lisaisms

finished Seasons 1-3 last week. funniest show EVER.

*UPDATE*


ayus!

i'm not really into mainstream comedy films, but i am a fan of Steve Carell, so i watched Evan Almighty yesterday in HBO. it's filed under comedy, but you don't really laugh for most of the film. the few funny parts are the witty remarks of Evan (Steve Carell) and his assistants. anyway, it's not that bad: the movie may fail as a comedy but it is a feel-good family movie.

on a side note, i love this quote because it does make a lot of sense and when you think about it, it's actually true:

Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

- God (Morgan Freeman)

it's amazing how he detect when i'm lying. in a way it's also sort of scary that he knows me so well. it's been four months (a new record for me!) and we're still in it. :)

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watched Wanted earlier today. i can't believe that James McAvoy is also the faun in the Chronicles of Narnia. and although needless to say, i'm still saying it: Angelina Jolie is damn hot. the movie's fine as it is--it's really entertaining and the effects are great. just don't think about the storyline. or that *spoiler* Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy kissed. hahahahahaha!

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i've been watching movies during lunchtime for the past 2 weeks now (Kung Fu Panda and Get Smart), and yes, i watch alone. usually people can't believe i like watching movies alone--they either think i'm weird or i just don't have anyone to go with me, which basically means i'm pathetic. anyway, i think it's a combination of both, but i don't really feel affected. what's wrong with watching a movie alone anyway? like reading, shopping and thinking--i love watching films by myself, in theaters or at even at home. i can concentrate better that way. i'm glad/ proud that i'm comfortable by myself and do not feel the need to be with people all the time.

then again, it's still nice to have company sometimes. :)

[updates~my ratings! *****= yipee! *= bleh]

i bought the following yesterday:

• at the drive-in - this station is non-operational****
  
• sneaker pimps - bloodsport**
  
• the blood brothers - young machetes*
• stereophonics - you gotta go there to come back*****
• apples in stereo - sound effects 92-00
• the ataris - welcome the night****
• feeder - the singles***
• dogs die in hot cars - please describe yourself
• prozak - for lovers**
• yourcodenameis:milo - print is dead vol. 1 (undecided on this one. innovative music, but the songs don't seem to fit together.)
  
• thom yorke - the eraser***
• chungking - the hungry years**
  
• i am kloot - gods and monsters***
  
• the new pornographers - twin cinema**

AND!

the Hitchcock collection (Shadow of A Doubt, Saboteur, The Birds and Psycho)

all original copies for only Php1700!!

so there, christian and i (haha congrats to myself--this is the first time i mentioned his name in this blog), being the music freaks that we are, splurged on CD's (thank you CD Fever!). his amounted to Php1500, and he even bought MORE CD's than i have. exagge talaga. we plan on going back next week. and the week after. hehe.

we ate at Pancake House, watched The Incredible Hulk, and hung out in their battered-but-beloved van afterwards. and for the first time, my parents did not badger me on going home early.

i am excitement and happiness rolled into one. :)

V for Vendetta, i think, is Alan Moore's most influential work. then again, i'm not really in the position to say so since it's only the second Alan Moore that i've read so far (Watchmen being the first). and i'm not just saying this because it was adapted into a movie (starring Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, John Hurt and Stephen Fry). honestly, i didn't know the film was based on comic book--an actual story--until i saw the reprint in Fully Booked. the movie is one of my favorite films, and since movies normally ruin the book, i wondered how much better the original version is.

as expected, i wasn't disappointed.

apparently, you can't really compare the book and the movie on equal grounds. Alan Moore fans were quite disappointed/ mad when the film came out, since a lot of elements have been altered to suit Hollywood. they forget that a comic book and a movie are two very different things, albeit having the same purpose of telling a story. and even if the parts of the plot and characters were edited, both media share the same conclusion/ philosophy.

i did some [shallow] digging, and discovered that V was based on Guy Fawkes. i know this might be elementary to british-history-knowing people, but i'm not British nor am i a history buff. hehe. i'm not going to elaborate on this anymore since you can read a more accurate version elsewhere. the guy started writing in 1981 about a story set in 1997-1998, finished it in 1988, and it's still relevant. my point: ang galing ni Alan Moore at Dave Lloyd.

what i like best about the story (both book and film) is that it makes you Think. you can't help but see the parallelisms in real life, especially in times when you can't just simply ignore what's happening in our country (and the world) politically and economically.


oh yes, i've been listening to the news too much.

nevermind that Rain's there (still, ewww at the thought). this is one of the most enjoyable films i've ever watched. :)

Here he comes
Here comes Speed Racer
He's a demon on wheels
He's a demon and he's gonna be chasin' after someone

He's gainin' on you
So you better look alive
He's busy revvin' up the powerful Mach 5
And when the odds are against him
And there's dangerous work to do
You bet your life Speed Racer will see it through
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer, GO!

