. This was where I felt the movie stopped being a documentary and started becoming a work of fiction, or more of an opinion piece. While I acknowledge that this scene might have been staged to make a point about the broken nature of U.S. Health Care, it just got a bit too sensationalist for my tastes. The Cuba scenes portrayed the rescue workers as victims who were unable to help themselves, which does a big disservice to them as it reinforces their belief that they are victims who can only be helped by the government.

By the second half of the film, the rest of the moviegoers at the cinema I was in seemed to be totally brainwashed by everything they saw, judging from their reactions and sounds of agreement. There was loud applause at the end. While I felt initially that this was a good sign, that this would at least motivate people to make efforts to change the system, I was also a bit scared at how easily one could be misled by some of the one-sided arguments in Sicko.

So to summarize, I liked this movie, I'm glad it was made, and I think it will have a positive effect in making people think. Unfortunately I predict that it will influence people for the wrong reasons, leading us to think that free health care comes without any cost. I just wish it could have portrayed both sides of the argument (and if it comes a little biased towards Moore's side, that's ok), then let people make the decisions for themselves rather than dictating what they should think. On the positive side, there were a couple of gems in Sicko that were buried under the more sensationalist scenes, it's just too bad these ideas were not emphasized more:

- Life-saving medical care should be universal and free (even at the cost of higher taxes)
- More emphasis should be made on preventive medicine and health improvement, so people will need less medical care in the future.
- The medical industry needs to be less incentivized towards money.

Rating: 2/5 * *
Good intentions, but too one-sided in its message.

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

The Matrix Revolutions

Ahhh, I finally get to watch The Matrix Revolutions, the thrilling conclusion to one of the best trilogies of all time. The first Matrix was ground-breaking, the second had some bad parts, but was still good (my previous review of Reloaded is here). And now, with baited breath, I get to watch how it all ends. Will Zion be preserved? Is Neo the one? Will The Architect and The Oracle reveal the true nature of reality as it actually exists?

It turns out that none of these will be answered. Or maybe they were, I just stopped caring.

First off, I hated, hated the whole military hierarchy of the Zion defense force. The commanders came off too much like arrogant pricks that I actually wanted to root for the machines. Morpheus seems to have a very limited role in this one, which is too bad, because he was the only one that was cool.

The whole Trinity - Neo relationship is ho-hum. Neo goes off with Trinity on their own ship with a separate mission... but at this point I lost track of what was happening, and got bored. There's this big CGI fight between the machine squid-like creatures and the giant defense robots. It felt like watching a cartoon.

Then the ending. What the?! Did anything happen at all? Did I miss something? I can't believe how the Wachowski brother could mess up what started as such a good thing.

I hated this movie. And I tried hard to think why I disliked it so much. Perhaps it's because the supporting human characters were so unlikeable. Perhaps it's because of the melodramatic feel from start to finish, where everyone took themselves too seriously, including Neo. Even previously cool characters such as Morpheus, Agent Smith, and Persephone couldn't save this one.

I guess I just didn't get the whole thing. If anyone knows what happened here, please explain it to me.

Rating: 1/5 *
Horrible ending to a once great franchise.

Ong-bak: The Thai Warrior

Ong-bak is a Thai action/martial arts film with some of the best fighting scenes I've ever watched. Its main star, Tony Jaa, appears to perform all his own stunts, and every punch and kick is delivered with full impact. I have a feeling that many of the actors and stunt men had sore bodies after filming. If you're a fan of old school 80's fight movies, you've gotta see this one.

The best part is when all the bad guys chase the hero through the crowded streets. Our hero jumps through barbed wire, leaps over walls, and steps over the shoulders of the henchmen in order to evade them. And yes, there's lots of good fighting here. In fact, the movie is more than two-thirds fighting and action. Another good part is the fight club scene at the bar where Tony Jaa is forced to beat up colorful characters named 'Pearl Harbor' and 'Big Bear', reminiscent of Jean Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport.

The only shortcoming of this movie is that the fights get somewhat repetitive in the end. You see the same moves over and over again. The final battle scene is anticlimactic. When you get to it, you're so exhausted from all the action that you want to take a break.

Yes, there's a story here too. The protagonist, a lowly villager named Ting who has been trained in the art of Muay Thai fighting is tasked to recover the head of the Buddha which has been stolen from his village. Along the way he meets a scam artist named Dirty Balls and his sister Muay, who take advantage of his fighting abilities to make some extra money, as well as help him in the end against the bad guys. Muay, portrayed by a young Thai actress named Pumwaree Yodkamol, is one good-looking woman. Though she is portrayed here as a short-haired college-age tomboy with a somewhat irritating voice, she's the second best reason to watch this movie.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
You want fights? This movie has it.

perfume

This is one of the films featured in the recent 2007 french film festival in cebu which I missed. But I was able to acquire an english copy from a colleague.

