Back-to-Back Will Smith Movies on Sunday

Got a triple-action treat from Will Smith today. Watched his old movies from late 90's and early 2000's. I don't remember his full movie that I first watched but I'm sure it wasn't one of the MIB or Bad Boys films but I remember watching 'Wild Wild West' in 1999 with Kevin Klein and Salma Hayek, I remember him and Sisqo then rapping the soundtrack of it on MTV (I was in 3rd year high school then). Since then he became such a huge movie star and seen him in many films which include "I Robot", Shark Tale", "The Pursuit of Happyness", "I Am Legend", "Hancock", "Seven Pounds" and last December I was able to watch "Enemy of the State". With this number of films on his record I still missed a lot of his hits which include "Bad Boys I and II", "Hitch", "Ali" including the other three movies which I just saw today.

Independence Day (1996)

I first watched "Independence Day" after taking breakfast early this morning. It's a 1996 action-thriller film directed by Roland Emmerich (The Day After Tomorrow, 2012). When a city-like alien space ship positioned itself on the skyline the people of America was puzzled but when it started to attack and destroy all the cities, the President of America (Bill Pullman) must unite with his people together with the marine pilot Capt. Steve Hiller (Will Smith) and an electronics and computer expert David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) to defeat the aliens and draw them away from planet Earth. It was breath-taking. I was surprised that the movie '2012' was almost a copycat of this film, no wonder most critics were unhappy with Roland's latest film. (My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars)

Men In Black (1997)

Watched this film after lunch. Though I have watched this before in cable channels, I didn't really get the gist of it since I wasn't able to watch it in full (and I don't like watching movie in cable channel or online streaming, I prefer in DVD or playing from my hard drive). Just like "Independence Day", Men In Black is also about aliens, only they co-exist with humans and Agent Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Agent J (Will Smith) maintain their peaceful living on earth without letting the human race know that they really exist. These aliens should really behave 'coz if they don't MIB will turn them into tons of green slime. Though the film was a bit short and less action, it was funny and considering it was released in the 90s the special effects were really cool. (My rate 3 out of 5 stars)

Men In Black II (2002)

Watched this sequel MIB II right after the first part. It was released five years after the first movie and was directed by the same director, Barry Sonnenfield (who will be back with MIB III sometime next year). Agents Jay was back in action fighting aliens but couldn't do it alone. He had to restore the memory of Agent Kay as he resigned the job before the first movie ended. With the help of Frank (the talking dog) and the four alien-worms MIB should defeat Serleena before she conquers The Light of Zartha and destroys the world. Added cast was Lara Flynn Boyle, the 'Jackass' star Johnny Knoxville and Rosario Dawson (who later worked with Will Smith again in 'Seven Pounds'). The film is funnier than the first one because of Frank, and Will got more of the spotlight here compare to his parter. But the film was still vague and it got lesser actions this time (2.5 stars out of 5)

'It's Kind of a Funny Story' is a kind of a good movie too

"He is not busy being born is busy dying" as what Bobby (Zach) said which was quoted from Bob Dylan song according to the film 'It's a Kind of a Funny Story'. It was a pretty cool light-comedy-drama film starred by Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover, Up in the Air) with Emma Roberts (Hotel for Dogs, Valentine's Day), Viola Davis (Eat Pray Love, Doubt, Law Abiding Citizen) and Kier Gilchrist. The movie talks about how beautiful life is when much appreciated and how little things we really wanna do can add up to make it more meaningful. Simple things like art, music and letting people that you love know how you feel (bad or good) can save you from getting your mind too messed up (that you wanna kill yourself sometimes). We often feel depressed and frustrated because we don't see the beauty of the things we have and the people we love 'coz its presence and simplicity blind us and it takes other people to show it to us.

Zach Galifinakis is really an awesome actor, his funny acts are effortless and he showed some serious faces here too which shocked me. Viola Davis is adorable as always, since seeing her from 'Doubt' I can't help but to get impressed with her performance in each movie she's in, she's just so natural and pleasing. Emma Roberts and Kier Gilchrist also did a pretty good performance especially when their together. Not the best movie of 2010 and you won't be laughing throughout the film but it does keep you smiling 'til it ends. It was simple but inspiring in someways. Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck who also directed the critically-acclaimed movies like 'Sugar' and 'Half Nelson' which I haven't seen yet but I will because of this film.

