The Day

If you like the British film Tomorrow, When The War Began you will find The Day interesting for some similarities in it. It featured group of young survivors who tried to escape from group of cannibals (modern people but eat their own kind, not the aborigines-like or mutants). Set in a post-apocalyptic era, five people must stick together to fight for their lives but survival became stiff when one of them discovered to be a member of the predators that hunt them.  

The film was presented in almost black-and-white picture which supposed to hide the goriness in it. It also set the tone of the film as being dark which I find interesting, it somehow warned me that things can get ugly along the way and it did, at least for a while. But it was weakened by some noticeable scenes that were unnecessary and unbearable and there were a lot of them unfortunately. The ending however was satisfying and Ashley Bell really kicked some asses, I think she'll be the next Jennifer Lawrence.

Bell breakout role was the surprised hit found-footage horror movie The Last Exorcism. Accompanied by actors who also starred in numbers of horror and actions movies. Dominic Monaghan was in X-Men Origin:Wolverine; Shannyn Sossamon was a lead in two horror films One Missed Call and Catacombs; Shawn Ashmore starred in X:Men Trilogy, also in The Ruins and Frozen; while Cory Hardict was in alien/action movie Battle Los Angeles. Directed by a new comer Douglas Aarniokoski who's coming up with another horror film next year Nurse 3D. (rating 3/5)

Rurouni Kenshin (Live Action)

I wasn't aware of the live action version of this famous manga and anime Rurouni Kenshin 'til it started to be shown here in our local cinema this December. I was reluctant to believe when one of my peers asked me about the film since I hadn't heard about it 'til it was shown (I thought it was just some web series or fan-based videos online). I'm not a fan of the manga nor its anime series, though I have come across an episode or two of its TV adaptation I lacked background about what the story is all about. So earlier today I took time watching the movie version of it, it was a little over two hours of non-stop sword-clashing  and  and I kinda like it.

The movie centers on a former assassin Himura Kenshin who wanders the city of Japan trying to forget about what he really was, a murderer. With too much blood on his hand he tried helping people as an atonement to the crimes that he committed, this time without killing them. He later met Kamiya Kaoru, the owner of the fencing school that was owned by her father. Her school discourages the use of sword for fighting and doesn't believe in killing. As Kenshin seeks a new life, with the help of Kaoru he remains true to his pledge of not using his sword to kill under any circumstances.

The film goes from slow-paced drama to a non-stop sword-clashing action. Fight scenes were beautifully choreographed and managed to show some blood without appearing it be gory as young adults are expected audience. The score and music sounded a little off sometimes but mostly it was great, especially towards the end of it. What amazed me are the characters, they looked like the ones in manga or in tv series which somehow added to your viewing interest. While I couldn't really speak on how this film as an adaptation I would just based my review from the movie itself and I could say it's among those samurai films that you'll surely appreciate. It wasn't moving nor life-changing but it wasn't a waste of time either. (Rating 3.5/5) 

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas is one of those movies that requires serious attention for you to fully realize its significance. It was more than a film or a published material that will continually haunt you even after seating through it for almost three hours. Adding to its beautifully narrated story is mesmerizing visual effects and scores. Actors were amazing for taking multiple roles, it was like watching multiple films in a one show and if you don't really know them you won't realize that it was them all along. 

The film is about how people from the past, present and future interconnected to each other. How a single piece of work inspires and changes one's belief. It has six main stories presented in six different times. With multiple story lines, the film goes from the present time back to 1800 then to the far future of 2044. It was carefully edited so following the story wasn't that difficult and at the end of, it will leave you so moved that you want to watch the movie again.  

From the time I've seen the first trailer of the film it has already gained my curiosity but I didn't know that I'll get so hooked up to it. There maybe some obvious unlikable stuff in it, like the make-up maybe which I think was overdone, and some plot that were vague or  something that wasn't agreeable but it wasn't that much. In general Cloud Atlas is lovable, this is one the films that you want to see stocked on your shelves and seeing it there among others brings you joy and reminds you the beautiful feeling when you first watched it. Starred by Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Hugh Grant, Ben Whishaw and Susan Sarandon. Adapted from the novel of the same title, written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachosky (who also wrote and directed The Matrix trilogy) and Tom Tykwer. 

The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey

My love for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Trilogy was the primary reason why I watched his new adventure trilogy. It was one of my anticipated films of the year. Though I didn't really care watching it in 3D, the  first part of The Hobbit trilogy was still worthy to watch but I would say it falls a little behind the the LOTR films.

'The Unexpected Journey' is the first part of the prequel of the new trilogy which took place 60 years before 'Fellowship of the Ring' where Bilbo Baggins was young and went on an adventure with Gandalf The Grey. Accompanied by thirteen dwarves lead by the Thorin Oakenshield whose kingdom was taken by a dragon Smaug,  Bilbo Baggins reluctantly joined the the group and went on a journey that changed his life forever. While traveling to the  Lonely Mountain where the dragon resides, the young Bilbo met the Elves, Giant Spiders, Goblins, Orcs and Gollum with his precious Ring along the way. I haven't read the book so I didn't have any idea how the story goes, I sat through it and satisfied my eyes with great special effects, though the story felt a little vague as the first LOTR I still find the ending a little touching and makes you hang on for two more films to come. (Rating 4/5)
  

The Perks of Being of Wallflower

"Let's go be psychos together" as Sam said to Charlie in the movie that I recently watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower. That's I think the sweetest thing that I would ever hear from a girl. The film is the least movie on my list  to watch this year but has become one of the best movies I've seen. It was a little melancholic but satisfying and moving. 