The backdrop of this fascinating story in 18th century France, a decade and perhaps a couple of years before the American Revolution. City of Paris. There was this fish vendor who gave birth to an unwanted child. A boy.

Early on, there had been many attempts to dispose of him, but he proved lucky enough to survive. Growing up he was obviously different. He has an extra ordinary ability to smell. Distance is of no consequence. He can track anyone for miles, if he so chooses. He can break down any smell to its parts.

Naturally, he became an apprentice to a perfume maker. He was so overwhelmed by his sense of smell that when he became an adolescent. He made his first kill. An accident. A woman. Consumed, there began his journey. Perfume making has similarities to the composition of music. Each note blends. His goal was to preserve the smell of the woman.

My favorite scene in the movie is when the city elders were deliberating on their plan of action. One of them, who was a religious nut, suggested that the local bishop excommunicate the killer. As if this single act would at any degree prevent any more killings. This I think is a relevant social commentary about how people from the present day, solve their problems either by incantations or having incantations told for them by some authority. in this case, the holy mother church. Fortunately, the voice of reason was heard. A serial killer is out there and its going to take human wits to catch him.

This is the kind of movie which lingers long after it has ended. Morbid, sensual, and shameful.

Rating 4 out of 5
Disturbing.

fair play

this is the only film which i was able to catch at this year's french film festival. its about a team of people and their politics. there were 4 major characters. jean-claude the manipulator, charles the manager, alexandre the loser, and nicole the executive assistant.

alexandre, who appeared to lack confidence, was an easy target. hed be the subject of ridicule. or spite. and he seems to get blamed for everything. jean-claude tries to give him advice. like thinking out of the box to solve problems. or how it was important to have the guts and be willing to do anything to achieve a goal. even if it means stepping on other people's toes. charles who is the manager - mr perfect - mr know it all - the man that society looks up to. he puts alexander down too. his words cuts like steel. i can relate very well with alexandre. and then there is nicole who is also an easy target being at the bottom of the food chain so to speak. people act as if they wer perfect incapable of making mistakes. its all just an illusion. or that sometimes we play the victim card. so that the responsibility is out of our hands.

one day, there were all in a company sponsored outing. that could represent the real world. real life. where every person is for him/herself. an accident happens and they were all trapped. the title says it all. the accident overturns the table. and they all find themselves in an unfamiliar territory. top becomes bottom and vice versa. noone escapes except one. good acting. good story. and it's not hollywood - perfect!

rating: 4 out of 5
life is one big accident

Three Extremes

Three Extremes features three mini movies directed by three of the more popular Asian Extreme Horror directors: Fruit Chan, Chan-wook Park, and Takashi Miike. Each story is told in the director's style giving you a glimpse of each of their unique talents.

It opens with the first segment, 'Dumplings' (directed by Fruit Chan), which features a slightly aging actress looking to improve her youthfulness and looks. She visits this mysterious woman who cooks these dishes of dumplings, which is said to make whoever eats it look instantly younger. We can kind of guess what these dumplings are made from, its secret ingredient. This was an ok segment, nothing particularly memorable. But content may be disturbing for some.

The second segment is the torture short 'Cut' directed by Chan-wook Park who was also the director behind Oldboy. There's a bit of philosophical/social commentary in the dialog between the oppressor and the victim. And some genuinely cringe-worthy moments which made it hard for me to watch. I don't like torture films, and I found it hard to follow what was going on in this one. There is a somewhat bizarre, hard to figure out twist in the end which left me scratching my head. I only understood it after reading some of the interpretations posted by other people who watched this.

The third and last segment, 'Box', is the story of two sisters. It's a very quiet story with very little sound effects and no background music. Apparently this was the theme that director Takashi Miike (of Audition fame) wanted to convey. Some parts feel disjointed and just altogether weird. But the payoff in the end is kind of nice. And it keeps you thinking long after the movie ends.