My Rating (3.5 stars out of 5)

US Box Office Gross: $6.4 million (only released in US)

Production Budget: $8 million

'Love and Other Drugs' is not addictive but it surely keeps you high for a moment

The film centers on Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) who works as a pharmaceutical representative for Pfizer and finds himself falling in love with an artist Maggie (Anne Hathaway) who is sick with Parkinson's Disease. Started as a casual affair 'til everything went serious. Though Maggie is into him, her disease holds her back while Jamie gives up everything for her, even his own dreams. The film was funny and a bit dramatic. It also got several sex scenes of Anne and Jake so that film is basically not for everyone.

What amazed me about the movie is Jake's character, he has everything and he can have what every man on earth desires but he gave up everything to be with someone he loves. I can say it's really a brave thing to do, it takes a lot of courage to do that. I really like the part when he said "Sometimes the thing you most want doesn't happen and sometimes the thing you never expect does happen...you meet thousands of people none of them really touch you and then you meet one person and your life is changed forever.." Most us men (guilty of this too) always wish to have fun and always wanna runaway from responsibilities and Jamie was like that 'til he met Maggie.

The movie is not the best love story ever but it's a good one. It was a pretty light comedy-drama. You don't need to feel so sad about it or too happy giggling with their lame and cheesy lines. It was just enough and worth remembering. I don't know how director Edward Zwick pulled off something like this albeit previous films he did like Defiance, Blood Diamond, and The Last Samurai.

And by the way, here is one more line from Jamie, who knows this will work for you or for me.

"Let's just say in some alternate universe there is a couple just like us, only she is healthy and his perfect, and their world is about how much money they're gonna spend on vacation, who is in bad mood that day, or whether they feel guilty about having a cleaning lady...I don't wanna be those people, I want us..you..this.."

My Rating (3.5 out 5 stars)

World Wide Box Office Gross: $84.8 million

Production Cost: $30 million

Movie Everyday : "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"

"Extraordinary things can only happen to extraordinary people, maybe it's the sign that you got an extraordinary destiny, something greater than you can imagine" that's what Reepicheep said to Eustace when he turned into a dragon in the third film adapted from C.S. Lewis' book "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (the fifth book in chronological order). Like the previous two films 'Dawn Treader' is magical and full of adventures.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader brings back Lucy, Edmund, Caspian and Reepicheep (talking rat) from the last film, and accompanied by their cousin Eustace who always disbelieves everything they say about Narnia. As they sailed on a Dawn Treader (ship) against the current of the Narnian's sea from island to island, the main characters have to battle sea monsters and their own greatest enemy which is themselves and their own fears while looking for the Seven Lost Lords.

What's good about this sequel is that most of the characters from the last film were still in it though Susan and Peter were just shown for one or two flashbacks (as their characters were in America). Aslan and White Queen were also shown in some of the scenes. Noticeably the film is a lot shorter compare to its predecessors and wasn't co-produced by Walt Disney anymore which resulted to not-much-good box-office return. Produced with $150 millions but only reached $100 million in North America (though they collected $367 worldwide) which considered to be a boxoffice failure. But despite all these I still recommend the film, it's a family treat especially for kids which can benefit from a fantastic imagination and a lot of lessons for their take away.

My rating (3 stars out of 5)

Worldwide Gross: $366.7 Million

Production Budget: $155 Million

Movie Everyday - Paranormal Activity 2

Today's movie is 'Paranormal Activity 2'

Genre: Horror - Supernatural

Katie Featherson is back this time with the new director, Tod Williams. It's the prequel of the first movie, so it happened that Kristi (Katie's sister) was also haunted with the same demon that terrorized her and Micah on the first film. The movie was a bit dull and sadly it didn't live up to it's predecessor, it was not just so scary at all despite having the same concept. I wonder how would it turn out to be like if it was directed by Oren Peli (the director of the first movie). It could have been a lot scarier than the first one.

I just don't know what they have to offer on the final movie coming out this year (also directed by Tod Williams) and I'm not excited to watch it (though I like to see Molly Ephraim again on the sequel).

My Rating (2.5 stars out of 5)
Worldwide Box Office: $171.6 Million
Production Budget: $3 Million

'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' is a small comedy film with huge laughs!