He's off and flyin'
As he guns the car around the track
He's jammin' down the pedal
Like he's never comin' back
Adventure's waitin' just ahead
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer
Go Speed Racer, GO!

i left the office early yesterday to watch No Country for Old Men-- in my opinion the best film i've seen this year so far. i want to write more about it, but i'm still reeling from the whole experience.

Anton Chigurh: You need to call it. I can't call it for you. It wouldn't be fair.
Gas Station Proprietor: I didn't put nothin' up.
Anton Chigurh: Yes, you did. You've been putting it up your whole life you just didn't know it. You know what date is on this coin?
Gas Station Proprietor: No.
Anton Chigurh: 1958. It's been traveling twenty-two years to get here. And now it's here. And it's either heads or tails. And you have to say. Call it.
Gas Station Proprietor: Look, I need to know what I stand to win.
Anton Chigurh: Everything.

Carson Wells: You've seen him, and you're not dead?
Llewelyn Moss: What's this guy supposed to be, the ultimate badass?

Man who hires Wells: [about Chigurh] Just how dangerous is he?
Carson Wells: Compared to what? The bubonic plague?

Anton Chigurh: And you know what's going to happen now. You should admit your situation. There would be more dignity in it.
Carson Wells: You go to hell.
Anton Chigurh: Let me ask you something. If the rule you followed brought you to this, of what use was the rule?
Carson Wells: Do you have any idea how goddamn crazy you are?
Anton Chigurh: You mean the nature of this conversation?
Carson Wells: I mean the nature of you.

Ed Tom Bell: [talking to Ellis] I always figured when I got older, God would sorta come inta my life somehow. And he didn't. I don't blame him. If I was him I would have the same opinion of me that he does.

absolutely brilliant.

*quotes from imdb.com

apparently, it is true: you really can't do much when you're "happy."

it's weird. i can't seem to do anything right when i'm in a good mood. everything i do just seems to SUCK.

and when you're up, the only way you can go is down. anticipation? yes.


i miss being miserable (not that it doesn't come naturally).

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Across The Universe isn't a great film, yet I find myself strangely liking it (or I'm probably just biased because it's based on The Beatles songs).

It's a musical, but it's not your usual musical (e.g. Hairspray, Rent, The Sound of Music, etc.) where people drop everything to sing and dance. The film makes use of the songs in a way a normal person would in his/ her everyday life. It's as if the soundtrack of a person's life is made up of purely Beatles songs. (And yes, of course the film has a great soundtrack.)

The actors in this film are the surprise. I love that Bono and Salma Hayek have cameos. Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess and Joe Anderson are pretty good. Although they're not that new to the scene, this movie may be the one that makes their careers. I love the character of Jude-- especially when he drew a portrait of Lucy on the wall of a building and when he sang on the rooftop. :) (yes, it's me and my thing with artists. hehe. he sort of reminds me of moby.)

The movie does not spare its audience from drugs. Parts of the film are psychedelic nonsense crazy, and very much depict how an addict perceives the world.

On the downside, the plot is quite predictable. I loved the rooftop scene, but you could totally see it coming. There are also some parts where I felt sleepy. Also, the movie could do without some parts (i.e. Mr. Kite scene) and characters (i.e. Prudence).

Overall, I think the movie's good, but it's definitely not for everyone.

(God, I am biased.)

Okay, honestly, the film is not that good at all, but it's definitely a must-see for Beatles fans.

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When this film first came out, I never thought that I would watch it at all because it's a Will Ferrel movie. But, the miracle of Holy Week, I watched Stranger Than Fiction on HBO. And surprisingly, I liked it. Thank god for:

• Will Ferrel stepping out of slapstick comedy. Reminds me of Jim Carrey's The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
• Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson-- the real actors.
  
• Maggie Gyllenhaal's cookies. My sister and I would love to have her (fine, her character's) recipes.

"Nothing is certain in life except for death and taxes." How true.

