RPG Metanoia is astonishing - A movie review

Went into a digital theater with high expectation for RPG Mentanoia despite being the pioneer 3D Filipino film. Put my 3D glasses on as soon as movie started but tried flipping it and checked what the visuals like without the glasses on. Well, the 3D is not as promising as Hollywood films but the movie as a whole is really astonishing. The animation was beautifully created so as the story and characters.

The movie centers on a boy named Nico (Zaijan Ranilla ) whose passion is computer gaming. He spends most of his time in a virtual world and plays the Role Playing Game (RPG) Metanoia. It's an interactive game where you can design your own avatar, level-up and get to fight bad guys along with your friends. But when Nico and his company lost the game he was leading, they were thrown out from the computer shop by some bullies and was not permitted to step a foot ever again. Outside the shop they get to experience the real game like normal kids do as Nico's mom (Eugene Domingo) wished him to be. But when the world of Metanoia got infected by some malware and paralyzes its users including their loved ones, it's up for Nico, May, Bryan, Bobby and Mark to lead the remaining players of the RPG to save the other world they lived in.

The film sticks to its authenticity as it shows 100% Pinoy through out the film. It features the Pinoy food like bangus, longanisa ang games 'laro ng lahi' like 'sipa', 'piko', 'syatong', 'tumbang lata' and 'patintero'. These were shown and presented beautifully in Nico's real world and even in the virtual world of Metanoia, some of the background settings were noticeably authentic which really shows that creator has been carefully taken small details into consideration to stay true to its goal of promoting Filipino values and culture despite the modernity of its plot. It's also filled with humor that everyone can relate to (one instance is how kids picked their names for their avatar), which is simple but made the film more meaningful.

What amazed me most was the fight scenes which were made outside mediocrity. It was magical in its own simple way and amazingly creative. Though young voices in the film showed some opportunities for improvement, the other characters like Eugene Domingo, Aga Muhlach (Daddy) and Vhong Navaro (shop owner) did pretty well. In general, the movie is a great breakthrough, it's a technical achievement in local film-making history that even most of us didn't think of achieving this sooner. It's a realization for our local aspiring animators who have been passionately involved in advocating animation in our country and as a former member of academe, I've seen young minds who are really seeing themselves in the future making something out of this passion and what's left for the rest of us is the utmost support and appreciation. It was really a good idea that the film was introduced during the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) where it can get more attention that it deserves. RPG Metanoia is amazingly beautiful and I've never been this proud for a locally-produced film. See it for yourself.

My Best 10 Films of 2010

2010 is almost over and Oscar is busy screening the next best movie of the year (not until February) . But if you would be given the chance to list your own best 10 movies of 2010 what are those?...Check out my own list (also available in Imdb.com click here).

10. Ip Man 2

If you have enjoyed the first movie, there is no reason for you not to enjoy this sequel. Donnie Yen (Ip Man) shows more of Wing Chun Martial Arts in this film. Unlike the first part, the second film got a happier ending. The last fight against Western Martial Art is my favorite part. I heard Ip Man 3 is on the works, we shall see if got the same punches like its predecessors

9. My Name Is Khan

Bollywood film that will make your heart melt. A story of an autistic Muslim Indian who goes to America and fulfills a promise for someone he loves and that promise is to see the President of America. Funny and filled with love and hope, My Name Is Khan is a type of movie that you would want to watch over and over again and you just like it more and more every time.

8. The Town

Forget the Ben Affleck of Armageddon and the pathetic Daredevil and focus to Ben who directed and starred in this one the most critically-acclaimed films of 2010, The Town. I've never imagined him becoming a good director 'coz Ben Affleck is just the worst actor I've ever known in Hollywood. After watching his first directorial effort "Gone Baby Gone" thought it was just a beginner's luck, but after watching The Town, damn, I can't just wait for his next film (as a director, still don't like him as an actor though). The Town was beautifully written and amazingly acted. I would be so sad if this won't be nominated as one of the best films in Oscar.

7. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

The funniest comedy film that I've watched this year. The film is presented in a video-game-like where Scott has to defeat several characters with extra-ordinary powers to earn points and to win his love interest. He gets power-up and gadgets and can earn extra life too. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is an example of a very unique way of making people laugh.