It centers on a story of an introverted boy, Charlie who's having a tough  freshman life. His best friend just passed after committing a suicide while his aunt's death is hunting him for years.With all these Charlie is having a hard time to belong in school despite the presence of a supportive family. While with great potential his English teacher Mr. Anderson encouraged  him to participate in class and inspired him to write by giving him books. Even as depressing as he thinks, Charlie found a friend through his teacher Mr. Anderson. Meanwhile, one football game Charlie befriended Patrick, a senior and happy-go-lucky type of person who has a step-sister, Sam. The three started to become close and for the first time Charlie is happy and started to grow feelings for Sam. His life started to revolve around his friends and his feelings for Sam. The story goes from a teenage romantic story to a melancholic journey of a boy who has learned that life is free and limitless despite his health condition. 

The three main casts were exceptional. Logan Lerman's dramatic performance as a troubled teen was convincing enough, you'll find yourself sad when he suffers and smiling when he is happy. Emma Watson and Ezra Miller were great too as Sam and Patrick. The film is adapted from the book of the same title authored by Stephen Chbosky who also wrote the screenplay and directed it. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower may not be among those multi-awarded films despite the positive feedback from critics because only a few people have actually watched it. But it deserves to be seen and it's definitely worth of a positive review (ok, it may not be as great as this). (Rating is 4/5)

2012 Movies That I'll Watch In Cinemas

There are hundreds of movies being shown in cinemas a year but only a few of them that really invite you to go to cinemas to watch them. Most of them are just good for your own couch and TV Set at home while others are good for both, others probably just in HBO or local channel or not at all. There are movies that even deserve a second watching (in cinema) which happened to me with Marvel: The Avengers this year. I watched it in IMAX 3D then watched it again with friends in regular screen a week after and I can't wait to get a copy of it in video. Then there is this re-release and 3D conversion of your favorite classic movies which has become the trend for Hollywood films lately like Toy Story/Toy Story 2, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Star Wars and the Phantom Menace, and Titanic and expect a lot more to come. I was able to watch Titanic 3D this year though I'd seen it like over 20 times since 1998 and it was still worth it. 

I just arrived home from watching Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter which is just the third film that I've seen this year so far. It wasn't crowded inside the cinema and there were hardly no people reacting to the scenes because most of the viewers were lining up for The Amazing Spiderman, I don't have anything against the new spidey movie and I love Emma Stone in it but I think I feel like it's not anymore for me to watch. Maybe because I've adored Sam Raimi's trilogy too much and  I wanted the film to stop from there. It's not that I don't like watching films in cinemas that much, I just would like to make sure that they deserve to be watched in cinemas to start with because they are clearly a lot ways to catch them so make your money worth it. 

It's just July and a lot of great movies are coming up that are worth the admission tickets. Here are the list of movies that I'll for sure catch in cinemas. 

1. The Dark Knight Rises (July 19) - I just literally purchased a ticket online for IMAX screening. There is no way that I'll miss this final film from the Batman Trilogy. I have never liked any superhero movie before like Christopher Nolan's version and I despise the old Batman films. The film starred by Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Liam Neeson. 

2. Total Recall (August) - A remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 1990 sci-fi action movie of the same title. This time will be starred by Colin Farrell (SWAT, Phone Booth). But my primary reason of watching the film is Jessica Biel which I last seen in her last film A-Team last 2010. She has been my favorite actress since 7th Heaven tv series. Kate Beckinsale also starred in the movie and her husband Len Wiseman directed the film who also directed Underworld 1 & 2 and Die Hard 4. 

3. The Bourne Legacy (August 8) - the fourth movie from Robert Lodlum's Bourne Series. Jeremy Renner has become one of favorite actors since the Oscar Best Picture The Hurt Locker. I admire him for always choosing the right roles and working with great directors. His movies are critically praised and box-office hits which include The Town, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Avengers. The latest spy-film also starred Oscar Nominees Edward Norton (American History X, The Incredible Hulk) and an  Oscar winner Rachel Wiezs (The Mummy, Constantine). Directed by another Oscar nominee Tony Gilroy who has written the first Bourne Trilogy and directed similar films like Duplicity and Michael Clayton. Above all reasons, the film was partially shot here in the Philippines and I couldn't get more excited than seeing our own country featured in a Hollywood film.

4. The Expendables 2 (August) - Whether Sly has not recruited other action veterans successfully or not I'm still going to watch this action film. I enjoyed watching the action scenes of the first movie and was one of my favorite film of 2010. All original casts are back plus Van Damme, Chuck Norris and extended role for Bruce Willis and Schwarzenegger. Sly didn't direct return in director seat for the sequel and has passed on to Con Air director Simon West. 