Been snubbing the film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" since it came out last 2002. It was because I found the title so weird and the only actor I know in the film is Joey Fatone of the N'sync of 90's boy-band as one of the supporting acts. It didn't interest me at all until yesterday when I was looking for a feel-good-movie to watch. And as soon as I started watching the film I can't help but to be impressed with how everything was seriously presented but really really funny. Thought it got a typical plot for rom-com films it was smartly written which really sets aside from dull and corny films of the same genre. And by the way to give justice to what I'm saying about this film, I've watched two other romantic comedy films today (Bewitched (2005) and Life as We Know It) but they were nothing compare to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I got my self laughing the whole time especially with Toula's father and his mother.

After watching the film, I did a little research about it, it was written and starred by Nia Vardalos (who also starred in My Life Ruin) and she was nominated in Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the film as well as in Golden Globe for Best Comedy Film. And wait there is more, the film was just produced with just $5 million but grossed around $369 million world wide (see boxofficemojo.com) and it's the highest romantic comedy film in North America with $241 million since 2002. Pretty amazing right?..'til next great movie experience, good eve everyone!

'The King's Speech' will leave you speechless!

Do you still recall the feeling you get after listening to a beautiful and inspiring speech? It's a warm feeling that makes you smile everytime you get reminded of it. And most especially it changes the way how you see things, gives you hope and makes you believe in something, even if it's almost impossible to happen.

That's the kind of feeling that the film 'The King's Speech' gives you. It will leave you speechless as it ends and before you knew it you find yourself applauding along with the crowd. Such a wonderful movie. If there would one movie that deserves the Oscar Best Film besides 'Inception' and 'The Social Network' it would be this film. And maybe a month from now, the more members of Academy would have the chance to watch it, the closer it gets to grabbing the Oscar statuette.

The King's Speech is based from a true story of King George VI (starred by Colin Firth) and his stammering problem. Pressured from the sudden ascension to the throne and to give a speech to the people of Britain, his wife Queen Elizabeth (starred by Helena Bonham Carter) looked for a speech therapist to help him out with his speech problem. Queen Elizabeth disguised as a regular citizen and hired Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Lionel is known for his conventional way of teaching where trust and equality are important. No special treatment even for royalties. Their differences somehow clashed, especially when the two just started out but friendship bloomed eventually between the two and remained friends for the rest of their lives.

This is just the second movie of the British Director Tom Hooper. His first film is 'The Damned United' last year (which is also a good movie and one of my all time favorites by the way). From directing TV shows and series, his works are now being recognized internationally which he really deserves. 'The King's Speech' is one of the strongest front-runners for this year's Oscar Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Colin Firth and if I am to decide, it has already won.

'127 Hours' another triumphant story from Danny Boyle

I can still hear my heartbeat slowing down. It was beating too fast a few minutes ago while watching the last few scenes of Danny Boyle's 127 Hours. It was really intense. James Franco (Spider Man, Eat Pray Love, Pineapple Express) did his best performance of his career so far.

127 Hours is based from a true-to-life story of Aaron Ralston (starred by James Franco), an adventurous man that got himself trapped in a deserted canyon in Utah when a rock crashed on his right arm locking him inside the hollow canyon. Trapped for 127 hours with nothing but a camcorder, a tumbler of water, a pocket knife and some climbing tools. Left with hopeless chance of getting rescued after being trapped for several days, Aaron must rely on his own survival instinct to get through.

The plot was pretty common for a film and you probably know what would he do in the end just to survive, but the film is not just about survival. It's about looking to someone's life or your own life why you end up in such situation and how you would give up anything to turn things around. One of the best scenes in the film is when Aaron was so weak and hallucinated, he saw all the people that he loves on a couch smiling at him which was significantly emphasized at the end of the film. It was indeed a triumphant true story.

The movie could have been boring if not because of the beautiful musical scoring of the Oscar award winner A.R. Rahman. The same person who was responsible for the scoring of Danny Boyle's Oscar film Slumdog Millionaire. All through out the film, background music and sound effects made the movie symphonic which plays pretty well with James acting. What made his effort worth remembering is that there was no supporting cast to back him up in most scenes. There was no interactions with anybody so he had to act alone. There was even one scene where he had to show his emotions without any words at all which was really outstanding. It reminds me of Tom Hanks solo performance in the film "Cast Away". And if with luck he might gain his first Oscar nomination for this performance. 127 Hours may not be an Oscar piece like Boyle's previous film but it was equally beautiful and it sure gives you the same pretty light feeling of triumph as the movie concludes.

