From January, 2009

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Genre: Comedy; Director: Danny Boyle Stars: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Freida Pinto After watching the film, I felt disappointed. I wasn’t expecting myself to like it. But I DID. Tremendously.  Haha. And this might be the first time that I’m rooting for an Oscar frontrunner. (Two years ago, I liked Little Miss Sunshine better than The Departed; Crash than Brokeback Mountain; Munich than Brokeback Mountain; The Hours than Chicago.) But then again I haven’t seen The Reader yet. But so far, Slumdog gets all my loving. People say that there’s nothing new to the story. It’s the same old third-world…

Movie Review: Doubt (2008)

Genre: Drama; Director: John Patrick Shanley Stars: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis My professors at Film school had always said that the measure of a good film is if you are still able to digest the story completely on first viewing after you turn it to mute. Stanley Kubrick also uttered something like that. In other words, it has to be visual. Show, don’t tell, they say. I believed that, too. Until I realized that sometimes, what is told is just as important as what is shown. Films can still be great even with the visuals…

Movie Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Genre: Drama, Fantasy; Director: David Fincher Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is stuffed with dualities — young and old, birth and death. Unfortunately for Benjamin, the two words that came to my mind after seeing it were long and cold. First of all, I have to say I am a bit disappointed because I love almost everything and everyone in this film. David Fincher is one of my most-loved directors. Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton are some of my fave actors. But amidst the amazing visual display and the technical…

‘7-Night Stand’ Random Scene 1

This is lifted from a screenplay I wrote for one of my college organizations. We were so prepared to shoot it but we had some problems. And by “problems,” I mean budget. It’s a romantic comedy tentatively called “7-Night Stand.” Anyway, this is just one scene. 34 EXT  ROOFTOP  –  Later that night Marco and Nicole are on the rooftop. Lying on a mat on the floor. Next to each other. But with a foot distance between them. It’s almost midnight. The moon, their only light source. They have not said anything since the moment they reached the rooftop. For…

Bulleted Blurts

Wow, time flies. January has only a few days left. I still got tonsilitis. Dammit. But it’s aright, I’m completely functional. Just that my breath smells like a slice of durian you trap in a jar for a week and then you open it and voila…. Yikes. So now I’m in Batangas with my family. Yesterday, I was in Tagaytay. And it was COLD. I know what you’re thinking. “Come on, it’s Tagaytay, of course, it’s cold. Duh?” Well yeah, but not that cold. I’m always there. Thanks to its proximity to our house here. But it was really cold.…

The Promil Kid Goes to School

I’ve been sick since Monday. Tonsilitis again. Last year, I had this seven (or eight?) times. Gaaaah. Told ya, the relationship between infections and my tonsils is almost romantic. They love each other sooo much, they might elope in the near future. But if there’s any consolation, I’m losing weight FAST! Yay for that. Anyway… Guess who’s back!!! Because Tepid Rain isn’t from Heaven One night, I was in the middle of a barren land. A few months before, it was a cane field. Then my childhood started playing in my head again. This was where my brother and I…

Weekend With Andre

Status: SICK! TONSILITIS! My first this year. Music: Mad – Ne-Yo | Poker Face – Lady GaGa Last year, my friend Andre introduced Diego to me. And right then, I fell in love. Diego was just soooo nice and cool and fashionable and affordable. Oh, sorry, I’m talking about the store. DIEGO Store. Their items, especially their pullovers and shirts were so cute. The best thing about it is that since it’s not that popular yet, you don’t have to worry about being in the same place with someone wearing the same shirt. Exactly the reason I stay away from…

Similes and Metaphors

HEADACHE On the way to my boss’s house for a little booze session last Friday night, I couldn’t help bitching about my terrible headache. I was sitting in the backseat with Mads. Yoshke: Gaaaahd, my head aches like hell. Mads: Why? Yoshke: I dunno. But the street lights hurt my eyes, too. Everything’s too bright. And it sends my brain to pain-land. Mads: So it really aches? How painful is it? Yoshke: Very. Very painful…. Like the first time. Like whaaaat?!?! WTF. Wahaha. Steve, who was driving, and Kat, in the passenger seat, let out a little WTF-giggle. Wahaha. I…