5. Resident Evil: Retribution (September)  - The fourth and maybe the final film from the series, still starred by Mila Jovovich still fighting zombies and the Umrella Corporation. I have become a fan not because I play the games it's because I have this crazy obsession about zombies and the last film which I watched in 3D kept me hanging all this time so I want to see how everything ends I guess. Still directed by Jovovich husband Paul W.S. Anderson who directed the first film in 2002 and the last film in 2010.  Michelle Rodriguez is also back on the fourth film after her character died on the first film which will add twist to the whole story.  

6. Flight (November) - Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington starred in this Robert Zemeckis drama which might receive Oscar nominations because of the release schedule. Washington is the obvious reason why I wanna watch this film but Zemeckis comeback as the director is also one of the reasons why I look forward for the film. This is his first live-action movie after directing three animated films since 2004 (Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol). Zemeckis is an Oscar Best Director winner for Forrest Gump and also directed the Back to the Future Trilogy. 

7. Skyfall (November) - this 23rd James Bond film is probably the most anticipated action movie of the year. I haven't watched any of the Bond films in cinema so I'll make sure that I won't miss this one. Skyfall is Daniel Craig's third film as Agent Bond. 

8. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December) - Peter Jackson relives the LOTR with another adventure film this time focusing on a Hobbit of the Shrine, Bilbo Baggins. The film is the prequel of the LOTR films which is adapted from another J.R.R. Tolkien novel. Several actors will reprise their roles Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchet, Elijah Wood, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The film is going to be released in IMAX 3D.

9. Django Unchained (December) - Western-drama film from writer/director Quentin Tarantino. A promising cast lining up for the film including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, Samuel L. Jackson, and Seth Rogen. Tarantino's last film was with Brad Pitt's Inglorious Basterds in 2009 which is one of my favorite movies along with Kill Bill 1 & 2.

10. Les Mesirables (December) - A potential Oscar winner next year from an Oscar winner Best Director Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech). This musical drama starred one of my favorite actors Russel Crowe with Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway.

Other movies that most likely won't be granted a local release but still worth watching in the big screen are Lawless, Robot and Frank, Gangster Squad and Liberal Arts.

The Quest for '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2011 Edition)' - Part 1

            I started sorting out the list of 1001 films along with additional 88 titles (click here for the list of the 1001 films) and only 99 of them I have actually watched and most of them are from the years 90s and 2000s. I have started looking for these titles before but I didn't know what happened and I just completely lost track. So I visited my list again and so far I found 38 titles more which are saved on my hard drive and a couple of them in DVDs that I got on sale a few months ago.  Here are the movies that I have watched from the list so far. (descriptions for the rest of the titles will come soon)

1. A Trip To The Moon (1902) -  a black-and-white short film which can probably be considered as the father of all sci-fi movies. The film running time was just less then 15-mins but it felt like watching a full-length 90-min movie. The film was adapted from Jules Verne's Novel who also wrote Around The World in 80 Days and Journey To The Center Of The Earth. The film was directed by Georges Méliès whose life story was featured in Martin Scorcese's Oscar-nominated film Hugo. (Rating: 5/5)

2. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - this Walt Disney's classic film doesn't need any description as no kids haven't heard or watched this all-time favorite animated film which I just recently found out as Adolf Hitler's favorite film. (Rating: 5/5)

3 Gone With the Wind (1939)
4 From Here to Eternity (1953)
5 The Godfather (1972)
6 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
7 Annie Hall (1977)
8 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
9 E.T.: The Extra-Terestrial (1982)
10 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
11 The Terminator (1984)
12 The Breakfast Club (1985)
13 Back to the Future (1985)
14 Aliens (1986)
15 Top Gun (1986)
16 Rain Man (1988)
17 Batman (1989)
18 Goodfellas (1990)
19 Edward Scissorhands (1990)
20 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
21 Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
22 Jurassic Park (1993)
23 Schindler's List (1993)
24 Forrest Gump (1994)
25 The Lion King (1994)
26 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
27 Casino (1995)
28 Toy Story (1995)
29 Braveheart (1995)
30 Seven (1995)
31 Independence Day (1996)
32 Scream (1996)
33 L.A. Confidential (1997)
34 Titanic (1997)
35 Saving Private Ryan (1998)
36 Ring (1998)
37 There's Something About Mary (1998)
38 The Blair Witch Project (1999)
39 Three Kings (1999)
40 Fight Club (1999)
41 Being John Malkovich (1999)
42 American Beauty (1999)
43 The Sixth Sense (1999)
44 The Matrix (1999)
45 Gladiator (2000)
46 Meet the Parents (2000)
47 Memento (2000)
48 Amelie (2001)
49 The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
50 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
51 A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)
52 Gangs of New York (2002)
53 The Pianist (2002)
54 Chicago (2002)
55 Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
56 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
57 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
58 Lost in Translation (2003)
59 The Passion of the Christ (2004)
60 Collateral (2004)
61 The Aviator (2004)
62 Million Dollar Baby (2004)
63 A Very Long Engagement (2004)
64 Brokeback Mountain (2005)
65 Crash (2005)
66 Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
67 The Prestige (2006)
68 United 93 (2006)
69 Children of Men (2006)
70 Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
71 Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
72 Babel (2006)
73 The Queen (2006)
74 Apocalypto (2006)
75 The Departed (2006)
76 No Country for Old Men (2007)
77 Into the Wild (2007)
78 There Will Be Blood (2007)
79 Atonement (2007)
80 The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
81 Paranormal Activity (2007)
82 Wall-E (2008)
83 The Dark Knight (2008)
84 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
85 Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
86 Let the Right One In (2008)
87 The Hurt Locker (2008)
88 The Hangover (2009)
89 Precious (2009)
90 Avatar (2009)
91 Inglourious Basterds (2009)
92 District 9 (2009)
93 Monsters (2010)
94 Black Swan (2010)
95 Four Lions (2010)
96 The Social Network (2010)
97 Inception (2010)
98 The King's Speech (2010)
99 True Grit (2010)