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I haven't read the book/ comic since it's always wrapped in plastic in all the bookstores, but I've always known that it's a good story. I've been waiting for the Persepolis movie ever since I heard that there's going to be one, and fortunately, it did not disappoint.

"Punk Is Not Ded." "Jichael Mackson."

You'll never hear "Eye of the Tiger" the same way again.

i'm off to a good start this year:

"Anyone Else But You" has been stuck in my mind for days now.

You're part time lover and a full time friend,
The monkey on the back is the latest trend,
Don't see what anyone can see,
In anyone else,
But you

Here is a church and here is a steeple,
We sure are cute for two ugly people,
Don't see what anyone can see,
In anyone else,
But you

We both have shiny happy fits of rage,
I want more fans, you want more stage,
Don't see what anyone can see,
In anyone else,
But you

I'm always tryin to keep it real,
Now I'm in love with how you feel,
I don't see what anyone can see,
In anyone else,
But you

I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of the train,
I kiss you all starry eyed,
My body swings from side to side,
I don't see what anyone can see,
In anyone else,
But you

The pebbles forgive me,
The trees forgive me,
So why can't,
You forgive me?
I don't see what anyone can see,
In anyone else,
But you

Du du du du du du dudu
Du du du du du du dudu
I don't see what anyone can see,
In anyone else,
But you.

so cute.

other movies that i'm looking forward to (which are supposedly opening in 2008):

i went to the wake of my friend's mom last thursday. my friend, oj, called me on dec. 21. we haven't talked or seen each other in a very long time, and i was surprised that he did. he wanted somebody to talk to. he told me that the doctors gave his mother, who had cancer, only a week more. she passed away moments before christmas eve.

it was the first time our family spent new year's eve away from one another. my mom was rushed to the hospital yesterday because she was dizzy and her abdomen hurt like hell. turns out that she has myoma and cysts in her uterus and ovaries, and she will have to undergo a hysterectomy tomorrow.

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i finished reading The New Life by Orhan Pamuk yesterday in the waiting area of the Makati Medical Center. honestly, i did not understand the whole point of the story--maybe because i was distracted by the annoying kid/ cold/ stinky drivers. the journey for the New Life seemed pointless. after all the chase, deceit and murder-- he didn't get anything that he wanted. nothing seemed to amount to anything. but i realized after that maybe THAT was the real message. we spend our lives on trivial things and search for things that maybe are not there at all. we spend too much time pondering and wandering, when we should just focus on what's right in front of us.

things do happen when they need to. i bought this book just because i didn't have something to read over the christmas break and it had a good title. i never would have thought that it would have such an impact on me. in some ways i feel like the character in the book: constantly switching from one bus to another in pursuit of an Angel, of a New Life, always meeting people who remain acquaintances, adapting to each situation and changing identities as needed. i feel like i'm in search of something, but a something that i'm not really sure of. i feel like i'm journeying to nowhere in particular, just moving. i'm in this point of my life where nothing seems to make sense anymore, and i'm actually thinking and saying to myself that i want a new life.

but i'm not having that anymore. i'm through wanting, waiting and running after whatnot. after the events that happened (especially this month), i realized that there are a gazillion things that are more important: self-acceptance and family. whatever else that needs to be done will be realized in time.

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something that i picked up from Avatar (this show is actually good):

"The monks say hope is a distraction, it's not gonna get us through this bridge and it's not gonna find Appa."

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since i kept most of my resolutions last year, i'm making more for this year:

• from last year: totally stop smoking. last year i only smoked socially (a huge improvement), but this year, i am going to quit completely.
  
• get some exercise. i have been such a lazy bum since i started working (almost 2 years now). i did get thinner (probably only due to stress), but my arms, tummy and thighs are flabbier. i REALLY need to get fit again.
• practice photography. i'm planning to do at least one of these. [update: started project 365 in flickr.]
  
• prioritize my family. i know that i have not been making my family a priority for the past few years of my life, and it took the recent events (my grandfather's illness, oj's mom's death and my mom's hysterectomy) to make me realize the importance of family in one's life. i also realized this year that friendship is not forever. sad but true: i can't always count on my friends. i've been with my friends for 4 years, and now is the time for me to focus on my family. after all, i do want to have a family of my own one day, and i want my future husband and future children to value this as well.
  