'Little Fockers' comes with little fun

Me and my friends decided to have fun and headed out to cinemas to watch the Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro starrer, Little Fockers. With too much expectation in mind, we were all excited to LOL with the movie. But unfortunately the movie has little fun to offer. The movie is predictable and the old trademark of the first two movies is absent. I was expecting it to revolve around "Circle of Friends" and "I'm watching You" of De Niro and Stiller famous tangle. But they tried to focus the spotlight on young Fockers, the twin offspring of Greg (Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo). It was worth of a try though, only it didn't much play off. The character name of Jessica Alba, which is Andi Garcia is really funny, but it's just the name, that's it, not even her character as a whole added to the fun.

However, there is still a reason or two for you to have fun watching it and one of it would be seeing Dustin Hoffman in the film. He is the funniest Fockers in it. Though his scenes were few, they were all smartly acted, his Mexican dance move is just unforgettable. Barbara Streisand just did pretty good too. She brings the fun and regulates the corniness in all scenes she's in.

I did enjoy that day. But not really because of "Little Fockers". Yes I have to admit I laughed hard in some scenes but what made my day complete, it's because I spent it with friends and with the woman that is so dear to me. Wish we had more time together that day. Anyway, 'til next movie experience.

'Never Let Me Go' is Gripping and Moving

I have never watched any movie like "Never Let Me Go" before. It was gripping and moving.

It's an adaptation of a novel of the same title which I first heard before watching the film but never got the chance to read it. Though books are complete and original, I still prefer watching the movie version over reading it or sometimes I read the book after watching the film then watch it again after finishing it. It's nice to see how things come to life in a movie. I'm enjoying the beautiful scoring that makes each scene more intense and I really admire the actors in it while portraying the role.

Just a heads up, the movie is not made out of eye-popping special effects, no action or high-octane scenes but purely drama about life, love and letting go presented uniquely in a different situation. 'Never Let Me Go' is a sci-fi, romantic - drama that is set in 1970s in England. It's a tale of three people who learned to live their lives according to what they were raised for. Created out of science and eventually would die for it. While most of us grow up freely with hopes and dreams of what we want to be, Kathy, Ruth, Tommy and the rest of the students of Hailsham are deprived with it. They were raised to be donors (of their body parts). They were clones of their originals (this is far from clone-movie of Michael Bay's 'The Island' by the way) that got only a lifespan up to four donations. With little knowledge on how it came to be they moved on without questions. The three were inseparable, Ruth and Tommy became lovers but Kathy is secretly into him. What Kathy didn't know that Tommy had been in love with her ever since they were young. After studying in Hailsham, the three were exposed to real world with normal people but still bind with the rules. They soon learned about the Deferral where donation could be put back to three or four years and donors would have the chance to live together normally as long as they can prove that they are really in love with each other. And with this, the three lives became more interwoven, and whose gonna end up with whom? that's the twist of the story. The end would actually determine if you really like the movie or not. In my case, the ending was just fine, I'd prefer it that way.

It was beautifully acted and Romanek's way of transitioning from one scene to another was pretty smooth. The scoring was simple but really played off (I always look into film's scoring, it's the most important component next to acting as it brings life to the film as whole). The song Never Let Me Go that was played several times in the film which obviously where the movie title based from, was just in tune with one of the most intense scenes in the film (apparently not just local Filipino films are using the song title in the film as its movie title).

Starred by two of the young and talented British actresses, Oscar Best Actress nominees Carey Mulligan (An Education, Wallstreet: Money Never Sleeps ) as Kathy and Kiera Knightly (Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of Caribbean Trilogy) as Ruth with new comer Andrew Garfield (The Social Network,New Spiderman Movie) and based from the novel of Kazuo Ishuguro and directed by Mark Romanek, 'Never Let Me Go' will show you that sometimes no matter how hard it is, letting go is just the only way. It's really up to us on how to make each and every second we live worthwhile, especially with the ones we love.

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.