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

I heard about this book a few years back and at first I thought it's impossible to watch all of these films listed because most of them are now hard to find until I read some sites and blogs online that there are actual people who were able to complete the list and some are almost done watching them so I thought I can just do the same. I can start this little quest of mine finishing all these films before dying. It may sound silly but I think it's a good motivation for me to hope to live for couple of years more, I guess. 

To those who haven't heard of it here is the little description of the book from Wikipedia.

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die is a film reference book edited by Steven Jay Schneider with original essays on each film contributed by over 70 film critics. It is a part of a series designed and produced by Quintessence Editions, a London-based company, and published in English language versions by Cassell Illustrated (UK), ABC Books (the publishing division of Australian Broadcasting Corporation), and Barron's (USA). The first edition was published in 2003; the most recent edition was published in 2011. Contributors include Adrian Martin, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Richard Pena, David Stratton, and Margaret Pomeranz. 

The book is now on its 7th edition which includes latest films like The Hurt Locker, Avatar, and King's Speech. I don't have the actual list on this post but you can go to the website by clicking here to check it out.

The following are the cover of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Janet Leigh of 1960's Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho was featured on the book's first edition released in 2003.The film was nominated for four Oscars including Best Actress for Leigh and Best Director for Hitchcock. The Apartment won the Best Film that year which is also included on this list and its director Billy Wilder named as Best Director. 

   Samuel L. Jackson featured in 2nd edition based from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction in 1994. The film was nominated for 7 Oscars and went home with one for  Tarantino and Roger Avary for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Tarantino was also nominated for directing the film and three acting nomination for lead actor John Travolta, supporting actress Uma Thurman and Jackson for supporting actor. Forrest Gump which won the Best Film that year is also included on the list for this edition including the three other Best Picture nominees,The Shawshank Redemption, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Pulp Fiction. 

Jack Nicholson from the 1980's Stephen King Shining featured on 2006 edition. The film was not an Oscar-nominee but rather a Razzie finalist for director Stanley Kubrick and actress for Shelley Duval. However the film is certified fresh from Rottentomatoes.com with 88% approval rating from critics and rated as one of the top movies on imdb.com with 8.5 user rating. 

George Lucas' 1977 Star Wars character Darth Vader featured on the 2007 edition. The film was a major world-wide box office hit and was nominated for 11 Oscar and took home 5 awards including Best Visual Effects. Lucas was nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay. After focusing on just writing two films from the first trilogy, Lucas returned to director seat after 22 years and completed the saga with another trilogy but only his first film and 1983 Return of the Jedi were included on the list.

Harrison Ford's alter ego Indiana Jones was featured in 2008 edition but the film can be no longer be found on the latest edition. 

One of the latest addition on the list is Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight for the 2009 edition. The film shattered tons of box-office records and ended up with $1 billion for world-wide box office gross. Heath Ledger's Joker character  was highly praised by critics and the fans of the film and won an acting award posthumously for the film, as Best Supporting Actor. 

James Cameron's 3D film Avatar was featured on 2010 edition. Cameron broke his record as being the highest grossing film which earned more $2.8 billion and took over Titanic's record. The film was nominated for 9 Oscar awards and won 3 including Visual Effects and Cinematography. The Hurt Locker which won the Best Film that year is one of the ten films added on the list for this edition along with surprised hits like The Hangover and District 9.

Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan that earned her an Oscar trophy as Best Actress also landed her as the last year's edition cover for the book. The film was not just a box-office success but a critic's favorite as well and earned 5 Oscar nods including Best Director for Darren Aronofsky.

"All Is Well" in 3 Idiots Movie

Just watched the film again for the nth time, and every time I watched it the more I feel guilty about not writing how great the movie is. So here I am finding all the great words that will amount to best described this gem. To those who know what I'm talking about will for sure agree with what I'm saying or about to say here and for those who couldn't relate will probably find themselves looking for the film after reading this. 

To begin with, 3 Idiots is a rare film because it's not one of those Hollywood films that you can catch in cinemas, it's a Hindi movie (or Bollywood) that was released in 2009 and I came to hear about it a year after it was released and since then it easily became one of my favorite movies. The film is about three friends, Rancho, Raju and Farhan who have been through the best and worst of their college years. While studying  one of the hardest professions there is, Engineering, the three friends learned a lot more than building machines to simplify life. 