• be more thankful :)

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what i learned from watching The Sopranos (so far):

• you can use the word "fuck" in any fucking sentence
• i fucking love italian food
• it is possible to be in a fucking dysfunctional family and get fucking good grades
• italian women stay fit while their husbands are fucking fat
• deceit and betrayal is the fucking way to go
  
• being in a mob is way fucking cool and even more fucking complicated
  
• i need to see a fucking shrink
  

Ranma 1/2 has got to be my favorite anime series. before i thought it was funny because of the drawings and the actions, but now that i actually understand what they're talking about (i.e. the sarcasm, Shakespeare quotes), it's even more hilarious!

i'm done with 2 DVD's which cumulatively includes 90 episodes. i have 2 more DVD's to go.

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i just finished reading Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens. for the first time in months, i have no other books left to read.

time to visit Fully Booked.

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the vampire movies i liked were Interview with A Vampire, Coppola's Dracula and Nosferatu. i hated everything else. 30 Days of Night is what i would call a "refresh" from recent horror flicks which are, unfortunately, of my generation. the ending was quite good. perhaps because it's based on a graphic novel? but i was surprised that it didn't have the graphic novel look and feel that 300 and Sin City had. maybe because Josh Hartnett is too pretty to turn into a comic book character. haha. anyway, the movie's actually not bad at all, considering all the other vampire movies that have appeared before it in the last decade or so (i.e. Underworld) -- and if you just ignore Stella.

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had my own private screening (read: i was the only one in the theater).

loved it. i have no other words for it except Emotion.

watched Stardust last friday.

i enjoyed the movie, but it was a bad idea to watch it, considering my "situation." on one hand, i want to glow like Yvaine. on the other hand, i also would love to be like Tristran-- to actually find my own glowing star.

now if i could only find pull myself away from dead stars.

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i really like this article. i really should make it a habit to take pictures everyday, and not be confined to moodswings -- and i guess that also holds true for my writing and painting.

one more session.

i thought this was an action flick and i couldn't be more wrong about a film. the posters, i think, are very misleading. a gun-toting jodie foster does not automatically qualify the film as the G.I. Jane-type. oh well, my bad.

honestly, i wanted to sleep during more than half the movie. and when i left the theater, i didn't feel anything spectacular. but it's a jodie foster film, and so i had to let it sink in for a day or so to appreciate it. after all, you can't really go wrong with jodie foster.

the film, in my opinion, is more of a psychological thriller. it definitely stands up to it's title-- the movie in itself is The Brave One. first of all, the plot itself is, in my opinion, a fresh breath from what we normally see. it's a break from all the "city movies" we see which usually takes on the plot of (a) [anti] terrorism, (b) disturbed children, (c) sex in the city, and what not. but the great thing about it is that you can actually relate and understand what jodie foster's character, Erica Bain, is going through. the film tackles REALITY-- the harsh reality that whether we'd like to believe it or not, WE ARE UNSAFE. and even more than that, we are unsafe not just in our own country, but in our own neighborhood. i know it sounds like paranoia, but it's the truth. second, the main character is a woman. being raised in a feminist environment for more than 10 years, i am all for women empowerment. third and most importantly, the film tackles a very sensitive issue that has been a societal dilemma for as long as we can remember: the fine line between right and wrong. should we just leave the crimefighting to the cops? should we simply submit to the slow and tedious procedure of the government? how do we know who are on our side? questions of society revolving around TRUST. how can we trust the people, the entities, that we are told to trust, the government, if we cannot see them doing anything about the problems of society, or even worse, if we see that they are actually the ones committing crimes?

Erica Bain's experience is not just the experience of a make-believe character. it is not just the experience of a citizen of the US. what's depicted in the movie is happening all over the world, not to mention that it's also one of the "favorite" topics in filipino current events.

when i went to australia, i bought a Roman Polanski 3-DVD collection which included Knife in the Water, Repulsion and Cul-de-Sac because it was a good deal (AUD 30). i'm not familiar with the films, but i did watch Rosemary's Baby in horror film class (thank you Andrew Ty!) and The Pianist.