6. The Expendables

Ever since the buzz about Sly and these action stars in a movie came out, I've never been so eager to watch it. The film was completed and finally released in theaters after a year. And just like what I expected the film filled with never-seen action thrills with never-seen all-stars line-up. It gets your adrenaline pumping from beginning to end. And at the end of the film it makes you shout for more. Let's just keep our fingers crossed for the sequel next year or on 2012.

5. How To Train Your Dragon

I've always liked animated films and I have watched a lot of them this year, while some of them are just 'ok', two (or three if I expand my list to 15) of this year's animated film really stood out. Apart from Woody and Buzz adventure, I was amazed by Hiccup and Toothless in How To Train Your Dragon. Their unlikely type of friendship would make you believe that everything is really possible once done with courage and heart. Funny and moving.

4. Toy Story 3

The best animated film I've watched this year. I'm not really much of a fan of Toy Story series but it took a while for me to move on with its story. Nearly cried at the end of the film (when Andy played his toys for the last time). It's seldom for an animated film that would make you do that. May be the last Toy Story film that the Pixar will ever create but that magic that brought to our hearts will stay in it to infinity and beyond.

3. The Kids Are Alright

This film is the most honest movie that I've seen this year. Everything was so simple but smooth, there was no exaggeration done on the story. Most movies are done in a way it appears to be cinematic but 'The Kids Are All Right' is just what it is, a reflection of what's really happening out there somewhere. The acting was outstanding especially Annette Bening, hope she wins the Oscar this time. This movie reminds me of George Clooney's Up in the Air last year for some reason. Surely one of the all-time favorites.

2. The Social Network

The second best movie I've seen this year. One of the strongest contenders for this year's Oscar Best Picture. Be amazed on how a nerdy Harvard student turned out to be one of the world's billionaire by creating the famous social site Facebook. The film is well acted and beautifully presented. David Fincher is really amazing, He makes magic from out of almost everything. From fiction drama to biographic to mind blowing thriller, he is just one of the versatile directors in Hollywood, perhaps the best one after Steven Spielberg.

1. Inception

The best movie I've watched this year. Christopher Nolan made every ingredient of a film that you think of worked out perfectly in this film. Drama, suspense, action, thriller, sci-fi, with great musical score, mind-blowing special effects, not to mention the never-heard-plot before, great performances, name it! Inception is an example of a film that every director or movie writers should create, where everything is new and unique. Oscar should really name this as Best Picture or at least Christopher Nolan as the Best Director.

The Origin of A**holes

I just don't understand why some people have to be assholes. I envy their consistency sometimes on how they can move you big time with their simple words or actions. It's amazing that you don't even see them exerting effort to mess with you. Really, been thinking about it, how do they multiply? Anywhere you go, one or two of their kind follow you. Their like shadows that you can never can get rid of, a very sophisticated shadow that glows in the dark, isn't that cute!

Anyway, I bumped with this type of human form at work. Though the collision wasn't really that hard it was enough for me to be sent to our OM for a talk. Her first question was, "Is there a problem with your RS?". Apparently they call him RS which stands for Resolution Specialist, but not to me as he f*cks up almost everything. He comes up too strong, a too-proud type of person that you would think has been in position for quite awhile. But guess what? He is just a starter, amazing right? Sometimes I ask my self if it's just me or maybe I'm new and I don't know him so well so I have to give a time to get along with. Then I found out that my colleagues are also having issues with him. I know it's not enough for me or us to judge him but whatever he is doing, it's not just so healthy. I don't know what he is trying to prove. Though he seems smart, in some ways (maybe), but most of the time, he is just really an asshole. I'm sorry can't think of any lighter words. I can't use stronger words than that here hehehe.

But we can't just keep people like these tormenting us everyday. I mean it's not that we need to fight back physically or to answer them back (though I did twice). We need to find a shield that wont let him enjoy whatever his doing. What I'm doing (as of the moment) which I know sometimes don't work 'coz there are times it becomes too unbearable, I just ignore him . Ignore his ways of making me feel so small, idiot, or whatever words that associate with making you so insignificant, I think "belittling" is the exact word. He does that unfortunately. But what's funny about it the more he does that the more he appears to be less-capable or dumber to me . I guess that's why people wear badge visibly to let other know that their strong, smart, but deep inside they feel incompetent (I can justify how he appears to be like, but that's not the point I'm arriving at) and I think that's where asshole originated from. They can't just level with you in some ways, too bad!