The film started from the present time where the two buddies, Raju and Farhan went on to searching for their friend Rancho whom they haven't heard from since their graduation ten years ago. During the course of searching the film slowly flashed back to several years ago that showed the adventures of the three. The film presented beautifully with wit, humor and full of heart. The score and theme songs played on the background made the film more meaningful because of its great lyrics and melody, making your heart cry and laugh out loud at the same time. What I admire most about the film are those little things which I found it smart and funny like the astronaut pen, the invention of Virus Inverter, throwing of the duplicate keys, the price-tag boyfriend, these things and a couple more are sure-laugh. The film got some twists too that made the film ended extraordinarily. 

The phrase "Aal izz Well" (all is well), the most famous line from the film and probably one of those movie lines that you'll always remember. As Rancho explained in the film, our hearts get scared so easily when thing are not turning out the way it should be so we have to trick our heart a little bit by tapping it and saying "All is well, All is well". It doesn't solve our problems but it gives us courage to face them. 

Marvel's The Avengers is an immersive IMAX Experience

Marvel's The Avengers is by far the best superhero movie that I've seen. It surpassed all levels of my expectations, from story line, directing, to acting, to special effects. I'm so glad that I watched it in IMAX 3D for an immersive experience making the whole thing more real (I felt that I was one of the Avengers, kidding!). But seriously, I have watched Transformers 3 in the same format but it wasn't as enjoyable as this. '

Though it wasn't surprising at all, the movie served as the sequel of the previous superhero films from 2008's Incredible Hulk to last year's Thor and Captain America, The First Avenger, they found themselves together as assembled by S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (who has been making a cameo in previous films since 2008's Iron Man.) against one common enemy Loki (Tom Hiddleston).

All the members of the Avengers reprise their roles from the previous films except for Hulk, that was played by Eric Bana and Edward Norton. Norton was supposed to take the role again but the negotiation with Marvel Studio broke down and was replaced by his friend Mark Ruffalo. Jeremy Renner didn't have his own movie for Hawkeye but had a cameo for the role in Thor.

The story was written by Zack Penn, who also wrote Marvel's X-Men: The Last Stand, Incredible Hulk, and Elektra. Joss Whedon also co-wrote the story, did the screenplay and the directing. 

Overall, the movie was outstanding, a total summer movie treat, it was action-packed from first to last, funny, smart, each character is engaging and amazingly Joss Whedon managed to give equal spotlights to all the main characters, so that answers the early controversy of who outshines who...Darn it, I wanna watch it again. 

My Oscar 2012 Prediction

A few hours from now, American Academy of Motion Pictures Arts or Sciences (AMPAS) or simply called the Oscar will be recognizing the movies of 2011 from directing, writing, acting to technical achievements. Oscar Award has been an annual gathering of known actors and movie personalities since 1929 and since then it has been dubbed as the mother of all the film awards. For movie geek like me it is just too hard to miss the show or not be informed about the winners. Due to US simulcast I often time miss the live award, but thanks to online blogs and news that feature the result real-time. So without further ado here is my own list of Oscar Winners.

Best Picture is "Hugo"

This is the first Oscar that I was able to watch all the Best Picture Nominated films before the actual award. I took time watching all of them and despite the mixed reviews of critics and movie-sites users I still fine all the nine films nominated worthy of the award (yes even the least favorite Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close). Due to other awards given the multi-awarded nearly-silent French film "The Artist" is most likely to run home with the biggest award, but I'd still like Martin Scorsese's Hugo to win. It's because I like the entirety of the film, a real output of Scorsese's passion in film making can be seen. It touches the important aspects of life; purpose, change, love and passion. No other film from the list that has shown what Hugo presented. Here is my ranking of the all the nine films: 1. Hugo 2. Midnight In Paris 3. The Artist 4. War Horse 5. The Help 6. The Descendants 7. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 8. Moneyball 9. Tree of Life

Best Director is Martin Scorsese

Best Actor is George Clooney

Best Actress is Viola Davis

Best Supporting Actor is Christopher Plummer

Best Supporting Actress is Octavia Spencer

Best Original Screenplay is A Separation

Best Adapted Screenplay is Hugo

Best Animated Film is Rango

Best Foreign Film is A Separation

Best Cinematography is War Horse

Best Editing is The Artist

Best Art Direction is The Artist

Best in Costume Design is The Artist

Best in Makeup is Albert Nobbs

Best in Original Score is War Horse

Best in Original Song is The Muppets

Best in Sound Mixing is Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best in Sound Editing is Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best in Visual Effects is Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Hugo Is A Precious Gift From Martin Scorsese

At last for quite a while now a movie has finally inspired me to write a full review again. I just couldn't let all the positive thoughts about this film pass me by without sharing it. I'm talking about a splendid creation of a movie legend Martin Scorsese called Hugo. Unlike his other movies, Scorsese took another path of making magic in film creation and he did it with dashing style, something panache as the word even uttered in the movie itself.

The story centers on a little boy Hugo Cabret (starred by Asa Butterfield) as he finds the message of his deceased father (Jude Law) from a broken automaton. He spends his day searching for the missing piece of the machine while winding the clocks on the train station where he lives and met Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz), the granddaughter of a toy shop owner George Milies (Ben Kingsley). Hugo and Isabelle soon discovered something extraordinary that lead to his father's work.