I can't say which of the three stories is my favorite. 'Box' just felt a bit too quiet and strange (I even almost fell asleep on some parts!). 'Cut' has the richest story of all three, but somewhat disturbing for my tastes. Most people will probably enjoy 'Dumplings' the most. It's ok, but nothing great. This movie felt different, as most Asian Extreme Horror films are, so it's worth a watch if you're willing to try.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
A good intro to the Asian Extreme Horror genre.

school of scoundrels

this movie is in the class of the 40 year old virgin and office space. its about this generally nice guy who noone notices because he looks average. maybe even a little ugly. he tries to please everyone. he is often proper. he doesnt swear. he runs away from confrontation. his life is mediocre. and uneventful. and expectedly, as most girls like the bad boys, he is alone, unlucky maybe, and to the point of being a push over because of it. he puts other people first before him. and what makes this a good movie for me is that he kind of reminds me, of me.

he started attending this class which taught him to be a winner. like the alpha male in a pack of lions. and he was very good. he learned a few things until finally his teacher, who was very competitive, started to interfere with his goals. that is to date this australian girl who lives on the same building where he lives.

this movie has a lot of funny antics. especially at the beginning where i could readily see my self in his shoes. although none of it really happened to me per se. because sometimes i do feel like a loser. and i suspect everyone even the prettiest or the smaertest people in the world, does too.

Rating: 4/5 ***
fuck nice .. lol

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

Bubble

As many of you may know, I like my movies to be 'realistic'. I like having the sense that what I'm watching is actually happening, and that the characters are as believable as possible. Bubble is that type of movie.

As I was watching it, I felt like a distant observer to the private lives of three people who work in a doll factory in their small town and how they manage to go through their daily routine. The situation is very subtle and you can somehow sense what's going on without it being overstated. You get the sense of quiet desperation and desolation these people go through. Something happens that disrupts the delicate balance, causing a chain of events leading to a murder. But that's not the main point of the film, the story is merely a backdrop for illustrating how hopeless life can be when there are no other options. Something is very wrong here.

Bubble was shot with a very limited budget, which helps in setting the ambiance of the story. I liked the guitar strumming played at the start and in between scenes, it fit it perfectly. Plus, the ending credits with the weird music and still shots of the dolls were kind of scary. Very nicely done.

Rating: 4/5 * * * *
Very realistic.

pour l'amour de dieu

pour l'amour de dieu (for the love of god). i thought that this film is so powerful and so relevant that its a huge waste that not too many people were able to watch it especially in the philippines. where like in france, we live amongst muslims, theists, and extremists. the truth about any religion is that it does have positive and yet then sometimes conflicting messages. it says to love and yet it also says to kill, to hate, and to murder.

the story is about a boy's journey from being a regular highschool kid to a religious fanatic. he is a second or third generation immigrant. i am guessing they were from algeria. south of france. his parents made sure that they were fully integrated in french society. this implies that he was brought up free from religion. he discovers islam from a classmate who was a confessed moslem. he became infatuated with her and then attempts to convert to islam himself to get close to the girl. the girl was like him. she was a second or third generation immigrant. she was trying to rediscover her roots. and a huge part of it was her family's religion. she was however what one may say a moderate moslem. the boy then gets involved with some extremist groups. and i thought that to show off the several prejudices and superstitions of these kind of people were priceless. example: laughing is not allowed because it is believed to be the tickle of satan. or that men. true men dont cry. that women are satan's way of seducing men to sin. there are many others. crazy stuff. in retrospect, we find similar beliefs in christian places.

in the end, the boy was forced to confront his extermist views with that of the girl's moderate views, particularly on the wearing of the hijab.

rating 4 out of 5
educational

The Message

The Message
http://helpinghumanity.multiply.com/video

it is a film about the claimed history of islam. a story about mohamet. a story of what is now to be considered the stronghold regions of islam. it is mecca when europe was plunged to the dark ages. it is mecca in 610 AD. and i find that it had parallel beginnings like chrisitianity. for example, it was a popular past time for people to be polytheists. just like people in rome worshipped roman and greek deities, so did people in mecca, byzantine, alexandrie, and persia, worshipped their own list of deities before becoming monotheists.

there is also parallel as to how people reacted to the revelation or to these dangerous ideas. with resistance. but mohamet was just as adamant, just like jesus, moses, and the other biblically recorded prophets. they appeared to have conviction. but the problem is just like the rest of theists descendants today, they expected people to accept their message on the sole basis of conviction. with maybe fear mongering on the side.

"accept islam for your salvaton" -- and i thought or else what?

one of the messages (part 3 of the movie) talked about the previous custom of killing girls. because they were considered to be bad luck. or unfortunate. which i find to be parallel with chinese customs of even today. boys were regarded with more esteem. on other words, women were oppressed. the irony of this today is. islamic nations are known to oppressed their women. regarding them with a lower status in contrast to what supposedly mohamet said that all men are equal. but maybe this is to be interpreted as applicable only to men (not humankind)

rating 1 vs 5
ive seen it before in christianity ..

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