So that is just my own view on that matter. I know we tend be assholes ourselves to anyone but making it a hobby 'coz you are really enjoying it, that's already something else. But let's not forget that people do change and who knows some of these assholes will become your best buddy, though it's kinda difficult with the person that I'm talking about but still possible and I wanna hold on to that possibility (fingers crossed). Blessed afternoon to everyone!

We Were Soldiers

Still wiping off my misty eyes while writing this blog. And I've never cried like this over a movie in a very long time. As you can see from the above picture I'm referring to "We Were Soldiers" of Mel Gibson. It's an old film but I just got the chance to see the beauty of it today. It's a two hour film and the moment it started 'til its very end I got my self sobbing over each scene. It's a war film but the movie is not just all about it. While most movies of the same genre are made with beautiful ending that you can celebrate their victory with, We Were Soldiers got a different one. Perhaps they were victorious for some reason but the ending is just so sad but uplifting at the same time. As you started watching the film you would know that most of them would die in the end, but still it won't make you prepared enough not to take it emotionally. The last 30 mins of the film is just the best part where everyone was struggling for survival, caught between orders and dignity. Col. Morris (Mel Gibson) as the commanding officer that lead the troupe against Vietnam soldiers that stayed true to his words 'til the very end. He never faltered, kept his faith to God and to his people. One journalist in the film that joined the war to cover the story made the film so interesting, one character that made the movie unique from other war films. For me, apart from the Col. Hal Morris, Joe Galloway (the journalist) is one the most significant characters in the film, his part was short but very powerful. He said, not in verbatim though "If I can't help to stop war, then I would just help to understand it". Which is really true, no one can stop war, and none of us understands it either. The movie however is not about how you would understand the war, but it's a question to everyone of us. Some of us witness it, our loved ones are even involved, but we never understand what we are really fighting for. It makes sense to me because if we do, there would be no war otherwise. 'Coz people fight because of misunderstanding, the order was never put into place for both parties resulting to collision, and the casualties are even bigger than what we want to achieve.

As one of the critics said on the movie poster says "The best war film in years" and indeed 'We Were Soldiers' is extra ordinary, one of the best movies I've watched, another film added to my all-time favorites. For those who haven't watched it yet, please do so, and see the beauty of the film yourself. 'Til next movie experience, Great Friday to everyone!

Moving to a New Home

After a year of staying in a fully furnished house in Boni, Mandaluyong, I decided to move to a smaller but more comfortable room of my own in Cubao. It's just a plain room with no bed or anything, so I really have to start buying my own stuff. Though I haven't officially moved yet (not until this 15th) I already checked the place this afternoon and got my self a comfortable cushion with sheet for my bed and a desk fan (no not a desktop lols).

There's nothing wrong with my current place though, it's just really far from my work, since we were moved to different site in Eastwood. Apart from distance I'm really spending a lot for my fare, so it's time consuming and pocket depleting at the same time and not to mention your effort for taking three rides (or six rides back and forth) plus the super crowd in MRT. I couldn't stand having my face almost next to the train's window glass every time and sometimes if you feel unlucky you will be standing next to someone who is drunk or smelly. But sometimes, when you are lucky, you will be surrounded with pretty girls (evil smile), but that's very rare. The new place has no cable tv anymore, no fridge, no hot and cold purified water and no unlimited wi-fi access. So I'll be back to using my mobile Globe broadband so I can get on line once in a while. But at least I got privacy, all my stuff is secure, and I can wash my own clothes, cook any food I want, these are the things that I didn't have despite the luxury I mention above, not so bad right? I'm hoping too that I'll be able to save up this time.

Western Digital again!