Besides the mystery of the automaton, the movie features another great piece of work that made the whole thing more than a masterpiece. It's the story of a person behind the acclaimed 1902 film A Trip To The Moon which I actually watched several months ago. I appreciate the classic film more after watching this movie and made me admire Scorsese even more. Everything in this film will really linger, each character even the small ones will be remembered as it served its purpose, big or small just like what the whole message of the film is all about. Just what Isabelle said in the film "Thank you for the movie today, it was a gift", Hugo is a precious gift that we always be thankful of, and for hundred of years the magic of this film will always remain.

Inspirational Movie Quotes

Here are some of the inspirational movie lines that I remember taking note of so far. It took time for me to blog about it but I've been keeping them in my drive for quite a while now.

Grown Ups
"Life can be difficult sometimes, it gets bumpy, but with the family and things not going exactly as planned that's what makes it interesting.In life the first act is always exciting, the second act, that's where the depth comes in."

The Bounty Hunter
"Life is about making mistakes. Death is about wishing you made a whole lot more." - Jennifer Aniston

Tooth Fairy
"The reason why there are unhappy people in this world because they are clinging in to some version of "What if" - Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson

All About Steve
"My favorite ingredient in a crossword there is, is perseverance,if you quit the puzzle you can't finish it" - Sandra Bullock

Precious
"The Llongest journey begins with a single step"

My Name is Khan
"The theory of entertainment in Physics states that some specific sounds increase the rate of your hearbeat.For me Mandira, that specific sounds has always been the sound of your laughter"

Ip Man 2
"By fighting this match, I'm not trying to prove Chinese martial arts are better than Western boxing, What I really want to say is, though people have different statuses in life, everybody's dignity is the same. I hope from this momment on, we can start to respect each other"

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
"Everything changes with time, we should know this best of all"

Faith Like Potatoes
"The condition for a miracle is difficulty, for a great miracle is impossibility" - Angus

Cameron Diaz, All Time Hollywood Box Office Queen

Cameron Diaz has already sent 15 movies to Worldwide All Time Box Office record (boxofficemojo.com). From comedy-fantasy, to Romcom, to action thriller films, Diaz has managed to score box office trophies regardless of genre she stars in. Her latest Bad Teacher role just crossed $200 Million world wide this weekend as her 15th film to reach the milestone which makes Diaz as the only Female Hollywood actress that has more than 10 box office records (at least with $200 million total gross), more than any female A-lister including Oscar winners, Julia Roberts (has 9 films), Angelina Jolie (has 8 films), Nicole Kidman (has 6 films) and Sandra Bullock (has 5 films).

Here are Cameron Diaz's successful films:

1. The Mask (1994) - Cameron's first movie was really a huge hit, thanks to Jim Carrey.
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross: $352 Mil

2. My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
Co-star: Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross:$299 Mil

3. There's Something About Mary (1997)
Co-star: Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross:$370 Mil

4.Charlie's Angels (2000)
Co-star: Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross:$264 Mil

5. Shrek (2001)
Co-star: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross:$484.4 Mil

6.Vanilla Sky (2001)
Co-star: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross: $203 Mil

7. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
Co-star: Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Demi Moore
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross: $259.3 Mil

8. Shrek 2 (2004)
Co-star: Mike Myers, Antonio Banderas, Eddie Murphy
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross:$929 Mil

9. The Holiday (2006)
Co-star: Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross:$205 Mil

10. Shrek the Third (2007)
Co-star: Mike Myers, Antonio Banderas, Eddie Murphy, Justin Timberlake
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross:$799 Mil

11. What Happens in Vegas (2008)
Co-star: Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross: $219.3 Mil

12. Shrek Forever After (2010)
Co-star: Mike Myers, Antonio Banderas, Eddie Murphy
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross: $752.6 Mil

13. Knight and Day (2010)
Co-star: Tom Cruise
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross: $262 Mil

14. The Green Hornet (2011)
Co-star: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross: $228 Mil

15. Bad Teacher (2011)
Co-star: Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake
Worldwide Boxoffice Gross: $201.2 Mil