Repulsion is slow most of the movie, which i guess is true for most polanski films. i like that there's very little dialogue because you can concentrate on the visuals. that's the thing i love most about black and white: you can pause it at any point and have a great still shot. because of the minimal resources and technology, filmmakers have to pay attention as much as they can to light and shadow, sound and silence, resulting in classic masterpieces.

it's been almost an hour after watching the movie, lights are now turned on and i'm not alone anymore, but i still can't shake it off. there's one word that accurately describes what i'm feeling right now: praning.

the film depicts Carol, a seemingly innocent girl who basically went psycho. she lives in an apartment beside a convent with her older sister who has a boyfriend, and Carol hears them having sex at night (thin walls, tsk tsk). Carols is left in the apartment for a few days and during that period, she hallucinates A LOT and does things which are um, not normal.

polanski challenges our idea of reality and shatters it. why did Carol go loco? what is real in the first place? throughout the duration of the film, i have been deluding myself with the idea of a happy ending. fortunately, polanski shatters that one too.

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nevermind the season 2 image. i watched season 1 of Prison Break for the first time last weekend (yes, i know how late i am). and between watching that and playing Halo 2 on the xbox, i've piggified again.

anyway, in fairness, i was impressed. for a TV series, the acting is actually good. the guys playing Bagwell and Bellick are really good. ironically, the star of the show is the worst actor of the bunch. but he is pretty. so pretty, in fact, that he's distracting-- and i'm not really sure if that's such a bad thing.

for some reason, Wentworth Miller reminds me of Matt Damon. i think it's because he'll be known as Michael Scofield forever.

because i cannot resist a free movie.

i've never been a fan of jason bourne or matt damon, so i really wasn't expecting much from this movie. oddly enough, i liked it. i didn't watch the Supremacy (or maybe i did but just forgot), but after watching this last installment, i want to watch the trilogy from the beginning. don't get me wrong, it's not THAT great; the guy got amnesia, wants to know who is really is and what happened, action, blah blah blah... you get the picture and besides, you don't really expect much from an action movie.

but what i liked about this movie is that it wasn't trying to be great at all, at least in my opinion. it's not your typical action movie where there are explosions everywhere, ridiculously cliched speeches, insane stunts and invincible protagonists. Bourne has a fairly simple plot: he was trained by the CIA to commit murder, the lost his memory and wants his life back. not so much dialog and explosions. the chases are cool but not overdone. the fight scenes are actually minimal compared to other action movies. characters are logical and equal (i.e. no upstaging). the ending fit just right. and thank god there was no romantic stuff going on.

i don't think the Bourne trilogy is good enough to be included in the greatest films of all time. but matt damon is going to be known forever as jason bourne.

i realize that i haven't been blogging for a while. been busy with "stuff." therefore, a pathetic rundown of what i have been upto, NOT in chronological order:




of course i saw The Simpsons Movie! who hasn't?





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apparently malas ako sa live games. ateneo lost in the 2 games i watched live. haha. in the game versus UST:

my standard reply: "it's a Harry Potter movie." so what do you expect? wait, let me rephrase that: what else can you expect?

what i did not expect: helena bonham carter and evanna lynch. Bellatrix Lestrange's appearance was the highlight of the whole film.

Weasleys and Snape rule.

finally watched Transformers last weekend with my family (yes, seems that i have been watching movies recently with my family since i don't have money hehe). basically, it was everything that i expected it to be: amazing CGI, mind-blowing action, unrealistic plot, the geek getting the hot girl, et cetera.

good job to shia labeouf-- although i still can't get Even Stevens off my head when i see him. haha.

watched Zodiac yesterday with mary. i thought the film would suck, but surprisingly, it didn't-- it's actually one of the better films of the year.

the movie is 158 minutes long. you feel like you're watching it forever, but you don't mind. it's just so interesting! (then again, i do like crime themes, so i may be biased. hehe.)

what makes the film work for me?

• Jake Gyllenhaal as a nerd. he is just too cute. not to mention he reminds me of a certain someone. hehe;
• the musical score. it was the first thing i noticed when the film started;
• Robert Downey Jr. as Paul Avery. it's a small role, but he brought comedy into the picture;
  
• the story. yes, i know that it's based on a book that's based on a case. it's riveting. makes you realize that real life is indeed more interesting than fiction-- after all, fiction is based on real life;
• Mouth's cameo. yes, the Mouth of One Tree Hill; and of course,
  
• the Brutality.
  

at first i was expecting it to be somewhat like The Da Vinci Code, where you witness the characters decipher the code. i'm just glad it's not like that at all. i actually would not want to watch The Da Vinci Code if it's on HBO, but i would not mind seeing Zodiac another time.

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finally bought a portable hard drive. meet winston. 120GB of space for me to stuff all my pictures.




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this is so cool.