In a world where everything is digital, losing a single file is almost unbearable. It's even more tormenting when your PC just starts to freeze and you can't do anything but to have it reformatted. Reformatting is never an issue but the files that you have been keeping since day one is. In my case I can't imagine losing the most important files in my drive, and these are my mp3s and my precious movies. And just this week, I realized that that my PC is really getting older, it's almost five years already and though it still works normally (at least for most part of it) except for battery which only lasts for 5 to 10 mins and the optical drive which doesn't read anything anymore, I feel like it's gonna give up on me very soon. And what I'm afraid of, in case it crashes and I have to reformat it and since the optical drive won't work how would I reinstall the OS? Plus I don't have the installer for drivers and all. You can think of the worst think can possibly happen to my Jurrasic laptop. Poor me. I'm thinking of getting a new one but that would be very costly, so I just decided to have a portable hard drive for me to at least back-up the files for the mean time in case it the doom starts. So I closed my eyes and picked 3,000 pesos from my wallet and purchased a 500GB external hard disk this afternoon and started doing the back-up. Wish I would be able to save enough money for a new laptop before anything happen to my current one.

I got a 500GB Western Digital portable hard drive, my second one actually. The first one which is already full is a 250GB which was given to me as a gift by one of my best friends (I always get gagdets as a gift from us, so lucky me hehe). I don't have issue so far with WD so I think it's a good brand. It comes with one year warranty. And besides I was able to get a 310 pesos discount. I looked around this afternoon in almost every computer shops in different malls, the price is almost 4,000 or even higher. I found a stall in Cubao called Compex and they were on sales and before I knew it I was making my way to MRT station with a plastic bag in my hand with the portable hard drive in it. Cool!

Your way to Neverland

"Time is chasing after all of us" said by Mrs. Snow in the film "Finding Neverland". This is the line that really lingers on me after watching the film two days ago. I was so surprised that even "Peter Pan" got an interested story to tell. It may sound so babyish at first but the film requires a deeper understanding that even normal adults sometimes may not be able to conceive its point...But before I go on with this, I just want to point out that this is not a movie review, but rather an emphasis of how movie somehow affects our lives or how we see things in a positive way. Anyway, the film is about the story of James Barrie (starred by Johnny Depp) and the people that inspired him to create Peter Pan (the flying boy with a fairy friend Tinker Bell). It started as a play in London before it became an animated film that now every kid loves. The people that inspired him were not just the ones who believed in him, but also the people who hated him.

The movie requires you to at least know a little story about Peter Pan, otherwise you'll get yourself asking what is the film about up to the end of it (but I guess everyone knows the story of Peter Pan). Every character in the story even the crocodile that always carries the clock has a very significant part in the play. Something that tells us that everything surrounds us plays a very important role in our very own story. In reality we also have our own crocodile with its own clock telling us "hey! time won't wait for you, keep your ass moving". Yeah for sure sometimes you need to take things slow, how slow it can be, that's really up to you. It's an advantage if you know how fast this crocodile can catch up. And you always know what happens if it catches you, so you better move as fast as you can while avoiding to fall.

There are more to tell about the film and I'm leaving it with you to discover them. It's very touching and full of lessons that maybe helpful in dealing your own issues in life, perhaps in finding your own Neverland. 'Till next movie experience, Happy Monday to everyone!

Ben Affleck's The Town

Before we start talking about the film "The Town" let's go back to history a bit with its director Ben Affleck. I first saw him in Good Will Hunting, one of the best movies of 1997 which won 2 Oscars including Best in Screenplay for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Both of them starred in the film but I totally didn't care about Affleck, I remember me and my colleagues saying back then that Ben didn't do anything for the movie and that it was just Matt Damon who did all the works that's why they won the Oscar. I honestly never liked him, he is the worst and pathetic actor I've ever known in Hollywood. His past films like Gigli, Bounce and the douche-bag superhero Daredevil are just some of the worst films in history. Ten years after, Ben Affleck decided to come back and made a good name in Hollywood and that's through working behind the camera, as the front man Director. His first full directorial effort was "Gone Baby Gone" in 2007 which received positive reviews from critics and viewers and managed to get one nod in Oscar. Though I like the film Gone Baby Gone, I still didn't much appreciate him, thinking it was just a beginner's luck or something. Not until this year when the buzz came out that he is coming back to direct the Oscar nominated actor Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, Chris Cooper and Blake Lively in the new film The Town. His second works as a director has received better reviews than his first and even managed to open as number one on its first week in North America. The film is also being considered as one of the contenders for Oscar Best Picture and Best Director. Want to know why? You can see it for yourself, but in the mean time you can go on reading my brief movie review below.