I Hate the service of Cebu Pacific Airlines

I really disgust the service of Cebu Pacific Airlines. I can't believe that they didn't let us to board the plane after the check-in process that caused us to miss the Eid'l Fitri trip going to Kota Kinabalu last Monday, August 29th (Flight No. 5J733, 3:50 PM). I admit that we didn't know that a return ticket is necessary for tourist travel and checked-in during the very last minutes before boarding time (not to mention the long lines on the check-in station), but the fact that they asked us to purchase a return ticket on that day, and I asked them if we still going to make it which they said "Pwede pa sir, wag na lng kayo pumila sa ticketing, diretso na kayo sa counter" which I did, the fact that I explained that to them, we should have been assisted or at least they should have notified the people in boarding area that we will be a bit late because I still need to purchase a return ticket for my companion (my sister), which they agreed on before checking us in. We didn't waste any time, we got the return ticket paid all the fees (Travel Tax and Terminal Fee), before we reached the Immigration the guy (who was wearing the Cebu Pac uniform) informed us that we can't board anymore, I thought he was just joking, I even told him, it's not yet 3:50pm, the plane has not left yet, he said the boarding time is over, they have got our baggage off the plane. I explained to him why we were late because of the return ticket but they didn't listen, instead they accompanied us back to check-in station. I spoke to the person in-charge, she said we will rebook but we have to pay for the penalty and the ticket differences, which was over Php 16,000.00 which was really crazy. We would have not booked earlier if we wanted to spend that amount for the trip. I explained to them I booked the ticket three months ago and took advantage of the promo fair for a cheaper admission but they just apologized though admittedly telling us that they should have at least assisted us. One of the people in-charge even said that they were not informed about our case that's why they just didn't let us board the plane. Apology is accepted but that doesn't make things easier for me and my sister and our family who were waiting for us to spend the holiday with in Malaysia. The worse part about it is that they won't even refund the money that we spent for the tickets, not even for the return ticket that we purchased on that very day which was really absurd. I know there are policies and all that but at least they should have done something about it. It was not that we didn't check-in on time or didn't adhere to the immigration policy of purchasing a return ticket, we did all that. They should have at least have a little courtesy of waiting for their customers who trusted them with their time, money and effort for a Holiday Vacation.

I understand that things happen for a reason, but things like these could have been avoided if we'll only be extra careful and focus with what we do. Especially if it involves time and family. My sister cried the whole day when we reached home, she came to Manila from Zamboanga to join me in visiting our sister and brother in Malaysia during the Muslim Holiday, Eid'l Fitri, and I took my 10-day Vacation Leave from work for it, that's how important the trip was. It was not just like any adventure or any trips, and because of what happened it all just went to waste.

Back to Malaysia for Eid Celebration

Today is the start of my two-week long vacation from work. I'm glad my superior approved it, I already have the plane ticket booked three months before my flight when I filed for it last two weeks ago and it seemed to be a good reason after all (for sure they don't want me to miss an international flight) and besides I worked hard for my work attendance to deserve it anyway. I'll be spending the Eid'l Fitri with my sisters and brother and their families in Sandakan, Malaysia. It will be my second visit already but first time during Eid, in fact first time in so many years that we will be spending the Eid together. I can't wait to play with my little nephews and niece again and of course to catch up with my sister Laidz and brother Jul. Really missed them. Our younger sister Queng is with me right now and we will both going though she'll stay there for a month and I have to come back again to Manila for work.

I can't really wait to travel again this Monday, it's going to be a long trip, a two-hour flight from Manila to Kota Kinabalu then another 6 to 7 hours bus-ride going to Sandakan, to my sister's place. We'll probably reach our destination around midnight and by then people are preparing for the Eid celebration already. One of the best things about work is that you can always give yourself a break from it. Advance Happy Eid to everyone!

My First IMAX Experience

I finally experienced IMAX 3D with Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I've watched several 3D movies in cinemas since Avatar in 2009 but not in IMAX. It's not that I didn't have a chance to, I just didn't find a movie that is worth spending the admission ticket for. It costs around Php 450.00 but it was really worth it. The sound, effects were real-like, too bad I was positioned right next to the first row of seats but did enjoy it anyway. It was the last full show, so I didn't really expect the seats to be filled, I had no choice but the get one of the last remaining seats.

Overall, the third Transformers film was not the best among the series but it got the best visual effects, after all it's Michael Bay's first 3D film. I wouldn't really mind going back to IMAX cinema for another film but next time I'll see to it that I'll got the best seat ever.

Finished First Quarter at work with Flying Colors

Didn't expect what happened at work today. Performers for first quarter were awarded, it was unannounced actually, it wasn't really a formal recognition, the people from management just showed up on the floor and gathered themselves to give out the certificates. To my surprise one of the awardees was me, I thought I misheard my name or something. I got the highest "Customer Experience or CE" with an average of 100% (CE is based from the survey results submitted by Dell Customers that we spoke with) for the month of April. And the surprise didn't end their, I heard my name once again when they announced the highest CE for the whole Quarter 1. I couldn't almost believe, I don't really qualify myself as the best, 'coz I know I still have a lot of things to learn and there are a lot of better folks at work that I sometimes get insecure with. But I guess I'm half lucky too at the same time. I believe in luck, to my definition it's synonymous with right moment, we may all deserve of something, but not all of us deserve to have it all at the same time.

Meanwhile the Team's performance (we are clustered per Team at work with one Supervisor) for Quarter 2 has been promising. Started with me who just took home the highest CE for the first week of Quarter Two (I enjoyed the cash prize by the way) and our Participation Rate for Sales has been consistent for four weeks now (so it means we got a total of Php 20,000.00 for our Team Building Fund). The Team is also ranking first in terms of CE and other metrics but over-all we are currently in Second spot, we came short in our attendance and one other metric. I don't really expect too much for our team, but I wanna keep my hopes up especially for the all the teams to pass most of the metrics this quarter.

It always feels good to be recognized for your effort, it lets you know that you're doing great with what you do because sometimes you are too busy to notice it at all.