A lifelike movie

Wished life is like a movie, where ending or conclusion of the whole thing is confirmed at the end of two or three hours. Though sometimes it got a sequel but at least you won't have to wait for a lifetime for it to end, sad or happy ending, at least it ends and you move on to the next movie and start over with different characters, different people, a brand new experience, totally new adventure. But of course we all know life isn't like that. But seriously, what are these movies for?Aside from entertainment (and we know that very well) that makes you laugh, cry, scared the shi* out of you, what else? Is making you full of hopes that everything will be ok soon a part of it? What if everything won't turn out to be ok?what now?..I just don't understand sometimes. No matter how you tried yourself to look at the bright side the other side just keeps catching up, it's like a race, your vision becomes unclear and this dark side is really competitive you know!. Grrr, I feel so pathetic thinking about the problems that have been around for century.

You might be wondering what's this ranting all about?I'm writing this not because I'm blaming my family nor I blame myself for how things are going right now. Its just that you don't know who to blame and to whom you can talk to, so just let this blog take all of it. For sure it listens and speaks for you, though it won't give you any advises at all. Anyway, the problem of the century that I'm referring to is 'money'...simple thing, but yes, without it, everything falls out of place (atleast for our family). You work hard or harder than you thought to provide your family, sacrifice your personal needs and dreams just to give them money' at least to help them with their everyday need, still not enough for them. Sometimes I really wished mom and dad were still alive to back me up for all of these. I mean I may not be giving them a big amount but at least I'm helping them, I don't have my own savings for crying out loud. I'm getting older and soon I'll be alone, who will take care of myself when that happens?..I want to have a family of my own too. Don't they see it. How can I start saving up for myself if all the extra money that I earn goes to them? I know these thoughts or sentences I'm writing here just don't go with one another anymore (just forgive my sentence construction and all that). I hope I have the courage to tell them that they can't just leave everything to me, I mean I have to earn for my self as well [Big sigh..really big sigh]

This is long enough for a drama movie, I'm not used to it 'coz I'm into funny stuff. Anyway, for sure there will always be a way how to end everything with smile. If this is a movie for sure my director is doing a lot of cuts and retakes to make this movie inspiring and he is having a hard time now (hehehe)..and in case it ends not so good this time, then expect a sequel and I'll make sure it's gonna be a happy ending..'til next part, great day everyone..smile",)...

Production Floor here we come

Two weeks of nesting period is over and we are heading to the floor next week (this coming Saturday already). Well, don't know if I still feel the excitement 'coz we will be doing the same thing as what we've been doing for past two weeks in OCP basically. Glad that we were not ask to extend for another week, though we would love that 'coz we have two hours of training, which means we only have 6 hours phone call left (petiks mode hehe).

I don't feel the pressure just yet, maybe because scorecards are not yet rolled out and I think that I was able to handle the task just fine. After all I've been in call center industry for almost two years now, so call handling is not really an issue at all. I just need to learn more about the troubleshooting and the tools are still strange to me, it takes time I know.

I'm looking forward to be enjoying my work in Dell. And besides it's time for me to get elevated, I know it's pretty early since its been what?two months with Dell?..but considering my stay (a year and 5 months) with Sitel since at&t, it's already something and who knows 2011 is just my luck year. I can start with being an Resolution Specialist (RS) maybe then a Trainer position, which is really my goal, my passion. Thinking of all these makes me really wanna go to work everyday.

Glad that I Passed the Certification

I passed the certification for Dell account successfully last Friday. I thought I was gonna retake it. My score wasn't really outstanding but at least I made it with only one take. Only half of us passed but the rest got a chance to retake it for the last time. Hope they will make it too.

We still have one more week to complete the Product Training. A week after that we will be endorsed to production floor and we'll start taking live calls already. I kinda miss talking to Americans for some reason, I miss taking calls.

I'll be turning a year and five months with Sitel tomorrow (Nov 8). Hopefully I'll be promoted to a trainer or at least floorwalker before I'll turn two years. I know it's a bit hard 'coz I'll be back to square one with Dell, but of course it's possible and I'm gonna work on it Inshallah (In God will). So for now, I got to do what I have to do out there and be the best that I can be.

One of the Best Weekends in Pampanga

These photos were randomly taken during our trip to Pampanga. Had a three-day consecutive off then so I took the time to unwind. Thanks to my closest friend Fhadzralyn for the invitation, it was not really planned actually but it turned out to be one of the best weekends I ever had.

Outside Clark

At Nayon Pilipino riding the old-style Pilipino Jeepney

With Aeta, The old katutubo (also in Nayon Pilipino)

At Fontana Village

Stayed overnight in an affordable hotel

Had dinner in Gerry's Grill in SM Clark