The title 'The Town' refers to Charlestown in Boston where crimes is just part of people day to day life (as emphasized in the beginning of the film). A group of friends headed by Doug(Affleck) and Jem (Renner) robbed a bank (while wearing masks) and took Claire (Rebecca Hall), the bank's manager as a hostage. They freed Claire eventually and the group moved on with their normal lives. When they found out that Claire was just living in the neighborhood, Doug started to check on her and fell for her. The two began an intimate relationship while Claire wasn't totally aware of what was going on. She had no idea that the man she was sleeping with was the same man that asked her to open the vault in the bank, the same man that took her as hostage. The movie goes on for more than two hours, but I'm telling you every scene is just so good as it showcases the talent of each actor which is so fit in to their characters. Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively are the best performers in the film. Jon Hamm as an FBI agent did pretty good as well, though Ben Affleck did some good acting, he was outshone by his fellow actors. Filled with intense action and drama, The Town is just the one of the finest crime movies that has been adapted on screen. An Oscar worthy. And to Director Ben Affleck, what can I say? I think he just found his cup of tea and should really just stick with it.

Oscar Race

Not missing a single movie doesn't make you an official movie geek if you don't know which movies are great or not. And when I say great movies I mean its an Oscar standard. A lot of people are still confused with Oscar Award from Golden Globe and other Hollywood award giving bodies. Just an FYI for everybody, Oscar Award is the prestigious and the highest award for Hollywood films. Once you're an Oscar winner that means you are really good and that you have attained the highest value of being an actor or a filmmaker.

Perhaps most of the movies that we love are either nominated or an Oscar winner. A perfect example of this are Titanic and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King which both won the Best Picture. E.T, Jaws, Sixth Sense and the latest films like, Up, The Blind Side and Avatar were also nominated for Best Picture category. While most of our all-time fave actors and actresses that are making a lot of money for each movie they make are Oscar winners too (though some of them are not much making box office movies anymore). Of course I'm talking about Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Denzel Washington, Russel Crowe, Meryl Streep, Resse Witherspoon and Sandra Bullock who are Oscar winners while Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise were nominated at least once in acting category. The trophy and the nods that they get make these stars glitter than what they used to be. And besides the money, they give their best effort to have an award, not just an award but an Oscar Award.

Most of my favorite movies and actors are also Oscar winners. Let's start with my fave actor Russel Crowe who has been nominated twice as Best Actor and won once for portraying as Maximus in the film Gladiator which also won Best Picture. He was also nominated a year after for portraying the lead role of John Nash Jr biography in A Beautiful Mind which also won the Best Picture. A Beautiful Mind is my all time favorite movie, the very first movie that I really adore. I fell in love with its cinematography, the screenplay, actor's performances, the plot and everything. Watched the movie for several times.

Before A Beautiful Mind, one movie that started it all was Titanic. This is the film that turned me into a movie freak basically. I was still in my first year high school when I started to get hooked up to it, but due to some reasons I have only watched limited number of movies then, I didn't have enough money to go to cinemas, we didn't even have a VHS player then, I just relied on my cousins who also love watching movies, so I only watched what they had then. But now, due to the abundance of dvds and vcds plus the free download and streaming online I can already watch whatever movies that I want to watch. Plus I got enough money now to buy myself a ticket to watch cinemas, even in HD and 3D. So since 1997, I have watched maybe thousands of movies and collected almost 500 dvds, vcds, and downloads of my favorite movies.

Going back to Oscar Award which takes place by February where movies that are released from this year will be racing for Best Pictures trophy. Oscar buzzes are already available online and I'm glad that I have watched most of the movies that would possibly end up in top 10 nominees for the award. These are Inception, The Social Network, Toy Story , How to Train your Dragon and The Kids are Alright. Other movies in the list like Ghost Writer and The Winter's Bone are also next in line since I got the copy of the these two films, just need time to watch 'em. So far The Social Network and Inception are my personal choice to win this February. Though 127 Hours is also strong as well as The Town, I couldn't just give comments for now since I haven't watched them yet. But whatever will win, for sure they really deserve it, otherwise it won't get even nominated. Oscar Awards winners will be announced this Feb 27, 2011.