Calamba, Laguna Summer Escapade

After a few weeks of planning for a summer escapade, me and my colleagues at work finally invaded Calamba, Laguna (the birth place of Jose Rizal, our National Hero) which is about two hour trip via public transportation bus from Metro Manila. We rented a private place with four rooms and a pool with a karaoke machine which was just good enough for 11 of us for just Php 3,500.00 which was really affordable for a place like that. We spent time swimming and karaoke all-day-and-night-long. Most of my colleagues had a couple of drinks, don't know if it was wine or rum, couldn't really tell, what I do know is that some of them got so wasted that couldn't almost drive their bikes to go home.

What I always appreciate whenever I go out with non-Muslim friends is that they always respect what we really believe (as Muslims). They are aware that I don't take any alcohol drinks or eat anything that has pork or any food contaminated with it (even for the spoon that was used to serve pork, I couldn't use it without washing it thoroughly). From the time we bought food for the trip, everyone wanted to buy Purefoods Hotdogs but had to switch it with Swift Hotdogs because it got Halal seal on it. I informed them however that they can buy anything they want as long as I'll prepare the hotdog myself which everyone agreed.

Everyone enjoyed, especially me, though I slept around 10 PM 'coz I woke up around 4 AM to resume the singing and I realized that I'd sung too much that I lost my voice for two days. I even had to inform my boss at work that I couldn't report because I had problem with it. Which means that I'll get some write-up when I report to work later. I'm so guilty that everyone was able to go to work but me.

It was my first time to be away from the Metro Manila again since last October when my friends invited me to join them for a Pampanga trip and my second summer outing since I moved here to Metro Manila (last year was the first when I joined my co-workers for Baguio and Pampanga escapade) and I can't wait for more to come. Great day everyone!

Additional photos below

4-ft private pool with four rooms on the second floor

On our way back to Manila

World Invasion Battle: Los Angeles - A Movie Review

Just got off from watching "World Invasion Battle: Los Angeles or simply known as Battle:LA in North America. Due to not-so-good reviews from the movie critics (only got 34% from Rotten Tomatoes) I didn't expect too much from it and to my surprise I found the film interesting as alien-invasion themed movies District 9 and Independence Day.

Set in August 2011, Extraterrestrial invaded and started to colonize the Earth due to its abundance of water. While people from all over the world were being exterminated, a group of marines in LA headed by retiring Sgt Michael Nantz was sent on a mission of securing the remaining civilians before Air Force bombs the entire invaded area. Carrying the baggage from the last mission, Sgt Nantz realizes that aliens are not just his only concern, he also needs to deal with his marines and their bad speculations about him.

Filled with non-stop action thrills, World Invasion is a pretty good action flick which promises to give you more explosions despite of being short in exploring human emotions. Director Jonathan Liebesman could have extracted deeper from the characters though it isn't really necessary in an action film but since Liebesman started showing it on the beginning he could have been more consistent with it to make the ending more joyful and unforgettable. But despite all that still I was a bit moved by its little drama and the action-thrill with decent special effects is worth watching. (3.5 out 5 stars)

World Invasion Battle:Los Angeles is starred by Aaron Echkart (Dark Knight, Rabbit Hole) as Sgt Nantz, Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar, Fast and Furious), Michael Pena (Observe and Report, Shooter) and R & B singer Ne-yo. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman whose directing jobs includes Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning and now working on Wrath of the Titans (Clash of Titans 2).

Shake, Rattle & Roll 12 - Movie Review

I don't exactly remember when Shake, Rattle & Roll or SSR started scaring audiences but what I remember is the creature "Undin"(starred by Manilyn Reyns and Ai-ai Delas Alas) gave me ghost bumps every time I'm left in the rest room alone. Several years have passed and technology has become more sophisticated, SSR reaches its 12th films but unfortunately delivered less scary stories compare to its predecessors (talking about the films released in 90's).

Just like the usual trend of the series, SSR 12 comes with three different episodes, "Mamanyika", "Isla", and "Punerarya". While the first two episodes were disappointing, the movie as a whole was concluded with a great one.

Mamanyika: Is a story of a possessed doll that kills every one or everything (including its fellow dolls) who gets its way. The episode was not scary at all, everything was ridiculous. First time director Zoren Legaspi apparently wasn't ready to take the director's seat. Starred by Shaina Magdayao and Ricky Davao.

Isla: The second episode focuses on a heartbroken woman who let things cooled down in an island haunted by "engkato". Though it got better visual effects, the second story was even more boring and totally a waste of time. Dir Topel Lee should have focused on the story line than working more on the effects and the killing scenes. Starred by Andi Eigenman and Rayver Cruz.

Punerarya: The final episode is the most suspenseful story among the three, one of the best episodes I've watched in SSR series actually. The plot was simple and I believed was used in horror films before but still made into a real shocker. Focusing on a story of a teacher who takes a private tutor job for two children of a family whose business involving funerary services. Intrigued with the family being different from normal people, the tutor realizes that she has to run for her life before the whole family prey on her. Starred by Carla Abellana and Sid Lucero.

Don't know why our local movie makers can stand with ridiculous stories that are not even worth of a single peso to spend for. With the strong final episode, SSR 12 obviously could have been better. The movie is watchable but you just need to suffer on the first part of it for you to enjoy what has been stored at the end of it. (My rating is 3 out 5 stars)